Oibervishava, A Magical and Pious Town in the Carpathian Mountains

On the eve of the Holocaust, 4269 Jews lived in this town, about fifty kilometers east of Sighet. Most of the community were Torah and mitzvah observant, chasidic and strict in their mitzvah observance, and a large and well-known yeshiva was established there.

At the end of the month of Iyar 5704 (spring 1944), the Nazi harvester came upon this peaceful, beautiful, and pious town, and its Jews were deported to Auschwitz, where they were killed in sanctification of G-d’s Name.

For many years, at least from the year 5600 (1839-1840, according to the records), Jews lived in Oibervishava, which is now called Viseu de Sus in Romanian (Oberwischau in German and Felsoviso in Hungarian), and where famous tzaddikim (righteous men) served as rabbis and heads of the yeshiva. For a long period of time, the genius Rabbi Eliezer David Friedman, known as the “Keren LeDavid,” lived there and served as the rabbi and head of the rabbinical court.

The Vishava Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager z”l, ran a large and magnificent chasidic court in Oibervishava and many chasidim frequented his residence and his holy court.

In the year 5681 (1920-1) Rabbi Menachem Mendel was appointed to serve as the rabbi and head of the rabbinical court the town, and invested his physical and mental strength in its success and its upliftment.

For the sake of the yeshiva, which at its peak numbered 400 students, he sailed to the United States, where he was received with honor and dignity.

In 5700 (1939-40), when the Hungarians took over the city, the Jews suffered greatly from persecution and antisemitism, and many of them were arrested on the claim of them being communists.

Among the Jews who were arrested was the revered rabbi, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager z”l, and as a result of his arrest and the suffering he experienced, he died a short time after his release.

Beit Yisrael World Yeshiva in Oibervishava

(From Rabbi Menachem Breyer’s description in his article “The Yeshivas in Romania”, from the “Daat” website).

The yeshiva was founded in the year 5681 (1920-1) by the rabbi of Oibervishava, the Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager z”l, son of the Ahavat Yisrael Rebbe of Vizhnitz z”l.

The Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Hager of of Vishava and hsi son, Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Mayer

The town sat between the western Carpathian mountains and was made famous by its great yeshiva and rabbi, Rabbi Menachem Mendel, who was energetic and a wonderful organizer. Under his influence and with the help of thousands of his loyal followers, the rabbi built a magnificent and spacious building for the yeshiva, which was named after his father, Rabbi Yisrael z”l of Vizhnitz. The yeshiva was located in a town far from any large city or Jewish population, and there wasn’t even a train station there yet upon the yeshiva’s establishment.

The number of students at the Oibervishava yeshiva exceeded 300, all handsome boys dressed in chasidic clothing, who combining Torah and chasidism in their lives. Like his brothers in Viznica (Vizhnitz) and Seret in Bukovina, Rabbi Menachem Mendel tried to give his yeshiva a good reputation, and even obtained a license from the Romanian government in 1933. It was the first yeshiva in Maramures that was approved by the Ministry of Education in Bucharest. That year, the yeshiva already had a new building with three floors, dozens of spacious rooms, arranged comfortably. In 1938 “the number of students was 348, four young men were rabbinically ordained, seven were appointed assistants to rabbis, sixteen became shochets (ritual slaughterers).

As early as 1931, the rabbi installed a woodworking workshop in the yeshiva, which grew over time. In 1938 there were 152 students working in this workshop. The other students also trained to work in various jobs.

The study program mainly consisted of Gemara with the commentaries of Rashi, Tosfot, and other major rabbis, and the studies were aimed at obtaining a teaching permit.

At the yeshiva, a Torah monthly magazine called “Degal HaTorah” (The Flag of the Torah) was published, in which rabbis and the best of the students participated.

The administrators of the yeshiva were:

-The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager z”l.

-His two sons, the rabbinical judge Rabbi D. Vreis z”l, and another person from the community – they all taught for the sake of teaching and not to recieve merit.

-For external studies – woodworking and agriculture – four special teachers were appointed.

The yeshiva received support from the “Yeshivot Fund” founded by Prof. Chavkin, and according to the rabbi, the yeshiva’s purpose was: “To raise a foundation of Torah and work and the way of the land.”

The students were admitted to the yeshiva for free, and it provided them with all their needs. In 1938, among the students were also eight refugees from the Hitlerite Ashkenaz (Germany), where the evil will rot (from a report of the yeshiva).

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vishava when he was in Antwerp, Belgium

The yeshiva in Oibervishava lost its captain, Rabbi Hager z”l, on the 13th of Tevet 5700 (Dec. 25, 1939), and it continued functioning until approximately 5703 (1942-3) when it was eliminated during the extermination period with the deportations to Auschwitz and the rest of the concentration camps.