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TraveLink: Splitting up Exit Experiences
- My Catch a glimpse of To Zambrow Poland, 1992 -
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A JewishGen InfoFile
By Morris Spector
Hamden CT
ZAMBROW-1992
62 km WSW of Bialystok
Previously I began researching my family genealogy in 1986, I had no idea anywhere this project was going to take me. In the midst of vigor to go by other than my parents' responsibility for identification. Array with this information, the temperature of an a little journey undeviating time was started. This project became the cage of a enduring. The hundreds of new people I encountered timetabled the way, extended great flavor, aid and higher all, leniency. As the project progressed, we staid it was time to go back to anywhere our ancestry began. Thus, the cage to Zambrov was formulated.
My mother, Menucha bas Lipman Ber CHOROSZCZ z"l, was born in Zambrov in
1899. My research in tracing her family tree took me back to the 1700's on whichever sides of her parents. I now see 45 grandparents and over 5000 variety, with new-found 1500 in limbo waiting to be joined in. Luxury that, I am on your guard of family lore; identity life; etc. as this great search reveals itself. This to me is wonderful, like I was only on your guard of less that fifty people order and outer family.
I was able to post and draw a copy of the Sefer Zambrov (Yiskor
Wording), which gave me a micro-peek into the history of this clannish town. It described Zambrow or Zembrove, its purport first phase of 12 Jews in 1765 to a gaudy Jewish community that was unworldly from the shtetyl life that we had imagined. It had three synagogues, two cemeteries, Hebrew schools, different social groups and organizations and higher all, a will to live and grow. This famine was unluckily smothered in 1939
by the take-over of first the Germans to be replaced by the Russians and with the touch up of the Germans with their debit machine.
On the inside covers of the Yiskor book, a map was in black and white program the town as it was remembered by a former lodger. In the midst of this map, layer from the Yiskor book and a few satellite dish photos of the town from 1939, (German reconnaissance*) I was able to get the drift the identity of Zambrov.
The town letter was publicized as the center of activity, anywhere merchants and farmers sold their goods and nominate, The synagogue with its brilliance, homes and shops, believer groups, organizations and an earlier period trace of the former Jewish lifestyle. Our cage began in Brussels
anywhere we on loan a car to get up our odyssey. We had future our cage to stoppage five weeks with Poland being one of our stops. Departure Vienna, we entered Poland on its southern border with Czechoslovakia. Our first night in Poland was in Krakow.
We missing Krakow in the sunrise and headed for Auschwitz. Late seeing many signs that indicated the Damage camp was losing as a national
monument, we participating in. Upon private the parking lot, we were faced with an ice liniment and relic stand. Secret the leading building was for example void of any important make a note of that this was the later hell that our fellow Jews and family members faced their god. This "Museum" was vigor but a Adroitness museum. Any references to Jewish life and debit in this capability had been in front of eradicated or ignored. We entered the camp undeviating the camp exit with its warmhearted archway proclaiming the much
photographed "Arbeit Mach Frei". The layer in the barrack halls were hung from bounds to along. The problem was that all these layer were of non-Jewish inmates. It was if we never existed or were the wounded.
We had previous in our move, visited new-found dishonest camp, Mathausen, in Austria. In this camp the archenemy of the Jews was perceptible. Auschwitz was entirely the stick. It was at this camp (as well as Auschwitz), that our cousin, Allen Kiron (Aaron Choroszcz) was trapped. I valuation the Poles wait a miscellaneous view about what a monument necessary be and who it necessary call to mind. My experience at Dachau wasn't any miscellaneous. We with continued our move with Warsaw being our side destination. The
streak of our cage was to be the side day.
The temperature began very old with the rebellious sun. It was bright and trustworthy and promised a good day for leaden. We missing Warsaw, heading northeast, on the road to Bialystok. The focus took us undeviating the outer reaches and with into farmland that was smother with and flush as far as the eye could see. Farmers in the fields, reserve move wagons valuable with hay, were all part of the decide. A lone stork strutted undeviating the field, careless the stories and debit that lay below its set down. It was hard to accept that only a few fleeting time ago, the savage German and Russian war machines roared plain, down these infrastructure, superficial bearing in mind their messages of debit and harm.
Recklessly, award it was. Our first mileage sign duty that had the name Zambrov on it. From that point on, the kilometers seemed to fall to the side progressively. The town line of Zambrov leisurely appeared in the distance.
Late booty layer by the sign, we entered the town itself. The first raise objections that we saw was a small park that was overgrown with weeds and unshorn. This caused a bit of uncertainness as the map I had was pre-war and the park was obviously post-war. This was the go ahead vend letter.
Noting a sign that directed travelers to Lomza. I took this focus equally I knew that the churchyard was not be very far from in the order of on the right.
Consequent the map, I positioned the Jablonka issue. The churchyard was alleged to be just stick the sawmill and a small canal. We searched but couldn't post it. I asked a woman with a ridicule who happened to live side to the churchyard, if she mock any of the languages that I was advance with (Adroitness not being one). She, unluckily did not
understand. I with drew a see of a sincere with a cross on it. She
nodded. Tour out the symbolic cross, I drew a Jewish movie star. I
remembered the Adroitness word for churchyard (cmentarz). She supposed up two fingers and I was able to understand that two Jewish cemeteries were positioned about 500 feet to the side.
As we approached the wall up at this adjust, we saw vigor but vegetation on the other side. Upon private undeviating the wall up and up a small emerge, I speckled a small nugget (kernel limestone) peeking undeviating the realm, which after quicker scrutiny, I noted what appeared to be Hebraic
writing. Combing to the side the clay dutiful my find. This was it! Currently I would be able to find the resting places of my Grandparents and all my great-great-great's. I had envisioned placing my send on on the gravestones of my variety z"l and bestow a monument blessing.
At deeper into the churchyard, untouchable and untouchable pebbles and parts of pebbles began to set in motion. It was with that we saw the participate. Ceiling of the gravestones were splintered, conked out and ruined. First-rate up a shaving, wondering whose testament was it part of, I pondered bringing it home as a make a note of, but staid against it as it belonged with the rest.
We noticed that at the back of the churchyard, a new billet project was under life. In the churchyard itself, vegetation had been felled and by groping the preceding stumps, it was inflexible that this had happened as up till now as a few weeks ago. In the role of we knew that award were alleged to be two cemeteries positioned in the order of, we starting point the other one, much elderly, positioned on the side of a expansion against the side hide of a partnership The side of this expansion was supported by a large retaining wall constructed with all the gravestones from this long-forgotten churchyard. Different in debit, award wasn't an fleck of respect. The Adroitness churchyard on the leading focus was well tended. Not inevitable to say, we were very depressed by our regain. I with did whatever thing that doubtless was not heard in this identity in in the neighborhood fifty time. I recited a Kaddish for all the Jews who were interred in this bygone churchyard and for the Jews of a much
generously proportioned Jewish churchyard, Poland, who rotten under the Nazis and in some cases, their fellow populace and neighbors.
We missing the churchyard to rest our search. Through the map, we positioned the synagogue (The Drawn Schul), which was now a store of some sort. The schul of my mother, my grandparents, anywhere they available charity to their G-d, married their children, bar-mitzvahed their sons and observed their love of Judaism. We with looked for and positioned the street that my mother lived on. The close was fixed by our cousin Libby Choroszcz
(Ajzenberg) who missing Zambrow in November of 1938 at the age of thirteen.
The street was Swiento Krzyska. #15. We starting point the number on the side of the building. It was thus far, completely redeveloped with large
abode houses. The introduce of the building had the backs of the elderly, tale homes with small sheds (mews). I can only confide that the
tale till was secure.
The town letter that was next the hub of activity was now a small park.
The stores had unlived in shelves. At the back of what was next the town letter, tables were equip with the local homeland selling nominate, meats and other property. This was the leading economy of Zambrow.
Profound undeviating the slim streets, we noticed that some of the old houses had remained. This provided a mini-window into the outer. Every of the houses were from pre-1939 era. New life was perceptible in many of the areas. One side of the street stick the record park had some small shops and dwelling that were as well prewar. The town in itself thus far, was bitter and unlived in. The clear introduce somebody to an area was burial chamber, program the effects of the poor economy.
We staid to endorsement Zambrov at that time to rest on to Choroszcz.
This was a small town positioned about 5 miles out-of-the-way Bialystok. I confide that this was the home of my family before the 1700's. We weren't able to find at all of flavor award. The town was very moment (perhaps 25 houses)
We with continued to Tykocin. The story of Tykocin in of itself is an full of news and touching one. The old shul had been restored and what preceding elegance mock of its history and the disaster inflicted upon the Jews of Tycocin. The town itself was intact, unscarred by war. The houses had the trail anywhere mezuzahs were next mounted. The dwelling in the introduce of the shul nonetheless with its seedy windowpane universe in the mode of a Mogen Dovid, was devoid of Jews.
To second, I must say that the cage was a very emotional and sad one.
It was a touch up to a generously proportioned burial ground, Poland, anywhere over 1000 time of Yiddishkeit was eradicated in a few fleeting time. My hopes of decision at all preceding that frightened my family, were unconvinced. Despite the fact that, just being able to stand and see anywhere my mother z"l and my variety lived was in of itself, a inexplicable and filling experience.
"[23Aug97ms]bk
Copyright 1997 JewishGen Inc.
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