Tamuz 5764 • June 2004 U.S.A. $3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXVII/NO. 6

CLICK HERE FOR TABLE OF CONTENTS THEJJewishewish Tamuz 5764 • June 2004 OOBSERBSERVERVER U.S.A.$3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXVII/NO. 6

THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021- 6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel of This is the full Table of Contents of the print edition of the America, 42 Broadway, , NY10004. Periodicals postage paid in Jewish Observer. The web edition contains only a selection of New York, NY. Subscription $24.00 per articles (indicated in COLOR). Click on the title to go to the year; two years, $44.00; three years, $60.00. Outside of the United States beginning of that article. Navigate using your browser’s menu (US funds drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 surcharge per year. Single and other options. 25 copy $3.50; foreign $4.50. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Observer, 42 Broadway, NY, NY 10004. Tel: 212-797-9000, Fax: IKVESA DE’MESHICHA - HEARING THE FOOTSTEPS... 646-254-1600. Printed in the U.S.A. 6 Learning the Lessons… or Living Them Again,

RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR Nisson Wolpin

EDITORIAL BOARD RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Chairman 11 “Don’t Take Our School Away,” Mayaan Jaffe RABBI ABBA BRUDNY 14 Rabbi Avrohom Kalmanowitz l”xz, 40 Years After His Passing, JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI YISROEL MEIR KIRZNER Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum RABBI PROF. AARON TWERSKI THE GENERATION AFTER CHURBAN EUROPE – PLUS ONE DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER Z”L RABBI MOSHE SHERER Z”L 23 “Aneinu… For We Are in Great Distress” – Today, Founders Rabbi Elkanah Schwartz MANAGEMENT BOARD AVI FISHOF, NAFTOLI HIRSCH 25 The Mystery of 1964, Rabbi Yaakov Salomon ISAAC KIRZNER, RABBI SHLOMO LESIN NACHUM STEIN 29 The Survivor, Mrs. Naomi Lobl RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING 30 Avoda Mitoch Atzvus –Serving Hashem Amidst Sadness, Managing Editor Rabbi Yaakov Shlomo Weinberg Published by Agudath Israel of America BOOKS IN REVIEW U.S. TRADE DISTRIBUTOR ISRAELI REPRESENTATIVE Feldheim Publishers Intnl. Media Placement 200 Airport Executive Park POB 7195 / 97 Jaffa Road 36 Rabbi Solomon Schonfeld:“Hero” – Or “A Life Fully Lived”? Nanuet, NY 10954 94340, ISRAEL by Rabbi Moshe Eisemann – on Dr. David Kranzler’s Holocaust Hero

BRITISH REPRESENTATIVE BELGIAN REPRESENTATIVE M.T. Bibelman Mr. E. Apter 38 The “Cantonist” Epoch in Tsarist Russia, by Rabbi Hillel Grosvenor Works Lange Kievitstr. 29 Goldberg – on Dr. Larry Domnitz’s The Jewish Children’s Army of the Tsar Mount Pleasant Hill 2018 Antwerp London E5 9NE, ENGLAND BELGIUM 40 The Depth and Beauty of Yerushalayim, by Rabbi Boruch Leff – on FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE SOUTH AFRICAN Rabbi Moshe Eisemann’s Harp Strings and Heart Strings Rabbi Bamberger REPRESENTATIVE 21 Boulevard Paixhans Mr. V. Taback 57000 Metz PO Box 51552, FRANCE Raedene, Johannesburg ON THE AGENDA 2124 SOUTH AFRICA SWISS REPRESENTATIVE Mr. S. Feldinger 46 A Torah,Not a Template, Rabbi Avi Shafran Leimanstrasse 36 4051 Basel, SWITZERLAND Statement of Policy THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the The Jewish Observer has devoted a great deal of trolled to every possible degree, our gedolim rec- Kashrus of any product, space to the perils of the Internet and to the need ognize that many people and businesses require publication, or service advertised for everyone to be extremely vigilant in its use. its use, and therefore it has not been banned. This in its pages We have echoed the pleas of our gedolim that it is why we accept advertisements listing website should not be in use, unless it is an unavoidable addresses, but in no way does this imply that the © Copyright 2004 necessity, and then only with all suitable safeguards. gedolim or The Jewish Observer condone casual While its dangers must be recognized and con- use of the Internet. June 2004 VOLUME XXXVII/NO. 6 SUBSCRIBE TO THE JEWISH OBSERVER! CLICK HERE. IKVESA DEMESHICHA / HEARING THE FOOTSTEPS Nisson Wolpin

NON-TRANQUIL TIMES tors of hideous crimes rarely even get a intervention of America, under the slap on the wrist. Moreover, anti- (unpopular) leadership of President n times of crisis, we tend to fall back Semitism has become common in many Richard Nixon, did Israel receive a on our old, faithful support systems European countries, once again. timely shipment of arms to help it over- I– or safety nets, if you will. A drop On yet a different level, sense of shame come the invading forces. Yes,Israel did in income? There are savings in the bank. and decency in America has eroded to win the military battle, but where did this Evicted from your apartment? Parents, the point of nonexistence. Some states leave us? relatives or close friends will open are considering recognizing1 same- After the victory, oil prices in America their doors for you. The SUV is out of gender marriages, legitimizing that reached unprecedented levels, and part- commission? Take the sedan. Or a cab. which the Torah terms repulsive. ly as a result, the cost of sugar, coffee and Or a bus. Leading firms’ CEOs as well as elected other imported goods spiraled upward. The same is true on the national level, and appointed officials have been con- Jews in general and Israelis in particular as well as in the international arena. victed of insider trading, embezzlement, were no one’s hero. In fact, the slogan on Dedicated allies, loyal trade partners, like- and fraud, leading to a society where some streets was: “Don’t burn oil, burn minded coalition members, alternative “almost anything goes.” Jews.” The sense of desperation was an suppliers of vital materials. Someone is Is there a lesson for us to learn, a mes- unspoken “Where do we go from here?” usually there to step in or bail you out sage the Creator is sending to us through At the national convention of in your desperate situation. the flow of events? Agudath Israel of America that Usually…. Hopefully…. Most of the November, the late Rosh Hayeshiva, time, anyway. THROUGH THE LENS Rabbi Moshe Feinstein l”xz, addressed The current era hardly consists of OF A DIFFERENT CRISIS the situation: tranquil times. On the international This is a time of crisis for Israel, but scene, no country is truly secure from ust over 30 years ago, we were going we must not lose faith. The Torah terrorist activity. Specifically, America through a similarly confusing, instructs us, “Be wholehearted with stands almost alone in its intervention Jthreatening down-spin, during and Hashem your G-d”(Devarim 18,13), and in Iraq. The nation itself is torn by uncer- in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War. Rashi comments that we should not tainty regarding foreign policy as well as On that fateful Day of Atonement in speculate as to the future, but rather, we domestic priorities. The economy is 1973/5734, Arab armies had sprung a must realize that we are in good hands. unstable. The price of oil has reached multi-pronged surprise attack on Israel. Wars do not follow natural guide- unprecedented heights. Part of the Israeli leadership panicked, lines. They are fully miraculous events Similarly, Israel is isolated in the world and the invincible hero, General Moshe and are directly manipulated by the community and is roundly condemned Dayan, exclaimed,“We are on the brink Hand of G-d. I shall cite just two his- for any pre-emptive strike against ded- of the Third Churban!” Only through the torical events that bear this out: Under icated murderers, while Arab perpetra- 1 Massachusetts already has. natural conditions, Bar Kochba, whose

6 The Jewish Observer, June 2004 forces were stronger than the Roman THE MISHNA’S LESSONS “my might and the power of my army, should have been victorious over FOR THE WAR’S AFTERMATH hand” are nonexistent.3 the Romans. He erred, however, when Not having absorbed the message of he asked Hashem not to interfere eb Moshe pointed out that peo- those earlier events, the Master of the with the course of the battle by help- ple generally feel reasonably World has “kept us after school,” so to ing either him or the enemy. For this Rsecure when the social, political speak, to continue teaching us our les- he was punished, and vanquished and economic support systems of their son, with even greater emphasis than in (Gittin 57a and Midrash Rabba Eicha lives are in place. But should each of these the past. 2:4). One cannot say,“I’ll do it alone,” props be knocked away from them, they but rather one must be fully aware that come to the realization that “We have no MESSAGES FROM HISTORY “Hashem is the Master of war” and one to rely upon but our Father in – REPEATED AGAIN directs all warfare without even the Heaven.” Indeed, he declared, what we guise of a natural order. had been experiencing was a living n the thirty-plus years since the Rosh By contrast, Yehonasan, with only embodiment of that Mishna’s lesson. ’s distillation of the lessons of his weapons carrier to assist him, took Reb Moshe then referred to the Ithat war, we still have not absorbed on the Philistine Army, saying,“There usual setting of absorbing a lesson – the the message, and the very same lessons is nothing preventing Hashem from classroom. Once the teacher has clari- are as timely as ever. Today’s society in delivering the enemy, whether to many fied the relevant concept, and the proofs general, and the Jewish community in or to few”– and, indeed, they were vic- have been enumerated, the conclusions particular, are being haunted by the very torious (Shmuel I, 14,6). Of course, as should be clear. The students are tested same crisis situations, only with much a rule, one must not rely on miracles. on the material. If they pass the test, fine. greater intensity. Yet,Yehonasan did, even in war, out of When the dismissal bell rings, they can Let us survey today’s scene from the the fullest realization that nothing in go home. But should an inattentive or perspective of the Mishna’s description: warfare is ever short of the miraculous.2 distracted student not respond proper- • In a society built on people’s basic The Rosh Hayeshiva lamented the fact ly to the questions, the rebbi or teacher decency and etiquette, we are con- that we, too, attributed the Israeli victory will keep him after school. His friends stantly being confronted with an “in- to its military prowess. That was the wrong may wait impatiently in the playground your-face” mode of expression. In the lesson to gain from the course of events. while the teacher repeats the lesson – with words of the Mishna,“Chutzpa yasgei – He drew from the Mishna at the end of greater emphasis, underscoring the insolence will increase… and meeting Mesechta Sota to show the folly of relying bases for the conclusions. The student places will be used for immoral purposes. on one’s own strength. The Mishna squirms and sweats. Will he learn and pass Those who fear sin will be despised.” describes the era known as “Ikvesa the test? • There was a time when elders were deMeshicha”– literally, the Footsteps of In regard to our own situation in 1973, respected, and their experience was Messiah, when people can, so to speak, hear said Reb Moshe: valued. Not in this era of the Youth his footfalls as he draws near: After suffering material and spiri- Culture. We can again quote the Mishna: With the footsteps of the Messiah, tual deprivations, the Mishna predicts “Youths will shame old men and old men insolence will increase, and inflation will that we will come to realize that we can will stand up for youngsters.” soar; the vine will give its fruit but wine rely only on Hashem.All the suffering • Remember when prices were stable, will be dear; and the government will we endure until then is geared toward people were sober, and investments were be guilty of betrayal, and there will be bringing us to this ultimate realization, secure? But today, addictions are common, no rebuke; meeting places will be used and the sooner we come to it, the soon- and in the case of some key needs such as for immorality…; border dwellers er will we be spared more lessons. oil, housing and dairy products, inflation will wander about from city to city, During the War of ’67, we were is rampant. Says the Mishna:“Inflation will without pity; the knowledge of schol- exposed to the Hand of G-d. Had we soar, the vine will give its fruit, but ars will be lost; those who fear sin will all been fully aware of what we had wit- [because of demand] wine will be dear.” be despised, and the truth will be hid- nessed and the impact of all the sto- •The government in America was den; youths will shame old men and ries we had heard, if we but had learned once popular, the political and financial old men will stand up for youngsters; the lessons that He is the only source leaders were respected and trusted, and the face of the generation will be like of our victory, we would not have need- the ruling coalition in Israel had been the face of the dog; [and] the son is not ed this recent war – the Yom Kippur voted in by a vast majority. But currently, ashamed before his father. On whom War – to awaken us! the opposite is true in case after case. can we rely? [Only] on our Father in As long as we persist in attributing Headlines scream of betrayal of the Heaven. success to “my might and the power of interests of investors by America’s 2 Translation, as published in The Jewish my hand,” we are still in need of fur- corporate heads and the trust of vot- Observer,Nov. ’73. ther lessons that there is no such thing; 3 From the same article

The Jewish Observer, June 2004 7 ers by political leaders. [At this writ- on the part of the NEC Business plaza below on Erev Rosh Hashana, esca- ing, today’s paper – The New York Times, Network Solutions, and the demand lating to rashes of devastating suicide May 28, ’04 – reports of the indictment that it be charged with $20.7 million bombings. As the Mishna had predict- of the former governor of Alabama for in fines and restitution.] It is precise- ed: “The border dwellers will wander corruption and bid-rigging; more on ly as the Mishna predicted: “The gov- about… without pity.” Connecticut’s governor’s mishandling ernment will turn to heresy [that is, • The courts of law and the legisla- of funds; the Federal Reserve’s order to betrayal of its mission], and there will tures had honored morality, at least as Citigroup to pay $70 million for abus- be no rebuke [or review by the courts] a basis of society. And while visual and es in personal and mortgage loans; the of the accusations.” dramatic arts violate all respectful lim- civil suit against Richard A. Grasso, for- • Israel’s borders were once secure, but itations, at least the villain got his mer head of the NY Stock Exchange, no longer. In the three-and-a-half years comeuppance in drama and literature. that he repay more than $100 million since the Intafada was launched, the vio- But no more. As the Mishna said it: of his “excessive” $139.5 million pay lence began with stones hurled over the “Those who fear sin will be despised, and package; and the corruption and waste wall from the Temple Mount onto the the truth be hidden.” • The authority of the was once uncontested. And pursuit of Torah knowledge was long considered the highest calling among Jews, based on a millennia-old system and sacred tradi- tion. But in Israel, the virulently anti-reli- gious Shinui Party has instituted a radical reduction in government support for Torah-study institutions, cutting off stipends to hundreds of heretofore thriving kollelim, as well as shrinking vital allocations to elementary and second- ary schools and for essential religious hen we first opened our doors, we set out to build a first class, out- services and salaries for personnel. of-town yeshivah - including a , bais midrash and . We Don’t we hear echoes of the Mishna’s pre- Wselected only superb mechanchim for our limudei kodesh staff. We scient comment? – “The knowledge of accepted the applications of only the finest talmidim, high caliber bnei Torah scholars will be lost.” with excellent midos and a desire to “shteig” in learning. We established a solid So the lessons come home. In the Regents-accredited general studies program. And the Mesivta flourished. absence of conventional supports for a Since then, we expanded our facilities twice. Finally, we purchased a large life of decency, integrity, and security, the building and launched a campaign to prepare it for our future needs. conclusion should be incontrovertible: But the future has caught up to us. We ran out of space “On whom can we rely? [Only] on our right in the middle of our building campaign. Father in Heaven.” For this year’s pressing needs, we renovated three floors for our dormi- THE LESSONS COME HOME tory. We are now in Phase II of the campaign, which will give us a new beis midrash, kitchen and dining facilities, classrooms, rustration and disillusion should multi-purpose rooms, offices and much more. not lead to despair, only to a reap- Reserve your share in the most Fpraisal of where our trust and alle- exciting new Torah institution in the giances are to be assigned. Once we learn New York area. the lessons, we will not be “kept after school” by a Taskmaster Who does not relish repeating the message with yet more dramatic exposition. Our under-

MESIVTA & BAIS MEDRASH OF standing of the dynamics of survival BEACH should make it unnecessary for Him to ayhc iyvbn’s arsn ,hcu t,ch,n reinforce our recognition that: “On Y ESHIVA B AIS S HIMON whom can we rely? [Only] on our Dedication Opportunities Registration & Information Father in Heaven.” Neither governments nor financial systems, neither society’s 718.368.1404 718.368.1333 innate decency nor its sense of respect

8 The Jewish Observer, June 2004 will make us secure. We will look only to Him to keep us safe and secure. Perhaps we might gain a bit more insight by reviewing one of the incidents that was recorded in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War, as reported by the late Rabbi Shraga Grossbard l”xz, then head of Israel’s Chinuch Atzmai educational system: In a shul in Zichron Moshe, a young man, after being called up to the Torah, bentched goimel – the blessing to G-d for having survived a life-threat- ening situation. I asked him what had occurred. He began his reply in mat- ter-of-fact tones, but he quickly choked with emotion: Simcha Guidelines “The other three who were with me in the tank were not religious, so I was THE VORT • The menu for the seuda is limited to 3 alone in my Tehillim saying. Then a • The Vort celebration is to be courses followed by a regular dessert. shell struck the hatch, and, in effect, discontinued. The L’chaim (held at sealed us inside. The tank started to • No Viennese table and no bar. the time that the engagement is burn, and we realized that there was no THE MUSIC escape. announced) should also not turn into a “The others eyed me anxiously, and Vort. • A band may consist of a maximum of one of them broke out with a plea, THE WEDDING 5 musicians (one of the musicians may act as a vocalist) or four musicians and one ‘You’re a dati.You know what to do. • Only 400 invited guests may be What does one say at the last minute?’ additional vocalist. seated at the chassuna seuda. “I told them ‘Shema Yisroel, • A one-man band is recommended. Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.’ • The kabbolas panim smorgasbord Together we screamed: ‘Shema should be limited to basic cakes, fruit plat- FLOWERS & CHUPA DECOR Yisroel….’ Then, miraculously – could ters, a modest buffet, and the caterer’s • The total cost of these items for the it be anything but a miracle? – anoth- standard chicken or meat hot dishes. entire wedding should not exceed $1,800. er shell hit the spot where the first one had landed. The hatch blew open and FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THE SIMCHA GUIDELINES we all scrambled to safety…. So now AND THE ACCOMPANYING KOL KOREH, I bentched goimel.” please email [email protected] or call 212-612-2300 [To this, Rabbi Grossbard added:] It struck me that perhaps that was all We the rabbinical signatories — barring familial obligations — and unusual and that G-d had wanted from them: to real- extraordinary circumstances — will not participate in or attend a wedding celebration that ize that they were at His mercy. disregards these guidelines. (Rabbinical Listing in formation) Knowing this, and expressing it in Rabbi Shmuel Birnbaum Rabbi Eli Simcha Schustal Rabbi Elya Ber Wachtfogel Shema, is enough. Then the trap can Rosh Hayeshiva, Mirer Yeshiva Rosh Hayeshiva, Bais Binyomin, Stamford Rosh HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Gedolah of South Fallsburg be sprung, their fate unsealed. Rabbi Rabbi Yisroel Rokowsky Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Gedola of Philadelphia Rabbi Yisroel Simcha Schorr Rabbi Chaim Boruch Wolpin Now, it seems that last moments are Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Karlin Stolin Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzky Roshei HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Ohr Somayach indeed approaching. It is time that we Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Gedola of Philadelphia Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler Rabbi Zecharia Gelley Rav, Khal Adas Jeshurun recognize it and join voice, shouting Rabbi Yaakov Perlow Rosh Hayeshiva, , Lakewood together “Shema Yisroel Hashem Novominsker Rebbe Rabbi Yisroel Tzvi Neuman Rabbi Lipa Margulies 4 Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva & Mesifta Torah Temimah Elokeinu Hashem Echod.” Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Feigelstock Rosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva of Long Beach Rabbi Dovid Kviat Apparently, we did not respond then Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Schustal Rabbi Moshe Wolfson Chairman, Conference of Synagogue Rabbonim Rosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood as was expected. Are we perhaps more Mashgiach, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas of Agudath Israel ready today to join voices in declaring Rabbi Aron Moshe Schechter Rabbi Yeruchem Olshin Rabbi Shlomo Mandel “Shema”? Are we finally prepared to live Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Chaim Berlin Rosh Hayeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva of up to the call of the hour? ■ Rabbi Yosef Rosenblum Rabbi Mattisyahu Salamon Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva Shaarei Yosher Mashgiach, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood Rosh Hayeshiva, Mesivta Meor Yitzchok 4 From another article in the Nov.’73 JO.

The Jewish Observer, June 2004 9 Mayaan Jaffe

Dismantling the School of Ashdod, Breaking the Hearts of its Children

Two Schools: “Prettier” Versus “Better” chased her only skirt with the money she Ashdod municipality has refused to allo- had been saving her entire life. Today, cate it either the empty school building hile in Israel last month to Liel and her family are well on the path across the street or any other building address Lev L’Achim’s massive to teshuva. in the city. The municipality has even Wannual gathering of bnei Sharon, 11, an immigrant from refused to issue a permit for Sha’arei Torah, three members of the Moetzes France, told how she learned in a near- Tzion’s current location. Without a Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah by secular school with large, air-condi- permit, Sha’arei Tzion has not been able Sages) of Agudath Israel of America – tioned classrooms. Asked which school to continue payments on the trailers that Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky, Rabbi was nicer, she told the Roshei Yeshiva, it inherited from a previous school on Aharon Schechter, and Rabbi Avrohom “The school across the street is pretti- the site. Chaim Levin — visited the Sha’arei Tzion er, but this school is better.” Given the elementary school in Ashdod. Little could chance to ask the Roshei Yeshiva for a The Rechovot Precedent they have imagined, as they listened to beracha,Sharon timidly requested that the moving stories of the children, that she be blessed to grow stronger in her n recent years, the burgeoning just a few weeks later the fragile trailers teshuva process. networks of religious schools in housing the school’s 260 students would The physical contrast between IIsrael have had numerous obstacles be completely removed by oversized Sharon’s previous school and Sha’arei placed in their path by secular author- moving trucks. Sha’arei Tzion thus Tzion could not be starker. Sha’arei Tzion ities. In addition, Israeli courts, from became the latest battleground in the is housed in makeshift mobile homes – the Supreme Court on down, have been ongoing efforts by secular residents and little more than a thin sheet metal exte- very sympathetic to complaints of local authorities to prevent the spread rior covering a cardboard interior. In the secular residents about the location of of religious schools in Israel. winter, the roofs leak and the children religious facilities in their neighbor- On their visit to Sha’arei Tzion, the freeze. In the summer, they swelter, with- hoods, even where those facilities pri- Roshei Yeshiva were brought to tears when out fans or air conditioners. The class- marily serve neighborhood residents. they heard Liel, 12, relate how she fought rooms are crammed and there is almost In the most dramatic case, the Israeli with her secular parents to learn in a no space to play outdoors. Supreme Court overruled the Torah school. When her parents refused Across the street, a large modern Rechovot city council, which had to buy her modest clothing, Liel pur- school building stands empty for want voted overwhelmingly on three occa- Mrs. Jaffe,ofJerusalem, is a freelance writer. This of any students. Yet, despite Sha’arei sions to allocate a piece of land for a is her first appearance in these pages. Tzion’s desperate need for a building, the Lev L’Achim Center.

The Jewish Observer, June 2004 11 rupted the morning learning and began hoisting the trailers with all the school’s equipment inside. Children and parents did not even have time to remove the stu- dents’ personal belongings before the movers began. When a group of third-through-fifth- graders returned from a field trip to see their school in mid-air, they sobbed uncontrollably. “My Siddur! My Siddur is in that car- avan,”a little girl cried.“How will I daven tomorrow without my Siddur?” Another child, fifth-grader Ishai, started praying.“Please, Hashem,ifYou will save my school, I will stop wearing pants and watching TV.” Her gentle head hanging forward, tears streaming down her face, fifth-grader Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky, Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Danit exclaimed,“I don’t understand. In Levin, and Rabbi Aharon Schechter visit the Sha’arei Tzion elementary school in Ashdod Massive Moves in the Morning the morning we had a beautiful little home. Now we have nothing.” Without ever visiting Rechovot or n the middle of the school day, just Tehilla, a 12-year-old who has been knowing anything of the neighborhood a few weeks after the visit of the learning at the school since first grade, in question (which has a religiously IRoshei Yeshiva,massive movers inter- said that as she watched the workmen diverse population and is, in any event, separated by a four-lane boulevard from the proposed Center), the Court forced Lev L’Achim to abandon construction of the Center in which, relying on the city’s promises, it had already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars. So it was no surprise when the Ashdod District Court ruled favorably on a petition by secular residents of the neighborhood in which Sha’arei Tzion is located (and in which most of its stu- dents live), especially after hearing from the municipality that it favored removal of the school. The mayor admitted can- didly that he expected the parents of Sha’arei Tzion students, most of whom are still not fully observant, to cave in and send their children to the local sec- ular schools. Above: Rabbi Aharon Schechter - Rosh Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, blesses newly religious youth during a visit to the Sha’arei Tzion Torah School in Ashdod as the Lev L’Achim Chairman, Rabbi Menachem Cohen, looks Dais at the reception for the visiting Roshei Yeshiva on. Photo by Mayaan Jaffe. break apart the school, she felt her heart group of 50 parents went again to the was breaking, too. mayor’s office and threatened to hold “I went into one of the classrooms and classes on the lawn of City Hall if a per- I saw the teacher’s writing on the black- manent structure was not found. Mayor board. I looked at all the beautiful dec- Tzilker replied,“There are many won- orations and the sifrei kodesh, and I just derful secular schools in Ashdod. couldn’t take it anymore,” she said Why don’t you enroll your chil- through the tears. “This is my house. dren there? Who needs a They are destroying my home. When the Torah education?” workers nearly pushed me out of the But the parents would classroom door, all I could do was cry. not relent. Their children Finally, I sat down and davened,” Tehilla had already suffered said. enough in the secular Tehilla comes from a totally secular system, they told the home. Her parents chose to enroll her mayor, and they in Sha’arei Tzion after speaking with one would settle for of Lev L’Achim’s enrollment workers. nothing other than Later, she said, she and her parents forged Sha’arei Tzion. a “deep connection” with the institution. Miri, the moth- Tehilla admits that originally she was er of three boys in opposed to attending a Torah school. Sha’arei Tzion, spoke “I was against the school and the for all the parents, when teachers. But their love, patience and she said, “The public understanding brought me close. They schools in Israel offer would hug me when I was upset, and nothing for us. No other work with me each step of the way. Now school in the area offers I am so proud of my accomplishments such a high level of educa- and I feel beautiful in my long skirts, tion coupled with Torah and EDITORIAL POSTSCRIPT socks and long sleeve shirts. My moth- middot tovot.You can search all over As we continue to pray for “Acheinu er covers her hair and my family is keep- Ashdod for a spiritual place to send your kol Beis Yisroel”– around the world ing Shabbat.” child. You will find this is the only one.” The best the mayor would promise and in Eretz Yisroel – we do not hes- The Unanticipated Response was that Sha’arei Tzion could maintain itate to lavish millions of dollars on its trailers for another year. But he would simchos, failing to respond to the his particular saga, at least, has a not commit to finding a permanent proclamation of Gedolei Yisroel that happy ending. Mayor Tzvi Tzilker structure, as required by law, despite the we exercise restraint. Wouldn’t it ele- Thad not counted on the reaction existence of a suitable building right vate a simcha if a card would grace of the mostly secular parents to the loss across the street. every table with the following mes- of their children’s school. They stormed So next year, 400 Jewish children will sage:“The monies saved by adhering his office that night. Shocked by the vehe- at least have a religious school to learn to the Rabbinical Guidelines For mence of the parents’ response, the city in. The roofs will leak, and they will suf- Simchos are being dedicated to fund- council not only ordered the return of fer from the heat in the summer and the ing construction of the building of the trailers, it even allocated money to cold and rain in the winter, but inside the Sha’arei Tzion School in Ashdod, pay off part of the outstanding debt on their flimsy walls, they will be learning as well as other worthy causes.” ■ the trailers. Torah with great thirst. Dr. Aaron Twerski The following Sunday morning, a THE GENERATION AFTER CHURBAN EUROPE – PLUS ONE Rabbi Elkanah Schwartz

Aneinu Hashem… Answer us, O with that generation become lost. that the institutions and communities L-rd, answer us on the day of our fast, Three of the public fast days – Tzom that the post-Churban generations are for we are in great distress…. For You, Gedalia, the Tenth of Teves, and the Fast building in America, Israel and other O L-rd, are He Who answers in time of Esther – occur during the school year, places around the world, all provide liv- of trouble, Who redeems and delivers when youth groups are also active. The ing proof of the vitality of the Jewish in all times of woe and stress. other two fasts, on the Seventeenth of people and their capacity to survive in he brief “Aneinu”prayer recited Tamuz and on the Ninth of Av, occur the face of suffering. The growth of on fast days was composed many during camp season. Educators are Torah life today, then, should be appre- Tgenerations ago. Yet the sages who often hard put as to what to do for those ciated as the legacy of that which was composed it knew that until the com- days. We need an approach for each of destroyed, but not defeated. Every ing of Moshiach,there would be no peri- these five fast days – in the schools, in achievement for Torah derives from the od in the Jewish experience when the the youth groups, and in the camps. ashes of those whose lives were cut short statement “we are in great distress” would These chinuch institutions should pre- in pursuit of similar achievements. be out of place. pare appropriate programs, using sur- Implicit in remembering is the Even though each fast day marks a vivors, teachers and videos, carefully need to understand what was saved and specific event, or series of events, in our selected. Such programs, however, can what survived, and why. For as much history, it also becomes an occasion to neither provide all the basic information as we must learn about who suffered refer to the current state of “great dis- that our youth need, nor include in them and what was destroyed, so much more tress.”And it becomes fitting to remind enough of the vital hashkafos that they must we learn and understand why we ourselves of how, through the centuries, should learn from the great tragedy. are destined to be living and surviv- each generation of Jews experienced its Hence the Roshei Yeshivos called on Torah ing. This is one of the messages of the “great distress.” Umesorah to institute the Zechor Yemos discussions that follow. ■ For our current generation, review- Olam program, to develop a curriculum ing the “great distress” of Churban for our schools and to train teachers to Rabbi Aryeh Schechter Europe, the recent period of destruction implement it. A goodly number of of European Jewry, is particularly vital. schools have cooperated in this program, Rabbi It is still close enough to be personal, but it should be clear that much, much SOFER S’’TAM while already far enough to be distant. more must be done in this respect. Schechter1558 41st 2" Street An urgent element is the fact that it is Churban Europe is often defined in Brooklyn NY 11218 slipping ever further away. We have much terms of the destruction of Six Million We make “housecalls” ground to cover before, all too soon, the Jews, but it also means the destruction (718) 972-4003 personal ties that we still maintain of Jewish institutions and Jewish com- kdvb • btvc munities. It means that synagogues and hrvt yrpo tvzvzmv Nylypt Rabbi Schwartz serves as Rabbi of Congregation schools, homes and centers of Jewish Kol Israel in Brooklyn, NY, and is a staff mem- ber of the American office of Chinuch Atzmai- life, yeshivos and Chassidic courts Torah Schools for Israel. were destroyed. And then, we must note Specializing in small batim for a perfect fit.

The Jewish Observer, June 2004 23 THE GENERATION AFTER CHURBAN EUROPE – PLUS ONE Rabbi Yaakov Salomon

he year was 1964. The World’s Fair opened in Flushing Park.Some far-out location called Vietnam dominated the Tnews. The Mets played their first game at Shea Stadium. And Dallas’ “grassy knoll” was becoming a familiar term in the American lexicon. Those were the headlines that danced in the mind of a twelve-year-old New York City boy. That boy was me. Life was good, I recall. Lots of friends, loving parents,“Leave it to Beaver,”my trusty Vada Pinson black outfielder’s glove, and an older brother to show me the ropes. What could be bad? I suppose that in my own naïve way, I was decidedly unaware that there was anything special or distinctive about being a child of Holocaust survivors. Everything seemed so very normal. In fact, it was. As it turns out, many of my baby boomer friends were of sim- ilar ilk. Their parents had also either spent years in camps of vary- ing degrees of horror, or had barely escaped the clutches of catastrophe on more than one occasion, and lived to tell about it. But looking back, I find it odd that we were all so oblivious to our unique lineage. We never compared notes, never won- dered if were “different,” never discussed how our parents’ suf- fering and deprivation may have affected us, never seemed to even notice that we were members of this proud yet sad club. Not in class, not in the synagogue, not even during sleepovers when the darkness sheltered our fragility. Never. And I guess that’s how our folks really wanted it to be.“Blend in, be normal, forget the past, look ahead…,”read their unspoken banner of post-war parenting. I suppose that they had had quite enough of being part of an exclusive grouping of any kind. Being special does have its disadvantages, you know. No.Now was the time to de-emphasize our dis- tinctions and hope for a brighter, or at least, nor- mal tomorrow. And if this society of kids of survivors was, in fact, bent on changing its moniker to “Club Inconspicuous,” then surely I was prime can- didate for President. Despite having spent over 3 years in the torture cavities of Puskow, Mielec, Wieliczka, Flossenberg, Leitmeritz, Dachau, and Kaufering, my father, of blessed memory, never, ever uttered a sin- gle word to us about the butchery and car- nage he had witnessed there daily. It was as if life on this planet somehow began in 1947 – when he arrived on Ellis Island. It’s not like we didn’t know that “something” dreadful had happened. We saw the “KL”that had been eternalized on his wrist, we knew about the huge bump he carried beneath his black, shiny yarmulke, and we cried when we were awoken by his terri- Rabbi Salomon, CSW, is a psychotherapist in private prac- tice in Brooklyn. He is a frequent contributor to these pages, most recently with “Repairing Hashem’s Family” (Mar. ’03). This article originally appeared in Aish HaTorah’s website www.aish.com.

The Jewish Observer, June 2004 25 fying nocturnal screams and tremors. Oh, from home – my summer camp near and anticipation. I knew it didn’t smell we knew. But the horror was just too New Paltz, New York – when I received right, but hey, I was only 12 and heavily ghastly to verbalize. The “pink ele- a letter from home. This itself was a rather involved in Color War and batting lead- phant” could not be spoken about. The common occurrence in the pre -email off. Priorities, you know. I let it slide. children had to be protected. decade of the 60s. Preposterous as it And so it remained – a minor mys- The only exception to this pact of sounds, people (especially parents with tery – tempered somewhat by Daddy’s silence was when Daddy took me to kids in camp) would actually sit down return home two weeks later, armed with Riverside Park just about every Shabbos at a table or a desk, pick up a ball-point wedding pictures, a silver candelabra for afternoon. It was there that Paul and pen and some blank paper (ruled or Mommy and Jerusalem trinkets for the Danny and Joey and the rest of my fel- unruled), and communicate news from boys. Perhaps I was wrong. low club members would join me for a home and abroad. The paper would sub- weekly Freeze–tag or Ring-o-leevio sequently be inserted in an envelope (#7 THE QUESTIONS WE NEVER ASKED game. But it wasn’t long before I noticed or 10), which was then addressed, that while we were busy darting and leap- sealed, stamped and brought to a mail- ast forward nearly 40 years. Daddy ing on and off base, and releasing our pre- ing receptacle. Days later, the letter invari- is with us but in spirit and mem- adolescent tensions, our fathers formed ably arrived. Fory now, and big brother Izzy has an enclave of their own. The spirit and After the usual maternal exhortations grown fascinated with Daddy’s earlier animation of their discussions always to wear a sweater at night, learn how to years in particular, and our family seemed a trifle inappropriate; until one swim, and eat my veggies, Daddy would genealogy in general. In frenetic fashion, day, I happened by within earshot and customarily add a few obligatory greet- Izzy assumes the identity of an impas- discovered that it was there that they ings in his forced, but loving, broken sioned world-class detective, gripped with swapped horror stories, never to be for- English. But this letter was different. No the unyielding determination to shed gotten. It seems every week for two hours message from Daddy. He would never light on the questions we never dared ask. or more, these valiant heroes turned the say very much anyway, but I always What were Daddy’s formative years clock back 20-plus years and compared looked for his unfinished, yet ever so sin- like? their dreaded experiences, to relive and cere message of missing me and loving Where did the family come from? recount what their eyes had witnessed and me. It wasn’t there. At 12-years-old, that What were they known for? their hearts had endured. It was a sup- struck a chord. Where were they before and during the port group of the most therapeutic kind. When I couldn’t speak to Daddy on war? my weekly call home, an explanation had How many were killed? WHEN THE MYSTERY UNFOLDED to be tendered.“Oh,” Mom stumbled,“he Who else, if anyone, survived? went to Israel to attend your cousin’s wed- How? he mystery unfolded that summer. ding.” Plausible enough. But not for Did Daddy begin a family before the Like every year, I was safely 1964…and not for my father…and not war? Tensconced in my home away without months of preparatory excitement What happened to them? What horrors did he witness? How did he stay alive? …and where did he go in July of 1964? Sefer “Chazaras Hashas” Izzy traveled…to Poland, to By Rabbi Abraham Portal Israel…and he asked questions. He read. He surfed. He called. He wrote. He This is the Sefer you have been waiting for! Mastering the daf: Now you will have the ability wondered. He dreamed. He interviewed. to know the Rambam, Shulchan Aruch and the It is unique. It will be of great help for everyone He cried. He uncovered. He discovered. - Baalei Batim, Scholars, Yeshiva and Daf Me’eri on the tip of your fingers. This sefer will Hayomi students. assist you to master each daf the gemara. He was stymied, exhausted, confused, v’’ht elated, obstructed, and jubilant. What benefits can I derive from this Sefer? 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26 The Jewish Observer, June 2004 how it should be, but the mystery of 1964 never could have heard him say direct- PRESIDENTIAL THANK YOU is a mystery no longer. A short time ago, ly. It was a glimpse into a corridor that he received correspondence from the had been closed off to all of us as long y understanding is that Provincial Court of Bochum, Germany. as he lived. His next words merged the these Gestapo thugs all In it was a transcript dated July 21, 1964. unspeakable with staggering historical Mreceived sentences of life It was Daddy’s verbatim testimony at a irony. imprisonment. Whether they actual- trial for Nazi War Criminals. “A second Jew pulled up his shirt and ly served them full-term is unknown “In April of 1942 I was arrested by the showed some scars. These sick people were to me. Jewish police. I had heard that the told to step aside. Hamann pointed to the Daddy, I have spent many adult years Gestapo ordered the Jewish police to arrest wall, and they went there. wondering what really happened to you young, strong, able-bodied boys and men. “I saw these SS people from Puskow before 1947. I believe it is something that The police had a list of about 100 names, approach the sick Jews and stand near all children of survivors would do well to and I was one of them.” them. Then I heard Hamann calling out look into. But looking back now, and know- Daddy then identified Nazis, unfa- ‘fire,’ and the SS men fired. The 8 to 10 ing that I am now privy to but a speck of miliar to most: Johann, Labitzke, sick Jews were shot to death.” the terror you lived through, I say thank Rouenhoff, Bornhold, Brock. It seems My jaw dropped. Reading the eyewit- you. Thank you for making me President that all of them must have been on trial. ness account of my very own tender, lov- of Club Inconspicuous. Your loving I trembled as I read on. I can hear his ing father bearing witness to watching Jews shield was a blanket of normalcy for two gentle voice speaking. being shot to death is an experience that little boys who love you now, even more “The prison cell was so overcrowded defies description. But learning that the than we ever did. that we had no room to stretch out at night. Nazi in charge of this particular blood- Life was good, I recall. You made it that “Before shipping out, we were assem- bath was Hamann, the namesake of the way. ■ bled in the prison courtyard and had to villainous protagonist of the Purim line up in three rows. I stood in the mid- story, whose intent was to exterminate dle row. About 8 to 10 Jews stepped for- masses of Jews, was truly mind-boggling. KARKA IN ERETZ YISROEL Call Rabbi Gavriel Beer for information ward and declared themselves sick. One “I am the only survivor of those sent on obtaining cemetery plots in Beth Jew, for example, had bloody feet.” to the Puskow Labor Camp.” Shemesh and other locations in Israel. It was incredible to read the words my And with that, Daddy’s testimony father had said, describing events that I ended. 011-972-2-656-9427

The Jewish Observer, June 2004 27 THE GENERATION AFTER CHURBAN EUROPE – PLUS ONE Naomi Lobl

am known as “the second genera- an effort to learn the names of my dead tion.” As everyone knows, that brothers and sisters. Imeans: a child of survivors of As I became older, I learned that my Hitler’s concentration camps. Yes, I am parents had had twin boys, who had been the pain, fear and atrocities, once taken to Mengele’s camp for “experi- removed. My parents were both survivors ments.” A cousin told me that a friend of Auschwitz. They were not left with of my father’s had seen them alive at the scars from their experiences in the war; end of the war, and that my parents they were left with open, gaping wounds searched for them for years all over the that would not heal in their lifetimes. One world. To this day, I harbor a faint hope cannot recover from losing five wonderful that they will someday miraculously children, parents, brothers and sisters, appear in my life. friends and neighbors, and to a lesser extent, from losing one’s home, posses- sions, and means of livelihood. The Story Goes On and On I was born from those ashes, but of course, could never make up for this— y childhood, as a child of sur- a pain that I couldn’t even understand. vivors, was not a conventional My parents, who had been married to Mone.“Second generation”implies each other and were reunited after the that there will be more to follow, and for war, had very different styles of remi- me the story goes on and on. As my chil- niscing about it. My mother would tell dren and, later on, my grandchildren filled me stories about the concentration my life, there was always the specter of chil- camp, but tried to present it in a lighter dren like these who were wrenched from vein. She told me how they would sleep their mothers’arms and slaughtered, only ten in one bed, and when one person had because they were Jewish. There is a sad- to turn over, they all turned over. At some ness, born of my parents’sorrow and pain, point, it began to sound like fun. My that permeates and colors my life. father never spoke about personal expe- But there is another side to this story. riences—rather, he talked about aktio- My parents were survivors. They survived nen,military and work experiences. conditions and circumstances that few They never spoke of their lost chil- human beings could. They were sustained dren. I don’t remember how old I was by their strong belief in Hashem, and by when I became aware of their existence a spirit that couldn’t be squelched. When and subsequent deaths, but it was at a my mother was niftar, at age 93, and my very young age. At some point, I found husband was maspid (eulogized) her, he pictures of them, and from conversa- used the passuk from the parsha of the tions overheard, I pieced together their week:“Vayidom Aharon—and Aharon was story. This opened a world of specula- silent.” Aharon had no complaints to tion and fantasy that fed the imagina- Hashem about the loss of his children. My tion of a very lonely only child. I would husband said that in all the years that he dream over and over about how we knew my mother, he never once heard would meet. I knew that I could never anything emerge from her mouth that speak to my mother or father about could, in the slightest way, be construed them. Even their names were a mystery. as a complaint about her terrible loss. Until one year, at Simchas Torah, I dis- Such indomitable strength cannot go covered that my parents had dedicat- to waste, and my parents somehow ed a Sefer Torah in their memory. Their bequeathed it to me. Lo and behold, they names were embroidered on the man- produced another survivor. Throughout tle of that Sefer Torah.As the men my life, when faced by even the greatest danced around and around, my eyes adversity, I have always felt an inner well- frantically followed that Sefer Torah,in spring of strength that never fails to amaze Mrs. Lobl lives in Jerusalem with her family. She me and see me through. Surely, along with has work published in Horizon and in a soon- everything else, this is part of my lega- to-be-released book, edited by Sarah Shapiro. cy from my parents—the survivors. ■

The Jewish Observer, June 2004 29 Rabbi Avi Shafran A Torah,

ontrary to what some assume, no inclination or orientation is con- Not a Template Cdemned by the Torah. It is Jewishly axiomatic that only acts and willful atti- tudes (like nurturing improper desires) moral code (much of it, as per the Sheva overtake us. We are choosers. And at every can be prohibited, never innate procliv- Mitzvos B’nei Noach, intended for all of moment of our lives, can choose right or ities. But there are acts, however, that the humankind) is that living a divinely-direct- choose wrong. If we subscribe to the belief Torah clearly regards as immoral – ed life means controlling, not venting, urges that we are here not to “be what we are,” regardless of the actors’ inclinations or self- that run contrary to its mandates. but rather to “be what we can,” we must definition. The even asserts that people endeavor to choose right. In the context of contemporary pop- with greater spiritual potential have con- ular culture, that might seem unfair, if not comitantly stronger proclivities to sin. By One of humanity’s saving graces over downright cruel. Why interfere with choosing not to succumb to, but rather history, the Talmud teaches, has been its feelings? Why limit the expression of deep to fight, those urges – to channel their ener- refusal to legitimate certain forbidden rela- and sincere feelings? But human beings gies instead to doing G-d’s will – they real- tionships. It is distressing that much of are subject to many unsummoned ize their deepest potentials. American society and popular culture desires, and can experience deep urges for Our Mesorah is replete with narratives seems to be abandoning respect for fun- an assortment of illicit acts, both common that make that point. One of the most damental aspects of the Torah’s moral code ones like slander and more rare ones like famous, of course, is the story of Yosef,who intended for all of mankind. Jews, though, murder. merited the epithet “tzaddik”precisely must not allow themselves to be pulled The Torah is not a template onto which because he withstood a great temptation aboard the cultural bandwagon. we lay what we wish to do. It is a code of to submit to his natural desire. We must instead remind ourselves that, behavior for those who (apologies to JFK’s Part of being human is being subject no matter how the society around us may speechwriter) seek not to tell G-d what He to desires, and that includes desires for devolve, we remain answerable to a truly must do for us, but rather what we must behaviors deemed improper by the Torah. higher, and unchanging, Authority. do for Him. The premise of the Torah’s But no predisposition or desire, no mat- The current American cultural milieu ter how strong, is beyond the most pow- will redefine morality as it sees fit. So, for Rabbi Shafran serves as Agudath Israel of America’s Director of Public Affairs and as the erful and most meaningful force in the better or worse, will religious organiza- American director of Am Echad, the Agudath universe: human free will. We are not mere tions and movements. But truly Torah- Israel-inspired educational outreach effort and animals, responding to whatever urges conscious Jews, whatever their affiliation media resource. or lack of one, whatever they are told by the media or politicians or even clergy, [email protected] know that we are a people chosen to show www.gefenfinancial.com the world what it means to bend human wills to that of the Creator.

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46 The Jewish Observer, June 2004