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MARCH 4, 2021 | The Jewish Home MARCH 4, 2021 | The Jewish Home
The Wandering
Jew
Siyum in Lublin Part II
In the ohel of the Rebbe Rav Meilech in Lizensk
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L-R: Rabbis Yaakov Finkelstein, Yitzchok Aron Fischer, The kevorim of the Megale Amukos and family in Krakow Chaskel Besser, Michael Schudrich, and Yossel Schiff surrounding the baal bris
erary. We arrived in Warsaw, davened at the kivrei tzaddikim at the bais olam, heard a lecture at the Jewish museum, went to the Umshlagplatz and the Ghetto Memorial, and visited the Nozyk Shul. We traveled to Gura Kalwaria, davened in the Gerrer Bais Medrash, and visited the ohel of the first two Gerrer Rebbes. The next morning, we walked through the old bais hachaim of Lublin and were exposed to the horrors of Treblinka. The main feature and purpose of our trip was to bring our group of twenty esteemed guests to the Siyum HaDaf at the Yeshiva of Lublin. This event was the true highlight of the first thirty hours. The siyum, the speeches, the singing and dancing of about one hundred Yidden – mostly locals –gave proof that the “pintele Yid” was still alive, even in Poland. It was evidence that Rabbi Meyer Shapiro’s dream had an effect on so many Jews worldwide. Late Wednesday afternoon, our guests boarded the coach bus, and we continued our journey. Our
next destination was Lizensk to be mispallel at the kever of the Rebbe, Reb Meilech. Thousands of Yidden make this pilgrimage for the Rebbe’s yahrtzeit on the 21st of Adar, and we were very inspired to say Tehillim and leave kvitlech by his kever. From there, I took our group to see a most unusual synagogue in the town of Lancut. The multicolored walls, ceilings, bimah, and aron kodesh are a feast for one’s eyes. I was also instrumental many years earlier to help with the restoration work of the over-forty panels of tefillos and kapitlach Tehillim that grace all the walls. We also went to kever of the Ropshitzer Rebbe, which is at the town’s edge. From there, we traveled to Rzeszow (Reisha), where we said tefillos by the kevorim of the Bluzhever Rebbes. I told them the story how my friend Itchie Friedman and I merited to build the ohel over their graves. Then we settled back for the two-hour ride to Krakow. When we arrived, we davened Maariv in the pitch dark Izaac Yekeles Shul, where I related the history of the magnificent building and the circumstances that led to its construction. We had dinner in the brand new Nissenbaum Kosher Restaurant
A magnificent synagogue in Lancut
In the Remah Synagogue in Krakow
ur arrival in Poland in the summer of 1995 was only thirty hours ago, and yet we accomplished so much of our intended itin-
with an excellent hashgacha. We could barely keep our eyes open as we headed to our rooms at the Hotel Forum on the Wisla River. It was an extremely long day, and tomorrow would be even longer. Thursday early in the morning, we were privileged to attend two brissim which took place at the youth club. One was for a young man going through geirus and the other bris was for a Jewish baby. Then we rushed over to daven in the Remah Shul and toured the Old Bais HaChaim behind the Shul. The kevorim of some our greatest rabbis are located here. Besides the Remah and his family, the Bach, the Rebbe Rav Heschel, the Megaleh Amukos, Maginei Shlomo and the Tosvos Yom Tov are some of the more noted personalities interred in this holy place. Then we walked around the streets of Kazimierz, the Jewish sector of Krakow, and visited some of remaining shuls which are now tourist attractions. Walking in the footsteps of our gedolim was a major draw for our esteemed group who appreciated the historical significance of this neighborhood. From this special high, we descended to the lowest moment of our recent history as we entered Auschwitz. Our guide brought to life what happened in
The 500-year-old Old Synagogue in Krakow
