By COLlive reporter
In a talk at the historical Central Library at Grand Army Plaza, author Dovid Zaklikowski recounted the life of his grandfather Rabbi Chaim Meir Bukiet. As a student at the Chabad yeshivah in Otwock, Poland, after the beginning of the German invasion of the country, Rabbi Bukiet became a refugee.
“I hope that during this talk where we discuss the life of one refugee,” said Zaklikowski before his talk, “and how the rest of the world, including the United States turned their back on him and millions of others Jews, we could try to learn the story of the refugees of our days.”
Through a hundred photos and documents, Zaklikowski told of how Rabbi Bukiet left behind his entire life and began a journey that took him through Poland, the Soviet Union, Lithuania, back to the Soviet Union, Japan, China and ultimately to the United States.
“We may have heard about a lot about the refugees of Shanghai,” said Mr. Xu Frank after the talk, “Here were heard a fascinating personal tale of a refugee who found a haven in Shanghai during the war.”
Despite the rain and frigid weather outside, over eighty people attended the event from a diverse group of society, including many descendants from the refugees of Shanghai.
“It was a very inspirational afternoon, hearing of the amazing story of Rabbi Bukiet and his fellow students of the Shanghai Yeshiva,” said Mrs. Sarah Yusewitz, the daughter of Rabbi Moshe Rubin. “The presentation, very well done and researched enabled us to glimpse through a window into their real lives and Hashems miracle of their very narrow escape.”
Zaklikowski, who has written much about the journey of the Chabad students to Shanghai, has spoken at numerous locations of the events unfolding there.
The books are available on HasidicArchives.com, where he could also be reached from, or on Amazon Prime.