Article and transcription by Janina Stadnik; preserve her attribution and source notes.
Students of Jewish Ancestry at the
Supplemental Industrial School of Tarnobrzeg in the Years 1899 - 1910
The Supplemental Industrial School in Tarnobrzeg was
establish in 1899 by the Committee of the District Council. It was located in
the five classroom Public School and used many of its equipment and school supplies.
1 Teaching took
place on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays
from 6 to 8 p.m. The school had two levels: preparatory and industrial (the
former with one and the latter with two grades). Students who didn't graduate
from Public School or never attended one were admitted to the preparatory level
following an entry exam. Students who completed grade four were admitted to
the first industrial grade. 2
Catalogues (diaries and attendance records) of students
in the Industrial Supplemental School during 1899-1910 were used in this
article. They are the property of the Commission of Trade Schools in Tarnobrzeg.
The first attendance record, dated 1899, was found in the archives of the
school. The principal was Jozef Lopatynski. The home room teacher was Jozef
Wojtanowski (the family name was not clearly written). The first class had 27
boys of differing ages. There were 24 Roman Catholics and 3 Jews.
Osias Horowitz (b. 1894, Tarnobrzeg) was five years old
in the first grade. He learned the trade of a merchant, taking his
apprenticeship with his father, the merchant Izrael Horowitz. (In the rest of
this article, place of birth will not be mentioned if the student was born in
Tarnobrzeg.) Abraham Izaak Laufer (b. 1893, Brooklyn) attended the first grade
at age six. He wanted to become a merchant but resigned and returned to America.
Jozef Lichtman (b. 1891) had his apprenticeship with the merchant Osias Lichtman.
According to the records of student attendance, grade two
of the Supplemental Industrial School in the year 1900/01 consisted of 24 Poles
and 3 Jews.
- Kohnan Rosner (b. 1885) had his apprenticeship with
his father Jakob.
- Salamon Rappaport (b. 1885, Berlin) apprenticed with
the tailor Abraham Thursshwell.
- Markus Schnall (b. 1883, Razwadow) apprenticed with
the hairdresser Benjamin Kunstlich.
The preparatory class of 35 students in 1901/02 had 9
Jews.
- Jakob Eder and Chaim Ozych resigned from the school.
- Markus Burstin (b. 1886, Mokrzyszow) apprenticed with
the inn keeper Szymon Burstin in Mokrzyszow.
- Moyzesz Rottenberg (b. 1888, Jeziorek, where his
father Simon was an inn keeper). He learned with a tailor in Grebow and
later with the tailor Slomy Feitl in Tarnobrzeg.
- Spinger (the record of the first name is illegible, b.
1889) learned the trade of shoemaking with his father Dawid Spinger.
- Naftali Ehrlich (b. 1888) apprenticed with his father,
the tailor Markus Ehrlich.
- Moses Monheih (b. 1885) apprenticed with his father,
the merchant Chaji Monheih.
- Barnek Wiesenfeld (b. 1886) apprenticed with his
father, the watchmaker Abraham Wiesenfeld.
- Leizor Wiesenfeld (b. 1886) chose the trade of a
milkman. He apprenticed with his mother, a merchant.
The record of students in 1902/03 is incomplete and
partly illegible. The home room teacher was Prazniewski. Sixteen students are
recorded in the existing pages of the record. We don't know what grade they
attended. Students of the Jewish faith were:
- Izrael Garnfunkel (b. 1889) apprenticed with his
father, the baker Simcha Garfunkel.
- Jozef Kira (b. 1889) apprenticed with his father, the
tailor Eliasr Kira.
- Brothers Mozes and Meilech Schifmanow (b. 1888 and
1889, Mokrzyszow) started their apprenticeship in the trade of inn keeper in
Mokrzyszow and later studied with Jakub Braw in Tarnobrzeg.
- Abraham Markus Wiesenfeld (b. 1888) apprenticed with
his father, the merchant Chaim Wiesenfeld.
- Brothers Chaim Silber (b. 1888) and Dawid Silber (b.
1890) apprenticed with their father, the merchant Eliasz Silber.
- Aron Scharf (b. 1890) apprenticed with his father, the
merchant Simon Scharf.
The next available attendance record is for the school
year of 1907/08. Regretfully, previous records have vanished. Fourtyfour
students attended the preparatory class. The home room teacher was Jozef
Lopatynski. Jewish students learning the trade of tailoring were:
- Chaim Bursztyn (b. 1893) apprenticed with the ladies
tailor Chaim Bursztyn.
- Abraham Bursztyn (b. 1892) the son of a butcher,
apprenticed with Majer Bursztyn.
- Abraham Federbusch (b. 1894) apprenticed with Mojzesz
Federbusch.
- Majer Rosen (b. 1893, Rudnik) apprenticed with Salomon
Rosen.
- Markus Scher apprenticed with Abraham Chaim Scher.
- Hersch Lejzor Feitel apprenticed with his father, a
tailor.
Those learning the trade of a merchant were:
- Abraham Ehrlich apprenticed with his father.
- Zusie Greisman (b. 1895) apprenticed with his father
Chiela Greisman.
- Moses Elische Jakobi (b. 1895, Nisko) apprenticed with
the merchant Rudli Hersch Wiesenfeld.
- Jakob Nachmowicz (b. 1894) apprenticed with Uscher
Fugendkafl.
- Abraham Schlussel (b. 1893) apprenticed with Chaim
Schlussel.
- Leib Wiesenfeld (b. 1894) apprenticed with Aron Osias.
- Feiwel Nusbaum (b. 1894) apprenticed with his father
Abraham Nusbaum but didn't complete the course.
- Jozef Schlussel, the son of an engraver, apprenticed
with the brazier Aron Perkunitler.
- Schama Zimmerman (b. 1894) wanted to become a merchant
but didn't make it and remained in the same class.
Fourteen of the fifty-two students listed in the
attendance record of the first class in the school year of 1907/08, were Jewish.
Franciszek Kulas was the home room teacher.
Students of the merchant trade were:
- Izaak Jakob Engelberg (b. 1895) apprenticed with the
merchant Michael Stieglitz but didn't complete the course and was
disqualified.
- Izrael Dawid Fleischer (b. 1892) and Samson Fleischer
(b. 1890) apprenticed with the merchant Jakob Hersch.
- Izrael Garfunkel (b. 1894) apprenticed with his father
Wolf Garfunkel.
- Moses Perlman (b. 1895) apprenticed with Abraham
Perlman.
- Simcha Szarf (b. 1893) apprenticed with his father
Szymon Szarf but didn't complete the course and was disqualified.
- Moses Rosner (b. 1893) apprenticed with his father
Chaim Rosner but didn't complete the course and left Tarnobrzeg.
- Aron Mendel (b. 1889) apprenticed with the merchant
Aron Schachna but left Tarnobrzeg during the school year.
Students of the tailoring trade were:
- Izaak Franzblau (b. 1895) apprenticed with the tailor
Lejzer Turschwell.
- Mozes Plotz (b. 1891) apprenticed with Marcus Ehrlich.
- Abracham Izaak Laufer (b. 1893, Brooklyn) apprenticed
with the tailor Mendl Kira.
Students in other trades were:
- Osias Horowitz (b. 1894) apprenticed with the merchant
Izrael Horowitz.
- Szymon Helfer (b. 1894) apprenticed with the painter
Berel Helfer, but didn't make the course and was disqualified.
- Michael Burstin apprenticed with Simcha Burstain in
basket weaving but didn't complete the course and was expelled from the
school.
- Jozef Lichtman apprenticed to become a waiter with
Osias Lichtman.
- Izrael Izaak Spirn wanted to become a carriage driver
(Fiaker). He wasn't promoted to the next grade.
Six of the twenty-four students listed in the attendance
record of industrial grade two in the school year of 1907/08 were Jewish.
Drafting instructor Antoni Dryja was the home room teacher.
- Izaak Aron Moses (b. 1891) apprenticed with his
father, the merchant Jozef Moses.
- Awigdor Brand (b. 1899) apprenticed with his father,
the merchant Sussel Schlus.
- Dawid Weitzen (b. 1890) apprenticed with his father,
the merchant Izaak Weitzen.
- Messel Wiesenfeld (b. 1890) apprenticed with his
mother Helfer.
- Abracham Goldman (b. 1890) apprenticed as a watchmaker
with Owadica Silber but was disqualified due to poor attendance.
- Pinkas Lichtman studied to become a waiter in a hotel
belonging to his father Osias.
Thirty-two students were registered in the preparatory
class of the school year 1908/09. Six of these were Jewish. Their home room
teacher was Zygmunt Kolasinski.
- Mojzesz Brav (b. 1896) apprenticed with his father,
the merchant Jakob Brav.
- Pinkas Birnbaum (b. 1891) apprenticed with the
watchmaker Sillier.
- Jozef Schlussel (b. 1895) apprenticed as an engraver
with his father.
- Chaim Schwarz (b. 1895, Mokszyszow) apprenticed with
the shoemaker Dan Schwarz.
- Abraham Mojzesz Wahl (b. 1895) apprenticed with his
mother, a baker.
- Schija Weisblum (b. 1895) apprenticed with his father,
the lathe operator (turner) Hersch Schonang.
Ten of the fourtyone students registered in the
industrial first grade were Jews. Their home room teacher was Antoni Dryja.
Three of the Jewish students learned tailoring:
- Abraham Bursztyn (b. 1892), the son of a butcher,
apprenticed with Majr Bursztyn.
- Chaim Bursztyn (b. 1899) apprenticed with his father
Izaak Bursztyn.
- Samuel Ehrlich (b. 1896) apprenticed with his father
Marcus Ehrlich, remained in the same grade, and was disqualified.
The following had their apprenticeship as merchants:
- Baruch Hauser (b. 1896) apprenticed with his father
Jankiel but remained in the same grade.
- Aron Izaak Itzkowitz (b. 1897, Rozwadow) apprenticed
with his mother Beili.
- Mojzesz Elische Jakobi (b. 1895, Nisko) apprenticed
with his father Chaim Dawid Weisenfeld.
- Mojzesz Izrael Korn (b. 1895) apprenticed with his
father Jozef.
- Baruch Kaufman (b. 1895) apprenticed with Weisman.
- Lieb Lobzman (b. 1893) apprenticed with the carpenter
Izaak Rudy but was disqualified.
- Osias Zeisel (b. 1894, Skowieszyn) studied to be a
writer with his father Hersch.
Eight of forty-one students in the second industrial
grade were Jews. Franciszek Kulas was the home room teacher. Students of the
merchant trade were:
- Izrael Garnfunkel (b. 1894) apprenticed with Wolf
Garnfunkel.
- Abraham Jozef Federbusch (b. 1894) apprenticed with
his father Chaim Leizor.
- Mozes Permann apprenticed with Abraham Permann but was
disqualified due to poor attendance.
- Izaak Franzblau (b. 1895) learned the trade of
tailoring.
- Izrael Lewin (b. 1890, Radomysl) studied carpentry
with Izak Rudy.
- Majer Rosen (b. 1893, Rudnik) apprenticed with Salomon
Rosen but didn't complete the course and left for Krakow.
- Hersch Leizor Feitel apprenticed with his father, the
tailor Schemy Feitel.
- Horaham Schlussel (b. 1899) wanted to become an
interior painter and apprenticed with Sussel Kunstlich.
Fourteen of the thirty-four students in the first grade
of 1909/10 were Jews. Franciszek Kulas was the home room teacher. Students of
the merchant trade were:
- Baruch Kaufman (b. 1895) apprenticed with Wolf
Weisman.
- Mojzesz Izrael Korn (b. 1895) apprenticed with Jozef
Korn.
- Simcha Scharf (b. 1893) apprenticed with his father
Szyman.
- Schama Zimer Zimmerman (b. 1894) apprenticed with
Lejzov Zimmerman.
- Aron Izaak Itzkowitz (b. 1897, Rozwadow) apprenticed
with his mother Beila Schlussel.
- Pinkas Birnbaum (b. 1891) learned the trade of
watchmaking but was disqualified due to poor attendance.
- Chaim Schwartz (b. 1895) studied shoemaking. He
apprenticed with Mechel Solber but was disqualified due to poor attendance.
- Abraham Mojzesz Wahl (b. 1895) apprenticed with the
baker Faub Hinda.
- Mozes Perman (b. 1895, Mielec) studied to be a writer
with Abraham Permann.
- Abraham Schlussel (b. 1899) apprenticed with painter
Susse Kunstlich.
- Jozef Schlussel apprenticed with brazier Jakub
Perlmutter.
- Schija Weisblum (b. 1895), turner, apprenticed with
Hersch Schonang.
- Jakob Wiesenfeld (b. 1895) apprenticed with the
glazier Schaja Wiesenfeld.
- Chaim Wurzel (b. 1895) apprenticed with the tailor
Moses Chaim Bergstein.
The report of the management of the Supplemental
Industrial School in Tarnobrzeg for the school year of 1909/10 has survived.
>From this report, we know that 102 students were registered that year. The
school year began on 15 September 1909 and ended on 12 May 1910. Ten students
stopped attending the school during the year due to departures, changes in
trade, and the trade masters' dissatisfaction with the school. 3
Six students in the second grade did not complete the
course but of the six students who made favorable grades, two were Jewish:
- Abraham Bursztyn and Izaak Erazblau.
- Peitel Lejzor Hersch finished with a satisfactory
grade.
The report does not identify which trade the Jewish
students acquired.
It should be stated that the trades of merchant, peddler, and tailor were the
most popular amongst students of Jewish nationality.
Janina Stadnik
References:
1. Report of the Management of the Industrial Supplemental School in Tarnobrzeg
for the School Year 1909/10. Tarnobrzeg, 1910, p. 1.
2. Ibid., p. 1.
3. Ibid., p. 1.
