a letter written by the Klausenberger Rebbe after the Holocaust

Excerpts from a letter written by the Klausenberger Rebbe after the Holocaust

to the Jews in free countries…                  To our Jewish brethren,

As a result of our sins, we the Jews of Europe, have suffered years of persecution, in which evil oppressors have risen against us, to wipe out, kill and destroy all Jews. During all those years, no one rose to share our suffering or assist us. Those few who survived did so only through the promise of Torah: Lev 26:44 – “I will not cast them away or abhor them” and by the covenant that the Jewish people will not be destroyed. Yet though we have been freed from slavery, we have not yet gained our freedom.

Single family member, the remnant, are going from place to place, searching for their lost ones – fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, children and relatives – wandering and confused in the land of their enemies. Burning tears stream down our faces, as we see our enemies already content and at peace, while we linger on in pain and deprivation.

All the doors have been shut. Even the gates of the Holy Land are closed to us. We are kept in camps, in poverty and shame, without clothing or shoes. Some of our people are still wearing those accursed prison uniforms.

Our supply of kosher food is limited. Thus many of our people are relegated to eating non-kosher food to survive. While I am aware that a number of organizations have been founded under various names, they have yet to accomplish anything. Indeed, I can honestly say that to date, nothing of value has reached the camps.

Is it not your responsibility to care for the remnant of European Jewry – especially the thousands who are deathly ill? Our military commander is doing everything possible to ease our plight but even his hands are tied.

Are we to ignore our spiritual obligations? Literally, a hundred men grab onto one tallis that one person received from a relative. Men wait for hours to don a single pair of Teffilim, so as to recite the first paragraph of the Shema. Holy Jews who survived the crematoria gather together and look from afar at a single page from a Siddur.  Immeasurable time is wasted from Torah study because there are no seforim. Even during these holy days, we have no one to supply us with a kosher Sefer Torah or Tefillim or tzitzit, Siddurim, machzorim, chumashim….

I have been silent too long! I thought that feelings of mercy would have been aroused in my fellow Jews. However, my pain does not permit me to be silent any longer. I cry out again and again, to the heads of every committee and organization. Where are you?

Jewish nation! Have you examined your deeds before the Holy One Baruch Hu!  Have you fulfilled your obligation to your brethren who are withering away from agony, living in the valley of tears, fearful of what the next day will bring? After all the years of suffering, do they deserve this?

On behalf of all the holy martyrs who were burned alive and murdered, we scream! Hoshi’ana! Please save us! Do not wait any longer!

Please see to it that your assistance reaches those who are in need without any interference or politics! I sign this with a broken heart with the hope that my pleas will be heard.                                                           Rabbi Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam