The home of the Rabbi served as a center of social life. All the issues concerning the lives of the Jews in town were discussed there. The people of Zabludow didn't have much regard to the world outside their town. The newspapers "Hamelitz" or "Hatsfirah" came in four copies only and passed from one hand to the next among the heads of the community.
There was a certified intelligencia in town, like R' Moshe Zelig Patlin and the Doctor (Aaron Hirsh Chessler), who used to receive a newspaper from Petersburgh. The teacher Patlin used to tell the news to the crowd in Beit Hamidrash between Minkha and Maariv; there he used to go and rest after a hard day's work with his students. He used to stand by the open window that's facing the garden of the priest, as someone who understands the taste of fresh air. The people gathered around him and he took the paper out of his pocket. The news that were of interest to the Jews were underlined with a blue marker. He lectured on events and news and the crowd drank his words with thrust. Later they shared these words with their wives and Christian buyers who came to the shop to hear the news from "Yehudonim" (an unfriendly name they give to Jews- like the term "kike" in America), who know all that is happening in the world.
Sometimes you could hear reactions from the listeners. The readers of "Hatsfirah" don't give up and show how knowledgeable they are in politics; they quote commentaries from "the chronicles" of Sokolov. People become excited and arguments begin; each of them want to show he has an opinion on the important events. The place is noisy and the argument subjects are many. One shouts about African roads where the English fight the Boer rebels. There are supporters for each side. I don't really understand why should Beit Hamidrash Jews support the English. The smart men say that there is a blood connection between the Jews and the English because the English come from the ten tribes! On the other side- Boer's supporters who admire the Boer's heroism. They compare their heroism and fight for homeland to the brave Maccabees. Tumult grows.
The young children used to stand on the benches. Others came and all push; they all want to find a place and satisfy their curiosity. Moshe Zelig again and again explains the matter in such a way that people should understand his is the right opinion. After that they all go to Maariv, mumble the prayer and go home for supper.Also in the days of Russia-Japan war the congregation was divided into two camps. Most of them supported the Japanese, some for hatred of the Russians and others for the love of Japan; they were all glad when aunt "Rosa" (Japan) hit uncle "Finya" (Russia). There was only one supporter of the Russian we hated; it was Mendel Lashkir, an aggressive man who was not influenced by the mass psychosis. He didn't back and argued with the others who formed a united front against Russia. He didn't give up and didn't change his mind, even when the Commander Krapatkin was defeated. Mendel Lashkir, a former factory owner who lost his business and money, never lost his aggressive character. People treated him with respect despite his uncompromising opinions. He remained loyal to Russia; he was the last opposition in the synagogue to the idea of the defeat. He supported the idea "killed and not pass". In the synagogue he was a "Baal Koreh" (Torah reader). Never missed a prayer. The crowd patiently waited until he finished the Shmoneh Esreh (eighteenth benediction of the daily prayer) and stepped his last steps backward. They regarded him a man who added honor to the synagogue.
In Beit Hamidrash of Bilsk Street there was another man who supported Mendel Lashkir and his pro-Russian politics. It was the watchmaker. A former Cantonist whose life were passed over the mountains of darkness and one day came back because he missed Jewish atmosphere. He said that he wanted to die among Jews. He settled in Zabludow, married for second time. He made a living from fixing watches and his sons supported him. Despite his very old age he was strong and his fresh red face testified for his good health. He felt discomfort in Beit Hamidrash and was a stranger to the Jewish society. That is why he preferred the days and nights at the Christian club that signed on the reactionary newspaper "The World" together with the club's clerk, a former policeman, Grishin the lame, and other men of intelligencia. They used to converse and were impressed by the fake patriotism of the press "The World" and "The New Era". They laughed at the young Jews who deserted the ways of their fathers and came to the club on the Sabbath; they played cards and billiards, and sometime even eat sausage made of pork.
Young Jewish workers visited the club on regular basis and thus contributed to its financial stability. The workers were fence breakers. Their heart was occupied with magical ideas of a beautiful world. They were full of a need to struggle for new ideas. The club served as a legitimate frame to develop their dreams and for free behavior. Their parents who dared not pass through the doorstep of the "impure" place did not disturb them. They could not fight against their rebellious children; after all this is a club established by the Povidnostzeff government…
Very seldom a Jewish mother broke in, grabbed her youngest child by his ear and tried to take him out of there. On Friday he was paid for his work at the tannery. But instead of giving her all the money he hid a part of it and on the Sabbath eve and went to the club to play cards. She believed that it was her right to supervise him. He didn't earn enough money to cover all his expenses. She had to clothe him and care for his needs. She has no influence over the eldest son. He makes good money and brings home his salary. She is afraid to fight him because he might leave home. But the younger, that brood! She will teach him a lesson. This "boytchik" has no choice. He leaves the club and follows his mother as a calf follows the cow. He is very angry with her for not letting him finish the game and gain back the coins he lost. But, fear not, he will return next Saturday and perhaps win the game.
Even I, a Gemara boy from a well to do family, who usually tried to behave good, found it hard to pass the test and not pick into the "place of uncleanness". Something attracted me to the "Tchaina" Club. Curiosity burnt my bones and I could not overcome my impulse. On one Sabbath eve I secretly sneaked out of my home and into the club. I stood on the side with an uncovered head, and looked around with curiosity. I saw the big guys getting drunk. I saw their excitement over the game of billiards. But I wasn't drawn to the game. I was afraid I'd lose the few coins my mother gave me. I just envied the young men- the workers who worked and earned money; they are already independent. The Cantonist watchmaker also spent much of his time at the "tchaina". Before Minkha he would leave for Beit Hamidrash. There he demonstrated patriotism by granting support to Mendel Lashkir. Sometimes he used to play with the young children and enjoyed their company.
The Russia-Japan war didn't directly touch us. It didn't leave much impression on the community. Russia's internal affairs and the anti Czar Nicolai student demonstrations in Moscow and in Peterburgh, on the other hand, did raise much interest. The young landlords had much respect for the students. They fully identified with their opinions on the dictatorship of the Czar, and were interested in the demonstrations of those who wanted to oust Nicolai, and in such manner the revolutionary spirit was spreading.
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