At the south end
of the village, in the direction of Wyszmontow, lived the grain
dealer Naftule Manheim with his wife Feige and their four sons. They
all lived in a little brick house with a solid lock to protect the
front door.
Moshke, the
eldest son, had no intention of spending his days like his father,
stooping under heavy sacks of grain. He chose instead to become a
roofer with one of the village tradesmen. This contact with the
world of labourers aroused his political conscience and he became a
member of the Communist Party.
His dash and his
generosity of spirit immediately won him great popularity. He was an
indefatigable organizer for the workers' movement. This kind of
commitment had its risks at that time, and it turned out that he
attracted the attention of the police. So he decided to leave Ozarow
and pursue the struggle in Lodz and in Warsaw.
When war broke
out in Spain in 1936, Moshke could not remain indifferent to the
Republican struggle against Franco. He joined the International
Brigade.
