Thirty years ago it was: the town where we were from and where
we grew up was devastated, the fountain from which we drew our
Jewish as well as Human values was destroyed. All that remained
were ruined houses, a desecrated cemetery, a vast mass-grave;
and so many of our dear ones have no grave at all. But we, sons
and daughters of Kolno, wherever we are, shall always carry,
carved in our memory, our town and its Jews our parents and
brothers, our kinsmen, our friends, our people. It is for our
own sake and in order that the coming generations should know
their roots and should never forget what hatred was brought
about, that we have dedicated to light a memorial-candle to our
community, to collect memoirs of our own town and to preserve
them. We began preparing the book when our Kolner organisation
in Israel was reinforced by the last survivors, who came to
settle in Israel. Its publication met with great difficulties in
communication with former Kolner citizens in Israel and
overseas, collecting and editing