A Short History of My Life

by Kalman Aharoni

(from letter to Masha [Aharoni]dated February 19, 1968)

(The original handwritten letter in Hebrew, was transcribed by Ben-Zion Kahana, typed in Hebrew by Leorah Kroyanker [LK] April 2002, translated into English by Harry Arye Shamir [HAS], May 2003 and styled and edited by LK in January 2004 ).

In 1923 I worked in Memel [today Klaipeda, Lithuania] for a textile company and at night studied bookkeeping.  By the time I finished the course, I had saved  enough money to leave Lithuania.  As I was only 17 years old, I could not leave Lithuania without a passport (I was still under my mother's jurisdiction and she did not want me to leave).

At the Memel port I hooked up with an English sailor (who spoke German) and he agreed to take me to London for $50 ($10 paid up front).  I told this only to Miriam Klatzke, with whom I was very friendly, that I would be leaving on Friday evening. I was going to be in that sailor's cabin for 14 days.

On Friday, just before sailing, there was a lot of commotion on the freighter - my mother calling me and shouting. I hid in a lifeboat but was found and taken off the ship.  I had a row with my mother. I said that if she promises to leave Lithuania legally, then I shall return home. She agreed. I returned to Mazaikiai.  I began working both for her and for the textile company.  Meanwhile, secretly, I began preparations for my voyage to Eretz Yisrael by creating a fictitious bank account in Lithuania [HAS: giving wrong name? incorrect age?].  For depositing  50  Pounds[sterling] I received a "Capitalist Visa" to go to Palestine [HAS: then a British Mandate].  The only one who knew what I was up to was my brother Mordechai [Max ](r.i.p.), who was a merchant in his own right.  To obtain the passport I needed my mother's signature.  That evening I brought her letters and bills to sign - among them the document that she allows me to obtain a passport.  By this time I had also become the President of the Maccabi organization in Mazeikiai, and for various Maccabi matters I traveled to Kaunas (in Yiddish Kovno) and arranged matters for the journey.

One day before the voyage I told my mother (r.i.p.) that the following day I am leaving Lithuania on my way to Eretz Yisrael.  She answered "stop bothering me, I'm tired!".  Next morning  town-people came by to bid their farewells ... and in the afternoon the Maccabi band came with the whole Maccabi contingent .  A half hour before my departure she asked to speak with me alone.  I was afraid she'd lock the door to the room. I said "I don't want to. Let's part at the railway station…."  From the age of 15 I was self supporting; having  worked at various jobs, and not bashful in the least.  My ticket to Jaffa had been paid in full, I had bought all the clothes I'd need… and I even had savings of about $200.  

My mother said : "I want to give you 50  Pounds as a keepsake, as an emergency fund.  You are the only one of your brothers that has not taken anything from me".  She also gave me a pillow and other things so that I might not be "naked and barefoot".

Going with me on Aliya  was Rachel Aronowitz.

I arrived in Eretz Yisrael.  No other member of the family was there.  During 1924 I suffered somewhat... I found work in road-construction...for a certain time I worked in Giv'at Hashlosha.  I saw that in Tel Aviv there was no future, so I walked from there to Jerusalem, and after a few weeks there, without work, I found a job:  for 3 Pounds per month – I worked for the Gut family, and they even had me in for Shabbat meals…I sold librettos [for Opera productions] and from time to time received tips from the British patrons who came to the [Zion] Cinema. I managed to save money, and became a man who has a place to live:  they let me have a room at the [Zion] Cinema, rent free.  I was very pleased!

Half a year later Ben Zion and Sara Aronowitz came with Yemima to Eretz Yisrael for the holiday.  I met them at the Amdursky Hotel in Jerusalem and spent many hours with them.  They said they were preparing to come and settle - Ben Zion told me that he was buying land in Bayit ve-Gan [LK: an area near present day Bat Yam].  So I also went there, and also bought a plot.  The economic situation in the country at the time was bad, and many were unemployed...however I was earning and was satisfied...I had become Mr. Israel's Gut's right-hand man...

My mother wrote me that the commercial situation in Lithuania was very bad….

Sometimes I went to the Kol Yeshiva to study and sometimes also took private lessons….When Habimah and Yascha 'Heifetz came to Eretz Yisrael I earned  quite nicely from the tickets I had received from one of the managers, and sold for a somewhat higher price.  Once somebody suggested we buy together all the tickets for some popular Habimah theater shows and  would guaranty a specific amount for each show.  So we became partners.  However, I didn't have enough money.  I went to Ben Zion Aronowitz (r.i.p.), borrowed 60 Pounds, and ten days later repaid him.  I asked if I owed him interest;  Ben Zion smiled and said:  "Kalman, you're a good guy".  Over time we became quite friendly with the whole family.

1928.  Zeev [Kalman's brother] was at school in Ponivezh[Pabevezys].  I came to visit Lithuania for 6 weeks.  My brother Mordechai[Max] (r.i.p.) decided to emigrate to Africa, by way of Berlin.  David [another brother]came from the Yeshiva and also said he'd like to emigrate to Africa.  He already had the visas but no exit-permit, because he had not served in the army.  Mordechai [Max] had done his military service and was able to leave legally.  I went with them to Kovna [Kaunas] and thought that as a Palestinian [subject] I could arrange something, but couldn't.  Then I had an idea, because David resembled me very much, I would travel [LK:on the train] from Kaunas to Berlin.  When one enters the railway carriage, the passport is handed to a porter, who in turn hands it to the border police.  I would travel as "foreign transit".  At the station before the border I will  go into the carriage car and give David my English overcoat, my hat and pipe (we smoked then for show). You [David] would then enter my cabin, and I would take your place. When we would arrive at Virbalis, at the Lithuanian border, David would be ensconced in my place and I will get off the train for a short walk on the platform, with my English newspaper;  at the third whistle I would re-emark the train.  And so we did.  The police thought that I, wearing English clothes, without a coat and hat, was in transit, and did not ask me anything.  David had left his  baggage and coat with Max, as we all travelled in the same car. After checking for a half hour the train started moving again, and ten minutes later we'd crossed the border [into Germany].  We reached Berlin and visited Masha  [LK:Aronowitz]   who at the time was pregnant with 'Akiva.  I believe I met Boris [LK: Kounine, Masha's husband] (r.i.p.) at the dinner we had at the home of our dear and lovely [LK: cousins] Rosa and Jacob (r.i.p.) [LK: Braude].

1929.  I emigrated to the US.  I wrote to my mother almost every fortnight, and received letters.  I also sent home many parcels.  Zeev was still in school ... also I sent to Clara when she lived in Lithuania and then in Italy. 

Meanwhile, Zeev emigrated to Eretz Yisrael but his economic situation was not good…..

Mother thought of visiting Eretz Yisrael, but her business did not allow her respite.

1937.  I wrote her that I am planning to get married and will travel to Lithuania on our honeymoon , so that she [mother] would be able to go with us to Eretz Yisrael and thus settle there.  She agreed, and Tova [wife Toby] and I came to Lithuania.  When I began discussing the journey with her, she started making excuses "it is  difficult to take money out of the country; it is difficult to obtain a passport, difficult to get visas, they won't let me take money out in dollars without a permit from the Treasury Ministry!".  I replied that I had already thought about all of this before leaving America:  I can take out of Lithuania , legally, more than $22,000.  When we had crossed the border into Lithuania from Germany, we stopped at Virbalis; there I left Tova in the [train] compartment with Mr. Day, an American newspaperman from the Chicago Tribune.  I told Tova that when the passport controller would come in to speak only English and say that we are traveling to Riga, Latvia,  and only in transit in Lithuania, and that her husband, who has all the papers (our passport and financial declaration ), just  went to buy a newspaper.  I went to the food-stand on the platform and bought a newspaper.  I had been told that the express train from Berlin to Moscow (on which we were traveling) would be stopping only for 15 minutes at this station.  I took my time and  returned to the train just in the last minute for the passport check.  I had with me $2,200 but  had added a  extra "0"  on the financial declaration, so that it now read $22,000.  After the passport check, I was asked for the declaration, but I pretended that  I don't understand what they want. Since time was pressing, they didn't actually count all the bills I had, but gave me a note that I had indeed brought into Lithuania $22,000.  When my mother heard of this she said "that's good" and soon other people in Lithuania heard about it and came asking me to take money out of Lithuania for them. For some of them I did take money out, and brought it to Eretz Israel.  My mother, however, even after many conversations, remained obstinate and didn't want to leave.

I was really annoyed.…finally she realized that she couldn't get out of going, so she agreed to join us [to Eretz Israel] on condition that I would make all the necessary arrangements. I left Tova in Mazeikiai and went to Kovna.  Within two days I had arranged everything and even bought dollars on the black market - I did pay a bit more than the official rate, but succeeded in bringing the money to Eretz Israel and my mother left it with you (Ben Zion Aronowitz) to gather interest.  When I told her I had had to pay a bit more than the official rate, she complained why I had not told her about it, but to which I replied: "I will pay the difference".  When we arrived in Tel Aviv, she met some wealthy people from Kovno, and one of them said to her: "I will give you 25% more in Lithuania than what your son had paid, if you give me the dollars [here]." That pleased her ! I had done a good thing.

Some days later we went on a family outing and visited Bayit vaGan [ LK: Near Bat-Yam Holon]. We went to a cafe, and I began discussing her Will with her. I told her that in a few days time we shall part. Perhaps we'll meet again and perhaps not. Whatever God wills.

A few days later she accompanied us to Haifa.  From there we boarded a ship for Italy.  We said our farewells near a small hotel on Hadar haCarmel, as I did not want her to come to the port.  She said that she will remain in Eretz Israel.

When I was still in Lithuania I had spoken with my brother Moshe (r.i.p.) that they should sell everything and move to Eretz Israel.  He wanted to but mother objected.

1939-40.  The situation became worse.  I sent them papers to come to the US.

Meanwhile I worked hard to bring Clara's husband [LK: Reuven "Doc" Goldfarb] to the States, and that took a lot of time and money. Since the [US] Consuls in Italy, Germany and Lithuania had refused, I arranged that the University here [LK: in Toledo] would accept him as a student, and on that basis he received a visa, and arrived in May 1939.  After a lot of effort I also succeeded in bringing Clara over, via Sweden 1940.  The war had already erupted and it took a lot of effort and money.

From our entire family I had received requests for Affidavits and sent them to all - there were more than a hundred!  The [LK:US] Government requested that I send no more!  I did succeed in bringing  the Jundler family, our relatives, from Lithuania to Canada, via Japan.

For my mother I arranged a visa and ticket to travel through Russia and Japan to America;  she was requested to come and collect her visa  and begin the journey, but she could not part from Mazeikiai.  Moshe (r.i.p.) had to wait...

Epilogue: Kalman (Aharoni) was very concerned because he had not heard from any members of his family who had remained in Lithuania.
At the close of Yom Kippur, 1945, filled with worry and anxiety, he sent the following Universal Postal Union Reply Postal Card to his mother and brother in Mazeikiai (in Yiddish):  “ 9/17/45, Evening after Yom Kippur, Toledo

My dear Mother and Brother Moshe, may you live long,

For a long time now I have been trying to contact you by telegram, by mail and through the Red Cross.  Until now I have had no news.  Please write.

We are all well.  Heartfelt regards from Kalman – Toby – Sharon Judith,
Jacob-Zalman Aronowitz.  Write -  Clara and Riva .

Whoever knows anything about my family – Rachmel – Fon (or Finn)– Gafnovitz, please write".

[Note: Jacob Zalman refers to the Hebrew name of Kalman’s son Daniel
Jacob Aharoni. The reference to Clara and Riva is probably to relatives who had remained in Mazeikiai]

The Reply Postal Card is a double card; attached to the card which Kalman wrote is a stamped, blank card, for reply.  The entire Reply Postal Card was returned to the sender, marked in French “INCONNU"(=Unknown).

Three months later, on December 23, 1945, Dr. Burba sent Kalman a letter containing the terrible information about the massacre of the Jews of
Mazeikiai, including Kalman’s family. That letter can be seen
in the website section “Memories and Stories” Dr. Burba.

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