Zabludow Tannery Workers (Click to Enlarge)
Translation by Daphna Brafman Coordinated by Tilford Bartman
From right to left beginning on top row: Yosel Bartnovski( Dem Alitzkars), Ya'acov Moshe Furman, Avrahamel Kaneh, Ya'acov Rudy, Yankel Panitch Meister, Elihu Halpern, Zayadeka, Chaim Miller, Meir Rudy, Bendat (Dem Stalyers a zon),Valvel (Dralas a Zon), Leizer Valvel Miller, Feivel Resnick, Aveh Yaknuk, Vashka Braslavski, The yound Child Rudy, (Panitchas Aletsta Tacter)
Zabludow was famous for the developed tannery (leather processing industry). There were two kinds of tannery. One was called "moist tannery" and it produced the best leather for shoe soles. This industry was well known in Russia and later all over Poland. It was controlled by the famous families Becker yeshaayahu, Khetzkel Venisel, Hertzka Rubins, Zalman Bialistotzki, Mordechai Shmuel Pelben, Hillel Felabski and son, and other families. The second, "dry tannery", was well organized. Yeshaya Geffner and Yetshi Bondi who brought it from Warsaw probably established it. The first factories for leather processing belonged to Herschel Yetshi bonds and Yeshaya Geffners and their partner Nahum Gellerstein. Yetshi bondi's factory was later bought by Yankel Rudy from the shoemakers' street. Another factory owned by Yankel Zilber stood opposite the flour mill of Yankel Farabski, in the building where "Takhkemoni" school was located recently. Other factories belonged to Herschel Minds, Legible Reznik and to Aharon Chessler. The writer of these lines was for sometime a partner with Lib Reznik. Later, close to the outbreak of world war one, this factory was bought by Avraham Chessler, and the factory of Avraham Chessler is in Bilski Street in a wall building few houses away from Beit Hamidrash. The blossoming of the tannery took place in Zabludow between the years 1900 and 1914 (until the beginning of world war one). It employed between 150 and 200 workers. The workers were well paid. Experienced professional workers received 12-15 rubles per week. Beginners were paid 5-8 rubles. It was a lot back then. It provided for many families. Fathers and sons were able to live good with their families on their salaries.
The tanners were making "tongues" for the boots of the farmers. The products were usually sold all over Russia. There were other kinds of products, like " leather for a boot" (to make shoes from one piece of leather that is covered with rubber on its sides) and " leather diapers" to create special shoes for the holy vessels.
They used to receive the raw materials from leather factories. The process by which "tongues" were made was such: at first they covered the leather with special oil that softened the leather. The producer and provider of the oil was Joseph Zabladovski. Then they used to wet the leather and remove from it layers and layers. Removing the leather demanded high professionally. They used to scrape thin layers with a knife sharp on both sides and bent at its edge. They then quickly rolled the layers into long rolls. These were sold to be used as book covers and other leather products. At the end of the scraping process they again spread oil on the leather. Stretch and put them so they dry. In the summer they dried the leather in the sun; in the winter- inside the factory by special heaters wrapped with tin pipes. After drying they painted the tonques black, cut them according to sizes and put glitter so they shine. The finished products were arranged in pairs in a very special way called "mirrors" the "mirrors" of Zabludow had a good name. Russia's merchants used to come to Zabludow and buy all leather products. There were years in which both industry owners and workers earned good money. In the good days the workers and owners have rich banquets.
It was always cheerful at the factories. During working hours the place was full of work and love songs sung by the young workers. They would sometimes play tricks on new workers. New workers went through an initiation "ceremony" that was conducted as a show. The guy that came to learn a new trade was helpless because he was surrounded by workers who would call him names. It is believed that many of the names by which Zabludow residents were called had originated in the leather processing factories. Laughter and good spirit typified the atmosphere of the factories. Sometimes, if a brother or a sister brought some good tasty food, like latkes, it was immediately caused a feast; the workers stopped their activity and joined the banquet.
The first strike took place at the factory of Yeshaayahu and Nahum. At that hour Yeshaayahu walked in and, as he usually does a glass of tea in his hand. He looked and wondered; the workers were siting doing nothing and welcoming him with a song as a choir: work- less hours the salary- to raise, to raise and every Friday a potato casserole. The tea glass fell off the hands of the owner and the workers rose and left the factory. In Yeshaayahu's factory they worked 16 hours a day, and also Saturday night. They were not well paid. They demanded a shorter workday and a salary raise. Since most workers were young who had lived at their parent's home, and were worried about the consequences of their acts, they decided not to go home. Instead they turned to go to the field of Lib Atlas Reznik; they spent the night there and on the next morning went to the forest. There they listened to a revolutionary speech given by messengers from bialystok and Vilnius. At last the owner of the factory had to concede and fulfil the workers demands. The workers were invited to return to work. Those were first victories in the struggle to improve working conditions.
Before the outbreak of first world war things became bad in the business of tannery, and the general financial conditions of the town weren't good. Factories were shut and their owners immigrated to the united states. The important industry gradually vanished and left many families without income. Leather industry didn't exist in our town after world war one. Some still worked in small factories, but no buyers came from Russia and that's how leather industry disappeared from Zabludow.
Back to Table of Contents Web: 2003 Tilford Bartman
