As the world commemorates the 80th anniversary of the “invasion of Normandy” – the Shluchim herald a new kind of Jewish invasion.
The invasion of Normandy, codenamed “Operation Overlord” was the major invasion of the Allied forces, on the Normandy coast of occupied France, which took place on June 6, 1944, exactly eighty years ago, as part of the Western Front in World War II.
On the first day of the invasion, about 156,000 Allied soldiers landed on Normandy soil from the sea and the air, with the help of about 12,000 aircraft, and about 6,939 vessels.
It was the largest naval landing operation in history, tens of thousands of soldiers from the most powerful armies in the world, landed here in the historic operation whose goal was to “liberate Europe” from the Nazi occupation and their collaborators. The invasion of the beaches of Normandy, accompanied by many deaths and soul sacrifices, was the beginning of the end of evil The Nazis and the liberation of European countries from the terrible war centered on the terrible holocaust that was inflicted on the Jewish people.
This invasion marked the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust in which over six million Jews were murdered HY”D.
Around the world, and especially in the country of France, and along the beaches of Normandy, state ceremonies were held to commemorate the day, in memory of the heroes who gave their lives on D-DAY, including many Jewish soldiers, from the armies of the United States and Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and more.
In the territory of the invasion there are several military cemeteries, memorial sites, and museums, and the local Chabad Shluchim are quite busy.
The Rebbe’s Shluchim, Rabbi Moti and his wife Mrs. Zlata Lewin, manage the Chabad House and Chabad institutions in the city of Coon, one of the most important and central cities in the Normandy region. The couple maintains close ties with the municipal authorities and with the directors of the memorial sites, and host the extensive Jewish tourism that comes to the place throughout the year.
In a special ceremony on June 6, all the names of the fallen, mostly young Jews who had not yet had the chance to start a family, were read, and at the end a moving Kaddish was recited. There are about 22 Jews in the British cemetery, 36 Jews in the Canadian cemetery, and 150 Jews in the American cemetery.
About a decade ago, when the Shluchim arrived on the scene, and to mark the seventy-year anniversary of the invasion, the writing of a special Torah scroll was begun to perpetuate the memory of all the Jewish martyrs who fell in this land. Every time a group of tourists arrives, organized tours of Jewish communities, relatives of the fallen, youth delegations from Jewish schools from all over France, etc., they are honored to write letters in this unique Torah book.
The Jewish tourists, the vast majority of whom are far from a full Torah life and mitzvot, happily agree to roll up their sleeves and place a tefillin for the upliftment of the souls of the 14 heroic soldiers, and the women also take it upon themselves to light Shabbat candles.
The many museums that are scattered in the area and attract millions of tourists from around the world, hardly tell the tragedy of the Jewish people, nor the heroism of the thousands of Jewish soldiers who gathered and came to help in the work and save their brothers on the European continent. The Rebbe’s emissaries developed an educational program of commemoration with Jewish motifs, during which visitors are educated on the chain of events of D-DAY from the point of view of a Jewish soldier who took part in the invasion.
Among the many visitors who arrived at tjis year’s memorial, a tour guide was suddenly discovered, who until today thought he was only half Jewish, but after it was explained that his mother was a Jew, an exciting Bar Mitzvah ceremony was immediately held for him, with the placing of tefillin by a ‘Karakfata’, at the age of fifty-three!
Teenagers who come to the place can get a special package that includes jeep tours, entry to German army bunkers, allied planes, and more. And of course the highlight, participating in the writing of the Torah book that perpetuates the memory of the Jewish soldiers.
The great news, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary, is the news that the Rebbe’s emissaries have signed a contract for the purchase of a large area, on which a huge building will be erected, which will be a beacon of Jewish light and warmth, which will include a Chabad house, a visitor center, an activity club for youth and adults, the first Mikva Tahara in this part of the country, a kosher food market, kindergartens and a day nursery, a hall for celebrations and events, as well as guest rooms for short stays.
Yashaar Koach for this incredible opportunity for our youth. To get to experience this is so important to appreciate the sacrifice of the greatest generation of which my father was part of and play a role in Battle of the Budge.
Thank you to all the organizers of this important project and please continue!