By COLlive reporter
Photos: Yossi Zeliger
One by one, people who survived the horrors of the Holocaust sat down to inscribe a letter in a new Torah scroll on the site that sought their destruction.
The event coincided with the annual March of the Living at the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz, Poland, last Monday.
The march brings together Jewish teenagers from around the world to learn about the Holocaust and the extinction of over 6 million Jews during World War II.
Chilean philanthropist and businessman Leonardo Farkas, who helps fund the march, has also commissioned a Torah to be concluded on site.
Israel’s former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Israel’s Supreme Court Judge Chanan Meltzer, Miami Shliach Rabbi Benzion Korf, Budapest Shliach Rabbi Shmuel Raskin and Krakow Shliach Eliezer Gourarie wrote letters.
“I’ve completed a few Torah scrolls in my life, in Germany, Switzerland, Florida and other places,” noted the Lubavitcher sofer Rabbi Schneur Vigler.
“It is always a moving event, from the personal and communal aspect, but it’s hard to find the words to describe the feeling of completing a Torah at a place where a third of the Jewish nation was annihilated.”
As the final words were being written, participants sang “Ani Maamin” with emotion and even tears. The Torah will be brought to the Kotel in Jerusalem on Israel’s Independence Day on Iyar 5.
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Wow wow so inspiring !!
Go shimon farkas!!
From the pictures it looks like the ceremony was inside the camp. It is well documented that unfortunately the camp is full of human remains, including the infamous Pool of Ashes, which is not fenced off.
Bottom line: Kohanim are not allowed to visit the camp according to many poskim.
Our job is to elevate the land we walk on we live in etc.
Can someone please explain what does this event add to this hollow ground
is there a human being living today holy enough to walk there
yes my heart is warmed by the event pictures etc.
but please let’s not forget what that place is
When G-d and the Holy soul’s look down from above I don’t want them to see celebration I want them to see what it really is
and let moshiach come now
Unfortunately no on was buried there and if there was knireh there is a mechitza
I am far from a posek but isn’t it possible that this is not actually ON the site but just off on the side of the site? Also since these neshamos are considered kedoshim I suspect their grave-sites fall into a totally different category. I recall when visiting Tzvat – I was shown a site where several failed attempts at building a bridge was abandoned because after the bridge collapsed a few times it was decided that most likely holy people were buried there and the earth simply would not allow a construction over their sites. A Holy Neshama apparently… Read more »
Brought tears to my eyes! how beautiful! Who could have ever imagined? Am Yisroel Chai!! So emotional and touching
What a great person, to give and give to his people.
Gd bless you.
Chana
Beautiful idea and kol hakavod to the organizers.
But if I could respectfully add, that as a community rabbi, I’ve always understood that its ossur to write a sefer Torah in a beis hakvoros. Obviously someone gave a psak for this, I’m curious to know, for my own learning, why this was allowed?
Thank You.
The next sefer will be with Moshiach’s inscription!!
Not possible for Hakadosh Baruch Hu to hold back any longer!
After seeing His kinderlach perform yet another beautiful achdus event – He will surely have rachmanos and fulfill His promise.