Exerpt from "The Story of the Jews of Humenne," by David Friedmann, 1933

On page 70 we read: "In the year 1866, the Ksav Sofer, dean of the Pressburg Yeshiva was

visited by the very respected Talmudist Rabbi Hersh Leib Eichler in Kisvarda where he was

attending the marriage of his son Rabbi Simon Schreiber to the daughter of Rabbi Isak Fried.

The Ksav Sofer suggested that a Beshhamidrash be built to be used for the study of the Torah,

so upon returning to Humenne Rabbi Hersh Leib Eichler tried to influence the congregation to

begin such a project. In the beginning the congregation refused to act because they feared it

would be too costly. Finally, however, the project was agreed to with a few conditions:

They were not to separate from the main congregation, they were to pay all costs for

maintaining the Beshhamidrash (House of Study) and were only allowed to pray in the

accepted manner according to the Ashkenasi standards.

In the year 1867 it was built under the direction of Salamon Berkovits,

and Rabbi Hersh Leib Eichler himself gave lectures there every Saturday ( according to a private note of his son

Emanuel (Monochem) Eichler, a respected member of our congregation)."