Golem of Serock

In Serock village, north of Warsaw, ten-year-old Schlomo overheard two men plotting to drive away the Jews. The tailor's son rushed home to inform his father who immediately alerted the Rabbi.

That night, a secret meeting convened in the front room of Schlomo's home, which served as his father's tailor shop. Motel Viernik the tavern manager arrived with Itsak Cybulski who owned the distillery. Aba-Leib Freidman the physician arrived with the Rabbi and his son, Moshe.

Schlomo repeated what he had overheard. First, a child would disappear and then Jews would be accused of killing Christian children and harvesting their blood for purposes of sorcery. The story would be spread, leading to a rampage against the Jews. Those who were not killed would certainly flee.

After being questioned by the group, Schlomo was sent to bed in the back of the house, but he listened as best he could.

"Why is this happening?" Viernik asked sadly.

"It's easily understood," Cybulski began. "They invite us to settle, watch as we build our lives and prosper, and then use terrible accusations as an excuse to steal what we have and drive us away.”

“Brilliant,” said the physician. “What’s the worst possible accusation that can be made – draining blood from children as Jewish ritual. Very effective.”

"We know," the Rabbi added. "that this has happened before – not too long ago and not too far away from here. Let us not pretend it cannot happen here."

"But we’re about to celebrate Purim, thanks to HaShem,” added Viernik.

The Purim holiday was approaching and Schlomo’s parents were leading the preparations for Serock’s first festival. This was a sign that a Jewish community was becoming well-settled. In previous years, the Jews of Serock attended the festival at nearby Zakroczym.

Schlomo could only hear pieces of the conversation.

“What can we do?”

"The bailiff is responsible for maintaining order.”

“Yes, we should speak with Pietrzak."

"No, not yet.” 

"Why not?" 

"If we complain, we limit our options." 

"What do you mean?"

"We can fight." 

"And we should strike first – before they attack."

Moshe the Rabbi's son then announced, "We can summon the Golem." Aba-Leib Freidman laughed, but then stopped himself and stared at his feet.

"While I have never seen this,” said the Rabbi, “I have heard from a scholar of the highest order, mayn rebbe, Rabbi Isserles, that this is indeed possible."

They agreed to consider their options and to meet again soon. Everyone then left except Freidman who spoke further with Schlomo’s father. From what Schlomo could discern, they were discussing hiring assassins from among the Jews in Zakroczym.

“Sometimes you must fight,” said Freidman.

The following day, Schlomo led his father to the place alongside the road where he overheard the two men. Father and son sat together and spoke in whispers of things they had never before discussed – about violence and about why some goyim hated the Jews. After some time, the men Schlomo overheard came down the road. Schlomo confirmed that these were the very same men. Schlomo went home while his father followed the men to discover who they were.

For several nights after the meeting in the tailor’s shop, Moshe the Rabbi's son worked in secret inside the unfinished synagogue. He built a wooden mold, shaped like a human figure and filled this with clay which he then pounded down. He removed the mold and used a trowel to sculpt the creature’s body. He dipped a paint brush into a mixture he had prepared earlier in the week and began painting the creature. He continually whispered:

"B'divrei eleh, ani m'vakshah l'Elohim l'nashmat chayim v'ruach b'shemor shelanu." With these words, I beseech God to breathe life and spirit into our protector. 

As he finished painting the creature's left foot, it twitched, as if tickled.

The Purim celebration involved the entire community. Mid-day, they paraded through the village in costume, singing and dancing. The highlight was an evening performance. A cart set against the side of Schlomo’s house served as a stage and was lit with torches. 

Tomasz Pietrzak, the bailiff, came to the performance with his wife and daughter. A special table with food and drinks was reserved just for his family. During the evening, all the men in the community approached Pietrzak with a respectful greeting and a gentle bow. The intent was to be seen by the bailiff.

The performance told the story of Queen Esther, who saved the Jews from the villainous Haman the Biggest. In the climactic scene, Haman (played by Freidman) was about to kill a bound Jewish child (played by Schlomo’s younger sister, Rebecca). Haman held a knife aloft while chanting, “The people love me more than anyone has ever been loved for being the greatest there ever was and for ridding the world of the Jews.” Suddenly, the walls, represented by painted fabric, fell down to reveal the Golem (played by Itsak Cybulski). Esther (played by Shlomo’s mother, Rivkah) rushes in to save the child while the Golem crushes Haman to death with his hands. The crowd erupted in cheers.

Meanwhile, at the other side of the village, Freidman’s hired assassins had their prey in sight. They knew from the tailor’s observations the path taken by their targets and found a place well-suited for an ambush. As they were about to strike, the Golem stepped through the trees. The assassins watched amazed as the two men on the road froze in horror and turned into pillars of salt that crumbled into a pile of dust and dirt. Moshe the Rabbi’s son, who had been watching from afar, hurried back to join the festival, and the assassins fled back to Zakroczym.

The story of that Purim season in Serock became known throughout Poland and Lithuania, becoming one more variation of the Golem legend retold across the centuries.

Schlomo returned daily to his place by the road which had now taken on a special significance. Here, he studied for his Bar Mitzvah and listened carefully to the world going by, to protect his family.