An extraordinary 1937 film by Józef Herman Keller and his son Norton has been just published on JewishPlock.eu. The Nobiscum Foundation received the film courtesy of Susan Keller Mouckley, Sandra Brygart Rodriguez and Arieh Bomzon. The film was digitized by the Yad Vashem Institute at […]
On the night of February 20-21, 1941, the Germans began to deport Jews from Płock. On the morning of February 21, the Jewish population was concentrated on Kwiatka Street and between the synagogue and Bielska Street: “… since 4 in the morning, there was light […]
The Arbajter family lived in Płock at 3 Kwiatka Street in the tenement house of Mendel Jakub Perelgryc and his wife Hinda Małka nee Radzik. Hersz Icek Arbajter (1889-1942), son of Mordka and Chaja Hinda nee Żwirek, was a tailor by profession. His wife was Hugra Maleńka (1892-1942), daughter of Chaim Mordka (1856-1933) and Szajna nee Lis (1850-1928). Hugra had two sisters – Estera and Hendel and a brother Izydor who emigrated to the United States. Hersz Icek and Hugra Arbajter had five sons: Eliasz Mendel (born in 1919), Mordka (born in 1922), Izrael Beer (born in 1925), Uren (born in 1927) and Józef (born in 1929).
During World War II, the eldest of the brothers, Eliasz Mendel fled to the Soviet Union. Initially, he worked as a teacher, then joined the army. He was killed near the Polish-German border. The Arbajter family was deported from the Płock ghetto (established on September 1, 1940) to the transit camp in Działdowo, then to Bodzentyn, and finally to the ghetto in Starachowice, which was founded in February 1941. On October 27, 1942, the Germans liquidated the ghetto – Józef Arbajter with his parents Hersz Icek and Hugra were deported to the Treblinka extermination camp. Mordka, Izrael Beer and Uren remained in Starachowice. They worked in an ammunition factory, which was controlled by the Herman Göring Werke group. In July 1944, the Germans began the liquidation of the labor camp. 1,500 prisoners, including the Arbajter brothers, were deported to Auschwitz.
After the war, Mordka, Izrael Beer and Uren Arbajter emigrated to the United States.
Sunday, March 1, 2020, marks the 79th anniversary of the last deportation of Jews from the Płock ghetto. On this day, the Nobiscum Foundation invites you to the Art Gallery of Płock for the premiere of its third publication – the book entitled “Tema. Memories […]
At the beginning of the 19th century, the square with a brick house on the property marked with mortgage number 283 belonged to a carpenter Jan Franciszek Frahm (around 1768-1813) from Hamburg. As he had no children, after his death the property was inherited in […]
This Monday, 27 January 2020, marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Answering the annual appeal of the Shalom Foundation, let us join the “Light of Remembrance” action that day. Let’s light candles in our windows in Płock at 6 p.m. as a sign of commemoration of all victims of the Holocaust. We can also light candles on the monument at the Płock Jewish cemetery at Mickiewicza Street.
Our duty is to remember. Never again.
The tenement house at 26 Sienkiewicza Street in Płock, in which the Private Upper Secondary Art School is currently located, belonged to the Altberg family before the war. Here, on March 15, 1938, Paulina Altberg, née Golde, daughter of Benjamin and Liba Rechla née Goldsztejn, who […]
In 1857, Chaim Rafał Kempner (ca. 1817-1870) opened a large bookshop in Płock, where a reading room and a library also operated. The bookstore, which was located at Grodzka Street, recommended all the book novelties, in all branches of science, as well as romance, novels […]
Nachum Sokołow was born on 1 January 1859 in Wyszogród, as the son of Szmul Josek (born in 1827, son of Icek and Gitla Chaja née Bresler) and Mariem Gitla (born in 1830, daughter of Szmul and Itta Smrodynia aka Kohn). He spent his childhood and early youth in Płock – his family [Nachum had three sisters: Cyrla (born in 1852), Etta (born in 1855) and Frymeta (born in 1861) and brother Szyja (born in 1863)] lived at the Old Market Square in the house of Szlama Pokrzywa. In Płock, Nachum received traditional Jewish education – he attended one of the Płock cheders, then Markus Dancygier’s school located at Synagogalna Street. He also took private lessons from teachers in Płock. As a student, he published the “Szoszana” newspaper with his friends. Since 1876, he published articles in “Ha-Cefira”, of which he became the co-editor in 1886, and in 1892 the editor-in-chief. He also collaborated with the magazines “Ha-Maggid”, “Archives Israelites” and “Hamelic”. In the years 1896-1902 he was the editor of the “Izraelita” weekly. In 1897, Sokołow participated as a journalist in the First Zionist Congress in Basel. In 1905-1909 he was the secretary general of the World Zionist Organization. From 1906, he was the editor of the Zionist newspaper “Die Welt”. In 1908, he founded the “Jewish World” magazine. In 1911, during the 10th Zionist Congress, he was elected a member of the Executive Committee. During World War I he was in London, where he worked with Chaim Weizman. During the 12th Zionist Congress he was elected chairman of the Executive Committee in 1921. In 1924 Sokołow visited his family town of Płock – he was already a well-known man, and his arrival was met with great enthusiasm from the Jews of Płock. In 1931–1935 he was the fifth president of the World Zionist Organization. After 1935, he was the honorary president of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency. He died on May 17, 1936 in London.
Bibliography:
Konarska-Pabiniak B., Nachum Sokołow – człowiek z Płocka, “Notatki Płockie” vol. 38(1993), no 1 (154)
Nowak-Dąbrowska G., Śladami płockich Żydów. Przewodnik, Płock 2019
Przedpełski J., Stefański J., Żydzi płoccy w dziejach miasta, Płock 2012
The history of the Flatau family in Płock dates back to the times of the Duchy of Warsaw, when Joachim (Nochem) Judas, a merchant from the Grand Duchy of Poznań, came to Płock from the town of Gołancz. In the Jewish civil registry documents of […]
