גנזך קידוש השם https://ganzach.org Thu, 29 May 2025 12:12:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.7 https://ganzach.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-לוגו-מרובע-1-32x32.png גנזך קידוש השם https://ganzach.org 32 32 “We Will Do and We Will Hear” (Exodus 24:7) at Ganzach Kiddush Hashem https://ganzach.org/we-will-do-and-we-will-hear-exodus-247-at-ganzach-kiddush-hashem/ https://ganzach.org/we-will-do-and-we-will-hear-exodus-247-at-ganzach-kiddush-hashem/#respond Thu, 29 May 2025 12:12:39 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=10058 Increase in Educational Activities Marking Eighty Years Since the Liberation of the Camps

Starting at the end of last winter and throughout the summer season, the education department of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem has experienced a significant increase in activity, as part of the special project to mark the eightieth anniversary of the liberation and rebirth of the survivors.

Many educational institutions for girls and boys have already taken part in the exciting educational activity, with the last season being characterized by a wave of visits from students from various institutions who have not previously been exposed to the content of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem.

On the eve of Passover until the last day of the holiday, the lights were still on at Ganzach Kiddush Hashem and large groups of students from all denominations and classes visited the place, listened to lectures and took part in the wonderful activities that commemorate those days.

On the eve of Passover, the lecturers and youth counselors placed great emphasis on conveying the experiences of preparing for Passover and the Seder night during the Holocaust and the days of liberation, compared to Passover today.

At the beginning of the “summer season,” Ganzach Kiddush Hashem began an exciting series of educational and experiential activities with people with special needs throughout the country. The activity days are held at the Learning and Employment Center for People with Disabilities of the Ezer Mizion organization in the town of Nechalim.

The unique activity surprised the management and the instructors. The collaboration was amazing, and the content touched the hearts of these great people, the pure souls who illuminate the world precisely out of difficulty.

The concepts of coping, joy in every situation, and Jewish heroism are not foreign to them. They cope bravely every moment of their lives, and therefore the wonderful lectures and unique documentary activity of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem give them strength and fresh air to their veins.

In the near future, documentary activity will be intensified among all segments of the public, with an emphasis on students from every class and sector.

Programs and Activities

A Morning of Learning for Grade 8

Eighth graders from all over the country come to us to study a unit of material tailored to their age and their annual theme in literature – Holocaust literature. During the program, they listened to an introductory talk and watched a presentation accompanied by guiding. At the end of an experiential and fascinating day, they left with an entire unit built based on the online exhibition Ba’Mistarim (available in Hebrew here).

The schools in Bnei Brak sent the students to the museum itself, where they were also impressed by the special exhibits, the pictures, and the atmosphere. Schools outside the city invite the team to present the unit at school. The schools that invited us range he spectrum of Charedi (ultra-Orthodox) society, and there was even a day that was entirely in Yiddish!

Tools for Teacher Trainees

Groups of teaching students from teaching seminaries come to receive experiential tools on how to teach the subject of the Holocaust in schools.

Activities for Children with Disabilities

Our team, in collaboration with the Ezer Mizion Centre, delivered a program that included a lecture and presentation for boys and girls with disabilities after careful consideration of adapting the content to those with low sensitivity thresholds. The participants enjoyed themselves immensely, were very interested, even more than regular groups, shared stories, felt excited and connected. They surprised the lecturer by presenting her with a key chain that they had created with their own hands in a special corner for creating souvenirs with a 3D printer, along with a moving letter about what they had received in the activity.

From the participants:

A stunning activity. A truly incredible privilege. I took a message for life: to do something sweet for a Jew.”

The lecture is very strengthening, uplifting, and gives one strength to go on. Kudos to Ganzach for their great work! I would be very happy if they brought us more lectures like this. It is very important to pass on to future generations the topic of the Holocaust and the activities of the Jews – how they helped each other and encouraged each other.”

Vizhnitz Chassidism in Action

  • Preparation for trips to Poland – Groups of young men from the Vizhnitz yeshivas traveled to tour the cemeteries of the righteous in Poland, mainly to commemorate the Rebbe of Lizhensk. Before Passover, they came to us and received guidance in preparation for the trip. They enjoyed themselves immensely.
  • Our team received an interesting request from the Rebbetzin of Vizhnitz, who requested us to deliver a program on the Holocaust to a group of distinguished women from the community who meet for classes.
  • Groups of female students from Vizhnitz High School will attend a community-based learning day over the Three Weeks (between the fast days of Shiva-Asar B’Tammuz and Tisha B’Av).

Yom HaShoah Activities for Soldiers

On Yom HaShoah, a very important activity was held for one hundred and twenty charedi soldiers serving in the high-tech unit of the 8200 Intelligence Corps. The event included a lecture by Rabbi Aharon Kravitz on Ha’Hod Sheh B’Gevura (the glory of heroism), the spiritual heroes of Warsaw, and testimonies of Holocaust survivors. Many of the soldiers who do not serve in this specific unit chose to join in and listen.

The soldiers’ reactions were very warm, and this is the response the lecturer received from the group’s commander:

Rony,

I wanted to say thank you again!

I received amazing feedback on the content and presentation.

The film really spoke to this type of population.

Email address for booking activities: mazkirut@ganzach.org.il

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Knesset Finance Committee Chair, MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni Meets with the Management of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem in Bnei Brak https://ganzach.org/knesset-finance-committee-chair-mk-rabbi-moshe-gafni-meets-with-the-management-of-ganzach-kiddush-hashem-in-bnei-brak/ https://ganzach.org/knesset-finance-committee-chair-mk-rabbi-moshe-gafni-meets-with-the-management-of-ganzach-kiddush-hashem-in-bnei-brak/#respond Tue, 06 May 2025 07:04:02 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9917 The meeting was held in the office Ganzach Kiddush Hashem against the backdrop of preparations for the start of construction of the new large Ganzach Kiddush Hashem centre, north of Bnei Brak.

Rabbi Moshe Gafni, who is passionate about the sacred activities of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, has been on duty for many years, advising and acting, and many times his energy and resourcefulness have been of great help and a pillar of the constant activities of Ganzach, both archivally-documentarily and educationally.

תמונה ללא תיאור

Rabbi Gafni, whose heritage lies in chassidic Poland, was very moved by the museum’s displays and archival items. Screenings of testimonies from Holocaust survivors moved the guest and his entourage, who were also shown a small taste of the innovative projects that commemorate the world of yeshivas in Lithuania between the two World Wars. The summary of the visual exhibitions was accompanied by explanations from the veteran teacher Mrs. Ruchama Rivlin, a veteran member of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem’s teaching staff, who was responsible for a large part of the project.

The meeting was honoured with the presence of Rebbetzin Esther Farbstein, who convyed the goals of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem and the void it fills with great success and with extraordinary Divine help.

The great educator Mrs. Miriam Kopshitz, director of the Wolf Seminary, expressed the gratitude of the main seminaries for the educational activities of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem in every field and matter.

Another moving speech was delivered by a member of the presidency council, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau, the rabbi of Netanya, who shared his many years of experience with those near and far to Orthodox Judaism. According to him, the commemoration of the heroism of the victims – a spiritual and mental heroism that is expressed only at Ganzach Kiddush Hashem – has the power to ignite sparks in the hearts of young people who are not close to their Jewish roots and who have never encountered such heart-wrenching content, and he recounted a moving incident that he himself witnessed.

Rabbi Zvi Skulsky, CEO of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, presented in a few words the diverse and all-encompassing activity of the institute. He praised the help of Rabbi Gafni, who says “Hineni” (Here I am) for everything holy and dedicates himself to those who send for him. “Rabbi Gafni, in his lofty activities, has succeeded in creating wonders for the existence and flourishing of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem. Even now, in the true stage of construction, Rabbi Gafni stands with his inexhaustible energy and is ready to assist in whatever is needed.”

Mrs. Rachel Yud, Chairperson of the Board, presented the data regarding Ganzach Kiddush Hashem’s growth in the field of education and commemoration. In recent years, Ganzach Kiddush Hashem has experienced significant growth and is considered one of the largest archives and Holocaust memorial institutions in the country. The data graph displayed on the screen showed a growth of hundreds of percent in the number of participants in Ganzach Kiddush Hashem’s education programs among all sectors in the country.

In light of the data, the Chair of the Finance Committee announced that he and his team would do everything in their power to move the construction plans forward and expedite bureaucratic matters, because the work – the holy work – cannot be stopped. Rabbi Gafni reiterated the motto that has driven his activity for decades: The charedi (ultra-Orthodox) sector deserves to receive what it deserves by right and not as a kindness.

During the meeting, the heads of the educational programs of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem Rabbi Yaakov Friedland, Rabbi Yaakov Rosenfeld, and Rabbi Aharon Kravitz, who are responsible for the variety of charedi communities, appeared and spoke about the great activities and the plans for the future.

תמונה ללא תיאור

At the end of the event, MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni received a modest gift from the Genealogy Department of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, headed by Rabbi Isaac Shmuel Schapira: a spectacular genealogy chart with a detailed family tree, precious documents and rare photos of the ancestors of the Gafni and Silberberg families – the noble families that adorned the towns of Poland for many years until destruction fell upon European Jewry. Rabbi Gafni was moved by the content, and especially by the family revelations that were unknown to him until now.

Rabbi Gafni received a brief and concise overview from Rabbi Schapira about the unique genealogy department of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, which has already made great achievements and is among the best genealogy research institutes in the entire world.

תמונה ללא תיאור

The meeting closed with a series of important decisions that, G-d willing, will soon be translated into action.

In conclusion, the heads and administrators of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem expressed their gratitude and great appreciation to Rabbi Gafni’s important assistants – Rabbi Moshe Zalushinsky, Rabbi Yaakov Morgenbesser and Rabbi Elazar Mann – for their commitment to the cause and their constant assistance in all circumstances.

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May G-d Have Mercy on the Survivors of Our Family… https://ganzach.org/may-g-d-have-mercy-on-the-survivors-of-our-family/ https://ganzach.org/may-g-d-have-mercy-on-the-survivors-of-our-family/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 09:34:43 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9894 Items from the new collection that Ganzach Kiddush Hashem has received

This year’s Yom HaShoah events are being held to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the camps, with an emphasis on the liberation of Buchenwald. The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald, and it’s human story that touched the world, was on Shabbat Nisan 28 (April 26th, 2025).

Rabbi Israel Meir Lau upon liberation of the Buchenwald camp

One of the world famous survivors of Buchenwald is Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, the (former) Chief Rabbi of Israel, and the Chairman of the Presidency Council of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem.

In preparation for the 80th anniversary, the archivists of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem met with Prof. Leah Naomi Vogelman, the cousin of Rabbi Lau, in whose home in Kiryat Motzkin the orphaned Rabbi Lau, a Holocaust refugee, grew up upon his arrival in Israel.

Ms. Fogelman holds these memories from her childhood and teenage years in her heart, and Rabbi Lau, of course, also remembers the Vogelman family’s kindness and has a warm place in his heart for his uncle and aunt’s family, for their kindness, and efforts.

The warm bond between the families remains close to this day and throughout time, and in the next section we will tell Ms. Vogelman’s story in detail.

The family connection between Rabbi Lau and the Vogelman family is as follows:

Rabbi Mordechai Vogelman z”l

Rabbi Mordechai Vogelman z”l, the rabbi of Katowice, and the rabbi of Kiryat Motzkin after the war, was the brother-in-law of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau, the rabbi of Piotrkow, may G-d avenge his blood.

Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak Shor z”l, the rabbi of Mostritz, Galicia, author of the “Minchai Shai” (And the origin of the name Shor is their ancestor, the Baal HaTosfot, Rabbi Yosef Bechor Shor).

His son, Rabbi Avraham Chaim Shor z”l immigrated to Israel and was appointed in Jerusalem as the head of a rabbinical court.

His daughter, Leah Hinda, married Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Lau of Lvov, the father of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau.

His daughter, Margulya, married Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon Shapira, their son was Rabbi Meir Shapira of Lublin.

One of the daughters of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Lau was Mrs. Bella Vogelman, the wife of Rabbi Mordechai, the rabbi of Katowice.

Ganzach Kiddush Hashem houses the archive of Rabbi Mordechai Vogelman, which contains important and historical documents. Below is a very important document that is being published here for the first time: a handwritten letter from Rabbi Avraham Chaim Shor to his brother-in-law and sister, the Vogelmans, which was sent to them during the height of the Holocaust.

In the letter, Rabbi Shor describes his efforts to obtain certificates for his family members, which were unsuccessful, and advises them on how to act to save their sister-in-law Meita.

The words were written near the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shor’s sister, Rebbetzin Leah Hinda, mother of the Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau and in his words, the rabbi pleads on behalf of her son. In that time, the fate of the victims was not yet known, may G-d avenge their blood…

At that time, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Vogelman, together with their daughter, Leah Naomi, were in the midst of a desperate escape. Their lives were at risk, and they miraculously were saved and immigrated to the Land of Israel.

At the end of the Holocaust, in the spring of 5705 (1945), when the news of liberation had already spread throughout Europe and the Vogelman family was already in the Land of Israel; a few weeks after the liberation of the boy Israel Meir Lau, along with hundreds of other children from Buchenwald by the American army, his uncle Rabbi Avraham Chaim Shor z”l passed away and was buried in Jerusalem.

To mark this date, here is a copy of his moving letter, and a copy of Rabbi Vogelman’s diary in which he recounts the first days of the war, the eve of Rosh Hashanah, and the High Holidays of 5700 (1939).

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Ganzach Kiddush Hashem Invites You to Yom HaShoah 5785 (2025) Zooms Commemorating 80 Years Since Liberation https://ganzach.org/ganzach-kiddush-hashem-invites-you-to-yom-hashoah-5785-2025-zooms-commemorating-80-years-since-liberation/ https://ganzach.org/ganzach-kiddush-hashem-invites-you-to-yom-hashoah-5785-2025-zooms-commemorating-80-years-since-liberation/#respond Wed, 23 Apr 2025 08:25:56 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9817

Part 1 – Mon. Nisan 23 (April 21st) at 6:30 PM.

Recording

“To Be My Vengeance and Compensation” (Deuteronomy 32:35) – Holocaust Survivors’ Jewish Revenge

Rebbetzin Esther Farbstein

Part 2 – Wednesday Nisan 25 (April 23rd) at 5 PM

Recording

“I Ask For the Rabbi to Send Me a Reply in a Telegram because the Matter is Urgent” – From a letter to Rabbi Yosef Lipman Gurwitz, Melbourne, Australia

How the Rabbis Dealt with the Issue of Holocaust Agunot

Mrs. Pessia Parsi, Researcher and lecturer at the Holocaust Study, Michlalah Jerusalem College

(Agunot = women who did not know their husbands’ fates and therefore could not remarry)

Please note: The meetings are in Hebrew

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The Eyes https://ganzach.org/the-eyes/ https://ganzach.org/the-eyes/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 13:56:58 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9590

When I had already fallen asleep, the dream appeared

I dreamt of the eyes of Shiri and her sons

Wide open in terror, asking without a voice

Little gingers, a big red dream

In the darkness, they cling to their mother

Searching for protection, but there is no comfort there

And the dream repeats, like a broken recording

Those faces, those pleas, without words

Those eyes, remind me of my mother

Eighty years ago

When they parted

Two babies, the same look of helplessness

A mother who sees death, in the eyes

The wrinkles around her eyes, as if they were telling

The story of the terrified gingers

The story of Shiri, and her little boys.

The father, Yarden

Appears to me in a dream, and my eyes are tearing for him

Like a river that washes away the night and all its troubles

I try to escape, but the dream chases me

A pain that does not calm, a shadow that does not leave

The gingers are real

Not dreams, visions, night terrors

The gingers are real

Tiny flames

Burning

Mindboggling

When will the dream end? I don’t know.

But I will never forget your silent cry.

Written for Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, with eyes filled with tears, by Rachel K. a daughter of Holocaust survivors

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Ganzach Kiddush Hashem Receives the Archive of Rabbi Mordechai Vogelman Z”L for Preservation and Commemoration https://ganzach.org/ganzach-kiddush-hashem-receives-the-archive-of-rabbi-mordechai-vogelman-zl-for-preservation-and-commemoration/ https://ganzach.org/ganzach-kiddush-hashem-receives-the-archive-of-rabbi-mordechai-vogelman-zl-for-preservation-and-commemoration/#respond Thu, 27 Feb 2025 08:31:29 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9571

Rabbi Vogelman, who served as the rabbi of the Katowice community before the Holocaust, was known as a great Torah scholar and posek (rabbinical decisor). His respona, Beit Mordechai and Gedulat Mordechai, which were published by Mossad HaRav Kook, are huge assets in the world of Halacha (Jewish law) and Torah interpretation.

Rabbi Mordechai Vogelman was a student of the Maharsham of Brezhan (Rabbi Shalom Mordechai Schwadron), who was his uncle, and was later ordained as a rabbi by Rabbi David Menachem Manis Babad – the head of the Tarnopol rabbinical court; Rabbi David HaLevi Ish Horowitz – the head of the Stanislaw rabbinical court; Rabbi Meir Arik; and by his uncle, the head of the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva, Rabbi Meir Shapira.

When he was appointed rabbi of Katowice, his uncle, Rabbi Meir Shapira, wrote him a letter of recommendation and ordination in German. This ordination was recognized by the government.

Rabbi Vogelman was an eloquent speaker in many languages, a prolific writer, a graceful speaker, and a faithful shepherd to his flock.

His halachic responsa are eloquent and characterized by great genius, and his Torah writings were published in a variety of publications before and after the Holocaust.

Upon the outbreak of the war, he managed, with the help of G-d, to escape with his wife, Rebbetzin Bella, and their only daughter, Naomi. In Israel, Rabbi Vogelman was appointed to serve as the rabbi of Kiryat Motzkin, where he lovingly shepherded his flock and established institutions for education, Torah, and kindness.

There is much to learn ideologically and historically from the rescue of Rabbi Vogelman, the Rebbetzin and their only daughter Naomi, and this story will be immortalized and published in the near future by Ganzach Kiddush Hashem.

Rabbi Vogelman’s daughter, Professor Naomi, a renowned writer and historian, was pleased to hand over her father’s archive to the dedicated care of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem. The rabbi, who was a faithful witness to Eastern European Jewry and its rabbis, left behind a valuable historical and Torah legacy, which the archivists of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem approach with love and reverence, using the most sophisticated preservation methods in the world.

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Acharit Ve’Tikva – Zoom Lecture Series (Hebrew) https://ganzach.org/acharit-vetikva-zoom-lecture-series-hebrew/ https://ganzach.org/acharit-vetikva-zoom-lecture-series-hebrew/#respond Tue, 14 Jan 2025 07:41:31 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9474 Examing the life of Holocaust survivors in Europe postwar

Lecture 1 – Rebbetzin Esther Farbstein – The First Printing of the Talmud in the DP Camps

Lecture 2 – Part 1: Dr. Lior Alperovich – The Story of the Holocaust through the Eyes of the Liberators

Part 2: Mrs. Chavi Felsenberg – Virtual Exhibition of Artifacts from the DP Camps, Amud Aish Memorial Museum

Lecture 3 – Mrs. Chana Zinger – Surviving Jews in Postwar Poland

Lecture 4 – Mrs. Devora Surasky – The Klausenberger Rebbe and Holocaust Survivors

Lecture 5 – Rebbetzin Esther Farbstein – Holocaust Survivors in Lithuania

Lecture 6 – Dr. Uri Kraushar – The Activities of the Joint in the DP Camps

Lecture 7 – Mrs. Shoshana Shenker – Marriage Postwar

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Professional Development Day in the Gaza Envelope Communities https://ganzach.org/professional-development-day-in-the-gaza-envelope-communities/ https://ganzach.org/professional-development-day-in-the-gaza-envelope-communities/#respond Wed, 01 Jan 2025 11:04:54 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9455 The topic self-sacrifice is not foreign to the staff of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem.

Ganzach Kiddush Hashem produces content, articles, lectures, lessons, and testimonies about self-sacrifice. At Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, we are constantly dealing with matters of sanctifying the Name of G-d, Jewish heroism, sparks of light shining from the darkness, and faith in times of darkness and in the the shadow of death.

Therefore, the professional development day organized by the management for all the education and archive staff, who take part in the sacred work of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, was incredibly fascinating and moving. Suddenly, this holy and noble concept took shape in front of the participants. It was a day filled with consciousness of Jewish heroism, Jewish strength, Jewish mutual assistance, and closeness to G-d, which so many people were blessed with. And this includes the people from the communities who were never familiar with or understood the religious faith.

Our very own, Rabbi Yisrael Goldwasser, one of the veteran lecturers of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, brilliantly led the professional development day. The itinerary that Rabbi Goldwasser, together with the team of organizers on behalf of the management, proved to be perfect. The places, the paths, the sites, the houses, the views, and the atmosphere – all of these combined with the perfect guidance and the amazing first-hand stories from the mouths of the survivors of the horrors.

The morning began at the synagogue in Sderot, where the group was welcomed by the synagogue rabbi, Rabbi Herzl Shaubi, who was saved by the grace of G-d from a fatal injury on the morning of Simchat Torah 5704 (Oct. 7th, 2023). Rabbi Shaubi spoke about what he went through and the chain of miracles and wonders he experienced on his miraculous journey to recovery.

The rabbi displayed his shirt and suit jacket. The bullet penetrated his body, pierced the abdominal cavity near his chest, and came out the other side…

In the large plaza where the Sderot Police Department was located until its destruction, our group was received by the Chief Superintendent of the Sderot Police, Meidad Lavie. In an emotional speech that he delivered outdoors, in the same place where the terrible massacre of the Sderot police officers took place, he spoke about his ancestors, Holocaust survivors, and the inspiration he took from them for his life and his job. The senior commander expressed his appreciation to the management of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem for organizing the professional development day for employees in Sderot, and wished the group success in the continuation of the day.

The dear volunteer police officer Rami Cohen, accompanied the group for many hours. Police officer Rami, a Torah and mitzvot observing Jew, amazed our group with his inspiring personal story. Rami literally risked his life to save Jews on October 7th. He became famous throughout the world thanks to the breathtaking documentation of his rescue to save two little girls from the car in which their parents were shot dead. Rami the police officer continued with the group at various stations throughout the Gaza Envelope, and on the special tour inside Kibbutz Kfar Aza which he made possible.

And during the Mincha prayer, when the members of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem stood for heartfelt prayer at the Bibas synagogue in Kfar Aza, it was a noble prayer service in the Valley of Tears, which certainly touched the Heavens.

During the day, we delved into burning issues that are on the agenda of the Ganzach Kiddush Hashem staff. The lectures, screenings, testimonies and stories touched on matters that the team deals with on a daily basis.

The direct encounter with the survivors of the horror and the stories of heroism they told, in addition to the endless reservoir of miracle stories that flowed from Rabbi Goldwasser’s mouth, left a strong impression on the participants and charged them with strength and courage to continue their holy work.

An important conclusion that everyone agreed on as the evening shadows fell and the professional development day came to an end: The Jewish spark that ignited in the hearts of those so far from religiosity, precisely during such difficult days of horror, proves that there is no power in the world that can dim the light of the Jewish soul, even if it seems, G-d forbid, that it was extinguished on over time after years of separation and alienation.

As the evening shadows fell, the staff of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem began to return to their respective cities and homes, but they will carry the insights from this emotional journey with them forever.

Indeed, it was a journey filled with sadness on the one hand, emotion on the other, and at the center: great admiration in light of the strength of souls and spiritual heroism.

Many thanks to the organizers of the professional development day, to the professional development coordinator, Mrs. Devorah Surasky, to the study day manager, Mrs. Malka Pinchasi, and to everyone who took part in the the arrangements.

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Ganzach Kiddush Hashem’s Bein HaZmanim Activities https://ganzach.org/ganzach-kiddush-hashems-bein-hazmanim-activities/ https://ganzach.org/ganzach-kiddush-hashems-bein-hazmanim-activities/#respond Wed, 04 Sep 2024 10:11:42 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9280 80 years have passed since the liberation of the camps, 85 years since the outbreak of the terrible Holocaust, and it seems that youth and young men are not only interested in the horrors of the war, but also thirsty to hear more and more about the perseverance of the Holocaust victims and survivors, the spiritual heroes with mighty souls, those of pure faith and steadfast trust in G-d. The youth and young men want to learn more.

How does one explain to yeshiva students who have gone from the warmth of yeshiva surrounding their whole being into the melting pot of the labour and death camps? No one is prepared for the lofty concept of “self-sacrifice” in its highest degree, which is manifested in the lives and deaths of those who sanctified the Name of G-d, those who did not surrender but kept their G-dly essence in the days of evil and continued to meditate on the words of the Torah with devotion. They fought the Nazi devil and defeated him against all odds.

Thousands of yeshiva students heard about these people and more during Bein HaZmanim (the time between yeshiva terms) from lecturers who were trained by Ganzach Kiddush Hashem and equipped with professional and eye-catching means of documentation, who brought this wonderful history before the precious yeshiva students, from various denominations.

The lectures and seminars of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem have earned a good name in the camps and summer programs of the best “flagship yeshivas” of the charedi (ultra-Orthodox) sector, and the demand for them is increasing, while at the same time Ganzach Kiddush Hashem trains more and more lecturers and produces many sophisticated documentation tools at the highest level with one and only goal : “So that further generations will know.”

These activities are in addition to those that took place during Bein HaMetzarim (the 3 weeks between the fast days of the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av). All the departments of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem worked on this meaningful challenge of perpetuating the memory of the spiritual heroes of the Holocaust, as there is a growing interest in the period of Bein HaMetzarim among many who see the days of mourning and weeping over the destruction (of ancient Jerusalem and the First and Second Temples) as an opportunity to reflect on the more recent destruction of Jews during the Holocaust and to weep for the fire that God burned. In the days of Bein HaZmanim that followed Bein HaMetzarim, not only did the people of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem not go on vacation, but rather, out of devotion to the goal, they “charged forth” with the mighty operation of the study days in the yeshiva summer programs, until they fulfilled the demand of applicant.

Ganzach Kiddush has been revitalized in recent years and wonderful educational and documentation activity is buzzing within its walls, and much outside of them too. The plans for the construction and development of the old institution are in the final stages of being submitted to the authorities before the actual start of implementation. G-d willing, the day is not far when the stories of the victims, which is actually the stroy of all of us, will have a home where every Torah and mitzvah observant individual, and others, can visit to reflect, observe, and learn.

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Sacred Memory during the Three Weeks https://ganzach.org/sacred-memory-during-the-three-weeks/ https://ganzach.org/sacred-memory-during-the-three-weeks/#respond Mon, 19 Aug 2024 07:45:25 +0000 https://ganzach.org/?p=9263 The official visit of the Sassover Rebbe at Ganzach Kiddush Hashem during Bein HaMetzarim (the 3 weeks between the fasts of the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av)

Around the table sat the members of the administration headed by Rabbi David Skulsky, members of the archive department, members of the education department, members of the the writing and publishing department, as well as others involved in the sacred work – the commemoration of Holocaust victims’ and survivors’ Jewish heroism.

At the head of the table sat the esteemed guest, the Sassover Rebbe, and next to him sat his rabbinical sons, his grandsons, and around them – the entourage of leaders and influential people in the chassidic world.

The Sassover Rebbe is the child of Holocaust survivors and the topic burns in his heart. According to him, we should perpetuate the memory of the victims and do everything so that the younger generation will know and not forget.

The uplifting visit lasted for a long time, during which the Sassover Rebbe told a wonderous story about how his mother was saved from the jaws of evil. A clear and pure viewpoint was delivered from his holy lips to the ears of those engaged in the work, and according to them, they derived great benefit from the words that were given over.

The Sassover Rebbe expressed a great deal of excitement at the “special valuable items” that were presented to him. A thorough investigation into the lineage of the exalted family was magnificently produced by the faithful hands of the researcher and historian, Rabbi Yitzchak Shmuel Schapira.

In addition, a unique presentation was given on his mother’s escape routes across European countries during the Holocaust.

Later, the Rebbe was shown segments of testimony and artifacts from the Ganzach Kiddush Hashem archive, such as tiny tefillin that survived the inferno and a shofar that passed through camps and ghettos and which Jews blew with devotion.

Towards the end of the visit, the Rebbe gave a l’chaim (a toast) and blessed the management and employees of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem.

G-d willing, the holy words of the Sassover Rebbe will be published on the our website soon.

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