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Shema Yisrael
In an extraordinary Jewish Holocaust compilation, 500 survivors tell their moving accounts of self-sacrifice & Jewish faith in Jewish history's darkest days.
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The Elderly Tzaddik
Buczacz, Galicia, 5702
When I fled the city of Potek, at the beginning of 5702, I took with me my tefillin, paper and pen, and a compact two-volume edition of the Talmud. I can testify that from the very first day of my escape, wherever I hid, I never missed my daily study - seven pages of Talmud every day.
While I was hiding in an attic, I lit a candle and studied by its light. Once, when I was hidden in an outhouse, I arranged things so that according to halachah it was permissible for me to study there.
Any day that I succeeded in studying all seven pages I could be sure that no evil would befall me that day. If I was prevented from finishing and had to leave part of that day’s study to be made up the next day, I would worry that some mischance would occur that day.
I used my store of paper to record any observations on the Talmud that occurred to me. One night, when I was unable to study, I wrote out the coming year’s calendar, noting all the festivals and special times.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Horowitz,
in Beis Aharon, Torah U’Mo’adim, p. 12
The Rav of Potek
The forests around Buczacz, summer 5702
Hidden away in caves and crannies, in the thickets of the forest, they had only the clothes on their backs - and the constant worry of how to survive another day. The day was spent searching for food to keep themselves alive. Any money they had brought with them to the forest went to gentiles who delivered bread to them. The hidden Jews divided up whatever bread arrived equally among them all.
Their overwhelming fear of discovery led to arguments among the Jews. Each refused to have the bread divided up next to his hiding place - someone might see and inform on them, putting them all in great danger. Often anti-Semitic gentiles turned in a Jew in hiding to the Germans. They received five hundred rubles for each Jew.
In this place Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Horowitz, the rav of Potek, stood revealed in all his strength and courage. He declared that he was not in the least afraid to have the bread division at his hiding place. On the contrary, he said, the merit of this mitzvah would protect him and all those hiding with him - which is exactly what happened. Many hideouts were discovered by the enemy and their occupants were murdered, but through Heaven’s mercy the rav’s hideout was never discovered.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Horowitz,
in Beis Aharon, Torah U’Mo’adim, pp. 12–13
Mercy
Dwory, Lodz district, Poland, Iyar 5702
They were hanged in the village square, because they had dared to ask for ten Jews to be pardoned. The rav of the town, Rabbi Eliyahu Leskowsky, and his son, who had together demanded the pardon, were hanged together with the ten victims they had attempted to save.
Rabbi Shimon Hoberband,
Kiddush HaShem, p. 28
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