Stories of Hope The Shoah, or Holocaust was our most recent national tragedy. There, we faced Amalek, the archenemy of light and truth, the archenemy of the Jew and his Torah. It is not the first time that Amalek attacked us on our journey to Erets Yisrael. Rav Tzadok HaCohen writes (Yisrael Kedoshim, pp. 94ff): "In man's heart, Amalek is the power that "freezes" man, causing him to see only "absurd chance" and therefore deny any ethical conscience and the moral perfection it entails. "In the physical body, Amalek fights to destroy the sanctity of Brit Mila [The Covenant of Circumcision]. "In space, Amalek covets the Land of Israel, and is sworn to prevent Israel from attaining its perfection-which is interdependent with its dwelling in the Land. "In the history of mankind, Amalek symbolizes the foremost evil among nations, and has always risen up to destroy Yisrael when the time of redemption is imminent." The first time was when we were leaving Mitsrayim (Egypt, but literally, the narrow place), when he attacked our young and our weak. Amalek attacked again, only historical moments before we returned to Tsion, returned to the Promised Land, from Bavel. We of course learn about this in Megillat Esther when we celebrate Purim. Yom HaKippurim is often compared with Purim; it is k'purim (the letters can be pronounced as such to mean "like Purim"). It is also clear that the Nazis are the modern manifestation of Amalek. That we survived at all is miraculous, that we were able to manifest the presence of God, within the Hell that was Nazi Europe, sings of HaShem's incredible bounty. It is the song of truth triumphing over illusion, of spirit conquering the corporeal, of Light defeating Darkness. A Hasidic Rebbe who survived a Nazi work camp related the following story (the story was told to me by Rabbi Avraham Trugman): It was Erev Yom HaKippurim, and several inmates of this particular camp came to the Rebbe to ask if there was any way in which they could avoid violating Torah mitsvot the next day (Yom HaKippurim). The Rebbe, touched by the desire of these poor souls to connect with G-d in even the most adverse of conditions took it upon himself to go to the Cappo and ask that the work schedule be arranged in a particular manner. The Cappos, usually Jews themselves (though in some places they were other ethnic group particular harsh on Jews), were middlemen between the Nazis and the Jews, and often tried to be crueler, if that was possible, than their masters. The Rebbe went to the one Cappo who was in charge of his group and said, "Tomorrow is Yom HaKippurim. Is there anyway that we can do work that won't involve violating Torah Law?" The Cappo, who was notorious for being the cruelest in the camp, was noticeably stunned that such a request was even made. He, however, surprise the Rebbe even more by saying that he wasn't responsible for the work schedule that night, but during the day, the Rebbe should bring his group of Jews and the Cappo would find them suitable work. That night, the Nazis worked the Jews harder and later than usual. They knew it was Yom HaKippurim, and as such, added to their work. The inmates barely dragged themselves into their bunks. There, the members of the Rebbe's bunk asked him, "What about Kol Nidre?" The Rebbe, amazed at the Jewish soul, nevertheless said that they were on the level of mistarot nefesh [suffering of the soul], maybe even p'quah nefesh [the saving of a life], because they had been worked so hard and would undoubtedly be worked tomorrow. They, decided the Rebbe, were exempt from reciting Kol Nidre. Nevertheless, the Jews persisted, and the Rebbe said, "Fine, tell everyone we will recite Kol Nidre in twenty minutes." The word went out. Jews crawled on their bellies from bunk to bunk (if they were seen outside their bunks they would be shot on sight) announcing the service. Soon, Bunk 15 was filled with Jews, and the Rebbe began to slowly chant Kol Nidre. The next day, the Rebbe along with a small group of pious Jews assembled before the Cappo whom the Rebbe had talked to the day before. He led them to an old run down house, led them inside and said, "Here, just dust the furniture and move things around. You can be here all day." The Rebbe and the group of Jews were stunned. Slowly, after the Cappo left, they began to pray the prayers of Yom HaKippurim from memory. Then at noon, the tranquility was shattered. Nazis stormed into the house with trays and trays of steaming food. One must understand that, even though they were in a work camp and not a death camp, they were barely fed more than a stick of bread and a small lump of fat. Yet, here were trays and trays of mouthwatering delicacies. The Nazis began nicely, "Here Jews, we brought you some good food. Pleas, come and eat." The Jews stood frozen. "We said, 'we brought you some food come and eat." The Nazis continued to be encouraging for a few minutes but the Jews continued to stand frozen. Finally the fa?ade fell and the Nazis began screaming, "JEWS! WE BROUGHT YOU THIS FOOD! NOW EAT!!!" Then the Cappo entered the house and he witnessed what was going on. He then went up to the Nazi officer, and spoke. Listen closely to what he said. "Today is Yom HaKippurim, and we Jews don't eat today." The Nazi was at first stunned that a Cappo would rebel so, but his shock did not last long and he pulled out his pistol and placed it at the Cappo's temple. He said, "Eat Jew or I'll blow your brains out." Now even the most pious of Jews would be permitted to eat under such circumstances, but the Cappo looked at the Nazi and repeated. Today, is Yom HaKippurim, and we Jews don't eat today." I wish I could tell you that the story ended happily, but the Nazi did shoot the Cappo right then and there. It was truly a Kiddush HaShem, a sanctification of God's Name. This story is proof of the Rabbis dictum that even the most empty Jew is filled with merits like a pomegranate. *** It was Hoshanah Rabba in the Janowska Road Concentration Camp. Sounds of hundreds of screaming young children and infants seemed to fill the entire universe. A "selection" was taking place. Hundreds of young children and infants were being rounded up to meet a terrible death in the gas chambers. A woman was frantically rushing to and fro, begging camp inmates to give her a knife. Many camp inmates were concerned that she was planning to end her life with her own hands. Her pleas went unheeded. As she came upon a German guard, she took him by complete surprise when she asked him for the pocketknife she noticed in his pocket. Strangely, he complied. She turned to a pile of rags neatly placed a few yards away. Hidden in these rags was her newborn son. She proceeded to circumcise the baby and recite the blessing over the mitsvah with deep devotion. Looking heavenward she cried, "Master of the Universe, you have given me a healthy child and I return to You a wholesome, kosher Jew." She then, with a deep sense of inner calm, delivered the bloodstained knife and her child into the hands of the soldier. *** A boy tells the story of his father, who became the subject of a brutal beating. The Nazi pounded and kicked his father until he became bloody, but he refused to scream or cry out. Frustrated, the Nazi knocked off the father's kipah. The father lifted his hands and cover his head, blood flowed down his face and he laughed at the Nazi; he actually laughed, "Do you think, that because you knocked off my hat, I'm going to change my religion?" ***

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