Rav Menashe Winkler (2nd from left, wearing cap) at his lodgings in Kamenitz. Sitting in center is Rav Berel A letter written by Rav Elchonon Wasserman Belsky ztl, father of Rav ztl to Rav Menashe Winkler’s mother, Yisroel Belsky ztl. updating her on his learning in Baranovitch.

Rav Menashe Winkler (on left) in Baranovitch with Rav Elchonon , an Scheinerman American bochur who came to learn in Lita. A Remnant GreatOF THE

Where were you born? open to orchim, and we hosted many meshula- Lakewood is privileged to be the home I was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1919. chim. A meshulach named Rav Yitzchok Prizalsky Ye s h i vo s There were about 5,000Yidden living there. came from the Radiner Yeshiva to Denmark, and of Rav Menashe Winkler, one of the My father, Rav Michoel Sholom Winkler zt”l, my mother told him her concerns about chinuch was the Rov of the Orthodox Gemeinde, which habanim in Copenhagen. Reb Yitzchok told my OF last remaining students of the great was known as Machzikei Hadas and was the mother that she should send me to a yeshiva in only frum kehillah in Denmark. He was a very Poland, recommending that I go to Radin. My pre-war yeshivos of Radin, Barano- big gaon. He used to sign his name as Michoel mother took his advice and sent me to Radin. Sholom Ish Yerushalaim. He was very proud of My mother was an almanah. She only had two vitch, Kaminetz and Mir. Rav Win- the fact that he had been born in Yerushalaim. children – me and my younger brother Ephraim. Lita He was a talmid of Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld She showed great mesiras nefesh for Torah to send kler is a treasure-trove of information zt”l. He came from Eretz Yisroel to take a shteller me away to Radin when I was just 14-years- about the Litvishe yeshiva world and first in Germany, and old. Two years then in Copenhagen. I was a yasom and my later, she sent A CONVERSATION the great men who led them. He is one My father founded my brother to the cheder in Copen- mother was very wor- Telshe. of the precious few in our midst who hagen, and imported a It took one- teacher from the Press- ried about my chinuch and-a-half WITH RAV burg Yeshiva named days of travel still has vivid memories of the Chofetz Reb Alter Kneppler- by boat and macher, a very capable because there was no ye- train to get to Chaim zt”l, Rav Elchonon Wasserman young man. He called Radin. I didn’t MENASHE it Cheder L’Yaldei shiva in Copenhagen. travel alone. hy”d, Rav Boruch Ber Lebowitz zt”l, Yeshurin. My rebbe from cheder, Reb Al- What made you decide to go learn WINKLER and many other towering gedolei olam ter Kneppelmacher, traveled with me to Radin. in Radin? When we arrived in Radin, the menahalim of yesteryear. I became a yasom at a young age. The last time I accepted me into the yeshiva. Since I was the saw my father was when I was 12-years-old. youngest bochur in the yeshiva, they assigned two SHLITA Rabbi Gershon Hellman of The Shop- The entire European world was in terrible eco- older bochurim to learn with me. One was Chaim nomic shape after the Great Depression of 1929. Bohuster, the son of the Bohuster Rov. The other per was honored to meet with Rav Win- My father was sent as a shliach of the Keren was named Rav Boruch Yehuda Sandler from Hatorah organization in 1931 to raise funds in Dohlinov. In the yeshiva, all the bochurim were kler in his daughter’s home in Lake- America for the yeshivos. It was a hot summer called by the name of the city they came from, day in America, and he collapsed and passed rather than by their last names. I became known wood Commons and hear some of his away. as Menashe Denmarker. I was a yasom and my mother was very worried The older bochurim learnt with me for the first amazing recollections of the world that about my chinuch because there was no yeshiva in zeman, and after that I was on the level of the once was. Copenhagen. Our house in Denmark was always other bochurim and was able to learn with regular At the Chofetz Chaim’s levaya. Rav Menashe Winkler is at top right corner in cap.

A gathering of members of the Copenhagen kehilla. Sitting with hand on his head is Rav Binyomin Zev Jacobson zt"l, who succeeded Rav Winkler's father as Rov. Seated to Rav Jacobson's left is Rav Alter Original copy of Kneppelmacher, Rav Winkler's Sefer Mishberei melamed in Copenhagen who Yam, Written acompanied him to Radin. By Rav Michoel Standing far left is Rav Winkler's Sholom Winkler ztl. wife's great-grandfather. chavrusos. Mashgiach, and he gave mussar shmuessim every week. He one-and-a-half years. was a Novardhoker and a great tzadik. He was a big in- Rav Boruch Ber was very fiery in shiur, When we got back to Denmark, Did the Chofetz Chaim used to come to spiration for all of the bochurim. especially when he mentioned “Der Reb- the yeshiva in those days? I fell sick at one point when I was in Baranovitch, and be”, meaning Rav Chaim Brisker. You the gentiles were standing on No. At the time of my arrival, he was staying for health Rav Elchonon was very worried about me. He came ev- could see how he deliberated every word reasons in a village called Digalishok in a pine forest near ery day to visit me. He even sent for Rav Chaim Ozer’s he said in shiur, making sure that it was the dock with signs that said, Radin. personal doctor to come from Vilna to care for me. His emes. Finally, he would pronounce, “Azoi As soon as I arrived, I wanted to see the Chofetz Chaim. treatment for me was “bankes” (a folk remedy involving hut Der Rebbe gemeint!” That was the Reb- “Welcome Back!” Reb Alter Kneppelmacher hired a horse and wagon to little glass cups that are heated and then applied to the be’s intention! take us to the village. We went to visit the Chofetz Chaim skin, forming a vacuum that doctors of that time believed I also attended shiurim in Kaminetz from the German occupation, he went to the big shul to show his solidarity with there in his dacha, and that was the only time I saw him. would suck out bad sicknesses). It didn’t work. Then, he Rav Boruch Ber’s sons-in-law, Rav Reuven the Jews. When the Germans wanted to institute a rule that all Jews had Three weeks later, I was at his levaya. tried applying leaches, Grozovsky zt”l and Rav Moshe Bernstein to wear the yellow star. He informed them that if they forced the Jews to I remember that he was sitting with another remedy doc- zt”l. wear any badge, he and his family would also wear it. his head covered by a white sheet to tors used in those We lived for three-and-a-half years under the German occupation, while keep away the flies, which were preva- We went to visit the days. I don’t think that Did Yidden still feel safe in we were protected by the king. Little by little, the Danish resistance lent in the village. He looked at us and worked either. I re- the streets of Poland in those to the occupation grew stronger and bolder, and began doing serious blessed us, saying, “Zei matzliach!” Chofetz Chaim there member that on one times? sabotage operations against the Germans. The Germans blamed the visit Rav Elchonon I would say yes. I don’t remember any Jews and demanded that they be sent to concentration camps. They Do you remember how he in his dacha, and that put my father’s sefer anxieties. planned to round up all the Jews on Rosh Hashanah Tof Shin Dad, looked? under my pillow as a October 1943. Of course. He looked like the famous was the only time I saw zechus to help me. Did Rav Elchonon ever mention The German consulate in Denmark was a decent person, and he picture of him. Rav Elchonon was any dangers he saw approaching? warned the Danes about the plan. The Danish underground secured him. Three weeks lat- acquainted with my He writes about such things in fishing boats for the Jews and sent them to Sweden, where the Swed- Was Rav Naftoli Trop father. I think he his sefer? ish government accepted them. Of the 7,000 Jews in Denmark, 6,550 the Rosh Yeshiva in Radin er, I was at his levaya. had met him at the Baranovitch was a yeshiva for younger bo- escaped to Sweden. 450 were caught and deported to Theresienstdad. when you were there? K’nesiah Gedolah in churim. It could be that he didn’t want to tell us These 450 also were saved by Count Benedot, a member of the Royal No. He had already passed away. His Vienna. Eventually, such things. House of Sweden. He negotiated directly with Himmler ym”sh to let son-in-law, Rav Boruch Faivelson zt”l, and also his son, when I didn’t get better, Rav Elchonon sent for my moth- After Kaminetz, I went to learn in Mir, where I the Danish Jews be freed from the camp and return to Denmark. Rav Avrohom Trop zt”l, gave shiurim. er to come to take care of me. He was very impressed by studied for one zeman. At that time, in 1938, we I had gotten married in 1943. My wife was also from a Copenhagen Rav Moshe Landynsky zt”l was still alive when I was her tzidkus, and he wanted to marry her. (Rav Elchonon all saw the black clouds on the horizon, so after family. We went together on the boat to Sweden. there, but he was retired as Rosh Yeshiva. He was a great was a widower.) But my mother refused. She never re- one zeman in Mir I went home. We were in Sweden from October 1943 until the end of the war. gaon and a very friendly person to everyone. married. My father passed away in 1932, when my moth- The Swedish government treated us very well. When we got back er was 50, and she remained an almanah until her passing When did the Germans occupy to Denmark, the gentiles were standing on the dock with signs that How long did you stay in Radin? at the age of 94. Denmark? said, “Welcome Back!” For three zemanim. I arrived before Elul and stayed until Eventually, I finally did get better and returned to the On April 9, 1940, the Germans invaded Denmark. I stayed in Denmark until 1955, working as an accountant, when the next Pesach. So, I was there for about a year-and- yeshiva. The Danes didn’t have much of an army and couldn’t Rav Michoel Sholom I moved with my family to America. We first lived in East New a-half. After spending Pesach at home, I went back to One of my good friends in Baranovitch was Rav Shmuel put up much resistance to the German tanks. Winkler ztl, Rov of York, and later in Boro Park. I moved to Lakewood about 30 years ather of Radin for one more year. Kinishiner, who the world knows as Rav Shmuel Beren- Since the Danes didn’t resist, the Germans let the Copenhagen F ago. Then I went to learn in Baranovitch, where I heard daily baum zt”l. He was very bright, a big masmid. king stay in power. King Christian X of Denmark was Rav Menashe Winkler. shiurim from Rav Elchonon zt”l for three zemanim – After learning in Baranovitch, I went to Kaminetz to a big oheiv Yisroel and he tried to influence the Ger- Thank you Reb Menashe for sharing your until 1936. Rav Yisroel Yaakov Lubchansky zt”l was the study under Rav Boruch Ber. I attended his shiurim for mans not to hurt any resident of his country. Under memories with us!