Photo from the Belzer Yizkor book
Schneur comments onCircus Tent: The Rescue Efforts:
It is VERY painful as it is a painful reminder of the extreme tzores of Klal Yisrael in this century. The tragedy that the Rabban Shel Kol Bnai Hagoleh had to remove his beard , flee Belz, his shul and hoif destroyed. He lost his complete family, lost 90% of his followers all besoch the immense tragedy of Klal Yisrael, it sure hurts me. OUCH, OUCH !
Was the Bilgorajer Rov not in the picture?
ReplyDeleteSchneour,
ReplyDeleteYou claimed the picture was from Beirut,apparently you were wrong it was from Aleppo,Syria.Unless you refer to a different pic.
The Rov of Bilgoray, father of current Belzer was if memory serves me a half brother who was much younger.
ReplyDeleteYes, he was younger, but they escaped together, and arrived in E Israel together. Hence, the question I asked: "Was he not in this picture?"
ReplyDeleteYes you are correct it was Aleppo not Beirut. I stand corrected.The Bilgruyer rav was not in the picture. He was a half brother of the Belzer ruv and after the petirah of the Maharid his mother (The Maharid's second Rebbitzen) made noises that he should be ruv of Belz and Reb Ahron the rebbe. But this did not take as Reb Ahron was a kodesh merechem Imo.
ReplyDeleteIn Israel , my old Chabad friends who lived in Tel Aviv in the late 40's tell me the Bilgroyer was preparing to set up his own hoif ind. of his brothers ,(perhaps he thought his brother would yet have a new family) although i doubt anyone today would admit to that.
Years ago I recall being shown a picture of the Vishnitzer rebbe Reb Chaim Meir with a trimmed beard in more modern clothing during the War. Does anyone out there know where this picture has been printed ?
ReplyDeletei've too have seen such a photo of the imrei chaim. i am trying to recall where.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Rabbonim and Rebbes dressed like Goyim during the war to save themselves is well known. My problem is with the so-called "Ness" that happened to Reb Yoilish Teitelbaum while in the Satmar Ghetto. Supposedly all he needed was a kerchief around his beard so that the Nazis won't know that he defied the order to shave beards. They never figured it out, supposedly.
ReplyDeleteYeah, right.
Actaually beards in the SAtmar ghetto were not a problem . The Satmarer story is that the Rebbe fooled the Germans in BERGEN BELSEn (since he was clean the Germans did not mind the beard)and that he was the only rebbe to keep his beard during the War. Mashma that his memeale makom did not have a beard...Even that is not true as others among thenm the Deesher rebbe also manged to keep his beard.
ReplyDeleteSchneur,
ReplyDeleteI respect your knowledge of Chabad but your comment about the Satmerer Rov's memmale makom shows either ignorance or lack of insensitivity. The Sigeter, R. Moshe, was in Auschwitz, lost his family and participated in the death marches across Germany, and you discuss his beard? He almost lost the rest of his body.
The Germans were not fooled by the handkerchief around R. Yoelishe's beard. The animals couldn't control themselves from cutting off a Jews long beard. He covered it up so as not to call their attention to it.
There is a picture of a wedding right after the war with the Vishnetzer, Skever and other Rebbes with sefira looking beards. The war had just ended and they started to let their beards grow again.
Ailemsher . You misread my comment. I have no taanos or taarumos against the 2nd Satamerer rebbe (my fatehr was in the same camp Terezin in 1945 where they were liberated together (with the difference that my father was in Nazi Concentration camps or Slave labor camps from November 1939-April 1945) and particpated in a lot more zaros than both the satmaer rebbes. if we are going to compare things. So I of all people know whaat he went through. But its DER YID and all the official SATMARER propoganda organs that make a big deal that Reb Joel was the ONLY one to keep his zelem Elokim in that respect it must mean that his nephew did not. Thats all i am saying I know from my parents both of whom were in camps ! how hard it was to keep mItzvoth. But your taane should be to satamr not to me.This should not be construed as an attack against Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum , but against the satmar propoganda machine.
ReplyDeleteSchneur,
ReplyDeleteI don't think that any Satmerer chasid today doesn't realize that there was a major difference between the great R. Yoelish and his successors. Satmar in this respect is unlike Lubavitch that believes that the last Lubavitcher Rebbe was as great as the Alter Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek.
The difference is that in Satmar the last Rebbe and both of his sons are takeh not anything like R Yoel, while the LR was as great as his predecessors. What's so hard to understand about that? You think there's some kind of natural law that all rebbes of a generation are alike, and if one is less than his predecessor than all the others must be too?
ReplyDeleteSorry Milhouse, the last Rebbe was far from the Alter Rebbe, Tzemach Tzedek or Rasha"b except in the imagination of today's Lubavitcher Chassidim. As opposed to Abe Lincoln's statement, R. Yoel Kahn and collegues have managed to fool all of the (Lubavitcher) people all the time. No one outside Lubavitch buys it.
ReplyDeleteHis brother the Atzie Chaim was a far bigger goan and masmid then Reb Yoel and his name did not exist in Satmer until R'Moshe Tielelbaum became Rebbe, so stop the chabad bashing.
ReplyDeleteIn Belz many chasidim thought of Reb Aron bigger then his Father.
"Sorry Milhouse, the last Rebbe was far from the Alter Rebbe, Tzemach Tzedek or Rasha"b except in the imagination of today's Lubavitcher Chassidim. As opposed to Abe Lincoln's statement, R. Yoel Kahn and collegues have managed to fool all of the (Lubavitcher) people all the time. No one outside Lubavitch buys it."
ReplyDeleteIsn't going up to the Beis Din shomayim and saving lives,(as witnessed by people who experienced NDD[Near Death Experience]) not as great as the Alter Rebbe? Is giving countless people blessings which are immediately fulfilled not like the Tzemach Tzedek? Is correctly predicting future events not like the Rebbe Rashab? Does all the above, in addition to amazing range of Torah knowledge, both of Niglah and Nistar, extraordinary love of EVERY Jew,and many other quality's, the composition of one of the greatest Tzaddikim of the genaration?