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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

There are events, however modest they may be, that leave an indelible mark; events whose content touches the heart forever.

This is how the participants of the Zikaron BaBayit (Remembrance at Home) evening felt. The event was held on the first Thursday of the Three Weeks (between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av) in the home of the chassid, Rabbi Yaakov Stern, owner of Meimad Advertising.

Rabbi Yaakov Stern, the lifeforce behind the Zikaron BaSalon initiative for the ultra-Orthodox sector, is a child of Holocaust survivors, and the sense of mission that drives his many years of voluntary activity is one: remember, do not forget!

The purpose of the emotional meeting, which was attended by senior journalists and members of the media, was to mark the opening of the Zikaron BaSalon meetings in the ultra-Orthodox sector for this year, which are now in full force, during Bein HaMetzarim (the Three Weeks), in which Jews sit and mourn the destruction. The Honorable Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Chairman of the Presidency Council of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, one of the most famous survivors of the Holocaust today, graced the entire event with his presence and was thankful for it. His words amazed the audience, and left them deep in reflection and thought.

Almost eighty-five years have passed since the outbreak of the Holocaust. Eighty years, almost, since the liberation of the camps and ghettos by the Allied Forces. Many Holocaust survivors still live with us, while many Holocaust survivors have already passed away, many of which told their stories and recorded their memories for the future generations, yet still, the feeling is that the story of the Holocaust is not properly passed on to future generations.

The MC for the evening, known media personality, Avi Mimran, did well to express the matters from his point of view as someone who grew up in the neighborhoods of Jerusalem and was educated in its institutions. According to him, everyone knew about the Holocaust, and saw the survivors everywhere. They got to know them, appreciate them, and shudder from their stories, from the trauma etched in their hearts. However, the events of the Holocaust were hardly discussed, neither in the cheders nor in the yeshivas, in an orderly manner. They did not talk about the correct, Torah view of the Holocaust and its events, nor about its history.

The one who immigrated to the Land of Israel as a boy, orphaned of his father and mother, a boy whose eyes saw horrors in the camps, and with a will as strong as steel started life anew and did not sink into the depths of memories and grief, until he was able to reach where he had reached; this refers to the revered guest Rabbi Lau. Listen to his words in full.

Indeed, I studied in the Kol Torah Yeshiva. Some of my ramim (homeroom rabbi teachers) were Holocaust survivors. I studied at the Ponevezh Yeshiva. I was close to the Ponevezher Rebbe, who was a man who saw “affliction in the rod of His wrath” (Lamentations 3:1), a man of vision and action, with the memory of the Holocaust burning in him, but never spoke in the yeshiva about the Holocaust. I was close to all the ramim in Ponevezh, some of them also Holocaust survivors. I was close to my friends in yeshiva, the Holocaust survivors, but none of them spoke, certainly not in public.

Rabbi Lau remembered Ponevezh’s long-time prayer leader, Rabbi Moshe Portman. He is the one who coined the form of the prayer in the holy Yeshiva. The prayer tore hearts. Rabbi Portman was a remnant of Lithuanian Jewry who studied in its yeshivas, and after going through the Holocaust he served as a prayer leader in the Ponevezh Yeshiva during the High Holidays. He is the one who brought the tunes of the prayers from the towns of Lithuania to the holy yeshiva in Israel.

Rabbi Portman also did not speak nor tell.

“Why didn’t they speak about it?” the MC asked Rabbi Lau.

“I do not know.”

“Why didn’t they speak? First of all, becuase this is painful! I was a child then; it was easier for me to speak”

And this is exactly the space that Ganzach Kiddush Hashem has been filling for over fifty years.

Those who did not speak, out of pain, trusted the ones who did. They trusted Rabbi Moshe Prager, whose last name was originally “Mark,” and trusted Ganzach Kiddush Hashem which does extraordinary, holy work.

Ganzach Kiddush Hashem has managed to do what many good people tried and failed to do. They “revived the dry bones.” They gave form and life to the Holocaust victims and its silent survivors. They created a place to commemorate this terrible story that we must not forget – remember, do not forget!

In addition to Rabbi Lau’s words, Deputy Minister and MK Rabbi Uri Maklev, who serves as the chairman of the Authority for Holocaust Survivors in the Prime Minister’s Office, delivered an emotional speech.

Rabbi Maklev also spoke about the silence of Holocaust survivors that he saw in his youth. He too, as a yeshiva boy, in cheder, and in the other stages of his early life, together with his friends, grew up around Holocaust survivors, saw Holocaust survivors in every synagogue and in every alley; everyone knew that they had gone through hell and had lost everything dear to them.

Rabbi Maklev emphasized the goal facing those doing the work, in light of the advanced age of the Holocaust survivors. He brought statistical data from reports compiled in his office about the number of Holocaust survivors today, the number of deaths among them each day, and more. In his words, he revealed the interesting statistic that was recently proven: Holocaust survivors live longer than the rest of their peers who did not go through the horrors of the Holocaust. Whatever the reason, there is no denying that this data should inspire us to come to our senses to stand by the Holocaust survivors, both simply to be with them and support them, and to hear the stories that not everyone have told yet.

Akeida (a bound sacrifice), not Shoah (Holocaust)!

From the emotional words of the Honourable Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau:

I remember, dozens of years ago, I was, along with Rabbi David Skulsky, one of the founders of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem, at the eulogy for Rabbi Moshe Prager z”l. Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Alter z”l, known as the “Pnei Menachem” of Ger, who at the time served as the head of the Sfat Emet Yeshiva, said then: What is the point of calling it “Shoah?” And every time “Shoah” is written in Tanach (Torah, Prophets, Writings) – the word appears in connection with wicked people and evildoers, and not to martyrs thrown into the fire; all of them were holy and pure and were sacrificed in sanctification of G-d’s Name, because of one reason: that they were Jews! I suggest, said the Rebbe, to call it “Akeida.” Indeed It was an akeida – a sacrifice. Six million Israelites were sacrificed for the sanctification of G-d’s Name.

Since then, I have a hard time with the term “Shoah.” I prefer that this terrible period of time be called “Akeida,” as the Rebbe suggested.

When I wrote my book “Al Tishlach Yadcha Al HaNaar” (Do Not Send Forth Your Hand Against the Boy – translation of the Hebrew title. The English version of the book is titled “Out of the Depths”), the publishers argued about the strange name that I chose. “Do Not Send Forth Your Hand Against the Boy” – such a long name, a name that most likely will not “sell.” And this book was a great success. It sold a lot, and was translated into ten languages. The Chinese were the first to translate the book into their language, followed by the Japanese.

Yes, I insisted on this name, and why? Because there is no doubt that G-d said, “Do not send forth your hand against the boy.” I don’t know to whom and through whom, but surely He said it, otherwise, how was I saved from death, how did I survive?

My father and mother, my brothers, and my sisters were taken to death, and me and my brother Naftali were saved. Who guarded me, how was I saved? Is it not because G-d was standing over me and warned the one who needed to be warned, in what way he needed to be warned: “Do not send forth your hand against the boy”?

Not everything is told in the book. There are things I have never told before. Every now and then they come to my mind and I reflect on them.

I was in Buchenwald with my brother, Naftali. Naftali was eleven years older than me. Naftali carried me on his shoulders in a sack…from Czestochowa. He was eighteen years old. He warned me: “be quiet.” And I, as a young boy, understood it all.

When we arrived in Buchenwald, they took everything from us. Into a big fire they threw all of our posessions and clothes. This action was necessary, according to them, to prevent infection with the diseases that infected us.

I remember my brother whispering into the sack, “Lulek, come here.”

I came out of the sack and the first thing that I saw – the big fire, burning in front of my eyes. I don’t know how it was possible, but thank G-d, I was separated from Naftali who was thrown into the Jewish barracks. I stayed in Block 8 – the POW block.

My brother, like the rest of the Jews, and among them was the famous author, Elie Wiesel, were house in a crowded barrack, 14 people per bunk, and I, in the POW block, merited to have a “mattress.”

To describe to you how 14 people feel on a bunk, after a hard day’s work? I think there is no need. Sticking to the people moving together, according to the rhythm of the movements of each one of them who has to turn to the side or go up or down… this is what happened to my brother.

And I, who merited a mattress, had some Russian fellow who took care of me. How? Why? One reason. “Do not send forth your hand against the boy!”

We arrived in Buchenwald in the winter. One day, at the end of the day, when Naftali returned to his barrack, he threw a potato at me. “Take care of it!” he cried out. This was been the case many times since then. He would throw potatoes at me and warn me to be careful. I didn’t understand why he didn’t eat, and he hardly ate anything, my brother, and why didn’t he take care of his health?

So from time to time, Naftali would throw potatoes at me and tell me: “keep it in the mattress.”

I, when I separated from my father, was a small child. I knew nothing. I only spoke Polish. I remember myself sitting on my father’s lap as he sat on his chair. I remember myself in his rabbinical court, sitting on his lap and curling his sidelocks.

My father did not for a moment think of running away, even though he could. He said: “I am a community rabbi and will go walk the last path with them. He walked at the head of his community with a Torah scroll in his arms.

I remember my mother, during the war, she ran a charity kitchen and I would help her peel, prepare, and transport dishes here and there. My mother was a woman of kindness and she saved many people during the days of wrath.

But my parents were taken away from me when I was a tender child, and I knew nothing. Only after we met again, I asked Naftali, why he didn’t eat, why he threw potatoes at me, and these were precious; they were pieces of “life” in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

Naftali then answered me patiently. He told me about Passover. He explained to me what chametz (leaven) is and what matzah is, what is kosher and what is not, what is forbidden and what is permitted, he told me about the exodus from Egypt and the Seder night.

Do you understand?

My brother Naftali would trade with the meager slices of bread he received. He traded them for potatoes in the underground market that developed in the barracks. He starved for days so that he could keep a kosher Passover, lest he starve to death on the holiday.

Where could Naftali bury the potatoes? I had a mattress, so he threw these treasures at me…

This is, for example, a story that I did not tell in the book.

What can I tell about? Rabbi Lau asks in a broken voice.

Each moment there, it is history. My mother, may G-d avenge her blood, who sent food for the needy from the ghetto. I remember myself on a Friday night peeling carrots and potatoes. What did she call her charity? “Bethlehem!”

How much can be said about my father, may G-d avenge his blood.

Ganzach Kiddush Hashem permeated the consciousness of the Holocaust; it spread the stories, the testimonies. Lest they be forgotten, lest they disappear into the abyss of the forgotten. Ganzach Kiddush Hashem did this in times when no one had yet spoken or told about the Holocaust, and it is also thanks to it that there is such a large database of testimonies for the knowledge of the future generations.

A shiver went through the crowd, when the rabbi told about a woman, may G-d avenge her blood, that the murderer Mengele sent to the left side, and her cries of “Mohel” (circumsizer) pierced the long line.

In the parallel row stood her husband.

No one knew what she wanted and why she was screaming, and maybe she had lost her mind. However, her words were quickly understood. “Mohel!” Cuddled in her lap was a tender Jewish boy born a few days prior. She knew what they were going towards and wanted to return a circumsized child to G-d. A kosher, pure, and elegant sacrifice. She was looking for a mohel that would circumcize her son before he ascended, with holy and pure virtues…

In light of the rabbi’s words, no one remained indifferent in the audience, which included journalists, writers, rabbis, intellectuals, and businessmen, from all shades of the Jewish spectrum in Israel.

Rabbi Yaakov Stern, Mr. Moshe Klughaft, the journalist Ms. Shoshana Chen and the writer and activist Ms. Orit Mark from Otniel, author of the bestseller “Keren Or Shvura” (Broken Ray of Light), gave speeches later.

Ms. Michal Lipman spoke on behalf of the Zikaron BaSalon project.

Words from Ganzach Kiddush Hashem were presented by COO, Mrs. Rachel Yud, who said as follows: The days of Bein HaMetzarim are days of remembrance that grow stronger as we get closer to Tisha B’Av. Therefore, it is fitting that we gather on these days and remember the terrible Holocaust, the stories that were told here, and many others, and from our experience – the public is thirsty to participate and hear them.

The Story of a Photograph

Finally, despite the late hour, Rabbi Lau asked to end with a personal story that he experienced a few years ago.

It was during the visit of the President of the United States at the time, Donald Trump, to Israel. The schedule of the visit was tight, and the organizers who tried to include a tour of Yad Vashem were met with refusal by the guest. The visit is short, and it is not possible to include Yad Vashem in it as well.

They tried every way, cut times, dropped plans, until the organizers were able to arrange a short visit to Yad Vashem.

Walking around Yad Vashem where Donald Trump, the leader of the free world, accompanied by Prime Minister Mr. Binyamin Netanyahu. President Trump looked at the exhibits, testimonies, films, and everything the large and well-invested museum has to offer, but no excitement or admiration was visible on the man’s face. Every now and then he let out a hum, that’s all.

Towards the end of the visit, the last display that was revealed to him was the picture of the little Jewish boy standing in the liberated Buchenwald among the American soldiers.

Mr. Netanyahu pointed to the picture and to me and said to the guest: “This boy is the chief rabbi, who is here with us!”

Netanyahu turns to me and asks me in English: “How many grandchildren do you have, Honorable Rabbi…” and I answer him: “Sixty!”

And Donald Trump looks at me in amazement, at me and at the picture, and suddenly a scream of surprise and admiration came out of his mouth: “Wow!”

Netanyahu turns to me again and asks me, “how many great-grandchildren do you have?”

“I don’t know.” (I’m not counting anymore, and also, it can change daily…)

And then again, Trump, looks at me, amazed, excited, and blurts out: “Wooowww!”