muel Schleider, an intellectual who at the time Dr. Herzl summoned the first World Zionist Congress in 1897, was one of the founders and first president of Zionist society Ahavath Zion in Boiberke, left the town for the New World. He came with the intention of saving up some money and to return to Boiberke. After a sojourn of less than two years he left the United States, but before leaving he used to visit the missionery [sic] houses on the lower East Side. There he, who knew the Bible and the entire history of ancient Jerusalem, would dispute with the missionaries, who were no match for him; more than once he would be thrown out bodily from the missionary houses.
In 1899, another interesting individual from Boiberke arrived in New York. His name was Efrayim Messer. In Boiberke he was know as Froyim Boziak (this was his nick-name). Messer was known as the best carpenter in town, the furniture which Efroyim made was known not only in Boiberke but in the entire area. Newlyweds prided themselves that their furniture was made by Moishe Hersh Perlmutter, where Efroyim Messer worked. He had a great interest in the youngsters of his town. On Purim in 1896, he made a huge grager (noise-maker) and strolled through the street of Boiberke, followed by us youngsters. When we reached the Beth Hamidrash, each time the reader of the Magillah would mention the name Haman, Efroyim would let loose his noise-maker (grager) and we kids had a great time. In fact even the elders in the Beth Hamidrash enjoyed as well.
The following Purim he made himself a pair of stilts and since he was a tall man we kids would cry out in amazement feeling sure that when stood up in his stilts he would touch the heavens. Efroyim Messer did it all to bring joy to the children of the town of his birth.
One of the most interesting of the Boibeker landsleit whom I met in the summer of 1903, was Moishe Gottlieb, who was the actual leader of the Jews in our town. He had to flee from Austria to escape arrest. When I met him on Rivington Street, on the lower East Side of New York, he walked with his head bowed down so low that the 6 ft. in statue in Boiberke was this time hardly recognizable, and I felt truly sorry for him.
During the week days when the landsleit were working at the sweat shops, he had no one to converse with. He used to go to the shoe shop of Yoisip Raucher on Pitt Street, also in New York. There he would sit on the low shoe maker stool and watch Raucher making shoes, while they chatted about Boiberke.
Observing the scene in the shoe shop once I was reminded of the role Moishe Gottlieb had played in Boiberke. I recall how the Chazan in the Boiberker Shul where Gottlieb worshipped would not begin the services until Gottlieb sat in his place.
I also recall the night after the fasting on Yom Kipur, the local band under the leadership of Chaim Gross, or Chaim Kleneter, (he played the clarinet) would come to Moishe Gottlieb's house and played their instruments, and the younger set of the town would stand at the windows to listen to the fine music.
Moishe Gottlieb felt that the streets of New York weren't for him. He left for Palestine and when his wife, Roisele, came from Boiberke to join him, they settled in Jerusalem.
In 1912, when I was on a visit to Boiberke, I was told that Gottlieb's oldest son, Josel, who was known as Moshke, always against the Jewish National Movement, had returned from a visit to his parents in Jerusalem, and as a real Meragel would tell the folks in Boiberke that he found Palestine dirty and filthy. No drinking water to speak of, the roads and highways the worst he had ever seen in his life. He said he would rather stay under the Polish regime in Boiberke than settle in that poor country which is called Palestine and is under the Turkish graft regime.
Josel and his family remained in Boiberke and his so-called Polish friends didn't lift a finger when they were slaughtered by the Nazis in the Ghetto of Boiberke. On the other hand, his parents live in Eretz Israel until they reached a ripe, old age and they were respected by all 