1958 PRUZHANY YZKOR BOOK
Chapter 22
SOCIAL
MOVEMENTS IN PRUZENE
By G.
Urinsky
(Zionism and Socialism)
We do
not have very precise data about intellectual movements in our city. Memoirs of
the first illuminists were not conserved. There were few subscribers to the periodicals, such as Ha'maguid, Ha'shachar and later Ha'meilitz and Ha'tzifa. Some
Jews read Russian-Jewish magazines and newspapers in Russian. In the literature
of years 1860 and 1870 of the last century, two writers, NICOLAI PRUZHANKSY and
SEMION IZAKOVITCH RAPAPORT(1), were highlighted in Pruzhany. In those times
some families in Pruzhany gave their children a
European education.
First Zionist movements
The Chibad Zion (lovers of Zion)2
movement, that attracted an important number of youth, had an important
influence in the city. The organization Chovevei Zion
(sympathetic with Zion) was founded in the 1880’s of last century. Within the Chovevei Zion group it was designated as a representative to the Odessa
Committee. An annual fee3 was assessed on the members. On the eve of Yom Kippur moneyboxes were
placed in Batei Midrashim
(religious studies houses) and money was collected for settling in Eretz Israel. From
time to time they met in Assemblies. The group of Chovevei
Zion had antagonistic encounters with older generation. It was the religious who faced the youths who
wanted to accelerate redemption. For this reason, in the first stage they met in
secret in Mount Samuha, on the road toward Subitsh (this mountain was cut in during
the 1890s), or in the intimacy of the house of some of the members.
With
the coming of Hertzl's Zionist politics, the movement
began to enlarge its influence, since it attracted young middle class people,
intellectuals and workers who read Zionist magazines and booklets in Yddish. They also read YUD and Jewish Popular Pages. Zionist intellectuals of other places
arrived, settled in our city, and became leaders of the movement. They
distributed Shekalim (TN: name of Israel
currency now) and they sold certificates of the Colonial Jewish Bank.
The
movement began to disclose to the general public the Zionist thought, and for this purpose every
Saturday they organized allusive readings. They read Gretz
in Yddish, and they held conferences on Jewish history. They did not have
many opponents except among the older generation, the religious extremists, and
the political Zionists (see later). They attracted the young and middle-aged
generations and a small percentage of workers (Zionist organized,
that amounted to about twenty). They were under
the romantic influence of Herzl's Zionism, and
believed convincingly in near future of redemption. Zionist speakers,
professional spreaders, and middle class Jews that were Zionist began to arrive to Pruzhany.
From
time to time others that were against Zionism, the maguidim
visited the city. They incredulously criticized Zionists, and rejected the
belief in the coming of the Messiah4. The fight of older generation ceased
after the great fire of 1899, which set on fire half of the city. They, the
proprietors, were in charge of reconstructing their housings.
In
year 1900, a youth organization with the name of Pirchei
Zion (Zion Youth) was founded. They were in
charge of raising money for Zionist objectives; they also founded the Poor
Class Group. In the year 1903 an organization composed only of males called Tzirei Zion (Youth of Zion) was
founded and they were in charge of spreading the Zionist idea among youth.
First Socialist movements
The first echoes about socialist and
revolutionary thought arrived to Pruzhany at the beginning of the XX
century, and began to expand among urban residents. There was already youth in Pruzhany that had received European instruction. They
studied in the big cities, were familiar with socialist ideas, and had a great
influence on other youth belonging to the Pirchei Zion group who felt
themselves socialist and sympathizers of Yzkra. Also
workers of Pruzhany began to be organized to fight for better work
conditions. At the beginning of 1902, some hard-working youths who were in big
cities like Warsaw, Wilna and Lodz began to return to Pruzhany. These youths summoned all
workers of Pruzhany to an Assembly, urging
them to not work more than 12 hours a day.
The
Assembly decided it this way. Applications of wage increases were not
presented. The decisions of a working day of 12 hours were implemented this
way: groups, consisting of several people that inspected shops, were formed.
They forced workers who worked more of 12 hours, to leave. This happened
because of an event on the eve of Pesach, when the workers used to work from 16 to 18 hours a day. This history had a great resonance
in the city, among the workers and among the proprietors.
It was
rumored that fraternities, such as those formed in the big cities5, had
been formed in Pruzhany. This name was
institutionalized among citizens, and later members of socialist organizations
were denominated in this way. A little later workers
of the Bund organization and the Russian Social Democratic party, arrived in Pruzhany. They expanded socialist and revolutionary ideas
among workers of Pruzhany6. A relationship was created between
socialist intellectual youths and the workers; relationships were created with
Bund organization in Brest, where illegal revolutionary literature was obtained. The Bund
organization was then founded in Pruzhany. There were
organized circles, where outstanding friends read and explained revolutionary
illegal literature. A library was founded that contained legal Jewish books
that members could take to their homes. They taught illiterate workers to read and write in Yddish. From time to time very important
Assemblies in Mount Llache were organized.
Zionism and Socialism
In
year 1904, the group Tzeirei Zion (young of Zion) was
influenced by new ideas brought by a new member, a more radical Worker-Zionist
approach with socialist coloring. Through their radical influence, the group
changed its name to Kadima. With this new name, the Zionist
intellectual groups, whose programs established an analogy between Zionism and
Socialism, began to work. In Rozshinoi, that at the time was a
nearby town whose laborers had certain occupations, especially weavers, a Zionist
workers organization existed. After some months of existence, the Kadima organization reconstituted itself as a Zionist
workers' organization under the name of Poalei Zion
(workers of Zion). Workers, as a group, constituted a majority in this organization.
In the
winter 1904, circles were organized that met at private homes; most were rented
for some Kopikes a night. They carried out important
Assemblies in the groves of Liache and Sementshier. A library was established with Jewish books
(most gathered from friends and sympathizers); also organized were illiterate
workers' groups who were taught to read and write. A contact with
the cities of Rozshinoi and Slonim
was established. From time in time, propaganda and pamphlets arrived, but the
Party theories and ideas were transmitted in personal and oral forms. Therefore in each place there were important
disclaimers. During one winter, the Pruzhany
organization’s future was discussed particularly if they would continue in the
new orientation of fighters or that of non-fighters.
Finally
the victory was for the tendency of fighters who joined up with those of Slonim who also belonged to the same ideological
thinking. In the summer of 1905, representatives of Pruzhany
traveled to Rozshinoi and obtained the declaration for
the Pruzhany organization that all the organizations Poalei Zion should be united in fighting for the territorial and socialist
program, with the name of Zionist Socialists7.
The events of January 9 1905 - that echoed in all of Russia -, also rebounded in Pruzhany. In the course of the winter many members were added to the Bund and among
Zionist socialists. May 1 1905 big Assemblies of both parties celebrated in the
groves of Liache and Semenshie. The Assembly of the Bund in the Liache
forest failed. Police headed by the Highest Official arrived, so they had to behave correctly. After
negotiating for the detainees whose names were registered, the police rounded
them up and drove them into the city. Later, participants received a fine of 5 rubles or three
days of arrest from the governor of Grodno. The police had the revolutionaries, and they did not want to fight against them
(during the winter a terrorist act against police was carried out, and they
sprayed its Head Officer with vitriol)
Bialistok speakers for the two big organizations
arrived frequently enough, and they carried out big Assemblies in the forests.
The Bund was tied with its branch in Bialistok
through Brest, and the Zionist socialists through Slonim.
Professionals, intellectuals and workers in both organizations settled in Pruzhany. During that summer both organizations carried out
political and economic strikes and they got salary increases and settled upon
the rule of 10 hours of work per day. Political organizations drove economic
actions. In the summer of 1905 the number of members in each organization
increased. The makeup of each one was the following: Bund members numbered 70 to 80 and followers more
than 300. The S~S members numbered 40 to 50 and followers 150.
The
average people in the Bund were proletarian; the average people in the S~S were
middle class; both had a majority of youths 16 to 21 years of age. The
constitution of the organization was the following: members voted for the Committee, and a letter
with elected names was given to a person called the open representative. The open representative
announced the names of the Committee members who were chosen. He also was the laison between Committee and Organization. Other members
were not told who constituted the Committee. This procedure was developed using the
conspiracy principle, and it was formally respected. The organization’s members
meetings were held in a place called The Purse. Its headquarters were in Pacevitz St. (now
called Neguidish), beginning in the building of the
Municipality and finishing in the fence of Gubernia
property. Bundists took their place on the
left coming from the bridge, and the S~S to the right beside the
white jail. From the evening and until late hours in the night, these places
were filled with people walking, generally in groups, to listen the word of their
leaders.
Relations
between Bund and S~S members were tense. Constant discussions happened about
territorialism and proletarianism. They frequently
ended in fights. In the course of the summer, at an appropriate opportunity,
the Bund declared a political character strike and forced merchants to close their businesses.
One week later the S~S also declared a general strike of political character in
the city. Both organizations bothered each other, when they carried out
political activities.
The biggest tension among them was with
regard to the following episode: the Bund sent, at the beginning of August,
an ultimatum to the committee of the S~S that in so many days they must abandon the
space that they occupied in the Purse and move to Postshove
St (May 3rd). The Bund based its demand on that fact that a woman leader was
attracting the Bundists en mass to the lines of the S~S, and that interfered in their activities. The S~S didn't
agree with this and once, when the woman leader was attacked, a fight broke out
between Bund and S~S. The police tried to prevent the fight and,
taking advantage of the opportunity, attacked both groups, killing many with
its sabers.
The
S~S feared that the Bund’s aggression, knowing that
its organization was smaller and weaker, would be repeated the following day.
That same night they sent a messenger to Rozshinoi
who brought back weapons for their defense in case of an eventual attack. No
more fights occurred. Everyone calmed down, and the two groups remained in
their places in the Purse. Saturdays was another Purse event in the Yard,
beside teacher seminars. There was a garden, in which fruits and milky products
were sold. Every Saturday public discussions took place between both
groups.
We
have been able to obtain the following documents, relating to the year 1905 that came
from the Grodno Governor Archives. They are reports
from NABOKOV, an official, to the Grodno Governor. They state the
following:
"Secrete. To His Excellency, the Grodno Governor, from the Head of the Pruzhany
district.
Report. Recent strikes and demonstrations of July 11th in the city of Pruzhany and in the towns of Kartuz Bereza,
Shereshev and Malch, could
not be stopped due to lack of military help, in the aforementioned towns
and in the whole area in general. Police Officials when being dispersed to the
whole area, could not meet together
in a suitable place, and their scarce numbers did not allow them to
demonstrate their energetic influence on the crowd in cases of unrest. Rumors
were spread among the peasant population and in many villages and this would
cause problems.
There were also conflicts between peasants and nobility that were not
important in the past but from now on could become serious agrarian
disturbances. For the above-mentioned reasons, I request to His
Excellency, military help inside the area that was given me to
govern. It would be desirable to have
a military base in Pruzhany, Kartuz
Bereza and Shereshev, with
the condition that these bodies can act in the event of necessity, and to send
more of a force to the above-mentioned towns.
It is my duty to inform His Excellency that at the same time that the regiment 151 of
Infantry Piatigar was in Kartuz
Bereza and Brigade 38 was near Pruzhany
in Michaelov. It was transferred to the
district of Lomzshe, and in this way I lost the
possibility to request help from the military forces. The population of the circuit,
especially Jewish youth, knowing that the police cannot receive military help,
would not lose the opportunity to take
advantage of the situation. Signed: Military Chief NABOKOV, No. 205, Julio 12,
1905, Pruzhany"
Attached
to this report is the list of rebels.
LISTS
OF PEOPLE RECOGNIZED AS LEADERS OF THE DISTURBANCES OF JULY 11 IN PRUZHANY
(A
great number of them were included by mistake or chance).
IN PRUZHANY
1.
BERGER Irmiahu Movshov
2.
ROTKOP Rachmiel
3.
SERLIN Yankel
4.
WALDMAN Osher Meierov
5.
SUSELEVITSH Michel Velvelov
6.
GARBER Gershon Movshov
7.
NOMBERG Itzhok Ioselev
8.
NITZBERG Isser
9.
ENUSH Yankel
Avnerov
10.
GARBATY Ephraim Elev
11.
KATZ Mordechai
Fraimov
12.
FAYN Moishe
Michelev
13.
BLIACHER Yosel Fraimov
14.
RONIS Shmuel
Movsev
15.
URIEVITSH Berko Shimhov
16.
PERELSHTEIN Leizar
17.
AVERBUCH Moishe
18.
MOVSAHVITZ Yosel
19.
PRIBLULSKY Mendel
20.
FAYN Yosel
Michelev
IN MALCH
21.
ROZENFELD Moishe Itzkov
22.
GOLDBERG Aronov Shliamov
23.
RABINOVICH Hersh Biniaminov
24.
NITZBERG Lipe Zundelev
25.
BOM Bentzion
Aronov Davidov
26.
NITZBERG Moishe Zundelev
27.
GOLDBERG Shimon Naftaliev
28.
FRYDMAN Zunie Abramov
29.
DUBINA Avrom Itzhak Zabelev
30.
POMERANIETZ Sara Yankeleva
31.
GHERSHO Chaia Itzkovna
32.
ZAMUCHAVSKY, Pearl Nachimova
33.
LIBERSHTEIN Mavshe Heshkov
34.
SHEINBOIM Chaim Hersch Yankelev
35.
TREGER Avrom Leib
36.
LIBERMAN Chaia Shimeleva
37.
ILEVITZKY Michel Meierov
IN SHERESHEV
38.
ROZENTAL Chaim Baruchov
39.
LEW Itzhok
Aizik
40.
ZINGMAN Hershel Ansehlov
41.
LINEVSKY Zundel Mavshev
42.
KRUMAN Yosel
43. VAFINSHTEIN
Moishe Aizokov
44. BREMER Mordechai Davidov
45.
KRUMAN Fishel Guetzelev
46.
SINGER Biniomin Chaimov
47. GUTERMAN
Israel
48. KAUBKOIPH Aaron Zelmanov
49. MAISTER
Chaim Shmulev
50. GAUCHMAN
Yosel Fraimov
51.
CHANKOVSKY Elchana Shaiev
52.
YUDELEVSKY, Moishe Beinshov
Signature: Chief NABOKOV"
"Secret: To His Excellency Grodno Governor, from Pruzhany
District Head. Report.
I add to my July 12 report under No. 199 and I say that together
with the list of names of people who were authors of July 11 disturbances,
there were also the following agitators.
VASSILY POMOV MIKOS, a local landowner's son who finishes the state school in Pruzhany this year; the student of the school NIKOLAI
SILVERTEROV GANTSHARKO and the peasants: CHAIM MEIEROV KUPLINSKY, AARON
NACHMENOV SHPANIN, TOIBE MESHENGUISER, LEA MESHENGUISER AND MIRIAM MESENGHISER.
These people developed their activity in Pruzhany.
SHPANIN, BERGER and ROTKOIP were the leaders. According to the
determination of past District Chief report of April 25 under No. 40, these
people were sanctioned, and most of them nominated in the list of the report of
July 12 with No. 199. In Kartuz Bereza
the following persons were in front of the crowd and encouraged its activity:
the peasants of Pruzhany Ury
Abelev TABULITZKY and Leizar
PINES and the inhabitant of Bereza Avrom Itzhok Movshev
ZAVELEVITSH. The two first mentioned came especially to Bereza and during the evening returned to their
city. On the night of July 11/12 strangers on the route through the town
fired two shots near the station Pogodine that were
heard in Kartuz Bereza. The
bullets hit the guards of the Infantry Regiment 196 called Zazlav
who were in the barracks. KINGFISHER IVANOV CHARION, ABDULLAH ABDULIN and
PROKOV PLUSHNIKOV were the wounded soldiers. As consequence of this action a
report was sent to the investigation judge of First District of Pruzhany,
and the local Procurator. Signed NABOKOV was also informed".
"Secrete: To His Excellency Grodno
Governor from the Pruzhany District Head.
Report. I inform His Excellency that in a low quality tobacco industry in Pruzhany belonging to Yosel Pomeranietz,
on July 17 at 11 o'clock
a.m., nine of 15 workers went out to eat lunch and did not
return to work. The same day six male workers continued to work and on July 18 at 4 p.m.
they left their work place and did not return to the factory. The owner of the factory informed me that the
women workers demanded a wage increase of 50% and therefore Pomeranietz
closed his factory for a while. The strikers made no disturbances. To clarify the
cause, an investigation began to determine if there were people that encouraged the workers go on
strike. About other events that could happen in the future, I will inform to His Excellency. Head
NABOKOV, No. 216, April 19, 1905."
All
these documents are type written. They are registered with Entrance Number Grodno Governor. There are also illegible handwritings in
the report. In some parts of the reports are underlined in color, seemingly by
the Governor.
In October 1905, the
revolutionary wave hit the country hard.
The first railroad strike was carried out and later the Czarist Manifesto of October appeared. Soon the
news arrived in Pruzhany. On Thursday’s fair day the
Bund immediately organized demonstrations with flags and big banners both in Yddish and in Russian. The police set up a human chain
around the fair. They withdrew when the demonstrators arrived. A tumult
broke out among peasants who arrived at the fair, and they immediately escaped
with their cars, and cleared the street
The S~S group were not able to organize their
demonstration on Thursday, and carried it out with great success on Saturday.
The same day, during the morning, members of the Small Bund8, in
which some dozens of young people participated, carried out another
demonstration with flags and big banners. They passed Neguidish St. (Patzevich) peacefully and during whole itinerary they
proclaimed revolutionary expressions, and sang a revolutionary hymn called The
Oath and other revolutionary songs. The
S~S demonstration lasted several hours, and went through all streets. In each
place in which there was a police commission, they stopped and talked about
their revolutionary objectives. They also carried flags and banners. The police
did not intervene at all in this demonstration that almost the whole town attended. They marched
and they were not bothered by the Bund as the S~S were
surrounded by armed militiamen.
Information
about pogroms against Jews organized by the czarist government in several
places in Russia arrived in Pruzhany. That created a feeling of uneasiness in the
Jewish population. It was the rumored that different human beings, hooligans,
encouraged the peasants to also make pogroms. At the same time there were deliberate
revolutionaries among the peasants of nearby villages, and Jewish socialists
organizations were in contact with a few of them.9 A decision to create a self-defense
organization, integrated by both organizations was made. There was an
insufficient amount of weapons, and for this reason, funds to buy weapons were raised
in the city among the richer proprietors. The fund raising was both voluntary and obligatory. It made the amount of
funds raised larger with the result that a larger quantity of defense weapons
could be bought.
During
fair days members of the self-defense group met in different places in the city
and were ready to act. The self-defense forces were organized in groups. Each group was
had a leader. A committee composed of representatives of both organizations was
the exercising authority. They had no intention of making a pogrom in Pruzhany, and anti Jewish manifestations were not seen.
At
beginning of November, at the time of the great yearly market, it was feared
that something could happen in the near town Malch.
The self-defenders of Pruzhany sent some armed
members there, and together with local organizations of the Bund and the S~S, they avoided a
pogrom. People of Color appeared at the annual fair, who appearance and
possible objective created fear. They began to instigate the peasants
and encouraged them to rob and pillage the Jews. Then an inhabitant of Pruzhany,
a member of self-defense, stood on a peasant's car, and announced that, if anybody tried to assault a Jew, he would
throw a bomb, pointing out a package he had in his hands. The organization
didn't have bombs but the terrified peasants ran away from the town.[1]0
After
the October 17th manifesto, disillusion within the
country strengthened the desire among revolutionaries to fight, and they got ready
for a rebellion. Each organization searched for the means to buy weapons. The S~S
organization of Pruzhany decided to collect funds in the
following way. By the end of November the District Commission carried out a bid
to grant the lease of a field to the inhabitants of Pruzhany. The organization decided that its representatives
would not travel to Grodno and they made a deal to accept the lease with a contractor. With the certainty of
not having competitors, the price was lower, and resulted in a savings of 2000 to 3000 rubles over the
normal price. That savings was received
by the organization. They sent three representatives with the contractor to Grodno, and indeed they got the lease at the lesser price. This happened very
close to the second rail strike and Moscow’s
unfruitful rebellion in December. The Populace reacted and protested so the
authorities, with a wave of repression, annulled the bid.
During
autumn meetings were carried out almost every night. In Batei
Midrahim (Jewish religious studies academies)
frequently there were discussions between Bund and S~S, and later included the
S~R. The discussions that lasted almost
the entire night; nobody tried to bother them.
Towards
the end of summer 1905, rumors about anarchists’ ideas arrived in Pruzhany through Rozshinoi and Bialistok. An inhabitant of Rozshinoi
(ANSHEL) of S~S tried to found a communist anarchist group. The group did not last long because
they admitted young maximalists. Jewish youths of Pruzhany11 and peasants of near villages belonged to this group, especially
those from the village of Sheny. The young S~R maximalists recognized the
terror that existed in governmental institutions, and the possibility of their
expropriation of private property.
During
September the Grodno Governor1[2] arrived in Pruzhany, and during a feast that
the Jewish elite prepared in the Big Synagogue, the Governor praised the Pruzhany Jews because they were not, what in Russia were
called, Kromolnikes (police who had falsified
information). The young S~R maximalists decided to answer the Governor for
his praises by carrying out an expropriation of a governmental business which
produced alcoholic drinks in the village of Kotre and
stealing some hundreds of rubles. With the stolen money they paid an
instructor, and with explosive material they prepared bombs. One evening they
threw a bomb at the police building on the main street Neguidish
(in Rozenblum's house) that resulted in damages to the building and its
surroundings, but did not harm any people13. The
same organization carried out an attack against a higher echelon policeman,
they shot him, and he was severely wounded and died after a short time.
After
second rail strike, and after defeat of the December Muscovite rebellion, the
police began repressions. The previous summer, a Mounted Police group that had
not previously intervened in any special action, was formed. At the beginning
of December they were assigned to a place in Neguidish St. and they did not allow anyone to come close to the Purse. The Purse was
transferred to Seltzer
St. (Dombrowka) and they sent a squadron of dragons to the city. These together with the
mounted-police tossed them of there. Arrests
began, the reaction strengthened and repressions increased. People began to escape and, among the
labor class, a strong emigration toward America began. Many intellectuals emigrated, and a great number of them began to study and research.
Anyway political tasks continued in the Bund, in S~S, and in the maximalists during year 1906.
During
the Second Duma elections (elections for the First Duma were boycotted by socialists), there was activity in
the Bund and in the S~S organizations. The Grodno Bund candidate was an outstanding activist, GAZSHANKSKY (LANU), and the
S~S candidate was Dr. M. A. PINES BRISKMAN, who wrote the first history of Jewish literature.
A meeting to choose several representatives, who could be depended upon to vote for the socialist
candidate in Grodno, was
carried out in Pruzhany, but it failed.14
During
1906 meetings were carried out from time in time, and the organizations sent
representatives to each District conferences15. Politically legal newspapers were
distributed that were called the Popular Newspaper and then the New Road.
These appeared in Vilna. By middle of summer a member of Bund died, followed
some weeks later by a member of S~S16. At both funerals the organizations
participated with their flags, their big banners and sang revolutionary songs.
At the cemetery there were revolutionary speeches, but the police did not
interfere.
Little
by little the leaders left the city and the organizations disbanded. The last
May 1st meeting was carried out in 190717. In
the later Duma elections, Jewish cadets handled the
participation for the intellectuals and rich people. For all State Dumas, males
among the Pruzhany population that sympathized with
the cadets were elected.
The
democratic youth stayed in the city. The congregated in the Urban Library,
where there was a section for Jewish books. In the year 1912 some dozens of
young people founded a circle18. They taught Yiddish, mathematics and
Russian to young groups of workers. These circles were attended by hundreds of
young people. This work lasted approximately one year.
N. A.
BUCHBINDER in his book, The History of Jewish Movement in
Russia, which was translated to Yddish. According to reporters of the New Road and
the The Word newspapers, the list of cities where S~S
organizations acted is mentioned on page 393. In this list, Pruzhany
doesn't appear. In the newspaper, Our Road, No. 7 of October 31, 1907 there is a note about Pruzhany, signed by
Motel POLIAK, in which describes the activities developed by the S~S
organization. In the same newspaper, No. 5 of October 10, 1907 there is an obituary of a friend of Pruzhany,
R. KAHANOVITSH, who was murdered near the border with Sosnievietz.
His obituary was
signed by P. K. (Motel Poliak)