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!”

The following Hebrew language lectures are being held on Zoom.

To join each lecture: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82370481278?pwd=aEaQeP5VIKFtUM360OHDAXrHOsecDE.1

Please see below for the recordings of the lectures:

Does your child know what his grandparent experienced?

The 3 Weeks (between the fast days of the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av) are the time to remember together the events of the Holocaust, through testimonies, in impressions and stories. Come participating in hosting or being hosted at a “Zikaron BaBayit.”

Where? – At your home or the place of your choosing

When? – During the 3 Weeks

How? – Hosting a Holocaust survivor or a member of the second generation who will tell their personal story

For details, please call *6066 or send a message to 050-606-0705

Brought to you in partnership from Ganzach Kiddush Hashem and Zikaron BaSalon

Among the correspondence one can find complete and fascinating portions about the events that Agudath Israel experienced during the first 20 years of its existence. In addition, the collection contains the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting in 1938 as well as postcards and letters from world leaders, such as the “Pnei Menachem” of Ger, the “Chochmat Eliezer” of Vizhnitz, Rabbi Menachem Ziemba, Rabbi Eliyahu Buchko, and more.

The importance of the collection to Ganzach Kiddush Hashem was already apparent after a quick peruse through the documents and letters. Many of the figures who wrote to Rabbi Shabbtai Sheinfeld are known to Ganzach Kiddush Hashem as rescue activists, whose collections, or some of them, constitute important parts of the Ganzach Kiddush Hashem archive, for example, of Rabbi Chaim Yisrael Eiss, Aharon (Harry) Goodman, Rabbi Chaim Michael Dov Weissmandel, and more.

These letters complement the previous collections and enable the deepening of knowledge, the cross-referencing of information, and the expansion of the existing picture. Their addition to the archive provides new grounds for research and commemoration.

A “ketiva ve’chatima tova” (a good inscription and sealing in the Book of Life) postcard that Rabbi Scheinfeld received from Rabbi Eliyahu Buchko, whose collection Ganzach Kiddush Hashem received in the last year

Ganzach Kiddush Hashem thanks Mrs. Debbie Schapiro, a family member, for her generous donation

The book – published in one volume in Hebrew, English, and French – presents Mr. Zolty’s history from life before the Holocaust in Berlin, his escape and wanderings, losses, suffering, his hope and faith, and finally about his rescue and the rebuilding of his life.

The book, written by the gifted and greatly talented writer, Rabbi Yaakov Rosenfeld, is another link in the chain of Ganzach Kiddush Hashem’s productions, which strive to reveal to young people and future generations the steadfastness and bravery of the spiritual heroes who stood with strength and heroism in the face of the evil forces of Nazi persecution.

The book is the result of Rabbi Yitzchak Shmuel Shapira’s wonderful research and high-quality writing, and is accompanied by spectacular maps and family trees. Rabbi Shapira, genealogy researcher, historian, and prolific author, and one of the top writers and creators, has since joined the archive and publishing team of Ganzach Kiddush HaShem; from the joint work with the veteran and experienced writers and researchers, grows a rich and fruitful literary crop which is praised by experts on Jewish history.

Between the years 1917-1928 he served as the rabbi of a small community in Baden. In 1928, the family moved to Berlin, where Rabbi Dr. Jakobovits served as a rabbi in the Orthodox synagogue and as a rabbinical judge. The collection contains many items discussing halachic matters concerning the place, discussions regarding the decree on the slaughter and releasing agunot (women whose husband’s whereabouts are unknown or whose husbands will not divorce them).

After WWI, shechita (Jewish religious slaughter) began to be banned in Germany. With the rise of Nazism, the law became comprehensive and spread all over Germany. The authorities forbade slaughtering without stunning the animal first, something that is strictly prohibited by halacha (Jewish law).

The rabbis of Germany got involved in clarifying the halachic issue and whether there is a way to permit stunning so that Jews do not have to stop eating meat. Rabbi Dr. Julius Jakobovits also got involved in the matter, and his collection is full of correspondence with reputed professors to discern the essence of stunning.

A response letter from Professor Dr. Hans Rosenberg about the effects of electrification on the bodies of animals, June 27th, 1933

In 1935, Rabbi Jakobovits sent his son, Immanuel, later the chief rabbi of Britain and a member of the House of Lords, to study at a yeshiva in London. His many letters and postcards that he sent to his parents occupy a significant part of the collection.

On Kristallnacht, when the synagogue was severely damaged, Rabbi Jakobovits took his belongings and immigrated with the rest of his family to London. He also continued his extensive religious activities in Britain, and served as a member of the rabbinical court of the United Synagogue in London.

In addition to this, it appears from the letters in the collection that he was also involved in taking care of the kosher food in places where Jewish children were sent as part of the evacuation of citizens from London during the war years.

Rabbi Dr. Jules Jakobovits passed away on Shvat 17, 5707 (Feb. 7th, 1947) in London

Ganzach Kiddush Hashem is grateful to Debbie Shapiro for her generous donation of this material that enriches our archive and will greatly assist in the study of Jewish communities and the Holocaust, as well as in passing on the legacy of the memory of the Holocaust.