The "United Disner Benevolent Association" in New York invites all its members, countrmen, and friends to come to the unveiling of the monument to the Disna martyrs, who were killed in a bestial and tragic manner, burned or buried alive for the pride and honor of the Jewish people by the Hitler-murderers and their collaborators, the 15th of June 1942.
The unveiling of the holy stone will take plac on Sunday, September 13th, 2 PM, at the Montefiore Cemetery, block 87, sction Disna.
Rabbi Zalman Meir Likhtik, from the Congregation B'nei Avraham, Flushing, will lead the unveiling ceremony.
We invite all from Disna and the region to come and offer the last honors to our sacred and dear ones, our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, friends and acquaintances, and to the newly born infants whom the Hitler-beasts mercilessly killed.
Let us all gather and say a Kaddish for their holy sould, let us not forget the disaster which struck the Jewish people in general and our dear Disners. Let us not sleep and dream good dreams, let us give up our hustle and bustle and let us think of what was done to the Jewish people.
The "United Disner" was organized in January 1923, and is located on 110 West 48th Street. We meet every first Sabbath of the month.
The Disner Organisation, which was founded more than forty years ago by immigrants who came from Disna, has carried out work every year to help the poor people of Disna, up till the great fier of 1940. We also support various Jewish organizations in the land.
The city of Disna has died. But we here
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carry on the continuation of the interrupted Jewish Disna. We are a fine organization, with a membership of over 100 families. We are also ready to take in new members at any time.
Now I would like to thank the brothers Ayzik Elyanov, Sam Meissenson, Sam Sheynkman, Yisrael Greiniman, and our reader Lenard Karlin, for their work in bringing about the erection of this holy monument.
Jewish Disna was known for its cultural life. It was distinguished by its intelligent citizens, with the two fine Rabbi's (Rabbi Shimeon Levi Bialistochki and Rabbi Shmerye Zalman Yafeh), who were killed by the Nazis along with the other Jews.
Little Disna, with its eight batei-midrashim, a lovely Jewish public school, a big talmud torah, Jewish householders and artisans, shopkeepers, members of the liberal professions and laborers: also the Zionist organizations, in which the youth of Disna was very active, also the two great boulevards or parks - one along the Dvina and the other in Doroshkovich. Today the boulevards are sad. Under the pretty trees there stand the graves, which the Disna Jews had to did out for themselves and then they were put in the graves alive and shot. Disna Jewish blood has been sprinkled on every twig of the pretty trees.
Of the five thousand Disna Jews only two large mass graves remain, in which the mortal remains of those killed lie. The graves are behind the city, or, as it was once called, Zadisienke.
From our lovely Jewish Disna, there remains just a handful of heartbroken men, scattered and spread over the whole world.
As president of the "United Disner" I turn to our countrymen: always remember! Preserve the memory of the martyrs! You should never forget what was done to your nearest and dearest. To the Jews of your home city, Disna.
Let us not forget that dark day, when the Hitler killers led off our families to a fearful death -- come en masse to the unveiling of this holy monument.
(Reprinted, in Yiddish, from "Forward", Friday September 11, 1964.)
