Ludmir; in memory of the Jewish community (Volodymyr Volynskyy, Ukraine)

Volodymyr Volynskyy (Ludmir), now in Ukraine, was one of the oldest cities in Poland. A Jewish community existed here at the end of the thirteenth century, but information about the organized Jewish community only begins in the sixteenth century.The great synagogue, in the center of town, had room for several thousand people.It was a quiet town, surrounded by forests and rivers. "Most of the residents of the town were Jews, except for the officials of the Christian institutions at the edge of town. ... Commerce and handicrafts were in Jewish hands. There was no industry. There were a few flour mills and the rest were small workshops that employed a few apprentices and they depended upon the gentiles for their income. Whenever there was a drought or some natural disaster our town's situation was immediately affected."Well-known residents described in the book include Hannah Rachel Werbermacher (the Ludmir Maiden), Motikl the water-carrier, and the philanthropist Rabbi Arye Jehuda of Ludmir.The editorial committee note that "A very special place in this book is dedicated to the period of the ghetto and the memorial chapters about the horrific destructions and the history of pain, written by witnesses of the tragedies; these are the chapters that tell about the heroic martyrdom of our parents and family members, about the slaughters that were carried out by the Germans, and about the many collaborators with the murderers, the Ukrainians and the Poles. In these memorial pages an image is presented of the spiritual life of the Ludmir Jews on the brink of death, and also of the powerful struggles of the Jewish youth against the murderers of our people.""May this book deepen in us the love for generations of Jews who fought for their existence and carried the light of Jewishness in the darkness of the exile in Poland."