Dr. Kobi Peled (right) presents a copy of his book Architecture of Collective

 Memory to Dr. Shlomo Shaltiel of Yad Ya'ari at Givat Haviva

 

Whilst researching his recently published book on the Warsaw Ghetto revolt and naming of a kibbutz in memory of uprising leader Mordechai Anielewicz, historian Kobi Peled found himself having to copy documents word for word by hand.

Although at the time not particularly enamored with the predicament he found himself in, these days the many hours of painstakingly copying documentation in the archives of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai the academic now deems as having deepened his connection to the heroic Jewish Polish fighters, the new immigrant founder members of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai and the bitter battles and terrible losses incurred by that community during 1948.

How come the historian and qualified architect needed to copy by hand so much material in the digital age is also a tale from within many the Jerusalem based author tells with regard his research bringing him in contact also with former fighter, kibbutz founder and general secretary of his community during the War of Independence, Munio Brandwein.

The nowadays 95 year-old veteran of Yad Mordechai assisted Kobi Peled but insisted he not photograph or remove any of the coveted items from the kibbutz archives – hence the pen pushing.

"We all know that unfortunately there are incidents of researchers 'appropriating' items from archives and this had happened a number of times at Yad Mordechai, so Munio Brandwein was being extremely cautious with me, to say the least," said Kobi Peled with a smile before adding he now had "no regrets" with regard the hefty conditions laid down by Brandwein.

Peled spoke of Munio Brandwein with great reverence, addressed him as the 'commander of the kibbutz' during the fateful battle against Egyptian forces in 1948, a man who found himself having to send members of his own community to their fate and carry the deaths of those that perished, as well as the temporary defeat of the kibbutz at that time, with him since.

Copying by hand documents that survived rifling by enemy forces in May 1948 and other material to be found at the Yad Mordechai archives Peled describes as a process of total absorption in present times of the eventful historical days of yore.

Peled was speaking to staff members of Yad Yaari and Moreshet gathered to celebrate the publication of his book Architecture of Collective Memory: Remembering the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in Kibbutz Yad-Mordechai 1943-1951.  The book was published jointly by Yad Yaari, the Research and Documentation Center of the HaShomer HaTzair movement and the Kibbutz Artzi Federation together with Moreshet, The Mordechai Anielewicz Holocaust Study and Research Center at Givat Haviva.

Dr. Shlomo Shaltiel from Yad Yaari and Yonat Rotbein of Moreshet both praised Kobi Peled on his research into highly sensitive, and in some areas still on-going controversies, surrounding the events both in Poland and during the War of Independence in Israel that symbolize so much to so many – that despite the hopelessness of revolting against the Nazis, the spirit of the struggle was not conquered as a few short years later Jewish men and women, Holocaust survivors, continued to carry out acts of heroism in Israel giving courage to other Jews not only in the country but also elsewhere in the world.

In closing, Dr. Shaltiel mentioned that a biography of Natan Rapoport, the sculptor of the famous Mordechai Anielewicz memorial in Yad Mordechai, will be published by Yad Yaari during 2009.

 

 

The book by Kobi Peled {in Hebrew) is available from Yad Yaari at: 04-6309232 or via e-mail yariarch@givathaviva.org.il

 

Photo & text: Lydia Aisenberg.  January 2009