THE CURE OF THE LEPER

MY FATHER'S YAHRTZEIT WAS THIS MONDAY, THE SECOND OF NISSAN. IN THIS SMALL WAY I SHARE THE FATE OF THE PREVIOUS LUBAVITCHER REBBE Z.T.L. WHO ALSO LOST HIS ILLUSTRIOUS FATHER ON THE SECOND OF NISSAN. MY FATHER WAS
MATURE BEYOND HIS YEARS AND WHEN HITLER BEGAN THREATENING WORLD JEWRY, HE JOINED THE BETAR MOVEMENT TO PROTECT HIMSELF AND HIS LOVED ONES.
ON YOM KIPPUR IN 1939 THE GERMANS ENTERRED KRASNABROD, A SMALL CITY WITH ABOUT 4000 JEWS. THEY SHOT THE 10 OLDEST MEN OF THE CITY IN FRONT OF THE WORSHIPERS IN THE SHUL. MY GRANDFATHER WAS THE CHAZAN AND HE WAS THEN CHOSEN AMONGST 100 MEN TO BE SHOT IN AN OPEN FIELD. THEY WERE FORCED TO DIG THEIR OWN GRAVES , STRIP AND AS THE GUNS WERE READIED A POLISH OFFICER ,RIDING ON A HORSE CAME AND ASKED IN THE NAME OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION THAT CIVILIANS NOT BE EXECUTED IN WARTIME.
THE OFFICER IN CHARGE WAS A WHERMACHT, NOT AN SS EXTERMINATOR AGREED AND ORDERED THE MEN TO RUN ACROSS THE FIELD NAKED. SHOTS WERE FIRED OVER THEIR HEADS,TO SIMULATE AN ESCAPE TO THE WOODS.
MY GRANDFATHER SPENT THE REST OF YOM KIPPUR NAKED AND FRIGHTENED IN THE WOODS.
MY FATHER HAD SEEN ENOUGH. WHEN THE RUSSIANS CAME HE WAS ABLE TO SAVE
SOME OF HIS MOTHER'S STORE WARES FROM THE POLISH LOOTER WHO WAS TRYING TO SELL THEM. WHEN THE RUSSIANS EVACUATED, HE LEFT ON THE LAST LORRY HOPING TO CONVINCE HIS BELOVED PARENTS TO FOLLOW HIM. TAKING HIS YOUNGER BROTHER WITH HIM THEY ARRIVED IN BIYALISTOK ON SHABBOS. PEOPLE WERE INCREDULOUS. TO BE FAIR, THEY COULDN'T HAVE IMAGINED THE DEATH
AND DESTRUCTION THAT WAS BEING PERPETRATED BY THE GERMANS AS ONLY THE RUSSIANS HAD COME AND THEY DID NOT INTERFERE IN PRIVATE LIFE AS YET.
SEEING THAT CONDITIONS IN THEIR CITY HAD NOT IMPROVED WHEN THE GERMANS CAME BACK AND MISSING THEIR CHILDREN, MY GRANDPARENTS WENT AFTER THEM TO BIYALISTOK.
THERE, THE RUSSIANS ASKED ONLY ONE QUESTION-"DO YOU WNT A RUSSIAN PASSPORT OR A POLISH ONE"? MY GRANDFATHER ANSWERD , AS DID 90% OF THE REFUGEES THAT THEY WERE HAPPY TO REMAIN AS POLISH CITIZENS AND AFTER THE WAR ENDED THEY INTENDED TO RESETTLE IN KRASNABROD.
THAT NIGHT, AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT , FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JEWISH REFUGEES, CALAMITY STRUCK. THE RUSSIANS ORDERED THEM TO LEAVE WITHIN 30 MINUTES WITH ONLY WHAT THEY COULD CARRY WITH THEM. THEY WERE LED AT GUNPOINT INTO CATTLECARS WITH NO FOOD OR WATER.
THE TRAINRIDE LSATED FOR DAYS. MANY DIED ON THE WAY. THEY WERE THUSLY DEPOSITED AT A FORCED LABOR CAMP IN ARCHANGEL IN NORTHERN LAPLAND.
THERE THERE WAS LIMITED FOOD, PERPETUAL DARKNESS AND SUBZERO WEATHER.
HERE, THEY HAD TO OBEY THE COMISSARS , CHOP WOOD AND SURVIVE IN THE HARSH NORTHERN CLIMATE.
WHEN HITLER INVADED RUSSIA , THE REFUGEES WERE ALLOWED TO GO TO OTHER PLACES IN THE INTERIOR, FOR BY THEN THE RUSSIANS HAD MADE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE POLISH GOVERNMENT IN EXILE TO GRANT THEIR CITIZENS CIVIL RIGHTS.
HOWEVER, CONDITIONS IN THE SOVIET UNION HARDLY IMPROVED. DISEASE WAS RAMPANT AND HUNGER WAS YOUR COMPANION. FOR 6 YEARS THEY STRUGGLED AND SURVIVED THE WORKER'S PARADISE, UNTIL THEY COULD RETURN TO THEIR HOMES IN POLAND. FOR ALL THOSE 6 BITTER YEARS , MY GRANDFATHER BLAMED MY FATHER FOR THEIR SUFFERINGS,THE LACK OF FOOD, MEDICINE AND THE FEAR OF ARREST OR VIOLENCE WHICH AWAITED ANYONE JEWISH.
HE WAS NOT FORGIVEN FOR HIS "ERROR" UNTIL THEY RETURNED TO POLAND AND SAW THE TERRIBLE TRUTH!
WHAT HAD APPEARED AS SATANIC ANGELS SENDING THEM TO SIBERIA WERE REALLY ANGELS OF MERCY THAT ALLOWED 200,000 POLISH JEWS TO SURVIVE THE WAR. THE POLES HAD GLEEFULLY ASSISTED IN THE EXTERMINATION OF JEWS. THEY WERE ALSO DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THE SURVIVORS TRYING TO REPOSSESS THEIR HOMES.JEWS WERE MURDERED IN THE STREETS AND THE REFUGEES FLED TO THE DP CAMPS WHERE I WAS BORN.
THINK ABOUT IT,THEY WERE FORCED AT GUNPOINT TO ENTER CATTLECARS TO GO TO A FORCED LABOR CXAMP. MANY DIED ON THE WAY AND CONDITIONS WERE BRUTAL.IT WAS THE SAME EXPERIENCE THAT OTHER JEWS WOULD HAVE IN GERMAN TERRITORIES. THEIR FRIGHT WAS NO LESS .
YET THE RESULTS WERE DIFFERENT. FOR THEM THEY ONLY HAD TO BE DIPPED IN THE BLOOD-THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SLAUGHTERED HALF OF THE OLD WORLD'S JEWS. THE SURVIVING BIRD=HALF WAS THEN CAST INTO THE UNFAMILIAR TERRITORYWHERE THEY WOULD LEARN TO LIVE AGAIN.
WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE SECOND BIRD . OUR PARENTS CARRIED WITH THEM NOT ONLY THE SCARS OF THEIR SURVIVAL BUT THE MISSION TO CONTINUE FOR THE SAKE OF THE SLAUGHTERED BIRD, FOR THE CURE OF THE LEPER.
WHAT IS THE LEPER?THE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THAT THE WAY OF THE JEW MUST
NOT DEVIATE FROM THE WAYS AROUND HIM. THAT OUR SUCCESS COMES FROM CURRYING FAVOR FROM PEOPLE IN POWER. THAT OUR DESTINY IS TO DISAPPEAR AND BLEND AMONG THE NATIONS. THAT SOMEHOW OUR PEOPLE ARE LESS THAN GOOD AND RIGHTEOUS.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH JEWS AND JEWISHNESS. THER IS ONLY SMALLMINDEDNESS AND DIVISIVENESS THAT HURTS OUR PEOPLE'S HEALTH AND STABILITY. THE HO;OCAUST CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED. HOWEVER, WE MUST LEARN FROM IT. THE REAL LESSON IS THAT WE NEED NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY ANYTHING IN ORDER TO BE WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE CAN BE. WE MUST BECOME ONE PEOPLE WITH A MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD ,RATHER THAN BE ONLY A RECIPIENT OF WORLD MORES.
THOSE MORES LEAD TO SOCIALISM AND FASCISM AS WELL AS ISLAMO-FASCISM.
WE HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF , WE MUST STAND PROUD AND STATE THAT
THE BELIEF IN A UNIFORM WORD ORDER RESTS WITH ACCEPTING THE CODE THAT LIES IN THE TORAH FOR ALL PEOPLE. IT IS CALLED THE NOACHITE CODE. IN IT ALL MEN AND THEIR LIFE AND PROPERTIES ARE EQUAL BEFORE G-D. ALL MEN HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIFE,LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
THIS IS ALSO WHAT THE MOSHIACH WILL BRING FOR ALL.
HE TOO, IS A LEPER. HIS LEPROSY COMES HIS ALLERGY TOWARD HATRED AND PREJUDICE.
MAY THE CURE OF THE LEPER HAVE BEEN FULFILLED THROUGH THE SACRIFICED BIRDS AND THEIR SURVIVORS...AMEN