By COLlive reporter
As a young boy during World War II, R’ Dovid Aaron Neuman was left in an orphanage by his parents for safety after they escaped from the Nazi invasion in Belgium.
Neuman, today a resident of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, still remembers those days of 1941 in Marseille, France, where children were going hungry for days, as food became increasingly scarce due to the war.
But then, a Jewish man came to the rescue of the 6-year-old.
“We did not know his name; we just called him ‘Monsieur,'” Neuman recalled in an interview with JEM’s My Encounter team, referring to the French word for “Mister.”
This “Monsieur” would arrive with bags of French baguette breads, fish and sometimes potatoes to feed Neuman and other children. “He would stay until every child had eaten,” Neuman recalls.
The children who were despondent and didn’t want to eat were given fatherly love by this Monsieur as he would sing to them, tell them a story and even personally feed them.
Monsieur came back day after day for several weeks, and many of the children owed their lives to him, surviving only because of the food he gave them, Neuman recently said.
After the war, Neuman was reunited with his family, and moved to New York in 1957. On one occasion, a family member suggested that he meet the Lubavitcher Rebbe at 770 Eastern Parkway.
It was a heartstopping experience that Neuman was hesitant to speak about. After 10 years of pleading from the staff of JEM and his Lubavitcher acquaintance, Dr. Levi Reiter of Crown Heights, Neuman finally agreed to reveal what happened there:
As Dovid Aaron Neuman entered the modest office, the Rebbe smiled and greeted him “Dos iz Dovidele! – It’s Dovidele!”
Neuman wondered, “How does he know my name?”
But then it dawned on him. “I nearly fainted,” he says. “I was looking at “Monsieur.” The Rebbe was Monsieur! And he had recognized me before I had recognized him. It was unbelievable.”
The Rebbe and Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson resided in Southern France after the armies of Nazi Germany conquered Paris. Their time was spent in both cities of Nice and Marseilles before their final escape from Europe.
Neuman said he impressed to learn that during the war the Rebbe would also write down commentary about Torah and chassidus (now printed in the Reshimos series).
“But what is even more remarkable to me is that a scholar of such magnitude would — at the same time — busy himself with delivering bags of food and personally feeding small orphans,” Neuman says.
“He never forgot that saving lives is of primary concern. And I shall forever be grateful that he saved mine and because of him, I, thank G-d, have many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
This truly is gods gift my heart weeps for the children that did not have a godley man to be there
This story was amazing. People have big hearts
Wow .
What a story.
Overwhelming…
Thanks for sharing it!
Thank you so much for sharing. Well worth reading.
…especially since it’s completely true. To the person who posted the rather cynical comment #26: Don’t go overboard with the atzmus stuff. It’s OK to just humbly recognize the greatness of the Rebbe ztz”l expessed with deep hakaras ha’tov by “Dovidle.”
Incredible story! But how many more stories and acts of kindness practiced by the Rebbe will remain hidden until the revelation of Moshiach…
We continue to be his children, fed by his infinite wisdom.
atzmus is more than a kind man. enough already.
Such an AWESOME story! You see how the Rebbe cares for EVERY single yid!
Rabbi Aron Duvid is a first cousin of Rabbi Eli Silberstein of Ithaca ny,a shliach of the Rebbe, as well as a first cousin of Rabbi Zushe Silberstein of Montreal.
Surely they would have contact information
amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
quite a story…..
for sharing this beautiful story. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but I’m so glad you did!
gives me the chills, how kind and how special the Rebbe truely is
How very touching….. Nothing like a good soul and kindness!daily in my waking hours look for good souls and kindness!,humankind lost the kind .. I pray to Hashem that kindness be returned to men….
Contacting [email protected] would be the your best way to find out.
The trademark of Moshiach is that he reaches the highest levels of Torah and spirituality while caring for the most basic needs of the humble common people.
Wowed by the story and also kept reading it again and again- crying. How many are the praises of our dear Rebbe – so much that we don’t even know-
HIs unlimited kindness performed in the most modest way – truly looking to help and comfort each child on their level in the most gentle and humble way with no fanfare at all.
In Marseille!
I would very much like to get in touch with him.
What is his address or email or phone please?
the rebbe is special man
It describes what a Rebbe is…someone who seeks out every Jewish soul, to nourish it with life and warmth.
Thank you.
the Rebbe is a role model for everyone
Thank you for sharing. Please thank Rabbi Neuman. I keep reading and rereading it, it is so special!
who ran the orphanage
The Rebbe is our Tatte, giving fatherly love, taking care of all of us!
Ad Mosai!
How close can you get to G-d’s work.
aside from the story itself, the self sacrifice. devotion etc,,,
we always knew that the Rebbe was a “Hatzneh Leches” how he would do things secretly without making noise about it,.
The Rebbetzin once said about him, that even living with him, I don’t know many things he does in private….
My point is….. this story we never knew till now,,, after 70 it happened, after 20 years since 3 Tammuz,, etc..
how many more 100’s of things the Rebbe did we don’t know about, just amazing G-dly in its essence
Rebbe such a kind humble fantastic tzadick!
Thank you for sharing this very sensitive story with us, your courage & resilience in making this a better world and the incredible part the Rebbe played touches so many hearts very deeply.
A marvelous and magical epic of survival and G-d’s will.
this story should be made famous to everyone… care like this is what we need as an example in the world today…
ממנו יראו וכן יעשו
This is a Rebbe & Rebetzen
Saving lifes B’Gashmius & B’Ruchnious
Thank You
what a story!