The town's mourning over the death of Nahum Sokolow, of blessed memory.
The sad news of the death of Nahum Sokolow, of blessed memory, reached us very early on Monday: some radio subscribers caught the news on the radio at 7 in the morning and passed it on in the street. But people did not want to believe it, and a large crowd waited with great impatience for the Warsaw newspapers, which were snapped up as soon as they arrived. The terrible news of the death of the great leader made a deep impression on the whole population. On the local Tarbut building the blue-and-white flag was hung out, wrapped in crepe and lowered to half mast, as well as Sokolow's picture framed in black. Many Tarbut pupils wept on learning of the great loss.
A mourning committee was formed with the participation of Tarbut, the Zionist organisations, the kehilla, the merchants' and small traders' association, the Tsekabe and all the economic and aid institutions in town. On Tuesday evening the committee came to an understanding with the editors of "Haynt" about the mourning programme on the day of the funeral.
On Wednesday morning, the day of the funeral, mourning notices were posted in the streets, calling on the population to mourn and to stop work and close the shops during the funeral. During the hour of the funeral, from 12 to 1, the shops were closed. In the local Tarbut schools lessons were broken off and the pupils went in closed ranks to the memorial service.
Jews streamed in masses to the Beit Yaakov study house, where the memorial service took place. The study house was overfilled with people. Young and old came together to honour the great departed. The head of the kehilla, Mr. Feivel Goldfein, opened the mourning meeting. Before the assembled crowd spoke the local rabbi, Rabbi David Feigenbaum, Chaim Feldman, headmaster Sapirstein and A. Erez. Afterwards David Shushan recited "El Male Rachamim". During the memorial many people wept.