A Book by Marie-Hélène Blonde

 Marie-Hélène Blonde just published her book in French "UNE ODYSSÉE FAMILIALE. DE STERDYN À PARIS…"

When, in September 1939, they crossed the Bug with four of their children to escape the arrival of the Nazis, Mordko and Ruchla could not imagine the travel that awaited them. The following years saw them successively in Russian-occupied Poland, in a camp in the far Soviet north and in a kolkhoz near the Volga. The end of the war is not yet the end of the peregrinations. After a brief return to Poland, it was the departure towards the west, the camps for displaced persons and finally the arrival in Paris in April 1947. A new life began...

The story is based on the testimonies of the last participants of the trip supplemented by archival documents which are gradually becoming available.

https://www.bookelis.com/biographies/59694-Une-odyssee-familiale.html#/22-type_livre-papier

Cyla Fuks

Have you ever heard of Cyla Fuks (?) from Sterdyń near Sokołów, living in Tel Aviv, 227 Dizengoff Street? In 1967 she wrote z letter to her former neighbour in Sterdyń. She wrote there about succeses of the Israeli army - and that is why the letter was confiscated by Polish police (Poland was then controlled by Russia and Russia was against Israel, that is why it was baned to talk/write anything good about Israeli army). 

I wonder if Cyla left any written testimony about her life in Sterdyń before and during the war. Please, let me know if you know anything about her!

Pinchas Ogrodnik #2

Do you remember Pinchas Ogrodnik, whose tombstone we found in Sterdyń? He was a young boy who got involved with the communist movement. He received communist leaflets from a stranger (he said that in the court, I don't know if it's true, probably not). Communism was a serious crime back then, as the Bolsheviks attacked Poland in 1920. The authorities feared treason. Pinchas was sentenced to 2 years in prison.

What is important - there were a few Poles and a few Jews in the group of suspects. It was NOT "Judeo-communism", as anti-Semites sometimes claim about communists.

In the personal questionnaire (written by a policeman) Pinachas stated in the education column "I can sign my name, but not much more". His parents were: Icko-Moszek and Chaja-Sura nee Nejer.

Pinchas spent 349 days in prison before he died (possibly from tuberculosis, but we have no confirmation of this). Officials noted that he still had 381 days to serve.

Pinchas Ogrodnik

Today at the Jewish cemetery in Sterdyn I found this tombstone. It is written in Yiddish, which is unusuall. The reason for that may be that the person here was probably a leftist. I will try to find out more about him but maybe any of you have more information?

The tombstone reads:

Here lies the deceased companion OGRODNIK Pinchas. He died after a long time in prison in Siedlce. He was born on August 1, 1902, died on April 30, 1926.

The board of the Jewish community in Sokolow, Kosow and Sterdyn in 1918

During World War I, the Germans were also stationed in Sokolow. Their rule of occupation was associated with high taxes and a lack of food among the population (food had to be donated to the army). On the other hand, the Germans allowed the founding of both Jewish and non-Jewish social organizations for the first time. In 1918, they organized elections to the board of the Jewish community in Sokolow, Kosow and Sterdyn.

In Sokolow, the following were elected to the board: Mozes Borychowski, Srul Henoch Schwarzwort, Mozes Lustigman, Hersz Towia Ber and their deputies: Alter Kafowy, Jakow Edelsztein, Rochmiel Rybak, Jakow Kiwajko.

In Kosow, the following were elected to the board: Sindel Lehrmann, Abram Zelaniec, Abram Mozesohn, Mozes Flamm and their deputies: Szlama Weisberg, Majer Rowiński, Izak Brzoza and Józef Kiczkowski.

In Sterdyn the following were elected to the board: Abram Wajngart, Chaskiel Srence, Berek Kotlarski, Judko Ceranko and their deputies: Abram Bromberg, Szlama Goldberg, Chune Radzyński, Icek Styczyński.

Signatures from 1926

Polska1926 is a new website where we can find signatures of our ancestors. In 1926 the Polish schools conducted a collection of congratulatory signatures on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of American independence. 5,5 million signatures were signed under the Declaration of Admiration and Friendship with the United States.

http://www.polska1926.pl/

The original is in the Library of Congress.

In Sokolow, no signatures of children from the Jewish school were collected, but in the villages near Sokolow, where Jewish children went to one school with Catholic children, their signatures can be found on this document, especially in Sterdyń.

http://www.polska1926.pl/miejscowosci?voivodeship1926=&district1926=Soko%C5%82%C3%B3w+Podlaski&sort=name&per_page=40