Many holders of senior positions have, over the years, visited Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, the small place from which all the sacred work of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem has been centered since its foundation, and from which a light of ceaseless activity and action emanates in all areas of commemorating the spiritual heroisim of the Holocaust victims and survivors.
Over the years, the old institution has become a kind of place of pilgrimage, because indeed, there is no one who visits this humble place and does not wonder: how does this sacred activity of enormous proportions come from such a humble and small place?
The truth is, even the employees of the organization and the management don’t know. It’s a kind of miracle, a little that sustains the many… On the basis of what is written in the Gemara Sukkah that at the time of redemption, the righteous will weep that the evil inclination will seem to them like a mountain; they will say: How could we conquer such a mountain?! One of the veteran workers at Ganzach Kiddush Hashem said: Soon, when we G-d willing occupy the new building, we won’t be able to understand how we could have done it before, how did we manage?! But it is G-d’s help that accompanies us that has been behind this miracle throughout all the years of our existence, especially in recent years, since we broke out in a surge of educational and documentary work that is unprecedented in quantity and quality.
We have deviated from the opening of the article, so let’s return to it:
We have become accustomed to visits and tours by government officials and public figures from all walks of life, but sometimes, although much less often, we get to host a true friend, and then the feeling is completely different. This is what we felt at the joint meeting of the management of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem and representatives of the teaching, documentation, research and publishing people, together with MK Rabbi Uri Maklev – a member of the Finance Committee, a veteran activist, at the helm of all things holy, and loyal friend of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem for many years.
Rabbi Maklev arrived with his distinguished entourage: Chief of Staff Mr. David Vertsman, Spokesman Mr. Yehuda Mendelowitz, Mr. Dudi Greenberg, and Mr. Roi Assaf, Director General of the Charedi (ultra-Orthodox) Authority.
The guest was received with honour and respect, and after a short tour, he sat down for a joint meeting with Ganzach Kiddush Hashem. Speeches were given by the CEO, Rabbi Zvi Skulsky; the Chairwoman of the Board, Mrs. Rachel Yud; the Archive Referent, Mrs. Tehila Dror; Rabbi Yitzchak Shmuel Shapira, Director of the Genealogy Department – the Genealogy Research and Roots Search of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, who surprised Rabbi Maklev with exciting findings about his family’s origins; Mrs. Tamar Schreiber – Pedagogical Director; the great teacher Mrs. Ruchama Rivlin, who also presented the new visual program on Lithuanian yeshivas, a popular program that captivates lecture halls and conferences; lecturer Rabbi Roni Kravitz, who summarized the summer activities with yeshiva students and avrechim (young men yeshiva students) and conclusions for the future; Rabbi Yaakov Rosenfeld, lecturer and content writer; Rabbi Bunim Leizerowitz, the chief librarian, and Rabbi Bunim Moskowitz, director of the photo archive.
Rabbi Maklev, an intellectual and pleasant man, focused on two central goals that we must strive for and move forward with all our might: the first is to expedite the building of the centre, because this activity must develop and without a home it is impossible; another thing is to bring Ganzach Kiddush Hashem to additional audiences in the general public! According to him, the general sector must hear and learn about the heroism of the Jewish spirit during the Holocaust. There is a tremendous thirst for this, especially after the events of October 7th. The content conveyed in Ganzach Kiddush Hashem is what the public so longs for, and we must find ways to reach the hearts of all audiences in Israel who will be exposed to it.
On a personal note, Rabbi Maklev expressed his excitement at what is presented here. According to him, he has been following the activities of the veteran institution for many years and is interested in its contents and its life, but hearing is not the same as seeing, and his heart expands in the face of this educational, visual, documentary, and professional activity.
On the practical side, Mr. Roi Assaf, Director General of the Charedi Authority, spoke, focusing on the need to realize the budgetary potential that is already anchored in legislation for the benefit of the sacred educational and documentary activities of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem.
The meeting brought with it a refreshing breath of advice and action, and at its conclusion, CEO Rabbi Skulsky presented the important guests with the book “Bnot Ami Mi’Kelce” as a token of appreciation.
The management of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem thanks Rabbi Uri Maklev and his team for their loyal friendship, long-standing support, and unwavering encouragement in every situation and at every time.
