Irving Bunim – a Shabbos Ride to Save Lives
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Yehudah Tzvi Weiss’ story of salvation bears brilliant testimony to the ever present yad Hashem which guides every Jew’s life. | IRVING BUNIM | A Shabbos Ride to Save Lives t was a brisk November Shabbos afternoon in 1940, and Irving Bunim z”l , one of the foremost lay leaders of the IAmerican Orthodox community and the Va’ad Hatzalah, had just sat down to a relaxing Shabbos meal. Suddenly, his front door burst open and two Jews ran in, breathlessly. “Mr. Bunim, quick,” one of the men said, his hands shaking, “there is no time to waste. Rav Shlomo Heiman received a telegram from the roshei yeshivah who escaped to Vilna. We have to rescue a thousand rabbis and their students from the Mirrer, Slabodka, Lubliner, Lubavitch, and other yeshivos or the Russians will kill them. We must help these Jews now. We have to raise $50,000 - today! They have to get permits, secure visas and book passage.” No one spoke as the young rabbi gulped for air. “Please. We still have time. We can get them out - to Japan. But the Russians will not let them go from Vilna to Vladivostok without the cash. G-d forbid, if we do not send them the money immediately, they will never escape!” The second man gestured to the taxi waiting at the curb. “Rav Shlomo Heiman, Rav Moshe Feinstein, and Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz sent us to you. They said we have to make a ‘geruder’ (commotion) in Flatbush. Now! There’s no time 168 * Heroes Of Spirit to wait until after Shabbos. Every day, every minute that we waste can mean the loss of lives.” Mr. Bunim sat in his place stunned. The mere thought of riding in a taxi on Shabbos repelled him. He knew the Torah law, that saving a life supersedes all of Torah law, but Shabbos is the core of Torah life. Yet here were two young rabbanim , speaking in the name of three gedolim , commanding Mr. Bunim to violate the same Shabbos he would give everything to preserve. Mr. Bunim sprang into action. Bidding his family farewell, he jumped into the cab and headed straight for the areas he felt would yield the most money. Then, with a plan formulated in the cab, he began knocking on the doors of the wealthiest and most philanthropic Jews, coaxing, pleading and explaining the gravity of the situation in a way that moved all those who he approached. Mr. Bunim understood these men and knew how to talk to each one in a personal, yet effective, manner. By the next morning they had what they needed; $50,000 in pledges, donations and loans. With Hashem’s help, their Shabbos afternoon efforts paid off. Within a short time, the yeshivah refugees were permitted to travel and they began their journey through the Soviet Union, across the Sea of Japan and into the port of Tsuruga, Japan. But then, a hitch made its way into the works. To their dismay, the refugees quickly discovered that they were stuck. Their Japanese visas were only temporary and would soon expire. It did not appear as if they were going to make it in time and they were in jeopardy of being sent back. On top of that, Japan was an ally of Nazi Germany and the Germans were pressuring them to change their policy of allowing Jews to settle in their territories. A Cry from the Depths * 169 More intervention was necessary, but this time, it was the Japanese themselves who made the ultimate decision. The Japanese high command gathered top-ranking military leaders to interview representatives of the Jewish refugees who had already reached their land, to determine if they should be allowed to remain or if Japan should concede to the German government’s incessant demands. Those scheduled to be interviewed included the Amshinover Rebbe, Rav Shimon Sholom Kalish zt”l and the Lomzer Rav. While the others were told to remain outside, the interview with the Amshinover Rebbe went on for some time. When they finally emerged, though, both the Rebbe and the Japanese were smiling. “What happened inside?” the others asked, curious. “What did they say? What did you say?” The Rebbe looked amused. “Don’t worry, everything is all right.” But the group pressed him. Finally, he responded with great equanimity. “They asked me why the Germans hate us so much,” explained R’ Shimon. It was a legitimate question, one upon which the fate of thousands depended. “And ... what did you say?” they asked. The Rebbe’s eyes twinkled. “I told them the Germans hate Jews because they consider us Orientals too!” He laughed. The Shabbos ride had been a success; the yeshivah students had been saved. They traveled by boat to Shanghai, where they remained studying Torah until the war ended. Among the rescued gedolim from that fateful Shabbos ride, were: the Amshinover Rebbe; Rav Aharon Zalman Sorotzkin zt”l , Lutzker Rav; Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel zt”l , Mirrer Rosh Yeshivah; Rav Shaul Yedidyah Taub zt”l , Modzhitzer Rebbe; Rav Reuven Grozovsky zt”l , Kaminetzer Rosh Yeshivah; Rav 170 * Heroes Of Spirit Avraham Yaffen zt”l , Novaradok Rosh Yeshivah; Rav Yechezkel Levenstein zt”l , mashgiach of the Mir Yeshivah. Torah from the European yeshivos would continue to grow on distant shores. | BELZER REBBE | A Four-Cornered Shemirah s his name and reputation were widespread as a tzaddik and Rebbe of thousands of chassidim, the Nazis ym”s Aincluded the holy Belzer Rebbe, Rav Aharon Rokeach zt”l , on a list of “wanted” individuals. From Belz to Przemyslan, to the Krakow, Bochnia and Budapest ghettos, the Gestapo made his capture a priority among their overall hideous agenda to hunt down and destroy the leaders, and ultimately, the entire multitude of European Jewry. Consequently, the Belzer chassidim established a network of escape routes with which to whisk the Rebbe away to escape harm. In late 1943, on one of his last stopovers before leaving the European continent behind, the Belzer Rebbe, together with his brother, the Bilgoray Rav, Rav Mordechai Rokeach zt”l , secretly arrived in Budapest and were set up in an apartment for a short time. Although he had hoped to remain anonymous so the Germans would be unable to track him down, this noble concept became impossible to achieve. His new home became an unending stream of humanity; chassidim bringing kvitlach , lay leaders wanting to discuss urgent communal matters, and even Hungarian officials and non-Jews paying their respects to the great “ wunder-rabbiner .” Eventually, the chassidim managed to arrange for R’ Aharon to have his own A Cry from the Depths * 171.