א סיגעטער בראסלאווער חסיד

Funny how Mr. Wiesel is so taken by Reb Nachman. Not funny, just interesting. What is funny is how we were so horrified by EW's connection to Rabbonim and Rebbes, and how the zealous ideology had already so taken over by the time I was of age to take note of it in the 80's. As if he was to be excommunicated for speaking of the pain and suffering he endured both during and after the War.

"הסברה" to a fellow Yid and survivor

a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Elie Wiesel, 1965

The Rebbe's words are a guiding and shining light for generations, no matter what the dilemma may be. Here it is a lengthy response to a Holocaust survivor asking where G-d was during those terrible years, but it needn't be that. The love and concern for Mr. Wiesel is breathtaking, and we see how Jewish continuity is not just a slogan to the Rebbe, how the Rebbe wants Elie Wiesel the Vizhnitzer Chossid, or even just the Shomer Torah U'Mitzvos, to marry and have kids, and thus revenge the deaths of his family at the hands of Nazis Yms"h. Much time and effort was given to respond to Elie's letter, as is clearly evident. Maybe the letter is translated into English somewhere; if you have info as to the location please forward it to me. Thanks.

a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Elie Wiesel, 1965



This week Elie Wiesel went to see the Belzer Rebbe in Yerushalayim. They spoke about Der Alter Heim, and Elie asked him why he merited to survive Auschwitz - what his mission in life should be... Which is a bit strange, since 65 years have passed, 66 by now, and now he's asking?! They sang Vizhnitzer Nigunim - with the Belzer Rebbe... and reminisced. Then Elie was given a tour of the World Belzer HQ. I suppose he may have reached out to Vizhnitz and they may have turned down a request for a meeting, which is why he went to the next best things, his son-in-law, the Belzer Rov. As far as the Sigheter Yichus goes; many of today's Sigheter Chassidm don't like the fact that he's from their town, so they try and downplay his lineage, saying that he was bad as a youngster already, or that his father was from the shvache chassidim...

I remember as a youngster what happened to Rav Menashe Klein, the Baal Mishneh Halochos, when he welcomed his former cellmate in Auschwitz to his home. Elie was going to build a huge shul in Rav Klein's new settlement in Ramot 4, Jerusalem, in memory of his father, Shloime Wiesel from Sighet. Elie was honored at a dinner for the Ungvarer Mosdos and the zealots went crazy. "מנשה שהעמיד צלם בהיכל" they cried. The proof was all the quotes that Elie had made over the years and all the books he wrote about losing faith in G-d. In those days the only one who had no issue with meeting Jews of all stripes - at least in the Charedi world of American Jewry - was Rabbeinu HaKodosh m'Lubavitch, and we know what that did to his stature amongst said Charedim. The Rov was pretty holy in my eyes, and I had never seen such language used against Rabbonim until then, so I was taken aback by those claims. You might say that it was very educational for me how far some of these zealots would go to push their agenda. After all, what had he ever done to them? why did they have to berate him like that in published pashkevillen? But now it seems like others have seen that the best way to deal with such issues is to take them head on. The best way is to speak to them like human beings and show them respect, especially men of such great influence.