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.
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.
