Skalat - That Time of Year

The Skalat synagogue

As nearly every year, we gathered at the Skalat memorial in the Holon Cemetery, just south of Tel-Aviv. It is now eighty-one years since Skalat was declared Judenrein, free of Jews. 

As I have said here many tmes before, Skalat was where the eastern part of the Pikholz family lived a hundred fifty years ago. My own family left earlier, as even my great-grandfather Hersch Pikholz (~1853) was probably born in Podkamen, eighty-six km to the north. But his parents - both Pikholz - were born in Skalat.

The memorial meeting was a bit larger than in recent years, perhaps thirty people, including a few children whose great-grandparents had lived in Skalat. Bronia was the only actual Skalater in attendance. There are fewer every year. Tova (Giza) Zehavi was not up to the travel and I phoned her afterwards. All four of the Sarids were there and quite a few of the Segals. David (Dlugacz) Dekel, a Pikholz descendant was there but his sister was under the weather.

The Skalat monument in Holon

There was a collection for maintenance of the monument in Skalat. 

The memorial at the killing field in Novosielka, outside Skalat

A few people told bits of their parents' stories.  A few prayers, kaddish and of course a prayer for our soldiers protecting our country.

Same time next year.