The following is an excerpt from the " Kuty Memorial Book", the Yizkor
book of history and remembrances about the Jewish shtetl of Kuty / Kitev
written by Holocaust survivors in Israel after World War II.
Excerpt from Chapter 2 ( P. 16)
The beginning of Kitev and its Jewish community
goes back to 1715 when a Polish general and Kiev governor Joseph Pototsky
gave a status of city to Kitev, and issued some privileges to it. The Jews
were allowed to build a synagogue which was freed from taxes. The first
prayer house was built in the beginning of the 18th century. At that time
there were a lot of Jews in Kitev.
The Jews were obligated to pay
additional taxes for the right to settle and to live in Kitev. It is known
that in 1719 Jews paid 330 guldens, in 1736 - 400 guldens, and in 1739
- 550 guldens.
Nevertheless, the number of Jews was
growing. The Jews built, houses, established artisan shops and trade stores.
They started to trade with neighboring villages. In 1765 in
Kitev were 360 households in all; 160 out of them were Polish and Ukrainian,
70 - Armenian and 124 - Jewish. In 1765 in Kitev, lived 972 Jews.
In 1771 the town Kitev and all surrounding
villages: Kitev-Stary, Slabudka, Kabaki, Rivna, Tudiv, Rosen-Maly, Rosen-Velky,
Rostoki~ Byalaberezka, Bervinkova, Kharatsova, Dolhopol, Hohopol, Hrinova,
Yablonitsa, Krasnoila, Perekhresna, Polanki, Stebne, Fereskul and Ustserki
belonged to the Polish princess Ludvika Zhmnishkov-Kashtelavova of Krakow.
On May 1, 1782 Kitev and suburban villages were joined to Austria' and
attached to the estate of Kosov and Pistin.
When Eastern Galitsia joined Austria,
the new epoch, a new time of: a free life began for the Galitsian and Kitev's
Jews.
Austrian monarchy with the capital in
Vienna ruled over different nations, and all citizens and residents received
equal rights: no discrimination, no restrictions existed in regard to any
minority. The opportunities and perspectives were opened for the Kitev
Jews as well as for other Galitsian Jews. The Jews even received access
to higher education, free professions and art in all branches.
For the first time in their history they
received equal rights to fill municipal and govemment jobs. They worked
as teachers of public schools, administrative officials, even the heads
of offices like post office, judges and so on. They acquired liberal professions.
They became doctors, lawyers, dentists, engineers etc. They began to influence
the Kitev public life.
The number of Jews in Kitev continued to grow:
in 1849 in Kitev were 3,700 inhabitants, in 1890 - 6,353 inhabitants, 3,197
of them were Jews. In the beginning of 20th century there were 3,197 Jews,
50% of the population.
Until 1918, Kitev belonged to Austro-Hungary.
After the First World War of 1914-1918 which finished with the dissolution
of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the crash of the Habsburg dynasty, the
small nations and nationalities which were previously the part of the great
Austro-Hungarian state began to seek changes. Czechs became independent
and established the Czechoslovak Republic. Hungarians organized the Hungarian
Republic; and Bukovina became a part of Romania. Kitev and Eastem Galitsia
were left without "citizenship" and experienced several changes of power.
First, we had the Ukrainian govemment with the main city of Stanislav;
then Romania took pity on us and occupied our area; and later, due to the
decree of the League of Nations, the Romanians retreated and we became
Polish citizens.
Excerpts from Chapter 4 ( p. 23)
Kitev as well as other cities and shtetls of pre-war Poland had different strata of Jews: Hassidim and their opposites called Misnagdim, Orthodox Jews and free Jews, enlightened and non-believers, great scholars and famous teachers of religion, educated and illiterate, as well as rich, middle class and poor. Kitev was famous for its scholars, skillful artisans, capable traders, and, in general, smart and honest Jews. Often when merchants and other Jews from neighboring cities had Din-Torah (Rabbinical Court) or complicated trade problems, they turned to the Kitev rabbis or had recourse to the arbitration of the respected Kitev businessmen.
When they describe life and works
of the Kitev Jews, first of all they should recall great Kitev rabbis and
righteous men who entered Jewish history by their works and their deeds.
Kitev had many great rabbis. Since the
time when Kitev became a Jewish community and until the last destruction,
eleven rabbis occupied the position of the main rabbi. Eleven generations
of glorious luminaries were clever and talented leaders and righteous men.
Three out of eleven: perpetuated the name of the city because they were
called "of Kitev." Under, these names they were perpetuated in the
Jewish world. They were the following: Rabbi Gershon of Kitev in the 18th
century, Rabbi Moyshele of; Kitev in the 19th century and the old Rabbi
Haim Gelenter in the 20th century.
Kitev is known also as a city of
the holy Baal Shem Tov. Before Baal Shem Tov became famous he allegedly
lived in the Jewish environment in Kitev. Rabbi Gershon of Kitev,
who was born in Kitev and died in Jerusalem in 1760, was his brother-in-law.
He was a great scholar, and spent the vast majority of time fasting. The
great rabbis such as Rabbi Ekhezkiel Landau, a Jewish traveller, and famous
Yonatan Aybshits of Prague, a: compiler of "The Tables of Evidence", confirmed
that Rabbi Gershon was well-known among the scholars of his time. The both
rabbis wrote about Rabbi Gershon with respect and praised him as a recognized
and skilled rabbi.
When Rabbi Gershon became a rabbi in
Brody, his sister Hana, the daughter of Rabbi Efraim of Kitev, got married
to Rabbi Israel Baal Shem who lived in Kitev at that time. After the death
of his father-in-law Rabbi Efraim died, Baal Shem with his wife moved to
his brother-in-law in Brody.
However, he could not stay long
in Brody, because his brother-inlaw, the famous Rabbi Gershon considered
him an ignoramus and drove him out of his home.
Hassidic fantasy weaved a legend how
Baal Shem became a brotherin-law of Rabbi Gershon, and how this Brody judge
drove him out back the Carpatian mountains. The poet Menahem Boreysha perpetuated
this legend in his poem "The Pendulum." The song itself is called "Rabbi
Gershon of Kitev."
The story tells how Rabbi Gershon comes
to Brody to get his son married. There he reconciled with his brother-in-law,
who was proclaimed a Tzadik. Gershon became a follower of Baal-Shem
Tov, and decided to spread his Hassidic teachings throughout the world.
That is how Boreysha finishes his song
about Baal-Shem:
"Before he became famous, Baal-Shem lived in a small shtetl
between Kosov and Kitev. He made a living by digging for clay, which his
wife took to Kitev and sold to the poor, in order for them to wax their
houses on Saturdays.
"In this small village not far from
the Carpatean mountains, Baal-Shem Tov spent seven years in seclusion.
He spent days and nights wandering the thick forests of Kitev, contemplating
the enigma of Divine nature. There he discovered God in nature, in all
of His creations. There he accepted pantheistic and mystical views that
everything happens in the Upper Worlds and is connected to the Lower World,
Earth and its creatures by harmonic liaison. Here in the borderless forests
of Kitev he began to understand the sounds of birds and worms, the secrets
of trees and grass, that everything from the cedars to the most solitary
stalk of grass, everything fulfills the will of the Creator, everything
grows with absolute happiness. Here in the midst of the magical landscape
'Between Kosov and Kitev', Baal-Shem Tov prayed to his God with happiness
and faithfulness. Here was born the great idea of Hassidism; to serve
God with love and good intentions, to love the Torah, every Jew, scholars
who can read scripture, and the ordinary man.
These were the foundations of the Hassidic movement, the founder
and creator of which was Rabbi Israel Baal-Shem Tov."
Excerpt from Chapter 4 about the rabbis of Kuty - including Schattners (p 32)
Kitev heders, Beyt Midrashs, and Talmud-Torahs also served as a teaching institutions for the Jewish children from nearby shtetls and villages. Jewish parents who in order to make a living were forced to live in villages, among Ukrainian Gutsuls (peasants), didn't want their children to grow up among Gentiles and used to bring them to Kitev and placed them in heders or at homes of private melameds for the whole year. Among teachers of small children one was especially noticeable - that was Rabbi Meir, the Red Whale and also his wife "Rebetsin" Sosha. When she hiccuped not only children were scared but even "Rabbi" shuddered and woke up. Also there were such good teachers as Moyshe Haim Tsakh and Zalman Hamer.
Among melameds who taught in the middle school were distinguished Rabbi Avraham Moyrer, Rabbi Haim Zvibakh the Brushmaker, and Rabbi Leybele Hump. When melamed Haim Zvibakh, or as people called him Brushmaker, was angry or furious he called children "dog souls." Leybele had a nickname "Horb" (hump), because he had a small hump and because his heder at wintertime had an iced hill where children could sledge. This hill was called "The Hill of Leybele Hump." Among Gemorah teachers the most prominent were Rabbi Abash, Rabbi Itsikl, Rabbi Meir Ustiter and his son Yosl, and Rabbi Mikhele Homer. Rabbi Mikhele was a contemporary melamed, besides having knowledge of the Gemorah he was also a connoisseur of the modem Hebrew language and literature. We have to recall also my former Rabbi Haim Schattner, who had a reputation of the best scholar of Kitev. He mainly taught individual students, privately. Later he became principal of the Kitev Talmud Torah.
Teachers of small children had helpers
whose responsibilities were to bring children to heder in the moming and
to bring them food from their homes duing dinner time. Of course, they
"tried" children's food and often "mistakenly" ate most of it. In heder
they had an easy job; they said blessings with children and taught them
evening prayers. During breaks the melamed's wife ordered them to bring
water, to chop firewood, to go to market, to bring chicken to a shoyhet.
Such a helper also helped the Rebetsin to sell candies and other sweet
things to children. The Rebetsin also usually went to different Jewish
homes to teach girls to read Hebrew, to say blessings and evening prayers.
Some teachers taught girls to write in Yiddish. Among others were Yudel
and Velvel the Writer.
Kitev made a big contribution for the
development of studies of Hebrew, and the city served as an example to
others. Up to the beginning of the First World War in Kitev there was an
excellent Hebrew school under the supervision of highly educated Hebraist
Rabbi Yakov Schattner. His students, boys and girls, were among
first who popularized modern Hebrew literature and created the basis for
the next generation of Jewish youth.
Return to Schattner genealogy page.