text:
[Pages 443-450]
By Khannah Neiman, New York
Translated from Yiddish to English by Dr. Isaac Fine
I remember well the old community-owned house where my grandfather's father sat in the rabbi's chair. The house stood next to the House of Study. It was such a palace that the Russian government decreed that it be demolished. I remember that during heavy rains the water would drip down through the roof, and grandfather would move the books from one place to another. From there, they moved to Dovid Shilevsky's house where they lived until grandfather's death.
The family consisted of Bobe, our mother, and her four brothers: Pinchas, Velvel, Zalman, and Moishe-Meier. I still see my grandfather in my mind's eye. He was a tall erect man with a noble face, blue eyes, and a long gray beard. He was always dressed very neatly and cleanly, often with his coat slung over his shoulders. In my view, his appearance was always majestic. In the house, I never saw him other than with a book, except on Christmas night.
Bobe never called him by name. After all, he wasn't an ordinary man such that she could appropriately call him Gedaliah.. At the same time, she had too much of a connection with him to call him rabbi.. Her solution was to say to him Listen.. For example she might say, Listen, do you want to eat now?. or Listen, have you heard what happened?. As for himself, my grandfather rarely called her Rivke.
Grandfather was accustomed to arise quite early in the morning. Soon after he would open the door, in case someone should wish to enter. He made tea for himself, so as not to disturb those still sleeping in the house. Men often came in the morning for a glass of tea, and also later, in the afternoon. He would leave for prayer in the House of Study with a heavy tallis. bag filled with books, and would arrive back home around twelve noon. He was accustomed to eat only twice a day. The first meal was around noon. If he had a little chicken, he wouldn't eat any dairy products whatsoever for the rest of the day. For other Jews, a six-hour wait was sufficient. His own personal self-imposed restrictions, however, were more severe. He would only eat meat which was glatt kosher. I remember how the butcher would come in and tell my Bobe, Rebbitzin , this is a glatt kosher one.. In those days I didn't know what that phrase meant. I recall also my mother having told me that, in his earlier years, Grandfather would fast intermittently on Mondays and again on Thursdays. From the point of view of religious observance, he was strict with regard to himself, and lenient with regard to others.
Their income came from the monopoly to sell yeast in the shtetl. This was Bobe's responsibility, since Grandfather couldn't recognize the shape of a coin. At times, however, a Christian would arrive at the door quite early in the morning to purchase a few ounces of yeast. He didn't want to wake Grandmother from her sleep to assist him, and would handle the matter on his own. When Bobe awoke she would soon realize what happened and good-naturedly tell him, My businessman, it looks like you made a deal this morning.. Incidentally, I recall one occasion, on the evening prior to a Christian holy day, when some Christians came to buy yeast. We children used to come and help Grandmother. It happened that, after the clients left, my brother Chonan found a three-ruble piece on the floor. He almost immediately gave it to Bobe. Grandfather heard of this from a distance. He called out that they should immediately go out in the streets and announce what had happened, asking who had lost the cash. Grandmother doubted that one could trust the moral integrity of the townfolk so completely. She said that it would be wiser to wait until he who had lost the money returned to claim it. A half hour later, the Christian man who had lost the money arrived at the door, and grandmother gave it to him. Grandmother asked him, If I had followed your suggestion, would I have the three rubles now to give this man? Grandfather answered calmly, No one would have falsely claimed that it was his own.. This anecdote illustrates not only his own sense of honor, but also his belief in the moral integrity of others.
With regard to tsedekah (charity) it was his custom that, in a transaction, he would never accept small change from a poor man. When he had small change in his pockets and other occasions, he would give it to a poor man. What would happen if he afterwards encountered a second poor man, he would either ask for more small change from Bobe, or would borrow some small change for the second person. Also there were times when a guest arrived in town and grandfather sent him to the local inn, arranging for payment of his lodgings.
The tradition of contributing money to the plates for charitable organizations on the evening prior to Yom Kippur is well known. He frequently wanted to give more than he possessed. He would borrow from someone else in order to make the contribution, and then repay the lender in installments over the course of the year.
With regard to education, he was advanced in his outlook. He held the view that one should not hit school children. Our father held a position far from Goniondz. Grandfather used to tell our teacher that he shouldn't hit his little ones. He also used to say that one should not send children to an angry teacher for education, because one cannot trust an angry man. I recall a case where a mother complained to him about her son, that he was too much of a rascal. Grandfather answered her, A boy that doesn't fool around can't learn!
One of the aspects of his character, which is most deeply engraved in my memory, was his constant concern not to trouble anyone in general, and most particularly the family. I remember one time when he was walking to the House of Study. It was slippery and he fell. There were a few men with him at the time. The first thing that he said, after they helped him to stand again, was, Don't tell the family, they would worry.. One of the men was Berl Rudsky. He came to us at home and very discretely told my brother Pinchas what had happened. Pinchas became concerned that it was a serious matter and that a physician was needed. This was how the rest of us learned of his fall. For Grandfather the main thing always was not to worry people.
My mother almost deified him. She ascribed supernatural powers to him, believing that he didn't need to use them. In that connection she told us about an incident which had occurred when the great dispute broke out in Goniondz. At that time she was still a young girl. Grandfather had said, The dispute will last five years. Five years I have taken bread from others, and for five years others will have to take bread from me. What did he mean, that he had taken bread from others?. At one time in the past, he had been wanted as new rabbi in the city of Vishneve. Grandfather did not want to take the position unless he was accepted as substitute by the rabbi who was leaving. The other rabbi felt that no such interchange was needed and suggested he simply take the position. Nonetheless, Grandfather still felt that by coming to Vishneve he would be taking the bread from another, which was the basis of his prediction. Indeed there was a five-year delay. Would our mother need a better example?
The truth is that the shtetl itself used to ascribe wonders to him. Once a fire broke out in town and my grandfather said, I believe that it won't go any further than the house of Gershon the carpenter, which is near the House of Study. And that is how it was. I also recall a comment which was made about him after his death. He died Friday night, the evening prior to Shevuos . The funeral took place on the Sabbath night of Shevuos. One of the town-folk who were present told Pinchas, my brother, that the heavens had split open at his father's death. When Pinchas, who was involved in a secular enlightenment, did not accept this as a factual account, the Jew became angry with him.
He was a very humble man. He truly believed in the saying, He who seeks honor, honor flees from that person.'. He also lived out his daily day in a manner consistent with this belief.
I recall one occasion when it was necessary to call in a rabbi from another town for consultation in resolving a dispute. The particular matter at hand was extraordinarily complex. The second rabbi was not willing to travel to our town unless accompanied by his sexton. Grandfather's comment, in hearing this news, was It is not proper for a Jew to be served.. With regard to his humility, my mother had said after his death, As it was during his lifetime, so it is after his death. If his funeral had taken place in midweek, the townsfolk would have closed their shops in order to bestow this final honor upon him. However since it took place on a holy day, the shops were closed anyway, and this saved him from having to receive that special distinction.. In connection with the great dispute I have already spoken about the loss of bread. Actually, this was not an exaggeration. We were truly in hunger. Our grandmother was a very proud woman and didn't want others to be aware of the extent of our suffering. Fridays during the day she would heat up the oven thinking that perhaps one of grandfather's allies in the dispute might come to the house to see if we had enough provisions for the Sabbath. The hot oven would give them the impression that she was about to heat up chulent . The pots, however, were empty.
I remember a story told to me by my uncle, Moishe-Meier, in connection with the dispute. The leaders of the opposition group were from the strata of society referred to as the upper crust.. When some dirty work needed to be done, however, they sent out common folk. One Sabbath, Grandfather was saying Shmoneh Esrei. prayers in the House of Study. The community was accustomed to wait until he was finished. A sharp-tongued shoe repairman spoke out and said to the assembled congregation, Who are you waiting for?. Hearing this, Grandfather was filled with pain and shame. It was perhaps the first time in his life that he had cried on the Sabbath. Years later, when the dispute had become a matter of the past, the children of that same shoemaker died. The cause was clear. This was a punishment from God for having humiliated the rabbi. He came to Grandfather to ask forgiveness and to ask my grandfather to pray for him. Grandfather's answer was, Surely, I forgive you. You want me to pray for you, of course, I will say a chapter of Psalms if you like. But do you think I have some sort of special connection with the heavens?
There was another who also came years later to ask forgiveness from grandfather. He was the owner of a yard goods shop. He wanted to bring Grandfather a lounge chair called a fauteuil in French. Also, in this case, the answer was, I forgive you, I forgive you, but I don't need a lounge chair. My father didn't sit in a lounge chair and I don't need one either.
Although Grandfather was always concerned that grandmother should not worry, she was nonetheless constantly preoccupied with the needs and responsibilities of daily life. Hers was the responsibility to see that the children had enough to eat, that they had proper garments and when they were a little older, that books were available for them, etc. I remember many scenes when Grandmother would be at home sitting with an obviously anxious appearance. Grandfather would turn to her and ask, What are you worried about?. What am I worried about? Grandmother responds, I've lived a magnificent life, and then went on to convey a concern to him. Grandfather would answer, As far as the past is concerned, you should think that we have lived in wealth. As far as the future is concerned I have faith that we will make it through.
There were cases when even Christians who had a dispute with the Jews would come to Grandfather for a judicial decision, rather than take the matter to a civil court. There were cases when the decision fell to the favor of the Christian, and the Jew was very unhappy.
My Grandfather was pleased that during the approximately thirty years during which he had been rabbi in Goniondz, he did not have to give many divorces. Incidentally, couples came from other shtetls where there was no flowing river to seek a divorce from him. According to Jewish legal requirements, the divorce document needed to list the name of a flowing river near which the divorce was awarded. Speaking of divorces, I remember situations when, as a child I would sit at Grandfather's side in the house when a couple would come to him seeking a divorce. Grandfather always tried to arbitrate and make peace between them. As a girl, it annoyed me that he would do so, and I would think, They want to get a divorce - let them divorce!. During those tender years I was too young and immature to understand what dissolution of a marriage meant. Actually I was fascinated with the procedures, the volume in which the divorce decrees were written, the witnesses, and the questions.
Once a couple came for a divorce. As usual, Grandfather tried to arrange a reconciliation. However, they were not willing to consider this option. When he found that all of his arguments were of no avail, Grandfather told them, I don't divorce on Thursdays.. He was hoping that perhaps over the Sabbath they would have second thoughts. The result was that the couple lived out the rest of their lives together, had children and also grandchildren as well.
When he became afflicted with the cancer from which he eventually died, I had the privilege of watching over him one night. During that period, cancer victims were not given medication to alleviate their pain. The poor thing had to go on in suffering. He would ask me to put the cushions down on the sofa, and from the sofa on the bed. When I would ask him, Grandfather, are you suffering pain?. He would answer, No, thank God.. Everything he did was to avoid giving concern to others. A few weeks later he emitted his last breath and departed from the world. It would be difficult to find a man like him in his generation.
He was in full possession of his mental faculties up to the last minute of his life. During the day on Friday, several hours before his death, a man came to the house with a question. Pinchas wanted to know what grandfather's position would be and he led the man into the room where grandfather was lying. My grandfather answered the question. Several minutes before he died he muttered the name Krapniak.. We didn't understand his meaning at that moment. During the week of sitting shivah , Krapniak came to the house to comfort us. The family wanted to know whether mentioning this man's name had a significance. In response to our inquiry, this man explained that Grandfather was accustomed to borrow several rubles from him each year prior to the Days of Awe , in order to have more to contribute for the plates which received donations to charitable organizations. During the year the rabbi would repay Krapniak in installments. Since Grandfather had died in the middle of the year, he wanted the family to know about this financial obligation so that they could fulfill it. We, of course, paid his debt.
[Pages 451-456]
By Chana Neiman
Translated by Gloria Berkenstat Freund
My mother was the only daughter. She was given in marriage when she was 16 years old. My father had a leather store for the first 10 years after the marriage. But the business went from bad to worse and they had to give it up.
[Page 452]
In as much as my father was, as Sholem Aleichem would say, a Jew who could hold a pen in his hand, my father took a position as a bookkeeper. Actually, it was with a nephew of my grandfather, far from Goniadz. I was three years old when he left home. He held this position for the last 10 years of his life. He would come [home] only twice a year on Passover and on
[Page 453]
Sukkous [Feast of Tabernacles in the autumn]. My father called it a paper life because every day of the year we would [be in contact] with letters. Be that as it may, I barely have memories of him. All that I remember is that when he would come home from afar for the holiday and tell stories, the uncles would laugh heartily. Apparently he had a good sense of humor. My Uncle Moshe Meir told me this in passing here in America. He [my father] died at the age of 42. My mother was left a widow with six children at the age of 36. This is the reason we had to leave our home so young and go to America. First, Yakov Yehosha, my oldest brother; later, me and then Khonen and Malka. My mother remained in Goniadz only with Yonatan.
My mother was one of the quiet types, but a deeply emotional person. One can imagine what it meant for her to send away her young children across oceans. She did not want to come here for religious reasons and she obviously could not be without us. She wanted us to return. Therefore, Khonen actually did return and arrived just at the outbreak of the First World War. My mother was never happy with herself. She could not make peace with the fact that she could not read the Tanakh [Hebrew Bible] in the original [language]. She knew a little Hebrew, but not enough to read Tanakh in the original; during the years of the First World War, when there really was not enough to eat, she perfected her Hebrew. I was told this by Yonatan. He said to me that she asked him to help her.
After the First World War, when Benyamin the soyfer [scribe] came to America, he told me that my mother was the city nurse. She
[Page 454]
actually was infected with typhus and died erev Pesakh [eve of Passover] 5679 [1919] at the age of 51. She was fully aware and her last words were: I thank God that my children are not now helpless as when their father died. Benyamin the soyfer also told me this. Yonatan was not in Goniadz then. He had to run away.
Pinkhas, the oldest of the sons, was a student in the Volozhin [Belarus] yeshiva [religious secondary school]. As Moshe Meir told me, it was during the time when [Jewish poet Chaim Nakhman] Bialik studied there. Returning, he [Pinkhas] began to study Russian and other languages. He mastered the Russian language perfectly and also knew German very well. Incidentally, none of them attended the Russian school because they would have had to sit without a hat. The grandchildren did go to the Russian school. My Uncle Moshe Meir told me that when Pinkhas returned from the Volozhin yeshiva he tried to establish a library in Goniadz. In general, he was interested in communal matters. For example, after the fire in 1906, he saw to the obtaining of a 10year loan to be paid back with low interest, so that those who lost property in the fire could rebuild and have a roof over their heads. Later he also founded a loan fund. Incidentally, he was one of the first Zionists in Goniadz. At the time of the First World War he was carried off at least to RostovonDon. When I was in Russia in 1937 I had the opportunity to see him and his family. It was a sorrow to see that a Jew such as he was severed from religious books, from Hebrew books and Jewish communal life in general. His son was an engineer and at that time had a very responsible position. The daughter is a bacteriologist. At that time, she
[Page 455]
worked in a hospital. My uncle and aunt are no longer here. It should be understood that I do not hear from the children.
Welwl, long may he live, is in Israel with his family. He also was an active Zionist, would go around selling shekels [memberships in the World Zionist Organization]. However, things are good for him; he and his family accomplished their life's dream.
Zalman wanted to go even further; he wanted to go to America, hoping that he would study there. With his capabilities and his diligence he could surely be a professor. He left his home and simply did not tell his parents that he was going to America. Alas, grandfather died not long after his [Kalman's] departure and he felt guilty. Meanwhile his brothers at home began to ask him to come back. Not being satisfied with his achievements here, he and my brother Khonen returned
[Page 456]
and arrived right on the eve of the First World War. Zalman was taken for forced labor during wartime, went through the seven levels of hell, but later returned to Goniadz and accompanied our mother to her eternal rest. He, himself, became infected with typhus and died a lonely man. His fate was to accompany both our father and our mother.
Moshe Meir, the youngest, left for America as a young boy along with Moshe Rudski. He went through all the difficulties of immigrant life here; with great effort he became a dentist, but he was not happy with this profession. He himself always said: A trade making holes in teeth and then filling them. By nature he was more a poet. Standing at the dentist chair he would hum parts of musical creations under his breath; he loved to quote Bialik and [Jewish poet Shaul] Tchernichovsky. He was also a Zionist. He bought land in EretzYisroel and hoped to see it one day. However it was not destined for him [to do so].
[Pages 455-462]
By David Bachrach
Translated from Yiddish to English by Dr. Isaac Fine
Goniondz did not give rise to any scholars of great reputation, but the shtetl at all times had its Torah students, scholars, and sons in yeshivas. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Goniondz was drawn into the stream of the enlightenment, both in Hebrew and in Russian. During that period, the voice of Torah became weaker. As a fire, which does not burn out immediately but smolders for a lengthy time period, so was it with Torah-yiddishkeit. in our town. Goniondz experienced a major intellectual and spiritual revolution during the 1900 - 1920 time period, from traditional to modern yiddishkeit. Since Torah-yiddishkeit is the foundation upon which the second stage was built, it is proper to delineate that phase of our shtetl life here in the memorial book.
Reb Gedaliah
Reb Gedaliah Kamenitzky was also known as the old rabbi.. He was a classical example of the older generation both in his stature in Torah and in his patriarchal appearance. He was continually studying, yes, even living Torah. He had little use for the vanities of this world.. For him, the main thing was the next world.. One should prepare oneself.
In the last year of Reb Gedaliah's life (1907), I prayed with him as part of the minyan. in his house. I recall that he was always sitting at the table learning by memory. Once my father told me that he was studying the tractate Nedorim , which is a Kamenitzky family tradition. Years later, in the book Knowledge of the Holy I read the following anecdote with regard to this family. Reb. Pinchas-Leib Hacohen, the father of Reb Gedaliah Kamenitzky (both, in their time, rabbis in Goniondz) told how his grandfather Reb Schloime Hacohen was in great danger on the sea when the ship on which he was traveling threatened to go under. He dreamed that the ship would survive the storm because of the merit of his son Tavye, who had just that day completed his study of the Talmud tractate Nedorim. And that is indeed what happened. He noted the day of his dream and, returning home, he discovered that his son Tayve had indeed ended the tractate on that day.
Reb Gedaliah's four sons all were able students, but they were all caught up in the enlightenment.
Harav Tzvi Hirsch Volf
Reb Tzvi-Hirsch Volf arrived in Goniondz as rabbi after the death of Reb Gedaliah. He was in tune with the new spirit which reigned in Goniondz and with modern times. He was an energetic young man of distinguished appearance. He spoke and read Russian fluently, and knew who to approach in the Tsarist government when a problem needed to be resolved.
Harav Volf did not fulfill the commandment to study day and night.. Nonetheless, he was at the same time, an accomplished student. His daughters were enrolled in the high school in Grodno. Later, he had a youngster who studied in the modern Hebrew school in town. Reb Volf was at the same time a pious Jew and a modern rabbi.
Harav Volf was accustomed to study Mishna Brura. between early afternoon and sundown prayer services. After the sundown prayer service, he studied Mishna . When Yaakov Rudsky stumbled and allowed construction to be done on his brewery on the Sabbath, which was a profanation of the Divine Name, Harav Volf withdrew his permission to conduct a regular study session in Gemara , which previously had been Yaakov Rudsky's privilege.
Harav Volf accomplished his greatest act of statesmanship during the First World War in 1915, as a refugee in Bialystok. This was in connection with the order given by Nikolai Nikoliavitch that all Jews should evacuate their homes, which lay along the entire battlefront, within forty-eight hours. Harav Volf, together with leaders of the Bialystok community, arranged to have the decree lifted for the entire Bialystok region for a certain time - until the Russians themselves later had to evacuate.
Old Krapuniak was a distinguished student. He was from Reb Gedaliah's generation and was always steeped in Torah. His son-in-law, a young rabbi who was waiting for a position, studied at his side for several years in the House of Study. Both he and his son-in-law died one after the other around 1909, and the House of Study became still.
One did not hear Itze-Lieb the shamash. when he was studying Torah. In my time he was almost blind. He was accustomed to study Mishna by memory alone and quietly, standing on the bimeh.
Zelig Issac's
He was the father of the Rudskis and a brilliant Talmudic scholar. There were legends told about him and about his life. He was accustomed to study day and night in a solitary fashion in his brick home, and was almost never seen in the House of Study, even on the Sabbath and the High Holy Days . He would, however, visit with his rabbi in Kotzk during the Days of Awe.
Zelig Issac's was a fervent Chassid. During an earlier time, he was a leader in the great dispute which took place in Goniondz, toward the end of the 1880's, with regard to the rabbi - ritual slaughterer - cantor. When the misnagdim. won the dispute, he withdrew from the world. Children used to hear Zelig Issac's Gemara nigun. coming out from the window of his home, though they would not see him. When he took a stroll on the synagogue hill to catch a breath of fresh air, the children would ask themselves, Who is that?
[Pages 463-468]
A. Miltshan
Translated by Lazer Mishulovin
Donated by Bradley and Kathy Fisher
Binyamin the scribe accompanied the Goniadz Jew from the cradle to the grave, as they used to say in Goniadz. That is how, for example, already before a Goniadz Jew came into the world, Reb Binyamin provided the mother in the labor room, a Shir Hamalos for all of the four walls[1] , written in his beautiful scribal handwriting, so that, Heaven forbid, ghosts or evil sprits could not harm the newborn. In the synagogue, prior to the circumcision, Reb Binyamin lead the prayer, Shira Chadasha Shibchu G'ulim, and during the circumcision, he was the chief host of the celebration, bestowing all the honors and taking care of all the arrangements. When the child had grown up just a bit, the father would bring him to the synagogue, where Reb Binyamin would call him by name and give him to taste from the wine of the Kidush and Havdala. Anyone with ancestral merits, would have the honor to hold the thick woven Havdala-candle, which Reb Binyamin himself had woven and provided for the synagogue.
Later, when the child had just started to babble, Reb Binyamin would provide a printed Hebrew Alphabet on a big tablet with all the vowels and letters from long and shorthand. When a child would enter chader[2] . to the melamed[3] , the first turn would be to Reb Binyamin, as the Jewish book vender who supplied the prayer book with large letters; later on, a Pentateuch and then the whole twenty-four scriptures. When, God helped, and the young boy grew to his Bar Mitzvah, then began the process of ordering from Reb Binyamin a pair of nice Tefilin (phylacteries) from the best of the best, as it is written in Shulchan Aruch[4] : finely polished with see-through leather, (i.e. that the parchment should be visible from below the Tefilin), with a nice wide shin[5] from both sides and a maroon velvet Tefilin bag on which was sewn the name of the Bar Mitzva boy with the Jewish date and a big gold embroidered Star of David. Reb Binyamin arranged the entire Bar Mitzvah celebration:. Prepared the Bar Mitzvah boy for his Haftora and the blessings; on Shabbos, called up to the Torah all of the friends, relatives and the bar mitzvah boy himself for his Haftorah, and simultaneously partook in the Bar Mitzvah celebration.
Besides for all of the aforementioned functions, and the actual administration of the big synagogue of which he was the unofficial manager, he sat entire days learning and praying in the full sense of the word. When one passed his house, which was located between the synagogue and the study house, through the window they would notice Reb Binyamin, sitting hunched over large scrolls of parchment, inscribing the Holy Torah with great holy-awe and encircling every letter with peculiar crowning and embellishments.
The greatest joy that Reb Binyamin created for us children was in the month of Adar, as the Talmud says: As Adar arrives one increases in joy.. It was then, when in the second window of his so-called salon, appeared an exhibit of all types of Megilla scrolls, rolled and folded, small and large, with various decorations; a large collection of various gragers (rattles), tinned Haman-rattles, engraved colorful toy-hammers, richly painted; a whole collection of different Purim masks: Haman, his wife Zeresh and their brat Vayizasa. But the main attraction was Haman and his ten sons on the gallows, in gaudy oriental colors. This was so skilfully crafted, that when one pulled a little string, Haman jerked and wriggled his hands and feet as if a spirit possessed him, and the little Hamans would accompany him with the quivers. When we, chader boys, on our way home for dinner would pass Reb Binyamin's window and stop, wondering at the beautiful exhibit, Reb Binyamin would send over his youngest daughter to pull the string. The wriggling of the Jew-haters would let loose our enthusiasm and joy of revenge. We would stand this way for hours at the window and even forget about dinner.
The day before the holiday of Shevous[6] , Reb Binyamin would call us from Motye's chader to help him spread out the grass and roses on the street of B'neymke the tailor all the way to the Synagogue and in the Synagogue as well in honor of the Festival of the First Fruits. On the eve before Simchat Torah[7] , it was the task of the chader-boys to climb up to the highest balcony of the Synagogue, to kindle the candles in the clay pits that Reb Binyamin would prepare there. On Simchat Torah eve, Reb Binyamin would conduct from the almemar the Hakafos and hand out the children's flags. On Simchat Torah morning, he would take us young boys, holy sheep, under his Talis like under the Chupa (canopy), for Kol Hane'arim[8] .
We would often come to the Synagogue to catch a smile from Reb Binyamin, a lovely glance, or a joke with a rhyme, which he always had prepared for us. Across from Reb Binyamin sat a Jew by the name Chatzkel Burak. He was a town tailor by profession, who throughout the week would sew fur coats for the peasants of the surrounding region and come home for the Shabbos. He is the pedigree of the Blum family in America, and the father of Dr. Blum in New York. While he was observing how Reb Binyamin would sit entire days writing Torah scrolls, he came up with an idea:. For the few hundred rouble which he put aside throughout the long years of his work in the village, as well as for the accumulated money his son sent him from America, he would begin writing a Torah scroll in the name of him and his wife and place it in the Holy Ark for the future generations, while serving as a memory for him, his wife, children and grandchildren. He discussed his idea with Reb Binyamin and they put together a plan, travelled to Bialostock, purchased the best parchment and approached to actualise the plan.
It took a few years to write the Torah scroll. When it was completed, they celebrated the Completion of the Torah at Zerach Miltshan in the center of the market place. The director of the whole ceremony was, naturally, Reb Binyamin the scribe. The whole façade of the homes and all of the shopwindows were hung with colored lanterns on which were sketched different animals, such as: Weasels, dragons and scorpions, which no zoo ever saw its equal. Inside, on clothed tables, were spread out the snow-white Torah Scroll, and Reb Binyamin was dressed up in a black silk suit with a snow white bowtie, a velvet hat and was selling letters. The people were buying; one for himself and one for his wife, one for a daughter who reached her time, so that she should find her mate, or for a son who has to stand for the military draft, he should be free of Fonye's[9] . hands. After inscribing the letters in the scroll, Toba Tzivke would honor everyone with liquor and biscuits. For the conclusion celebration, the whole family has gathered; starting with Shlomo Yosel's large household, Yoel Chana-Chaya's and all the rest of the relatives and friends, no one was missing. Our Reb Binyamin is sweating pitifully as he is announcing everyone by name and the amount each one contributed for the conclusion of the scroll, or the letter, which word and of which verse in the Torah he bought for his maiden, Miss Elke, or for his son, the groom Shmerl. So it went, the entire evening, until the people stopped coming and there were no more letters. Only then was the completion. The scroll was rolled up, clothed with the beautiful, shiny red velvet, gold embodied jacket, with a dedication to Chatzkel Burak as the sponsor. They carry the canopy with the four sticks from the synagogue, and under it they escort the elderly Chatzkel Burak with the Torah Scroll. Near him stands his wife Toba Tzivke, who supports him with her hand, surrounded by the whole family with candles in their hands. Following them, the whole group marches to the study house, skipping the puddles along the market lane; holding the lanterns, candles and torches. Yehuda the Kirzshener dances before them backwards, claps with his hands, sings a happy song, a melody, or dances in a kazaske.
So marches the whole train under the command of Reb Binyamin until the little lane of the study house. At this time a delegation of all of the neighbors, relatives and ordinary good friends appear and attach themselves to the train. They march in a pressed crowd until the anteroom of the study house. Chatzkel Burak's cheeks are flaming and joyous tears roll down his cheeks. The crowd yells out loud This is the Torah and this is the reward.. Let us be joyous and festive with this Torah for it is our strength and light, as the masses enter the study house. They take out all of the Torah Scrolls from the Holy Arch and they perform the Hakofos around the almemar.
After all the honors are allotted, the Safer Torah is placed in its position in the Holy Arch, one wishes each other life and health until one-hundred-and-twenty and the crowd disperses. Our Reb Binyamin, dead tired, barely crawls home .
1. It is customary to post psalm 121 on the walls in the labor room. Return
2. Traditional religious school. Return
3. Teacher of children. Return
4. Book of Jewish Law. Return
5. Twenty-first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet that is engraved on the Teffilin. Return
6. Pentecost, an early summer holiday celebrating the gathering of the first fruits and the giving of the Torah to the Jews. Return
7. The last day of the Holiday of Suckot which marks the completion of the annual Torah reading. Return
8. The prayer recited when calling up the Children for the Torah on Simchat Torah. Return
9. The Yiddish word for Russia or Russians. Return
[Pages 469-472]
Feigal Rubin
(Daughter of Reb Binyamin the Scribe)
Translated by Lazer Mishulovin
Donated by Bradley and Kathy Fisher
The Synagogue and the Synagogue hill meant a lot to us, Goniadz's, and it is important to record the agony and the ecstasy, the joy and the worries that occurred at the Synagogue hill my Synagogue hill.
I am saying my, because as a young girl I thought that the synagogue and the Synagogue hill is the property of my father and my mother. The Torah Scrolls that were in the Synagogue were naturally my fathers, in fact I see him writing them.
The memory of my childhood and youth are tightly bonded with the synagogue and the Synagogue hill. I was brought up at the Synagogue hill, dreamt dreams of joy at the Synagogue hill.
How great was the pain and suffering when we learnt that the Polish hooligans desecrated our holiness and tore a Torah Scroll. The impression is unforgettable, engraved deep into my memory. This happened after the Holidays in the year 1912. Scraps of torn parchment of a Torah Scroll were scattered at the Synagogue hill, dirty and trampled. The ritual washstand was broken and scattered with torn muddy towels. The entire Goniadz was drenched in sadness, full of pain, resembling depressed mourners. My father cried so much, similarly as when my mother passed away in that same year. Rabbi Wolf, the town Rabbi, came out with an order that we should fast, and the grief was very great. They brought down snuff-dogs, who sniffed and ran around the Synagogue hill and down the Synagogue hill. However, since it was after a rain, the dogs were unable to discover the footprints of the criminals. .
Heart wrenching scenes would take place, when a mother with a heartbreaking lament would devolve upon the Holy Torahs in the synagogue, pleading from them to make an effort on behalf of her ill child. Children as well, would beg mercy in the synagogue before the Torah Scrolls for the sake of their ill father or mother, that they should not remain lonely orphans.
The synagogue and Synagogue hill were soaked with lots of tears, however, also joy.
A wedding in Goniadz!. The entire city, old and young, take part in the joy. The bride and groom are being escorted to the Chupa[1] . Where? Naturally At the Synagogue hill. The music is playing. The windows are illuminated with lanterns or candles in all of the homes that lead to the synagogue avenue. The young couple, full of happiness and hope for a new life and a happy future, experience their happiest moments on the Synagogue hill.
Summertime, the Synagogue hill was full of children, happy, worry-free, playful; the air resounding with their chatter and laughter, playing in little horses, games like the devil, fifty fifty or military manoeuvres.
After a hot summer-day on a choking summer evening, we would go to cool off at the Synagogue hill. We would take along pillows to lie on, or to sit and schmooze.
And who can forget the Holidays?. The Synagogue would be packed with people, old and young and the Synagogue hill with children, who would, with din and hurly-burly, run in and out and fill the air with happy worriless cacophony.
Another picture swims before me. The year 1911, it was on the last day of Passover. A fire breaks out in my Uncle Gershon Leib's shop. Screams and alarms. They rescue the children, the bag and baggage, property and goods. Where is the securest place?. On the Synagogue hill. A cry from the children. A lament from fathers and mothers; blankets and pillows, furniture etc. The synagogue and the Synagogue hill is their safe haven my Synagogue hill.
The year 1916 The world renowned Cantor Sirota comes to us in Goniadz. Goniadz is in a holiday spirit. We, children of the Hebrew school, march with our teachers (Moshe Levin, Yoal-Meir Kohen, Yonoson Neiman and Shimon Halperin) singing Hebrew melodies into the synagogue, where we listen to the songs of Cantor Sirota.
Boys and girls, students of the Hebrew school, would do their assignments; learn Bible verses by heart at the Synagogue hill.
Over there, we built towers in the air, hoped and dreamt of a nicer and better world, a world of fairness and justice. We dreamt of the Land of Israel.
My town Goniadz and its people were massacred by murderous hands; desolate and destroyed are my synagogue and my Synagogue hill.
1. Wedding canopy. Return
[Pages 473-474]
By Dovid Forman
Translated by Gloria Berkenstat Freund
Although not a historian, I understand from the name old market that Goniondz began to build on the river side. As the city spread, the old market remained for the annual fairs and markets to sell horses and cattle and Kalin to singe his pigs.
The new, larger market already had a semblance of a large city, as if planned by a master craftsman, divided into a privileged side and an unprivileged side, as ostensibly, the great world cities New York or London with an east and a west
I will describe the large market a little, beginning from the eastern side with the Meysim[1] Alley: Avraham Tshudak's house, unfortunately a ruin almost sunken into the earth, an indication of thkises haMeysim [2] Avraham had dressed his house in a large hat, that is, a roof much larger than the house itself. This hat stood on poles. In general, this hat was not permanent, but it was not enough simply to complete the house, so he made the hat so that no water would pour on his head
After his house a brick one Yoske's son Yitzhak. On the south side Moshe's Ruchl[3] and several wooden houses and then several brick ones up to Peshe, the baker and Chaim Dinke's brick one.
Farther, Zelig-Ayzik's brick house was a complete center for him. First of all Malka-Reyzl's office and the second story a center for medicine: there was the pharmacy and also the doctor, although Yankl the refuah[4] had a large practice at the old market.
On the west side (Respect!) two wooden houses of Meirke's Reyzel[5] and Shimeon Maranc and the entire side of brick houses up to Moshe-Gershon and Markowski. I remember when the brick house was finished, Markowski and his family would sit on the little bridge on Shabbos in the evening and throw nuts and sweets for the Jewish children.
The south side as with the east side one brick building, Zarah's son Leizer's and only a few wooden houses.
Goniondzer mountain three continuous mountains, Beyle-Ite's, the Shul[6] mountain and the T-mountain with the large, deep valley in the middle. If one looks carefully with a good eye, it is evident that all three mountains were one mountain from the beginning of time. And, to be truthful, they are only half mountains because they level off to the street on the south side.
And the dol[7] , is, as is known, a Hebrew word that means poor, because the Jewish poverty settled there.
So Mendele Moykhet Sforim[8] can describe the shwitz-bod[9] . and the mikvah[10] better. And, lehavdil,[11] Sholem Aleichem has already described the beautiful synagogue with the old beis-medrash[12] before me But I remember the rathoyz[13] that stood in the middle of the market as if it was the municipal duma[14] or uprawa[15] . And I still remember the turme[16] that stood not far from the city hall, because of an actual incident:
Yehuda the shoemaker had a feud with a katsap, namely, he, Yehuda made a pair of boots for him. The katsap[17] put them on and did not want to pay. Sheyne-Feigl's son, Yisroel-Moshe, his worker, a strong youth, pulled the boots off of the katsap's feet and gave him a push so that he flew into Zelig-Ayzik's wall. The frightened katsap brought the uriadnik[18] and Yisroel-Moshe was put in jail near the city hall. When the constable left, Yisroel-Moshe gave the door a push and the youth was gone! Later the constable met him in the street: How is that possible? What right did you have to break out of jail? Yisroel-Moshe answered him: If you talk a great deal, I will make a danos[19] of you, that you put people in a broken jail . The constable became quiet and then the ruin was taken down.
Translator's footnotes
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.
Goniadz, Poland Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page
Copyright © 1999-2016 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 18 May 2014 by LA


text:
Class of 2012-2013
The students' blogs have been transferred to 8th grade.
by SSKA
Rye 8th Team
Article posted March 10, 2010 at 07:20 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 746
Hello my name is Jaius Rantiya Protius. I was a Roman legioniar when I was younger. My main purpose was just to attack the enemy army after the calvary and the archers had weakend them. I remeber the time we invaded the Celtic territory called Gaul.
The Celtics were so uncivilized! We went to see their cheif and when I shook his hand the smell was horrible! We saw their buildings and they were the equivillent to one of our temporary camps their buildings were made of mud and straw . Instead of having solid stone walls like ours they had mere hedges! They had such strange ways of dressing they had weird gold rings around their necks which as far as I could tell served no purpose but their shields were round and oblong and covered the whole body but it was only made of wood where as ours were rectanguler and reinforced with animal skins. Our spear also called a pilum would break on contact with a hard surface our idea was very useful in a defensive position whereas the celtic spear which was barbed so it went in smoothly and tore the flesh as it came out was better on the offensive level. Our longsword called a gladius was about the same as the celtic sword. One reason i am alive to write this is because of our superior armor we had plate armour whereas they just had their shirts and cloaks. When it came to the less... diplomatic area of our contact with the celtics our organized army crushed the head on charge of the Celtics.
Those are my personal thoughts on what most of the Celtics were like, although, the ones that joined Rome weren't half bad but the ones that didn't absolutley despised mother Rome. I hope evryone that reads this will find it very informative.
Article posted March 10, 2010 at 02:21 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 105
Article posted March 9, 2010 at 05:01 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 92
Article posted March 5, 2010 at 06:30 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 101
Hello journal, I have been told to write in you from my father, because he told me that when he was a soldier, he became very lonely and needed someone to talk to so he could say the things he couldn't, or, wasn't allowed to say. So, he insisted on having me bring you with me in my kit bag. So, I'll tell you journal. My fellow troops and I are patrolling the Celtic village. It's so frigid here, rather than beloved Rome. Well, the Celts do seem quite savage, especially with their weapons, those horribly made spears with the triple heads, and what is that metal thing around his neck? I ask the soldier next to me, and he says that that it's called a torc and that it's a custom to wear one around your neck or on your arm, and then I realize, that everyone in the village is wearing one. My, look at that soldier's helmet! It looks like it is made of metal and leather, horrible craftsmanship, especially compared to my bronze, beautifully crafted helmet with a cap of iron, and lined with cloth and animal for my comfort. And I thank the gods for the plate guarding my forehead, saved my life three times.
"Dear Jupiter! Look at these barbaric living standards, they're nothing compared to ours!"I silently exclaimed, to the same soldier on my right side, (who I think might be now done answering my questions) and he agrees, as we look at the tiny huts all circled around a small fire at the center. I look over, and see two women climbing onto, excuse me, crawling into a small hut, I later found out that these were called Grain pits, as there were good places to store grain. I also have been told that that those might be places to hide during war times. Strange. To my surprise, I see our general, walking up to one of the Celts. What's he doing? He's trading!?! I am slightly relieved journal, to see the men in front and back of me with the same look o bewilderment that I must be carrying. The general later told us, that the Celts have skins valuable to us, leather hides, and timber that are very useful to Rome.
We have been welcomed into a family's hut. And believe me journal, when I say family, I mean, family. All the relatives you could think of, second cousins, third aunts and uncles, and so many brothers and sisters that you wouldn't believe. And in what a small hut! The family told us that there could be just one family to a number of huts! And the herds and herds of animals, apparently to mark wealth for these people. The animals are so small and loud, mind you, that they often keep me awake with their odd screeches and high pitched moans and groans. The people here have turned out to be quite kind, and caring. I do think I am going to like living here.
Article posted March 5, 2010 at 02:59 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 93
Article posted March 4, 2010 at 07:13 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 272
Article posted March 4, 2010 at 03:23 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 143
Article posted March 3, 2010 at 07:44 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 89
My name is Lillie Galea and I was a roman solider. I fought in the war against the Celts. These people were very different then us in many ways. They mostly had different clothing then us and equipment then us. Now these Celts were very strong for a city, but I never thought that they could be so willing to fight us for their land. While we were fighting these wars, I began to notice all the different things about the Celts. The thing that really stood out from all their clothing was their torc. It was made out of copper or bronze, just like jewelry. Another thing was both of our faces. While our general kept all of us keep our faces clean, these Celts had a full grown beard and moustaches. But luckily for us Romans, they did happen to shave once in a while. I did notice that their helmet was different too. While ours was strong metal with lined fur underneath, the Celts were made of simple leather and metal. But these Celts also had elaborate carvings in their helmets. The designs ranged from birds to beasts. The last thing about their clothing was their shoes. While theirs was made of just plain leather open-toed shoes, ours was made from cow-hide, open-toed, with studded nails all around the the shoe to keep it together. Unlucky for us though the nails would always fall out usually every day. Now during this war, these Celts had different weaponry then us too. Us Romans had a two-foot sword hanging from our waist for easy access. We also had a spear with a ten inch point. These were special because when we hit the Celts shields, our spears stuck in and bent. Now you might think why we had did that. When the spear bent like that, it got stuck in the Celts shield and it was then unusable for them to throw it back. Now these Celts had weapons too. It was a long sword with a slashing and cutting blade. They also had a spear with a spiral at the top so that it could made a deep and deadly wound in us Romans. Now fighting in this war was indeed very punishable for us Romans and the Celts with all the sicknesses and the allies that we sent to make peace, but it seemed to me that these Celts were like us in many ways. They had our strength, similar clothing and weaponry, and courage. Sadly though, we really didn't get along with most of them. But luckily I survived this war and now you too can see what life was like for me and all the others in this war.
Article posted March 3, 2010 at 03:57 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 89
My name is Yease, I am a Celtic arriving back to my family and home after witnessing a long and cold battle against Rome. I live in a Celtic village with my family. When I was a young girl, the Romans invaded my territory and my father was killed. I grew up with my mom and one sister, Teave. The Romans were very powerful and scary to watch. I am now seeking revenge on the Romans for killing my father and destroying our territory, and now I want them to go through what I had to.
I am going to give you a little knowledge on the Celtics and the Romans. As witnessing the battles, I have glanced at the armor that they each wear. The metal and leather helmets would act as a half mask to the Celts for use of protection. As for the Romans, it was sealed with a iron cap underneath the bronze helmet, and lined with fur and cloth for a nice fit. The helmets were useful in the wars for protection if you got striked in the head with a weapon. Both also used shields. For the Romans, it was made by strips of wood, and the Celts had their shields out of metal. They each had their own made cloaks and clothing for warmth. The shoes and boots were important too, because they would provide some protection and warmth to the feet. The Roman boots were made out of cowhide, and the Celt's were made of leather. Another major tool for them both, was the weapons. They had spears that would bend when hitting the shield, so no one can use it again to backfire. The Romans also used short; two foot long swords with a sharp point and was double-edged. These weapons were a must and very handy in the battles I've seen.
Now, I have to take care of my little daughter and go back to the battle to seek my revenge. I hope that you liked a little history on myself, Rome, and the Celtics. About their similarities and differences on their armor and forts. Now that you are knowing some knowledge on Rome and the Celtics, I hope to catch up with you to see if you can tell me something about yourself, and what you have learned from my stories. Goodbye my young Celt.
Article posted February 27, 2010 at 08:51 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 104
Article posted February 20, 2010 at 12:19 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 169
We had the advantage when it came to completely conquering one another because our forts were stronger and held up better. But when it came to combat it was pretty equal. While they had long swords we had spears and swords. Most of the battle would have been done by land but some of the battle would have been fought on water.
Our plan was too travel and destroy any villages that would come in our way. We did end up allying with some Celtic villages but others not so much. Their bright and colorful clothing made them stand out from a lot of different things basically giving us a target. We wore black jackets of metal plates which was helpful in combat.
When my army and I finally made it to one of the main Celtic village,we thought that we had finished our journey but standing there was Arthur, another great warrior with his army. We both signaled our armies to stop. He wielded his long sword while I had my spear. We ran at each other and our weapons clashed together. We both had small daggers which we drew out and stabbed each other below the shoulder. We screamed and both fell to the ground, but before my vision faded i saw him drop as well with blood of dark red drip down his back while our armies collided and then, slowly, my vision went black.
Article posted February 20, 2010 at 03:32 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 112
The first sign of outsiders was the steady and repetitive "thud thud thud" of their boots stomping across our land. There were hundreds of them tightly aligned in disciplined squares and ranks, keeping their shape no matter what the terrain. They were the infamous Roman Army, and they have reached our corner of Scotland. The story you are about to read is a ballad of my adventures and travels as a Celtic warrior at the time of the Roman occupation. Our differences were tremendous, them with their organized formations, standard issue equipment, and elaborate barracks. And then there's us, with our rustic lifestyle, individual fighting tactics, and poorly made weapons and gear. Now I understand why many of us decided to ally with them...
The Romans seem to have the upper hand in battle, and in trade they always seem to have something new to offer. They are tactically, weaponologically, and strategically superior when it comes to warfare. In the field of lifestyle, they have running, heated water, exotic clothes and items, and are more socially sophisticated. We are more agriculturally stable, since we have known the land for generations. Although, I wonder how long it will take them to adapt to the climate here. It is much colder than Rome, and there are different plants and game. They will probably be quick considering they have adapted to everything almost instantly, I fear soon they will have no need for us. Only time will tell, but it is time now to carry on with daily life as a Celt, not a "sophisticated" or "advanced" Roman, for they have every luxury we don't.
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 08:12 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 80
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 07:35 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 128
1st Person Account of what it's like between a Roman and a Caledonian
Hi, my name is Octavius; I'm going to tell you about us Romans compared to the Caledonians. There are a lot of things imp going to tell you about us Romans and the Caledonians. First thing I'm going to compare us Romans to the Caledonians is that we are in my perspective is that we are much better armored than they are.
The spear ( the pilium) had a 10 inch point and was made out of soft iron, We could throw the spear over 30 meters into the enemy another thing is that when you threw it and it hit the enemies shield it would bend and the enemy couldn't throw it back at us. The Caledonians on the other hand had spears that had a hard jagged tip that when they hit you they left a bad wound and if you tried to pull it out it would create another wound. Us Romans had a leather tunic under a metal Breast plate called body armor ( the lorica) witch had metal plates land over each other and they were hinged on the back so that they fit easily over our body. The Caledonians had bright woolen tunics died in bright colors, sometimes they wore undergarments but only the very rich of the Caledonians wore those. We Romans had a helmet (Cassis) made of bronze lined with fur and it had cheek guards. The Caledonians wore simple helmets made of leather with metal; some poorer Caledonians had just leather helmets. I use a shield (scutum) made of strips of wood pressed together and then glued with boiled cattle skins. The shield is usually 4 foot long and protected my legs. (That's why I don't have shin guards.) The Caledonians used full body shields they were made of wood and then covered in leather, they probably took our weapons and used them in battle = (. Another thing we Romans had was boots made of cowhide and were open-toed sandals in a way with leather souls, the boots (caligea) we had over 130 nails and since we were marching everywhere, we had to pretty much repair them every night. The Caledonians wore leather warm boots since they lived in cold damp areas. We also had a sword ( gladius) that was 2 foot long double bladed edge with a bone handle for a better grip , the legions were taught to jab and stab instead of slashing and cutting. The Caledonians had a long sword used for cutting and slashing. Some things the Caledonians did not have and we did was a cloak and a kit bag. The (sagum) cloak was made of a wool, we kept the natural oils in it to make it as waterproof as possible and we used it to keep warm at times. The kit bag we had been sometimes weighed as much as 60 pounds and had all of my food for 3 days plus a pick axe and a bunch of other things used for building.
Our Forts and their villages are very different from each other first of all we had a bath house ( balnea) were we had a furnace under the bathhouse and that heated the floor which was made of stone and then that heated the pools to make them warm. There were different rooms for different temperatures the really hot rooms for the really hot baths and, then there were the mild room with mild temperatures and, then there was a frigid room where it was a cold bath. The Barracks ( centuriae) in the Roman forts were I lived were usually 50 meters long and 10 meters wide with 20 rooms too each block fitting 4 beds to a room. The commander's house usually had its own Bath house and heating and his own garden. Headquarters (principia) in the Roman forts is where all the officers and the general and his legion commanders met for meetings. There were three main workshops the first one had the butchers and the huntsmen kept fresh meat for the whole legion the other workshop was where blacksmith and craftsmen work and create the legions weapons. The third workshop is for all the craftsmen and tile workers who repair the Forts roof s bathhouses and more. The Caledonians are very different from us they had round houses with steal peaked roofs was held up by a wooden frame. Their workshops had bellows and hammers to melt and forge iron ore for their weapons. The village they lived in usually was on a manmade island in the middle of a manmade moat, the way you would reach them is to go throw an underwater pathway called a stone causeway or they were reached by a log boat.
That is what it is like between the Romans lifestyle and the Caledonians lifestyle from the roman bathhouses to Caledonian village in the middle of a loch.
From your Roman friend,
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 06:21 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 697
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 05:28 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 94
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 05:21 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 108
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 05:14 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 109
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 03:22 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 100
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 03:10 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 85
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 03:06 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 95
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 03:00 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 81
Hi my name is Tyler Ceaser. I am a 21 year old Roman soldier. Earlier today we were fighting the Celtics. They are good fighters but they are completly different then us. They have different armor, clothing, weapons and their village. You would think that since they have worse items then us that they would be horrible fighters but they are good. I dont understand how they are good fighters.
We, the Romans have a helmet with bronze so it would be harder to penitrat then metal, which is what the Celts use. Our sheilds are made of wood but we have a metal typer peice in the middle to help deflect strickes and the Celts have a sheild which is also made of wood and covers whole body because its so long. We have two spears and the point is ten inches and we also have a sharp short sword and the Celtics only have one spear but the point is spiral and they have a short sword too. In the bath house we would either be in a bath or on the toilet and we would chat to others near or right next to us. We would talk about government or polotics or just about life so we wern't just war people we would talk, we had a social life. While we are at the barracks we found mice and we would stuff them and eat them. If we wanted a midnight snack we would just a mouse. We had amphora which was a clay pot which we put oil, wine and other liquids in.
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 01:56 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 139
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 01:44 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 97
I am Betto, a brave Roman warrior. I fight in victories all across Europe, conquering empires every where I go with my fellow soldiers. Its rough life, and the winters are cold. Luckily, my men and I are well equipped. With our thick armor and our strong boots, we are unstoppable. As we tear through the battle field, fear is no object. The last war we won, was the war the Celtics.
My armor is very important when I am fighting in a war. The most important part of my armor (lortica) set is the breastplate along with my helmet. My breastplate is worn over my leather jacket, and my helmet (cassis) is made of bronze or iron and lined with cloth. I also carry a shield (scutum) made of wood that measures 4 feet long and 3 feet wide, long enough to cover and protect my legs. The weapons I carry are very important to my fighting abilities. My weapons include a spear and a sword. The spears (pilums) my fellow soldiers and I carry has a leaf shaped head and the head of it measures around 10 inches, not including the wooden base. Our swords (gladuis) are 2 feet long with a blade 2 inches wide with a handle of bone. Luckily, our army has wonderful boots (caligae). This is a very large advantage because many times we're fighting on rough terrain. Its also good to have them in the winter, because the cold ground stings our feet very much. Another thing that is helpful in the cold is the cloaks we wear. My cloak (sagum) is a thick wool to keep me warm all night long. We have a lot of luggage to carry. This includes equipment to built tents, make food, and other items to help me and my fellow troops survive. We carry these in a Kit Bag (saccus). This is made of leather and can carry the 60 pound we have to lug around.
The Celtic army however, uses the unnecessary, like a torc around their neck, or paint on their faces. Their torcs were made of gold to show off their gold work. Their sandals are made of thin leather, unlike our boots that help us through all terrain and weather, their feet are easily stabbed and slit or stepped on. Although their shield covers their entire body and is made of fine wood, then covered with leather. This is very effective and seem to protect them rather well. I can also give them partial credit for their weapons. Their swords were long and were used for their methods of slashing, or cutting. and their spears were long with a spiral head to make unbelievably deep marks in our men. I will admit that their weapons were more advanced, but i can't imagine how long it took to think of their lay out. Their helmets are rather large, and they arent half as nice as our hats. The Celts were very unsuccessful in war with us Romans, one reason is their lack of armor. they wore heavy clothing to protect their flesh, but our iron set of armor is no match for their spears or swords, and their clothing is easily defeated by our strong spears.
I am walking up the trail, and my kit bag seems surprisingly light. My sword is fastened to my belt and with my spear in my right hand, I march on bravely to our next battle, which will become a victory, to become a new Roman city. The thrill this over coming me as we get closer, and closer to the next battle. I have no fear. We will win this victory, weather I live or not.
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 01:43 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 108
Hello my name Brodie Peterson and most people call me Sir Peterson. I am a 21-year old Caledonian warrior that has a wife and three kids. My large family has some huts in the Caledonian village of Dochgarros, at the top of the Caledonian canal. The males in my family have all been a part of the military while the women have a background of hardwork at home for when men came home. My little brothers who are not old enough to be in the military make blacksmith tools. Right next to our village there was a nice stream of fresh water that supplied our family very well. Timber was a useful supply to build our villages. Each village had forests usually in the outskirts, if you follow the river you will find the timber supply. I have just got word from General Anderson that the Romans are in our territory, which some are villages of friends.
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 12:37 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 118
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 11:46 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 240
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 04:41 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 111
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 03:18 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 89
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 02:06 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 105
My name is Travacis Pastranacis I am a Roman soldier in Scotland. In this document I will be talking to you about my experience in Scotland when I was younger. I'm going to talk about the Roman Barracks, the Roman soldier, Celtic soldier and, the Celtic village. The Roman's captured Gaul(France) then are army tried to capture the Celtic people in Scotland.This country was cold, the Roman's never captured Scotland because the harsh weather was hard on the soldiers.
The soldiers in the two armies are totally different, one army is full of highly trained soldiers, the other army was full of barbaric men that have weapons that scare people more than hurt them. The Roman soldier had specially designed armer so he could not get hit in his weak spots there for making the Roman soldier unstoppable, but some how the Celtic's held the territory of Scotland. The Celtic soldier had no armer except a crummy helmet and a shield. The Celtic soldier also has a short sword and a spear like the Roman soldier, but the Roman soldier had higher quality weapons. Some how the Celtic soldier fought off the Roman's and saved they're country.
Now we're talking about the shelter each of the civilizations use. Again Rome really out did The Celtic's. The Roman barracks had a door at the south, west,North and, East and two half's so if the barracks is attacked they only have to defend half of it. The barracks was not very comfortable believe me, but the bath housing was very great. Now the Celtic village is really junky compared to the Roman barracks. The Celtic village was a couple of huts and was as high-tech as Rome nine hundred years ago. The village had a wood picket like fence around it with their animals around it. the to living "areas" are totally different even though the Romans are building temporary barracks.
As you see us Romans are much better then those barbaric Celtic's. Are soldiers are trained and disciplined. They're soldiers are just crazy and lucky to live. Are barracks have baths and toilets and wiping utensil's. They're villages have rivers and for wiping utensil's they had they're hands, ugh disgusting. As you the Celtic's way of life is far in-superior compared to us Roman's.
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 02:02 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 84
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 01:10 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 109
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 01:05 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 121
Greetings, my name is Trumanicus Cavalaricus and I am a Roman soldier. I will tell you about my life as a soldier and speak to you about how my people differ from the Celtic citizens.
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 12:43 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 128
Article posted February 19, 2010 at 12:35 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 89
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 11:41 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 106
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 11:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 126
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 11:29 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 86
My name is Arabus and I was 21 when the Romans decided to invade my village in the north of Europe. Our village was surrounded by a wall and our houses and workshops were located inside it with the crops and animals outside. We meet the Romans for battle just a few fields away from the village were the forest line would begin.
When I prepared for the battle that would begin soon I put on clothes that consisted of a wool tunic, wool breeches, and a cloak that was fasted around the neck by some metal buckles. The clothes that I wore were all dye bright colors and I also had an old worn pair of open toed shoes that were made of leather that I wore. To help protect me I had a shield that was made of wood and that was covered in leather that would help protect my whole body and I had a helmet that was simple and made of metal with leather inside to help make it softer. The second to last thing I put on was my weapons which were a long sword that I had worn around my waist and a spear that had a long pointed head with a spiral point on top. The last and my favorite thing that I had to put on was my torc which was jewellery made of cold copper and bronze that I had worn around my neck in battle. My torc had a design of a snake and was made in the workshop by the best smith in the village. It was about time for the battle to start but first I went the storytellers one last time. When it was time for the battle we all marched side by side on to the battle field ready to defend our home. The horn signaled that the battle had started. Each Roman soldier was much more equipped then us. They had a sagum and lorica with a jacket of overlapping metal underneath and a leather jacket. They had a shield and a cassis made of bronze with a cap of iron underneath and was lined with fur and cloth that cover down to their neck. The Romans carried a saccus with food and tools and their weapons were a short sword that had an advantage to our. The soldiers had a different kind of pilum that had a soft tin head and a strong body so we couldn't throw them back because the top would bend and it could be throws ninety feet. As you can see individually we were no match and also there army was so organized and strategic that we lost the battle to the Romans and our territory became just one little part of their empire.
Now I am an old poor man living on the streets in one of Rome's cities telling my story to people who just happened to have time to listen to an old man telling a story about his past life when he was young and lucky to survive the battle and still be living. The Romans were much more advanced than us and even if I adopted their culture I still like to listen and tell a good story.
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 11:18 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 153
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 11:12 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 82
Abyssus, I'm Adrian Celtica of the Gaul. It's been a decade since Caeser and Rome conquered us, but I still remember that one-sided war well. We lost battle after battle and were defeated almost every point. The only real resistence against the Romans is up at Hadrians Wall which I believe is still standing only because Rome is busy elsewhere. I do remember once me and my tribe came upon an abandoned roman fort. It was the most enlightening experience I've known and will ever know. It was the first time I had contact with Roman culture on anywhere other than a battlefield. It was then I realized we had never had a chance in this war. From the battlefield I already knew that the Romans were much better equipped than us. Where we had just a shield and a leather helmet, they have metal body armor they call lorica, a square shield or scutum, and a metal helmet called a cassis. They fought in a disciplined manner unlike our wild attacks lead by a hero. Their thrusts with their gladius beat or crazy slashes with our longswords. When we throw our spiraled javilens they just come right back at us. The Romans spears, or pilums, that we laughed at because of how weak it was, broke on impact so we couldn't throw them back. Even though we had all those disadvantages I believed that eventually we would find the power to strike back and win the war. That all changed when we found the fort.
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 11:11 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 138
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 11:04 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 266
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 10:39 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 605
An Autobiography of Optimus Prime, and his Experiences as an Officer in the Roman Army
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 08:58 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 174
Greetings! My name is not important, but I'm a Caledonian. I help tend to a flock of sheep for my family. I was young when we conflicted with the Romans. I remember the first day the Romans attacked my village. It was a rather sunny morning, and I woke up to let the flock out to graze. Mother was weaving on her loom. She didn't notice me go down the ladder, she was so intent on finishing. I descended down to the sleeping sheep on the first floor. We Caledonians live in houses with two floors. On the top floor, our families sleep, eat, and do their work. At night, we let our animals in to sleep safely downstairs, as well as store our tools. I began to yell at the sheep, and they slowly came out of their slumber. I opened the door, and they stumbled into the village. I managed to get them into the fields without waking too many people. The air was freezing! As I let the flock graze, I sat down on a rock and looked at my village. I could see my hut easily. It had a very steep roof, while the actual hut was round. Nearby, I could see the grain pits. We stored food and other things in there for later use. I could also see the smoke coming out of the blacksmith's workshop. More people had started waking up now, I could see some of the men outside in soldier's uniforms. The Romans must be becoming a large threat if soldiers are in our village!
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 07:02 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 107
The Barbarians
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 06:28 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 141
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 05:58 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 246
Article posted February 18, 2010 at 03:21 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 111
Article posted February 16, 2010 at 07:17 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 105
Article posted February 15, 2010 at 02:45 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 205
I am a Roman soldier. My name is Agustus. I am twenty years old because that is how old a soldier has to be. There are no women in the Roman army, just men. I carry a weapon that looks like a stick, it is called a sword, it is very sharp on the end.
When I fought in battle I wore a helmet to protect my head. To protect my body I carried a shield.
Because the Roman army was very organized, I ate with them and we sometimes slept in tents. I get a lot of exercise by running, marching and practice-fighting. I obey my rulers so I don't get in trouble.
that is cool. my...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Do you like to go and browse the aisles of many different stores without having to go that far? If you said yes then you must be a mall junky! Here are some of New York's premier shopping centers.
Kings Plaza Shopping Center & Marina 5100 Kings Plaza, Brooklyn, (718) 253-6842


text:
Your shopping cart is empty!
Depotivo La Coruna 2010-11 3rd shirt in purple. Features embroidered team badge and logo.Screened on sponsor in front.Mesh panels on the sides.100% polyester .
Soccerplus first opened in 1994. We were one of the first soccer websites to hit the webView more
Address: 1640 E. Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, Ca 91104, USA
Phone: 1-800-945-7291
Get Direct


text:
The Power of Independent Thinking
Robert Nelson on BookTalks debates Christian Felber on Economics as Religion
Recorded: Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Economist Tomás Sedláček hosts a BookTalks debate with Institute Senior Fellow and economist Robert Nelson and guests from fields of theology, philosophy and economics.
Nelson is author of The New Holy Wars: Economic Religion vs. Environmental Religion in Contemporary America.
Experts: Robert H. NelsonType: TelevisionIssues: Economic History and Development (International), Economic History and Development (U.S.), Economic Policy, Economists, Free Market Economics, Religion
Economic Religion vs. Environmental Religion in America
Recorded: Thursday, October 7, 2010
Part 1 |
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Experts: Steven F. Hayward, Robert H. Nelson, Max L. Stackhouse, Alexander T. TabarrokType: Independent Institute EventIssues: Environment, Regulation and Deregulation, Religion
Michael Crichton on States of Fear: Science or Politics?
Recorded: Tuesday, November 15, 2005
The late Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park and State of Fear, along with a panel of distinguished scientists, examine the increasing politicization of science.
Buy this event on DVD
Experts: Sallie Louise Baliunas, Michael Crichton, William M. Gray, George H. TaylorType: Independent Institute EventIssues: Energy, Environment, Science, Technology


text:
Price Range
Indoor Waste Receptacles
Recycle Can for Paper
View Details »
Recycle Can for Paper
View Details »
Recycle Can for Waste
View Details »
Recycle Can for Waste
Recycle Can for Bottles
View Details »
Recycle Can for Bottles
View Details »
Recycle Can for Paper, Bottles and Cans
Recycle Can for Bottles and Cans
Round Recycling Container (20 gal.)
View Details »
Round Steel Trash Can (26 qt.)
View Details »
Classroom Accessory Kit
What kind of waste receptacles are meant for indoors? Our garbage bins and recycle bins will look great in a professional or educational setting. Features like double-metal, fire-safe construction and heavy-gauge aluminum ensure that they will stand up to whatever your clients or students can throw at them.
How can I reduce garbage in the hallways?
When your office space or school has the right waste bins and recycling cans, students, employees and clients will be encouraged to maintain a clean space. Waste is often left on tables or even on the floor because proper means of disposal are inaccessible and many people are not willing walk around searching for the nearest garbage can. With strategically-placed waste bins, everyone is more likely to do their part and clean up after themselves, so your whole building will stay neater and the cleaning staff will not have to spend extra time disposing of candy wrappers and empty cans.
No matter what kind of space you are furnishing, you want to make sure that every item matches with the overall decor. Even a trash can which serves a purely functional purpose can add a unique appeal to a classroom or teachers room. With a number of colors, sizes and styles to choose from, you can easily find waste receptacles that will fit in virtually anywhere.
What size trash can should I get?
In addition to considering the appearance of your garbage bins, you also want to make sure that there is enough room for them in the designated space. A model that is too large for a small personal office might use up some of the much-needed room that was allotted for other items. However, a small wastebasket with a low capacity will quickly get filled up in a high-traffic area. An overflowing trash can is never a pleasant sight, especially in a professional environment.
Garbage cans are available in a selection of styles that are both attractive and functional. If you don't want unsightly garbage disrupting the professional atmosphere in the workplace, choose a model that includes a lid. We have garbage bins with self-closing push doors that facilitate sanitary waste disposal and odor control. Alternatively, the swing top is another great option because it allows waste to be inserted from two directions without requiring any contact with the can.
What kind of garbage bin will fit under my desk?
For a smaller personal workspace, you will want a more compact model that can easily fit under, next to or behind a desk. Wastebaskets are available with or without lids, depending on what you prefer. If you plan on leaving your garbage can under a desk where it won't be seen and mainly using it to dispose of papers and other supplies, an open model might be easier because you can just throw things right into it. However, if you are concerned about odors or an unsightly appearance, you might prefer to have a lid.
What kind of waste receptacle is appropriate for a science lab?
Disposing of materials in a science lab or medical facility is a bit more complicated. It is important to make sure that germs and chemicals do not end up on the outside of something that people might touch without realizing. Witt Industries has great trash cans with lids that can be opened by stepping on the pedal. This design eliminates the need to touch the garbage can. With this arrangement, used medical supplies and science materials can be disposed of in a safe and efficient manner.
How can I encourage students to recycle?
It's not hard to be green at school when you encourage students to dispose of waste properly with great recycling bins. Your eco-friendly company can encourage all employees and clients to participate in efforts to conserve the environment when there are conveniently-located recycling cans throughout the facilities. Whether you are furnishing a professional or educational institution, the right cans can go a long way.
There is nothing more annoying and tedious for student volunteers or cleaning staff than having to sort through materials that were placed in inappropriate waste receptacles. In order to avoid mix-ups, you can order recycle bins with different tops which make it clear what each is for. They can all be lined up in a row to make it easy for people to find the right container. Alternatively, if you do not anticipate such high volumes of materials, you can also get one container with multiple openings for different materials.
Hertz Furniture cares about the environment, as well as the physical appearance of your space. We offer great waste disposal solutions for any venue that are designed to make it easier to stay green and stay clean. When you furnish a space with the proper garbage cans and recycling bins, you demonstrate the importance of cleaning up and protecting the environment.


text:
While the regular Weekly Blend crew aren't there, we get a special call-in from the Cinema Blend team at the Sundance Film Festival. You can read about their exploits over the course of the next few days on the website. Margaret and Rafe then dive into the Golden Globe results, the end of the Watchmen War, excitement over Terminator Salvation, and more. (Special Guest: Kelly West)
The "Watchmen War" is heating up. Fox has distribution rights and wants to stop the movie from coming out, but suddenly both sides are talking. Is Fox finally seeing the error of their ways, or are they the bullies of the theatrical sandbox? We talk about the proclaimed "Watchmen War" as well as the current status of the awards season, including the People's Choice and Golden Globes. (Special Guest: Katey Rich)
It's our annual year end wrap-up, where we look at the best and worst of what the year had to offer. It's been a year that started with a writer's strike, saw in increase in digital distribution, advances in animation, and more. What was our favorite movie? Who stood out to us as an actor? What movie surprised us the most or disappointed us the greatest? All the answers lie in this week's show.
Our last show of 2008 sees Margaret acting a little loopy. She says it's because of eggnog, but it could also be the addition of her sister, Liz Say, who sits in for the absent Sometimes Tim this week. Hear our review of Seven Pounds, a debunk to all those horrible Dark Knight sequel rumors (Eddie Murphy?), and updates on some of our favorite science fiction and comic book franchises. Happy Holidays to all, and join us in two weeks for our year end wrap up.
In the spirit of the holiday season, this could be considered a "very special" episode of the Weekly Blend, where Rafe makes an announcement about something special that might change his subjectivity toward films in the future. We discuss the Golden Globe nominations, actors offering their opinions on their franchises, and our own holiday entertainment traditions.
Margaret had a virus last week that kept us from having a show. This week it's Rafe's turn to have the virus... or at least his computer's turn. It looks like we're putting out a show despite a nasty computer virus's best efforts. Join us for talk about holiday movies, The Day the Earth Stood Still, an Alien movie without Aliens, and listener mail! (Special Guest -Zeshan Khan)
Twilight blazes at the box office despite a lukewarm reception from most of the people we've heard from. What a perfect kick off to a holiday movie season that looks mediocre at best. Why aren't this year's offerings looking more attractive? We blame Harry Potter, who backed out from this weekend, leaving the next few weeks looking sad. Hear our commentary on the next month's worth of movies, as well as the latest round of remakes and sequel news.
This week is predominantly about James Bond and Twilight. Who better to have join us for a discussion of Bond's latest adventure than someone from his native land? With that in mind, Richard Brunton joins us to talk about Quantum of Solace and then stays on to talk about other things, like Star Trek, glampires and trying to figure out what Twilight fanatics should be called. (Special Guest: Richard Brunton from Filmstalker)
Youve already read our official review by Josh Tyler. Now take a look at our second opinion, offered through our video review. See Rafe Telsch make his own barrel sequence walk and then offer his opinion on James Bonds latest adventure, Quantum of Solace.
We're back from our break! The show's title is a reference to a public service message we discuss a little late in the show, but before that there is all sorts of the usual mayhem, from reviews that range from cartoons to porn, to our discussion of a remake that absolutely should not happen. We also discuss DreamWorks Animation's coming of age and our excitement of the upcoming Bond flick (although we still hate the name).
Rafe discusses the latest from Kevin Smith and considers changing his name to "Bubbles". Guess why
It's our annual Halloween episode, which means this episode is full of tricks, like our discussion of Halloween candy and the meaning of the phrase "trick or treat" and treats, like the phrase "digital banthas." Hear our review of Saw, the latest news in the Jack Ryan franchise, a discussion over the ending of Watchmen, our response to the most absurd movie news we've heard of in a while and a belated birthday wish to Margaret.
Usually one of us being sick is excuse enough to cancel the show. This week we just carry on, just with 33% less snark. Sometimes Tim and Rafe discuss geeky thoughts on Star Trek, smarts in professional wrestling, the loss of Terrence Howard for Iron Man 2, a broadway version of Once, and more!
You'll find the usual madness in this week's show (reaction to the first images of Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes, Rafe's Zack and Miri porn I.D., and a statement that we know Green Lantern is a DC Character), but then we pull back the curtain for an interesting look at the movie website community, specifically an editorial revealing some of the bias and discrimination held against blogs and bloggers. (Special Guests: B. Alan Orange & Paul Christensen of Movieweb).
Don't ask us what this week's show is about. We've all been flashed by Tommy Lee Jones's flashy thing and can't remember (that's a Men In Black reference for those who don't get it). We think we review a couple of this week's new releases, celebrate Kevin Smith not having to eat his hat, discuss more sequels (including a third MiB picture), and assess Marvel's plans for the future.
Stories 16 to 30 of 119< PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE >


text:
One of the busiest travel seasons of the year is almost upon us, with Thanksgiving a week and a half away. For those driving versus flying, what will gas prices look like?
Over the last month, the trend has been in a downward direction, with the average prices in the Springs dropping just over 30 cents, from $3.66 to $3.35.
There are a handful of gas stations in the Springs area with gas as low as $3.19, such as the Valero in Fountain.
For the most part, the lowest prices in Colorado Springs and Pueblo are in the $3.32-$3.35 range. A list of these prices can be found here. This is lower than both the national average, which is currently $3.43, and the state average of $3.41.
For those driving out of state this Thanksgiving, South Carolina has the lowest gas prices in the country at $3.07, according to gasbuddy.com. Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas round out the top five.
Hawaii has the most expensive gas in the country at $4.21; in the continental U.S., New York state has the highest at $3.99, significantly higher than any other state impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
KKTV firmly believes in freedom of speech for all and we are happy to provide this forum for the community to share opinions and facts. We ask that commenters keep it clean, keep it truthful, stay on topic and be responsible. Comments left here do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of KKTV 11 News.
If you believe that any of the comments on our site are inappropriate or offensive, please tell us by clicking "Report Abuse" and answering the questions that follow. We will review any reported comments promptly.powered by Disqus


text:
Aliens Infestation
Aliens: Infestation - Launch Trailer
Aliens: Infestation features 2D side-scrolling gameplay in the style of Metroid or Castlevania with an arcade, retro feel. This couples with a deep combat system and extensive narrative to make this the ultimate in fan-service.
Aliens: Infestation - AI Gameplay Trailer
Developed by WayForward in collaboration with Gearbox Software, Aliens: Infestation pits players against the overwhelming Xenomorph hive, with access to a vast selection of iconic weapons and tools from the series. Featuring character designs by popular comic artist Chris Bachalo and equipped with an upgrade and collectibles system, Aliens: Infestation will allow players to explore large-scale versions of some of the most fan-beloved environments of the iconic films. Players will be able to recruit and play as 19 different marines, each with their own unique dialogue, and explore iconic environments including the Sulaco, the Derelict ship, and LV-426. Aliens: Infestation is an action-heavy side-scrolling exploration game and will be part of the ALIENS expanded universe.
Aliens: Infestation - Announcement Trailer
Aliens: Infestation will be available September 2011 on Nintendo DS.


text:
SwingAway Pro Traveler
|Eligible for Free Shipping on Orders $39 or More! (see promotion details)
|Members of The League get 5% back when you spend $100! (see promotion details)
Product Details
The SwingAway® Pro Traveler hitting system has all the features of the regular model, but it's designed with portability in mind. It's constructed with industrial-grade steel tubing combined with a patented bungee cord and home plate system, which allows you to position the ball anywhere within the strike zone. The batter is trained through repetition and muscle memory to develop the perfect fundamental swing.
- Industrial-strength steel tubing with 32 carrier braided nylon rope, polypropylene-covered elastic bungee cords, and nylon netting
- Redesigned and engineered to make this machine 10 lbs lighter while maintaining its structural integrity, quality, durability and sturdiness
- Provides the feel of hitting live pitches without chasing or picking up balls
- Ensures a perfect swing with each repetition; you get instant feedback visually and by feel
- Ball can be positioned anywhere within the strike zone: high, low, inside or outside
- Teaches proper contact points to hit inside, outside, and down-the-middle pitch locations
- Promotes hands inside the ball, eliminating a long casting swing and other swing flaws
- 3-second ball return; up to 10-15 quality swings per minute; 100-150 cuts in only 10 minutes
- Develops proper swing mechanics, muscle memory, bat speed, power and confidence
- Sets up quickly to become an instant hitting station for practice and pre-game batting practice
- Train year-round; sets up indoors or out; great for travel teams
- Converts easily to a great pitch-back for defensive and throwing drills
- Includes professional-strength bungee cords, ball ropes and tether cords
- Set-Up Size: W 54" x H 62"; Folded: W 28" H 56" x D 5"
- Weight: Less than 50 lbs
Product Recommendations