Figures from the City of Sosnowiec
This past Tisha B’Av marked 80 years since the murder of the Jews of Sosnowiec, one of the cities of the community of Zaglembie – the nickname of Bendin and its environs
(The Zaglembie region in southwestern Poland encompassed several settlements where the Jews were concentrated in those days. Bendin was the central city, and the cities around it were Sosnowiec, Piaski, Kasawar, Mielowiec, Grawice, Chenczyn, Pinchow, Chmielnik, Staszow, Władysław, Włoszczówa, Wolbrun, Szczuczyn Zarki, Zabrze, Dombrowa, Strzemieszyce, Olkusz, and Czenstochowa )
Every year on Tisha B’Av, the survivors of these communities commemorate the bitter and hasty day when the harvester came upon these old cities and left almost no remnant and refugee in his wrath.
The city of Sosnowiec, formerly the stronghold of Radomsk and Alexander chasidim, was for many years a home for Torah and chasidim. Twenty-nine thousand Sosnowiec Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, about a quarter of the city’s population. Most of them were sent by the Nazis to the crematoria.
On the eightieth anniversary of the liquidation of the Sosnowiec community, we presents chapters from the lives of several figures from this city of glory, the city of the righteous ones of Radomsk; of the Gaon Rabbi Aryeh Leib Fromer of Kozlikow (about whom we have written here before) and other righteous people.
The holy tzaddik Rabbi Shlomo Hanoch Rabinowitz, the Rebbe of Radomsk, may G-d avenge his blood, and his son-in-law the holy genius Rabbi David Moshe Rabinowitz, may G-d avenge his blood, did not separate in their lives and deaths. They ran from the city the chain of yeshivas “Keter Torah”, which included 36 branches and thousands of students studied in them. In Sosnowiec, the yeshiva “Kibbutz Gevoha” operated, headed by the genius Rabbi David Moshe personally, and in which he gave regular lessons. The “Kibbutz Gevoha” was a centre for Torah and teaching, where the best of the mature students and avrechs (married) young men studied. Rabbi David Moshe’s lessons were profound and ingenious and known for their sharpness. Rabbi David Moshe also taught tractates that are not normally taught in yeshivas, such as the tractates of Kodashim and Taharot.
From their history:
The Rebbe of Radomsk, Rabbi Shlomo Hanoch, may G-d avenge his blood
Rabbi Shlomo Hanoch HaCohen Rabinowitz, the fourth in the Radomsk dynasty, was born in the city of Radomsk in the year 5645 (1885) to his father Rabbi Yechezkel HaCohen, the Baal Knesset Yechezkel of Radomesk, son of Rabbi Avraham Yisachar HaCohen, the Baal Chesed L’Avraham of Radomsk, son of Rabbi Shlomo HaCohen, the Baal Tiferet Shlomo, the first of the Radomsk dynasty.
He was educated in the court of his great father, and already at the dawn of his youth he was tremendously talented. He had a wonderful memory and quick perception, with a deep understanding, and a clear knowledge of all the subjects of the Shas (6 orders of the Mishna) and the rulings of Jewish law. He was a great scholar, and always studied Torah for its own sake.
When he came of age, he married his righteous rebbetzin, the daughter of his cousin Rabbi Moshe Elimelech Rabinowitz. After his marriage, he entered the world of commerce, because he did not want to make money from the rabbinate, and all his life he made a living from his hand and did not want to take money from his followers, and not only that, but he dispersed his wealth to charity.
On Cheshvan 18, 5675 (Nov. 7, 1914), his father, the Rebbe, known as the Baal Haknesset Yechezkel of Radomsk, passed aaway and he was crowned in his father’s place at the age of 29.
He was blessed with Torah and greatness in one place, and founded 36 yeshivas all over Poland under the name “Keter Torah” in which over four thousand young men, who excelled in Torah and pure reverence, studied under his clear instruction and enlightening direction. He appointed his son-in-law, Rabbi David Moshe HaCohen Rabinowitz (son of Rabbi Natan Nahum), may G-d avenge his blood, to serve as head of the yeshivas.
The yeshivas were special both in the way they were taught and in how they functioned, and most of the expenses were paid from the Rebbe’s private pocket with the help of important governors who financed from their own pockets, such as Rabbi Shimon Schfingarden z”l, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Rosenfeld z”l, Rabbi Moshe Yaakov Engelstein z”l, and Rabbi Mordechai Birenbaum z”l.
Upon the outbreak of World War II, he resided in the city of Lodz, and he had the opportunity to leave the country of Poland and save himself; many of his followers obtained a place for him on a plane that was about to leave for Greece and from there continue to the Land of Israel, but he refused to leave his community, saying: “Ich vill zein mit aleh Yidden” (I will stay with all the Jews) and moved with his whole family to Warsaw, where he lived in the ghetto in the home of the gentleman, Natan Pinchas Erlich z”l, may G-d avenge his blood.
In the ghetto, he continued with his daily routine as if nothing was happening, and continued with his daily studies, and the organization of gatherings, and many chassidim gathered at his house to draw life from his character and his sayings which were refreshing like cold water on a tired soul.
The Germans, who did not take kindly to these gatherings, stormed his house on Shabbat, the week of the Torah portion of Eikev, Av 18, 5702 (Aug. 1, 1942), and ordered him to go down to the city street together with all his family members. The Rebbe refused and the Nazis shot him and his only daughter, Rebbetzin Reizel, may G-d avenge her blood, and his son-in-law Rabbi David Moshe, may G-d avenge his blood, and 26 more of his chassidim. Let not the earth cover their blood.
(Source: Al HaTzadikim V’Al HaChassidim, with editorial changes)
Our Rebbe merited something that many in that generation did not married: he had a proper Jewish burial in Warsaw.
The wedding invitation of the Rebbe’s daughter to Rabbi David Moshe
The genius Rabbi David Moshe HaCohen Rabinowitz, “Rabbi Mosheli”, may G-d avenge his blood, was born in the year 5666 (1906) to the Rebbe Rabbi Natan Nachum of Krimilov. From his childhood, he was known as a child prodigy, a genius, sharp and knowledgeable, quick to grasp, diligent, and who had an extraordinary memory and burned with love for Torah. In the year 5687 (1927), he married Reizel, may G-d avenge her blood, the only daughter of the Rebbe of Radomsk, Rabbi Shlomo Hanoch HaCohen, may G-d avenge his blood. He was close to his father-in-law, devoted to his studies for twenty hours a day, and he invested all his energies in it. He learned a lot of the tractate of Kodashim; he was incredibly well versed in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Mishna, as well as the Tosfot Safra, Sifri commentaries, the Mechilta, and Rishonim and Acharonim (the earlier and later rabbinic commenatires). He strove to reach the truth of Torah and to innovate in-depth Torah thoughts in all religious subjects, containing original, daring, and surprising ideas emerging from diving into the sea of the Talmud. He was the head of “Kibbutz Gevoha” yeshiva in Sosnowiec, and in the year 5689 (1929), he was appointed the head of all 36 “Ketar Torah” yeshivas. He was the right hand of his holy father-in-law in teaching the Torah to thousands of students and one of the greatest Torah teachers of his generation. Every year, he visited all of the “Keter Torah” network yeshivas in order to conduct annual exams for the students and outline the way of learning the Torah and the order of study for all the students in the network of yeshivas. After the exams, he participated in “Mitzvah meals” in each of the yeshivas and spoke many Torah words, which contained words of Agada (legends) and Chassidism. He regularly and devotedly gave intense Torah lessons twice a week in “Kibbutz Gevhora” in Sosnowiec, and he prepared his lessons with all his energy and with great responsibility. His lessons were known in the Torah world as the work of a craftsman with great sharpness and proficiency, combining the knowledge of the Rishonim and Acharonim. The great men of the generation praised him and spoke of his greatness in the Torah and his genius in his wonderful Torah thoughts, and he became known as a genius all over Poland. He was loved and admired by his students, and he loved them. He was interested in the lives of each of them and would strengthen them and help them in personal conversations. The rabbi was a man of kindness, humility, with a pleasant demeanor, who never got angry, was friendly, modern, and noble. Every day he would pray with great devotion and enthusiasm, raising his body and soul. After the death of Rabbi Meir Shapira, head of the head of the Chachmei Lublin yeshiva in 5694 (1933), the yeshiva management offered Rabbi David Moshe the position of head of the yeshiva, despite his young age, but he preferred to reject this offer out of his commitment to the students of the “Keter Torah” network, in general, and to the students of the yeshiva in Sosnowiec, in particular. In 5697 (1937), his only son, Avraham Elimelech Yechezkel Aharon z”l, fell ill and died.
On the grave of Rabbi David Moshe’s son, it says:
Here lies the precious child from the dynasty of Avraham Elimelech Yechezkel Aharon HaCohen z”l, son of the famous genius rabbi, Rabbi David Moshe HaKohen, the Rabbi of Zawiercie and the Rabbi of Radomsk, the Baal HaKnesset Yechezkel and the Baal HaChessed L’Avraham, and the Tiferet Shlomo, who was cut off from his father in his third year of life.
Avraham, the envy of our hearts, you blossomed like a rose, how you are plucked at the moment.
Kings and ministers sing bitterly about the measure of judgment that struck.
Yehezkel ben (son of) Pazi, who for greatness was created and majesty and splendor you wore,
Aharon HaCohen in the Holy Temple, how did you suddenly get kidnapped?
We lost a precious stone and our eyes are shedding tears without pause, for the loss of a precious pearl of precious light. He was invaluable. He left us to sigh and he went to rest.
He passed away and was buried on the Shvat 24, the eve of Shabbat on the week of the Torah portion of Mishpatim, 5697 (1937). May his soul be bound in the bonds of life.
Apparently, following this disaster, the Rebbe of Radomsk ordered his son-in-law to stop the publication of many of his new books that were already ready for printing, including “Birkat Cohen” on Tractate Brachott, “Simchat Cohen” on Tractate Beitza, “Avodat Cohen” on Tractate Yoma,” Minchat Cohen” on Tractate Minchot, “Tamurat Cohen” on Tractate Tamura, “Bikurei Cohen” on Tractate Bikurim, and many other books. Most of Rabbi David Moshe’s books were lost in the Holocaust, and only a small part of his Torah thoughts were published in the book “Zivchei Cohen” on Tractate Zevachim and in various Torah journals , including the series “Keter Torah.” In 5699 (1939), Rabbi David Moshe planned to visit Jerusalem with his sister Freidel and his brother-in-law, Rabbi Hanoch Bornstein, who was later the Rebbe of Sochaczew. But this was not possible due to the outbreak of World War II. During the war, the rabbi was imprisoned with many of his brethren in the Warsaw ghetto, and there he continued to discuss Torah thoughts with the sages of his generation, including the genius Rabbi Menachem Ziemba, may G-d avenge his blood. He continued to study Torah day and night, to come up with Torah thoughts, and to write down many essays which were prepared as books. He was pained by the loss of his writings in the Holocaust and wrote to one of his students: “I am asking you to keep the wisdom that you have from a long time ago when you studied at a ‘Kibbutz Gevoha,’ and I will also ask you to collect wisdom from the rest of the members,” and he added “and when the world returns to its repair after this terrible destruction, I may be able to assisted by these Torah thoughts. In another letter he wrote to his students during those difficult and terrible days in the Warsaw ghetto that “it is fitting that the students should make an effort to gather and study together, and each one should strengthen his brother”. On the evening of Tisha B’Av 5702 (1942), Rabbi David Moshe began working at the “Shultz” shoe factory, but a few days later, on Shabbat Av 18, 5702 (Aug. 1, 1942), he was killed by the cursed German murderers in sanctification of G-d’s Name together with his father-in-law (the Rebbe) and their families. He was about 36 years old when he died. May G-d avenge his blood.
The Gaon (genius) of Tshebin (Trzebinia), Rabbi Dov Beirish Weidenfeld, said that “If Rabbi David Moshe, may G-d avenge his blood, had been privileged to live longer, he would surely be considered one of the greats of our generation.” In 5714 (1954), the articles of Rabbi David Moshe were compiled and published in Torah journals and published in the book “Shivchei Cohen.” Later, they were printed again with additions in the book “Birkat Shlomo”. Additional Torah thoughts on several tractates were collected from the monthly journal “Keter Torah” and were published in the year 5749 (1989) in the book “Torat Ha’Olot”.
(Source: Toratecha Lo Shachachti)
For more articles in the series 80 Years Since the Murder of the Jews of Sosnowiec, please click here.
