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Marceli and Natan Najder - Zionist scouts

Before the War, Marceli Najder (1914-1991) and his younger brother Natan (Nunek; 1916-1941) graduated from the Kazimierz Jagiellonian Grammar School in Kołomyja. Both later followed in the footsteps of their father, Wilhelm Najder, to study pharmacy. They graduated from the Jan Kazimierz University in Lviv. The father studied in Vienna.

During their studies, the brothers became involved in the youth Zionist organisation Ha-Noar ha-Cijoni (Hebrew: Zionist Youth) (https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/slownik/ha-noar-ha-cijoni). At the time, young idealists were one of the most important driving forces of the Zionist movement. One of the organisation's primary goals was to realise the Jews' dream of their own state, which required the preparation of settlers that could travel to Palestine to create an independent political and economic organism there.

The scouting formula of the organisation favoured the upbringing of pioneers of the new state, both ideologically and professionally. Learning to farm as a skill unknown to a large part of Jewish youth was necessary for the future economic independence of the Jewish state. Marceli and Natan Najder participated in many camps organised by Ha-Noar ha-Cijoni. Rich photographic documentation of that period, taken by Marceli, who was passionate about photography, has been preserved. The POLIN Museum collection even includes a camera with which Najder immortalised numerous expeditions and camps.

In the 1930s, numerous "protests" against Jews took place thanks to nationalist organisations, which strove to limit or completely eliminate Jewish youth from universities. Many of them led to riots or physical violence against Jewish students. A photograph of Natan Najder and two of his colleagues standing with bandaged heads, beaten during anti-Jewish incidents at the Lviv University, has survived. Discrimination at universities also included the idea of creating a bench ghetto in lecture halls (https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/slownik/getto-lawkowe). The bench ghetto was introduced at the Lviv University in 1938.

The group of photographs collected by Marceli Najder during the Ha-Noar ha-Cijoni conventions consists of 16 archival series corresponding to the contents of 16 envelopes. Most of them (15 out of 16) are advertising envelopes of photographic studios. One of them is an advertising envelope of a cigar manufacturer. Most of the envelopes (14 of 16) were described by the photographer. The information written on the envelope with a pencil tells about the place and time the photographs were taken. One of the envelopes is empty. The others contain monochrome photographs of various sizes (in 13 envelopes) and photographic film (in 2 envelopes). The name of each series corresponds to information on the place and time of taking the photographs in the envelope. A descriptive series name has been used for the undescribed envelopes. Among the series, the following were distinguished:

Series 1: Kołomyja 1932-1938|Czernik-Green 1933 - contains 19 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 2: Lviv-Study 1932-37 - contains 19 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 3: Instructor Colony Ruda-Opalin 1933 | Instructor Colony Kudowa 1935 - contains 17 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 4: Hiking Camp Lubaczów 1934 - contains 28 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 5: Supreme Council in Sanok 1935 - contains 30 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 6: Supreme Council Warsaw 1935 | Supreme Council Tuchla 1936, winter, January - contains 14 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil

Series 7: Colony in Paruchy 1935 | Colony in Lenina Wielka 1937 - contains 44 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 8: Green Colony - Zieleniów 1935 (?) 6 - contains 9 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 9: Wandering 1935 (4) | Supreme Council in Stawek 1935 - contains a blank photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 10: Raba Wyżna | Instructor Camp 1936 - contains 14 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

eries 11: Colony in Mikuliczyn 1938 | Bolechów 1936-37 - contains 20 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 12: Mikuliczyn 1938 | Instructor camp: Supreme Council - contains 14 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 13: 1939 Instructor Camp | Warsaw 1938-39 - contains 13 photographs and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 14: Unsigned envelope advertising cigars with photographs - contains 27 photographs and an envelope advertising a cigar manufacturer.

Series 15: Films - contains 17 fragments of photographic film and a photographic envelope described in pencil.

Series 16: Undescribed photographic envelope with photographic films - contains 34 fragments of photographic film and an undescribed photographic envelope.

Marta Frączkiewicz

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