The Shema Yisrael Rebbe

The first Kaliver Rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac of Kaliv, Hungary (1744-1828),  was known as the "Sweet Singer of Israel". Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac was discovered by Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Sarah, a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, and one of the 36 hidden righteous people of his generation. Rabbi Leib first met Rabbi Isaac when he was a small shepherd boy, and told the boy's mother, a widow, that her son was destined to be a great Tzaddik.

Indeed, Rabbi Isaac grew to be a great Rebbe, whose dynasty survived the darkest hour of Jewish history and lives on today with great vitality, emphasizing the power of Jewish unity in the face of our greatest enemies. Rebbe Yitzchak Isaac composed many Hasidic melodies, which were often adapted from Hungarian folk melodies. He told his students that the melodies of his songs were lost treasures from the songs of the Levites at the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, which were lost among the nations over the years and were now being restored to the Jewish people. As proof, his followers recount that the gentile who taught Rebbe a melody would forget it as soon as he learned it.

In the video below, the sixth Kaliver Rebbe of Jerusalem, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taub, may he live long, "Sola Kakas Mar", one of the songs composed by the "Sweet Singer of Israel."

The Kaliver Rebbe of Jerusalem, may he live long, is a survivor of Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen, and has gone to great lengths to memorialize the six million martrys and to keep tradition alive among Jews of diverse backgrounds.

In 1944, the Rebbe was transported to Auschwitz by the Nazis, arriving three days before Shavuos. From Auschwitz he was transferred to the Warsaw Ghetto and the Breslau concentration camp, and later to Bergen-Belsen.

Those who have had the opportunity to hear the Kaliver Rebbe know that he ends every talk by leading his listeners in Shma Yisrael (Hear O Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is One). Each prayer carries the story of the amazing miracle behind the Rebbe's escape from the death camp, recounted below via Dixie Yid:

During World War II, when the Rebbe was in a concentration camp, the Nazis brought him to the crematorium. Facing death, the Rebbe said to Hashem:

What will my last “Shema Yisrael” add to You? Give me life and save me, and I will bring You “Shema Yisrael” to many.”

The Rebbe’s prayer was answered. Somehow, the plans were changed, and the Rebbe was spared. The Rebbe kept his promise. He is bringing the unifying message of Shema Yisrael to many.

After the war ended, the Rebbe reunited with his wife in Sweden and emigrated to the U.S., where he began his work in memorializing the Holocaust in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1962, the Rebbe moved to Israel, and created the Kiryas Kaliv center in Rishon L'Zion. Since 2004, the Rebbe resides in Jerusalem.

During the last 60 years, the rebbe has traveled to millions of Jews throughout the world with the message of Jewish unity that kept him alive in Auschwitz. In Israel, the Rebbe is a key force for Jewish unity, a devout Chasidic Rebbe who reaches out to all diverse segments of the Jewish population, teaching the message of Shma Yisrael to all Jews, regardless of the divisions that blur our vision of Klal Yisroel.

May we merit to see the faces of true tzaddikim in our generation, and heed the cry of Jewish unity that had the power to shake Heaven during darkest times of our history, and that will usher us into the brightest. Hen Ga'alti Eschem Acharit K'Vereshit Lihiyos Lachem L'Elohim - I will redeem you, in the end like in the beginning, to be for you Your God.



Sola Kakas Mar / The Crow of the Rooster

Crows the rooster now
Sun is rising now
In green forest and open fields,
Walks a little bird-
But what a bird is it?
But what a bird is it?
Its feet is yellow, blue are the wings,
Waiting for me there-
Wait, bird, wait a bit
You must always wait
If G-d gave me only to you
Yours I will be then-
But when will that happen?
But when will that happen?
When the Temple stands again
And Zion is rebuilt again
Then will it happen-
Why does it not happen,
Why doe it not happen
U'Mipnei Chatoeni Golini M'Artzeni
[Because of our sins, we were exiled from our land]
That's why does not happen- 

Lyrics from Zemerl.com 

 

Holocaust Remembrance Day in the shadow of Iran

So far it has been quite an eventful Holocaust Remembrance Day: The #1 Enemy of the free world has been reportedly killed, and Iranian TV ran a story that Israeli fighter jets were gathering in Iraq to attack Iran.

In New York, an assembly of Jewish groups gathered to learn and act on the key lesson of the Holocaust - Never Again. In 2011, despite an atmosphere of euphoria and deep-seated denial among liberal elements, the Jewish people are not in any less danger than we were in 1933. What's more, Ahmadinejad is even more open about his intentions than Hitler was, freely proclaiming to the world his mission to "wipe Israel off the map" one day, and his intentions to build nuclear weapons the next.

Kol HaKavod to the American people and their leaders who gathered today at the Iranian mission of the U.N. to call the world's attention to the real threat of another Holocaust, what is perhaps a final call for all who stand with us to do all in our power to stop Iran and its men-on-the-ground, Hezbollah and Hamas:

Hundreds gathered for a solemn vigil at the Iranian Mission to the United Nations on Sunday afternoon in New York City, to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day. An Israeli flag was held aloft by participants, and several feet away stood six burning torches, representing the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II. 

...Decrying the "hypocrisy of the UN and the whole world", Rep. Nadler declared, "we must take any action to ensure that there is no second Holocaust," and said that "all options should be on the table" as far as stopping Iran is concerned.

"Remembering the Holocaust is quite commendable, but what is needed now is a bold plan of Jewish activism," said Rep. Hikind, a former member of the Jewish Defense League. "Our enemies are closing in on us at blinding speed and our very existence as a people is at stake and no Jewish organizations have offered a concrete plan of action. 

The son of a survivor of Auschwitz, Hikind added: "We are an orphaned generation. What the Jewish community is sorely lacking today is authentic Jewish leadership, that was epitomized by Rabbi Meir Kahane, of blessed memory. We need organizations and leaders who can mobilize thousands of Jews to take to the streets near the United Nations in September and declare our collective outrage over the proposed unilateral vote on the creation of a Palestinian state that is sworn to destroy Israel and the Jewish people."

Also the son of a survivor, Rabbi Schwartz of Congregation Ohev Tzedek warned that "Ahmadinejad wants to visit a new Holocaust on Israel while denying the veracity of the Holocaust that happened 70 years ago. We must act to transform Yom HaShoah into Yom Ha'Atzmaut; a day of darkness into a day of light."

"Israel, which sends healing across the world in times of crises, has become a pariah state", said Rabbi Lerner of Young Israel of Great Neck. "Amalek lives on in the form of Ahmadinejad and others who represent an existential peril to Israel."

Rabbi Polakoff of the Great Neck Synagogue stated, "Remembering the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah is a misnomer. We must remember the lessons of this chapter of Jewish history every single day. If we don't remember, who will?"  (Israel National News)

Not one nation alone stood against the Jewish people throughout history, but in every generation our enemies stand against us to destroy us, but the Holy Blessed One saves us from their hands. May all of Am Yisrael join even closer together in times of hardship, and in the merit of our forefathers and all the great tzaddikim who were killed in sanctification of God's name in the Holocaust and in all turmoils our people have faced, in their merit may Hashem save us in these times as in the past, and bring our Redeemer and full Redemption with no delay.

The Dark Legacy of the Shephard Hotel

The Shepherd Hotel in Jerusalem, 2010

The world should be celebrating the transformation of a Nazi collaborator's home to a synagogue; instead, it is attempting to cast a legal sale of land as Israeli aggression. Pitiful.

The dilapidated hotel was once home to the Nazi collaborator and Muslim leader Mufti Haj Amin Al-Husseini (y"s). In 1985, the hotel and surrounding area was legally purchased for $1 million by US Jewish philanthropist Irving Moskowitz. In the building plans, the untried Nazi's collaborator's home will be renovated into a synagogue in memorial of Holocaust victims.

Yet rather than atone for its past in protecting Al-Husseini, the world is decrying the delapidated building's transformation into a place of Jewish worship.

During WWII, Al-Husseini broadcast propaganda for the Axis Powers with the aim of influencing Arab public opinion. In 1941, he participated in efforts to convince Bosnian Muslim leaders that a Muslim S.S. division would be in the interest of Islam, and helped recruit Bosnian Muslims into SS units, one of which committed atrocities against Christian Serbs during operations in the Balkans in 1944.

Al-Husseini on Radio Berlin, March 1, 1944: 'Arabs, rise as one man and fight for your sacred rights. Kill the Jews wherever you find them. This pleases God, history, and religion. This saves your honor. God is with you.'

So Al-Husseini was a nut, but Europe must have condemned him after the war, right? Wrong. Europe's condemnation of Israel's renovation of this testament to crimes of humanity is hardly new. After WWII Al-Husseini fled to Switzerland, but was detained and sent back to Germany, where he was arrested by French troops in May 1945. Ah, the French. They'll put him to justice, right?

Wrong. Discussions with Mufti post-arrest were put in the hands of Henri Ponsot, a former ambassador of France in Syria. France sought status in the Arab world through Al-Husseini's wide connections, and ended up handing him benefits, priveleges, special detention conditions, and constant concern for the well-being of him and his entourage. Despite British requests for his extradition, and his presence on the list of names of war criminals, France considered him a political prisoner and denied British requests.

In September 1945, realizing they were holding a hot potato, France organized the transfer of Al-Husseini to Egypt. On May 29th, al-Husayni left France on a TWA flight for Cairo using a fake Syrian passport. Once in Egypt, the British could no longer arrest him.

In August 1947, Al-Husseini thanked French Foreign Minister Georges Bidault in a letter and suggested France continue its policy to increase prestige in the Muslim world. One month later, an Arab Higher Committee delegation proposed to Paris an neutral Arab position on North Africa in exchange of France's support in the Palestinian question. 

Catherine Ashton, British Labor Politiciana and EU Foreign Policy Chief, 2011, in today's statement: "I strongly condemn this morning's demolition of the Shepherd Hotel and the planned construction of a new illegal settlement. I reiterate that settlements are illegal under international law, undermine trust between the parties and constitute an obstacle to peace. Furthermore, we recall that East Jerusalem is part of occupied Palestinian territory."

Sources:
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni 
Tsilla Hershco, Le grand mufti de Jérusalem en France : Histoire d'une évasion, Revue Controverses, n°1, mars 2006