Compilation of Memories (Memoirs)
Part 43
1920 – Letter from KKL
(Page 217)
In the year 1920, “Beit Haam” was founded in Stanislau by my friends Rubenfeld and Mattatyahu Reis. After the High Holy Days, I sent a long letter and an amount of money to KKL in Lvov. After some time I received a letter from Dr. Hausner and the secretary of the office. This is the contents of the letter:
Keren Kayemet LeIsrael
Main Office, East Galicia
Money to deposit:
Union Bank Lvov for KKL
21 Tevet 1921 (כא טבת תרפא)
Most Honorable Gentleman
We were happy to receive a letter from you and learn that you are still functioning.
The work in your city for KKL seemed to have disappeared. Stanislau and its Jews were always outstanding in their work for our nation. At present almost no one answers our many letters which we continue to send
We hope that your letter, honored Sir, is a new revival. We come to you to request the following:
We were supposed to receive the sum of 10,000 Mark from Dr. Yonas Rubin. Despite our requests we have not received this sum. Mr. Yonas verbally promised that this sum would be in our account. We must close our accounts and send a full report to our headquarters. Dr. Yonas’s negligence is preventing our doing this. We ask you to be the negotiator between us and him.
Another matter: the KKL committee is not working in your city. Despite the difficult times in our country, the small towns are sending large sums. It is important that you and people like you will reawaken to this issue and hope your enthusiasm for this holy work will be a reality, as before, in your town.
We organized a commission to inform us, as soon as possible, of the outcome of your work. We will continue sending you checks.
In relation to Keren Geula, please contact “Vaad Hapoel”
With deep honor and respect
Keren Kayemet LeIsrael
Central Office in Galica
Secretary Littman
Chairman Dr. Hausner
(The original letter will be with the diary)
From the time I traveled to Eretz Israel in 1924 I worked with KKL. Due to my many activities, I was honored to be written in the Gold Book by the workers of KKL and in Beit Haam in Stanislavu. My name was written in volume “ב” (2) in the Gold Book of the 1922, #9339.
(Pages 217/218)
I continue my description of this honest, outstanding man, Dr. Hausner, who was the representative of the Polish Government in Eretz Israel for about ten years. At first, he was the Commerce Minister for two years and then became the General Consul of the Polish Government. He did not just help me with an open hand but his office was open and available all day to everyone who came to him with a request. Most of them left with their requests fulfilled. He established the Polish Immigrant Bank, managing to convince the Polish government to give him enough money to open the bank at the end of 1929. This bank is open until this day and is equal to the British Eretz Israel Bank.Many clerks worked in this bank and made a comfortable income.
Those who were friendly at one point soon became the enemy. Some of the Polish clerks, complained against Hausner to the Polish Government. Their complaints were: 1) this is not a Polish Government office but a Beit Knesset of Jews who are here all day discussing irrelevant topics and neglecting their country’s work. 2) The Government Consul is involved in different businesses on government expense and is a partner with A. Kish (Keusch), who is an agent for the Glasinger Company sharing money for the importation of orange crates. 3) There were other false charges by informers to embarrass the government.
When the firm Glasinger heard about these informers, the head of the firm who had influence with the minister in Warsaw, tried to cancel the false accusations. The Polish Government (who was known for its love of the Jewish People) ate the pomegranate with all the seeds of lies and accusations and even ate the skin. The recommendation of an important and famous man did not help. The false accusations were enough for the Polish Government to remove the successful Jew and replace him with a Polish gentile. This straight, honest man was removed from his job and honor and replaced by this Polish Gentile who was sent to Eretz Israel.
This man did not only lose his honor but also his positive spirit. The angel of death took his son Yirmiyahu and after a year or two, Dr. Hausner became dangerously ill with kidney stones and died in the private hospital Danziger in Tel Aviv. תנצבה
Dr.Hausner זל left behind a widow, a woman of good deeds and charity, who raised her sons to Torah. He had one son Gideon, a lawyer by profession and two married daughters. One son-in-law was a banker from the city of Lvov. The second son-in-law, Dr. N. Fish, born in Lvov, after marrying Dr. Hausner’s daughter, came into Dr. Hausner’s office as a secretary. In time he became assistant Commerce Minister with the title of Asst. Polish Consul.
Dr. Fish זל will be remembered with blessings as was his father-in-law in his efforts to help me to acquire buyers for Polish orange crates. He succeeded in his job. In time, Dr. Fish was appointed Asst. Polish Consul in New York and after his father-in-law was relieved of his position due to the informers, he was also removed from his job. He returned to Eretz Israel with his wife and received a high position in the Pri-Hadar Company in Tel Aviv. They found an apartment together with his mother-in-law. He died of an unknown illness and is buried in Jerusalem. תנצבה
Dr. Hausner’s second son was Yirmiyahu, an educated young man who had a job in the Polish Immigrant Bank which his father established. He died of an unknown disease.
May his name be remembered and may his memory be blessed.
Content last updated Friday, March 15, 2013 at 08:47 PM US Eastern Standard Time
