Shmuel Leib Katz
1903 STORM DAYS
It happened a winter Saturday night of 1903. I was
expelled of Odessa and was in Pruzhany under police control. That time was the
beginning of the revolutionary movement in Pruzhany.
A small group of
friends met in the Pharmacy of Seltzer St. , to discuss organization tasks.
Mrs. KRONIK was pharmacy owner In front
of it, was located the house where inhabited TANIA MESHENGISER, GUTE AVERBACH
and REINE of Linowo, house owner's sisters.
That Saturday
evening, everything was as usual in the pharmacy. In it's bottom was a room where we met. A thin wall and a small door divided the
room, of owners house. REINE as usual, entered
the room through the small door. We, as always, were seated talking
calm. Suddenly, we listen an uproar, a clamor, of the other side of the wall :
"We don't accept this! We know what we should do! We don't want them to
come here!. We know what you by doing, we won't allow it. Don't dare to come
here again!".
Now listen what
happened: same night we discover a youth (the son-in-law of somebody of which I
cannot remember) who began to organize a movement against us. He hung a poster
in Great Bet Medresh, inciting population saying that we were a negative
element, and they should destroy us. Everything began with the incident caused
by the Jew that attacked us with screams and threats.
This same night we
had a meeting where ABRAHAM GELMAN, me and others thought what should be done.
Through a young friend, we discovered that up mentioned youth traveled this
same night to Warsaw. He marketed manufactured products and for that reason he
traveled frequently to Warsaw. Having this information, we tried not to lose
time. Immediately, ABRAHAM GELMAN writes a letter to FISHEL VAINER, telling him
what happened. We thought that some good blows and breaking his bones, would
help the situation. FISHEL VAINER, didn't need to make a great effort to find him. He knew where met those
of Pruzhany (TN in Warsaw) . All stayed in
same hotel. In synthesis, FISHEL VAINER met some people of the
organization and cleared happenings.
Were presented him
two strong young men, he was with them, and showed them the "guest". What happened, we can
already imagine. They broke his bones and threatened him so that he stopped
provoking us, otherwise he will have a
bad end. Let me tell that this influenced. He and those that were with him, got
scared and they didn't provoked any more. This was the first victory that we
achieved in route to freedom.
As you see, truth
is in eternity. If you want your freedom, then hit the enemy until death!.