Elimelech Benari's Kletsk Memoir

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Mien Stetele Kletzk
For 500 years, Jews have lived and existed in your area. They were 70% of the total population. In the center of the market, was the Saltzkromen. The farmers of the area came here to buy supplies and sell their wares. These shops were destroyed by the German Nazis. Today, there is a Memorial Park in this place. In the park, there is a memorial stone in memory of the Belo-Russian and Jewish martyrs and a tombstone for the Red Army soldiers who fought to free Kletzk from the invading Nazis.

The market square, shops, municipal buildings, medical buildings, pharmacies, restaurants and the rest of the services needed for a modern city are situated around the park. There are the shining streets around the same sun that didn't appear on that day. Jewish Kletzk was a place in which Jews lived a cultural, communal, traditional and religious life. The inhabitants were artisans, business people, intellectuals, artists, and philosophers. There were social services and a clinic for those who couldn't afford medical care.

There were five schools representing all the streams of Jewish thought. There were six synagogues and a community building. The youth were affiliated with youth groups from all parts of the political spectrum.

This whole world disappeared. It was destroyed and obliterated from this earth. The German Nazis murdered our people using a preconceived plan in a pedantic and devastating fashion. This liquidation was perpetrated due to the fact that they were Jews.

Now we are here again. To our great sorrow we have come to consecrate a Mass Grave. Jewish History has known persecuation, pogroms, gas chambers, and "execution trenches". But The Eternity of Israel Will Survive. Four thousand years of Jewish History proves that we will continue to exist. We returned to our ancient homeland after 2000 years of exile. We have reestablished our country. We built it with the sweat of our hnds and we sacrificed the blood of the holocaust survivors and their sons.

We call upon all peoples to witness what we have written on the memorial stone. Never again. Let's return to the same freedom and brotherhood of men to men. We extend a hand in brotherhood to all peoples, to all religions, and especially to the Belo-Russian people, who encompassed many hundreds of thousands of Jews.

We have a special request to the citizens of Kletzk. Kletzk began its history over 1000 years ago. For 500 of those yeares we lived together in peace nd harmony. Kletzk had not previously known internal strife. We, the few survivors --the sons of Kletzk, born here --turn to you. Please help safeguard and protect this memorial. This tombstone, which has been raised for our parents, our brothers and our sisters, is a part of Kletz history. It will then be a place for us to come on the high holidays and in grief and sorrow, to visit and honor our parents' grave.

Elimelech Benari

Page Last Updated: 22-Jun-2011