Between Kosow and Vizhnitz…
By: Yaakov Rosenfeld, Ganzach Kiddush Hashem
In the year 5673 (1922-3), exactly 100 years ago, the genius and holy Rabbi Baruch Hager, later the Seret-Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Haifa, was crowned as the rabbi of the village of Polien Riskwa (Poienile de sub Munte) in the Marmorosh region of the Carpathian mountains.
Rabbi Baruch Hager of Seret-Vizhnitz
In the Carpathian mountains, the holy Baal Shem Tov’s movement (Chassidism) was particularly unique. There, between Kosow and Vizhnitz, is the spring where the Baal Shem Tov immersed.
There, among the Carpathian groves, in front of breathtaking views, at the foot of the mountains, which in winter are covered with snow and in spring wear a fresh decoration in the many shades of dark and light green, a beautiful village is hidden and its name is Polien Riskwa.
A beautiful Jewish community existed in this village, until the Holocaust came and brought an end to almost a thousand of its Jewish residents who were deported or killed, each to his own fate.
The Rebbe, Rabbi Baruch Hager, whose first rabbinical posting was in this village when he was less than thirty years old, endeared himself to the members of his congregation and they devoted themselves to the warmth and love that emanated from his personality in every situation.
He served for a few years in Polien, and in the year 5688 (1927-8) Rabbi Baruch became the rabbi of the town of Katzman in the Czernowitz district, where he served until the year 5696 (1935-6), when he rose to serve as a rabbi and rebbe for thousands of chassidim and students in the city of Seret until the outbreak of the Holocaust. There, he suffered indescribably, and there the extent of his stature was revealed as a compassionate and kind father, with a kind heart, who devoted himself entirely for the Jews suffering from the horrors of the exterminations, and even put his life on the line more than once to take a stand for the salvation of Jews who were in danger.
A year before the outbreak of the Holocaust, at the height of the freezing winter, he travelled to Bucharest to lobby in government circles for the repeal of the law that prohibited closing shops. This trip, which he made while suffering from a fever that attacked him, was very harmful to his health and from that point on, he suffered from a serious lung disease from which he was never cured.
The days of wrath
The suffering experienced by the weak and sick Rebbe during the years of the Holocaust is indescribable. For long periods he was under arrest, and upon opportunities to save himself through bribery, he gave them up out of the love for his fellow Jews that burned within him. He was a faithful shepherd and gave warmth and love, courage and strength to thousands of Jews who found comfort and support in him.
In the town of Dzhurin, to which the Rebbe was exiled by the Germans, he remained under arrest for about two years, and during this time his house was open to poor and broken-hearted Jews, of whom there was no shortage at the time. He established underground cheders, mikvahs, and various secret religious services. He made superhuman efforts to inject rays of light of hope into the hearts of the Jews and at the same time continued his holy work; He studied and prayed and was a leader. On Shabbat and holidays he sang and sprinkled dew of revival onto the dry bones; without him, they would have sunk into the abyss of doom and despair. These actions of his did not please the Nazi government, and he was arrested one day and led by policemen into the unknown.
The meaning of this arrest was clear. He was going to be taken to a place from which no one else had returned until then…
While traveling, his guards noticed two Jews looking for food in the field. The police caught the Jews, handcuffed their hands and feet and pointed guns at them. Another moment and they would have joined the millions of their brothers whose blood had become a free for all. The Rebbe didn’t think much, jumped up, and pounced on the commander crying and begging: “Kill me instead of them, please.” He hugged the policeman’s boots while he burst into tears.
Miraculously, the murderer had mercy and the souls of the two Jews were saved.
In the end, after much intercession and prayers, the Rebbe was released from his arrest and returned to his holy work.
After the liberation, he moved to Czernowitz, where he worked extensively amongst the Holocaust survivors. He established a Talmud Torah in Dorohi, he also worked a lot with the survivors in Bucharest and Brasov.
His name as a great Torah and teacher, a faithful shepherd and a merciful father, became famous all over the world, and shortly after the liberation, the Jews of Belgium approached him and asked to crown him as their rabbi and teacher. The request came from the two communities that were rivals at the time: Shomrai HaDat and Machzikei HaDat. They agreed to unite and make peace between them – if the revered Rebbe would come to serve as their rabbi and guiding light.
But the Rebbe – his soul’s desire was to move to the Land of Israel.
And so, after many sorrows and upheavals, in the month of Sivan 5707 (spring 1947), 74 years ago, he was granted the gift of going to his ancestral homeland, and there was no limit to his happiness and joy.
The red Haifa is becoming paler
In Israel, the Rebbe pitched his tent and his holy court in Red Haifa. His ambition was to shine a light of holiness and faith in the secular Haifa, and with a joy that could not be surpassed he would say “Here the red Haifa is becoming paler”.
In Haifa he established a large yeshiva called “Yachel Yisrael”, where Holocaust survivors studied. His yeshiva was a foundational point for the whole neighborhood and many were warmed by its light.
The Seret-Vizhnitzer Rebbe, an ember from the flames, was able to establish a great and glorious chassidic center in Haifa, with many branches throughout Israel, the United States, and Europe.
The Rebbe, with his leadership, loved those near and far to G-d, established a movement of a return to Torah and saved many from sinning.
The Rebbe was a pleasant, wise man, whose words were heard everywhere and his ways were a guidining light for the paths of hundreds of thousands.
“For I Am Lovesick” (Song of Songs 5:8)
And here is an account of Seret-Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Baruch’s life, during the starting period of his leadership in the new Vizhnitz community in Haifa, during the days when Haifa was full of heartbroken Holocaust survivors who could not find themselves after everything they had experienced and what they had lost during the war.
Shabbat night.
On the winding uphill road of Wadi Rushmiya, a young Jew, a Holocaust survivor, drove heavily, his head empty of thoughts.
He lost everything he had, he had already seen everything, and here he was in the Land of Israel. In the Holocaust he lost his father, mother, brothers, and sisters; In the Holocaust, he lost the beautiful days of his youth and lost his G-d as well… From a yeshiva boy, G-d-fearing ,and a smart student, he became a cheerful and tanned secular young man, shedding every Jewish mark from himself and constantly convinced himself that he was no longer a believer. “He is not interested in anything.”
The starry sky was above him and the great Haifa spread out at his feet; from here the port of Haifa and the refineries could be seen, and from there he notices the lit synagogue of the Seret-Vizhnitzer Rebbe. He had never seen this synagogue and the Rebbe certainly did not know him, nor did the young man want to know him, but out of curiosity, or emptiness, or both, he decided to park his car near the synagogue and with hesitant steps entered, his head covered with a casket style hat and his eyes stared, looking everywhere.
There was light inside, and songs of the holy Shabbat filled the hall.
The young man stood thrilled and his heart poured out.
“Nishmat kol chai ve’gam na’aritzecha” (the soul of every living thing and we will also worship you)… The sounds went and traveled through his soul, cutting through his limbs. “Kah Ribon olam v’olmaya” (G-d is Lord forever and ever)… everyone sang, everyone was glued to the top. Their eyes were closed and they were all full of excitement and enthusiasm, and he, watched, pondered, and knew that he was not one of them. He had lost everything and he had lost this too.
“Shabbat kodesh, nefashot Yisrael betzel kanfecha yechasiyun” (Holy Sabbath, Israel’s souls are under the shadow of your wings)… The melody rose and fell, rose and fell.
“All the innermost secrets…”
Nice, the young man remarked to himself at the end of the “tish” (chassidic gathering with the Rebbe). Beautiful and exciting, but I don’t belong here.
And there, everyone passed in front of the Rebbe and said “Gut Shabbos”, and he also decided to pass by the Rebbe.
He was already standing before the Rebbe. Their eyes met and the Rebbe stopped and looked at him, and said to him “Gut Shabbos”. And the Rebbe’s eyes were so warm, so loving, and the Rebbe reached out to him and squeezed him warmly and asked how he was, and something melted in him. He felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Another moment and he felt like crying. He turned to leave but the Rebbe did not let go.
The Rebbe accompanied him with loving eyes and this young man already understood that he had not felt this feeling of simple and pure Jewish love for several years.
He was a true man, he never liked to lie, and that’s why he felt the need to turn on his heels and reveal to the Rebbe that he was desecrating the Sabbath. That he was not worthy of his love.
“Rebbe!” he whispered, “I came here by car and intend to return from here by car.”
The words came out of his mouth and the Holy Rebbe pounced on him with a strong and long hug and said to him:
Zolst kumen ven du vilst un vi zoy du vist’ ober zolst kumen! (come whenever and however you would like, but come!)
And the boy burst into violent tears, unrestrained.
That’s how the two stood hugging and their eyes flowed with tears.
And the young man left his car outside there, and walked home. The next day he also arrived, on foot, and at shaleshudis (the third Shabbat meal). And in the end he stayed.
With all his heart and soul he returned to his people and his G-d, and after some time he was able to establish a faithful home in Israel and was able to see the world in his life.
At the time of his passing from the world, old and full of days, with dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren surrounded him, among them scholars and authors of books, and they played soulful songs. Themelody filled the space of the small room; the melody went up and down, up and down. This was the Seret-Vizhnitzer Rebbe’s tune from that Shabbat night, when the young Holocaust survivor returned to his people, to himself, and to his God.
This is one of many stories of the Rebbe who exactly 100 years ago, while still a young man of less than thirty, was first crowned as a rabbi in the magical and picturesque village of Polien Riskwa in the Carpathians, and since then, throughout all points of his life, he did not cease to shower warmth and love on thousands of Jews who came to his door, who benefited from his advice and resourcefulness, and aquired from him treasures of knowledge and fear of G-d, streams of faith and kinship with G-d.
