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THE FORMATION AND ACTIVITIES OF THE
LIBIVNER SOCIETY IN NEW YORK
By Velvl Royzman (z"1)
The Libivne Benevolent (Relief) Society of New
York was founded in 1906. The date is recorded
in the bylaws, published when Benny Sheingarten
took over the chairmanship. The date appears
also in the signed contract between the society and
the United Hebrew Cemetery in Staten Island.
This is the only document left from that time.
The contract specifies the purchase of a piece of
land in Richmond, Staten Island, for the purpose
of a cemetery, from the United Hebrew Cemetery.
They paid $1,000 for the land, in monthly installments
of $100. The contract was signed by the
president of that time, T. Shnaydmil, and by the
secretary, Yone Byalish.
At that time, the society went by the name
of Libivne-Volhynia Relief Society. We do not
know how many members it had then, since no
minutes were saved and all the original members
have long since gone to their eternal rest.
After a short time, a group of members separated
from the original societythe more pious, Orthodox
group of the members. They formed their
own group and called themselves the Shomrey
Shabos (guardians of the Sabbath). They still exist
and have their own synagogue.
A second group separated to "make Sabbath
for themselves" (to do their own thing). They
adopted the name Libivne Young Men, and became
a branch of the Workmen's Circle. They
have their own meeting rooms, and they too are
still active.
In 1911, Favl Verber became president, and
Yakov Vishn its, secretary.
There are some older members of the society
who remember the days of World War I. It is
a fact that the society functioned from 1914 to
1918.
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It is important to mention one important
piece of activity by the society during that time.
After the war ended and before life had become
reestablished, organized gangs of Ukrainian bandits
went on a rampage and perpetrated pogroms
on Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.
The Balechovtzes were the perpetrators of
pogroms in Volhynia. They would attack towns
and villages where Jews lived, slaughter the Jewish
inhabitants mercilessly, and rob their possessions.
Many Jews managed to save themselves by
hiding in Libivne. But even Libivne was subject to
the danger.
In 1919, Abie (Avrom) Kahn went to Libivne
as a tourist; the society gave him $1,200 to help
victims of the pogroms who needed help desperately.
Libivne already had formed a relief committee
of its own, headed by Rabbi Oselka, with
two other rabbis as members: R. Leybish London
and R. Leybl Melamed. Under the aegis of the Roman
Catholic priest, the committee contacted the
leader of the Balechovtzes and paid him $400 (a
big sum at that time) as protection money not to
touch Libivne. Thus Libivne proper escaped pogroms
because of money sent them by the New
York Libivne Society.
In 1918, Yose Bubish became president, and
Yakov Lerner became secretary.
The society used to send Passover aid to
Libivne every year. It would also support the Talmud
Torah in Libivne, nor would it forget plain
poor Jews who needed help.
Benny Sheingarten took over leadership of the
society in the 1930s. Leybish Peritszon became
vice-president, and Kalman Kramer, secretary.
They wrote a constitution which was printed
in a booklet and changed the society's name to