The Diary of Yitzhak Lamdan
Concise Summaries

July 1914

Thursday, July 2, 1914

Nothing new has happened and Yitzhak has no new news. The plans for the journey to the Land of Israel remain murky. He is still waiting for the third issue of the periodical, Shacharit, after writing to the administrative office about its failure to arrive. He is also excited about an issue of Perahim that is going to publish a poem he wrote called, “Spring Rain.”

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Monday, July 6, 1914

Yitzhak reports receiving news on the Sabbath from Dr. Pikhulitz the leader of the agricultural school in Petah-Tikvah. He was responding to questions Yitzhak sent him in a postcard. Even though the Weitz family sent a wagon to buy supplies at the home of Yitzhak’s family’s store, Yitzhak hesitates to get on the wagon going back to Bokiima lest his visit at the Weitz home is unwelcome. He remains in the dark about Abraham Weitz’s plans to journey to the Land of Israel.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Wednesday, July 8, 1914

Yitzhak says he has nothing to write and that he has received no update about the Weitz family plans to journey to the Land of Israel. Yitzhak is still hoping that David Weitz or a courier from the Weitz home will come visit so he can get an update. He thinks about sending them a letter but is not sure they will answer. He is filled with self-doubts and his “crisis period” still haunts him. As an afterthought, he does report he composed a new poem.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Thursday, July 9, 1914

Yitzhak reports learning the contents of an encouraging letter that arrived from Abraham Weitz’s son, Yosef, who was already living in the Land of Israel. Yosef was updating the family on efforts he was making locally to made to prepare for their arrival.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Sunday, July 12, 1914

Yitzhak begins his entry with a quote from a poem of Zalman Shneour, a profilic Yiddish and Hebrew poet. Abraham Weitz shows up at Yitzhak's home in a wagon with news that he is not traveling to the Land of Israel but that his daughter Hinda and his relative Abraham Lender may go. Yitzhak’s journey now hinges on their plans.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Thursday, July 16, 1914

Yitzhak is writing behind his home, taking in the beauty of nature around him. He hopes to visit Abraham Weitz on the Sabbath to learn if Weitz's daughter, Hinda, will in fact make the journey to the Land of Israel.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Sunday, July 19, 1914

The blessing for the new month of Menachem Av took place yesterday in synagogue. Yitzhak hopes to visit the Weitz family but a wagon doesn’t show up from the forest and anyway he has injured his foot. He also reports a story he heard from Abraham Weitz about a friend, Shmuel Borshtak from the town of Hubyn Pershyi, whose journey to Palestine was abruptly cancelled by the residents of his town, who originally agreed to sponsor his trip.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Tuesday, July 21, 1914

A friend, Shimon Berger, comes to Yitzhak's home and talks about a business opportunity in hops in the town of Dubno. He hopes to get Yitzhak and his brother Moshe involved in the venture. Yitzhak is not interested.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Wednesday, July 22, 1914

David Weitz sends a note asking Yitzhak to resubscribe him to the newspaper, “HaZeman” but his subscription is still active. Moshe Grinspun shows up at the house and Yitzhak learns he wants to journey to the Land of Israel as well. Yitzhak reflects on how happy local farmers are and longs to see Jewish farmers in the Land of Israel. His foot is still sore and he has no news yet about whether Hinda Weitz will make the journey to the Land of Israel.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Thursday, July 23, 1914

Yitzhak discusses a failed attempt to secure a wagon to visit Abraham Weitz. His brother Moshe will soon leave for Hubyn Pershyi where he works, and Yitzhak describes an exchange of letters with his friend, Shmuel Borshtak, the young man whose journey to the Land of Israel was cancelled.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Monday, July 27, 1914

Yitzhak receives a note from David Weitz inquiring again about the newspaper, HaZeman, and a request for a new subscription. He also lets Yitzhak know that his sister’s journey is still up in the air but if she goes they will try to get Yitzhak included in the immigration papers. Meanwhile, Yitzhak writes to his brother in Hubyn Pershyi requesting he bring back several books. Yitzhak also mentions reading an important Zionist proclamation by former members of the aid organization, Ezra, in the newspaper HaZeman and reading a story in the booklet HaShiloach which arrived today.

Go to the diary entry, the interpretive summaries or return to the top.

Wednesday, July 29, 1914

Today Yitzhak walked to Mervits to deliver butter and then, on the way back, he and his friend Ben-Tzion Gruber were ridiculed by Christian workers who were repairing the road.

August 1914

Sunday, August 2, 1914

This is the first entry in which Yitzhak mentions and discusses the beginning of what is becoming WWI. On July 28th, Austria-Hungary declared War on Serbia. Russia, a Serbian ally, immediately began mobilizing its army. On August 1, Germany an ally of Austria-Hungary, demanded Russia cease mobilization. When Russia refused that day, Germany declared war on Russia.

Against this background, Yitzhak describes the emotions affecting the towns’ residents and the call up of reservists. He also mentions briefly receiving a postcard from Moshe Katz, most probably the young man born in Mlynov, who becomes the Yiddish poet Aleph Katz in America. It is also a fast day commemoration called the 9th of Av (Tisha B’Av) but has been delayed to the 10th of Av, as is the norm, because the 9th fell on a Sabbath. He ends his entry so he can leave for the prayer house for the afternoon prayers.

Return to the top.

Compiled by Howard I. Schwartz
Updated: July 2024
Copyright © 2025 Howard I. Schwartz, PhD
Webpage Design by Howard I. Schwartz
Want to search for more information: JewishGen Home Page
Want to look at other Town pages: KehilaLinks Home Page

This page is hosted at no cost to the public by JewishGen, Inc., a non-profit corporation. If it has been useful to you, or if you are moved by the effort to preserve the memory of our lost communities, your JewishGen-erosity would be deeply appreciated.