The Rescue of The Holy Torah Scrolls from the Vilna of Gaon
The Torah scrolls and the books of Jewish heritage and law were gathering
their collective dust for 60years. These Torah scrolls were getting weak
from not being held by Jewish hands which would have lifted the Torahs
upwards to the sky 3 times a week after the traditional use by Jews on
Mondays,Thursdays, and Shabbat. The books of our forefathers were now being
hidden in the basement of buildings in Lithuania.
As he looked over at the Chief Rabbi of Israel,now in his early 60's,he was
reminded that this eloquent leader of all the Rabbis in Israel in 2002,was
once a 3 year old Holocaust survivor,saved by a big brother,who watched over
him. The Chief Rabbi was silent on board this special El Al flight to bring
back the 'sources' of our Jewish life,these Holy Torah scrolls. El Al had
never flown this route from Ben Gurion Airport to Vilnius.
We wondered if the Vilna of Gaon would meet us at the airport? The son of
the Chief Rabbi of Norway was now a Minister representing the State of
Israel. Unlike Entebbe,when the mission to rescue Jews was a secret in
1976,these 'soldiers' of Israel were going to rescue Torahs and books with
publicity and pride.
The security was very high in Vilnius as 'live' Jews were going to travel
past the shadows of the dead Jews of 60 years ago murdered by the Nazis.
The tension and anxiety in our motorcade to get to our destination to
receive the hundreds of chumashim,(bibles),books of Jewish law and
history,and Torah scrolls who were hidden and survived the hiding, were
causing tears even amongst the Chief Rabbi and other Roshei Yeshiva from
across Israel. We felt as though we were going to save Jews from their
deaths.
As we approached the boxes and tables of meeting these 60 year old
'survivors,' we looked at the faces of the 'donor hosts' representing the
Lithuanian government. We wondered to ourselves as our hearts beat faster
what these 'officials' grandfathers had done 6 decades ago when our
grandfathers' Torah scrolls and personal Jewish libraries were taken at
gunpoint from them.
The Chief Rabbi and I touched the first Torah as the Chief Rabbi recited a
private blessing to himself. I thought that it was a 'Shehachayanu,' but
was not certain. The Chief Rabbi would not let go of this Torah.
We gathered them all as we were the representatives of the Israel and Jews
of 2002. There was not a State of Israel as our forefathers,only 2
generations ago,were being slaughtered by Nazis as these Torahs went into a
60 year hibernation of non use.
We boarded our El Al plane quickly and quietly. The Torahs were being held
by us as other Torahs were given their 1st class seats on which to rest for
the flight back to Jerusalem,our eternal capital of all Jews. We had
stopped on the way at the grave of the Vilna Gaon. We had never experienced
such a Mincha service. Once again proud Jews were 'saving' our heritage of
these Torahs and Holy books. Some of the books were used to wallpaper
governmental offices. Some Torahs will need the scribe's gentle hands to
bring back the dead letters that have cracked back to life for the Jews in
Israel
in 2002.
The President of Israel,the Sephardic Chief Rabbi,and other Ministers of
Israel awaited us in the darkness of Wednesday night in Israel. These
leaders had not
survived or experienced the Holocaust of 60years ago. However,as they
danced around us and carried the Torah from our hands as we disembarked this
El Al special plane in Israel,we cried and sang louder and louder. These
Torahs,as all Torahs before them,brought together the embrace of a 3 year
old Holocaust survivor who became Israel's Chief Rabbi today together with
an Iranian child immigrant,who became Israel's President.
The enemies of the past and the enemies of the Jewish people today may be
experts in killing defenseless Jews by gas,rocks,bombs,and bullets,but these
enemies cannot kill or destroy the Torah for which we Jews live and die. As
the Jerusalem terror survivors continue to recuperate and as the terror
victims begin to rest in their graves,they too are shedding tears with the
Jews in Israel who are watching us dance with these Torahs on live TV from
Ben Gurion Airport.
Only 48hours after Tu B'shvat,yes,our Nazis of then and our Hamas,Jihad,and
all the rest of today's Nazis
should know,we Jews will continue to 'plant' trees of life with these
Torahs. We Jews will continue to read and remember last week's Torah
portion of the destruction requirements of Amalek,the predecessors of Nazis
and Arab terrorists. We Jews will go out in pride and tears to 'rescue the
Jews at Entebbe or the Torahs in Lithuania.'
We cannot sleep after the success of this 'mission.' We have stopped our
emotional crying with tears and are smiling again to laugh at Hitler as we
Jews in our homeland have survived 60 years and now have more Torahs and
books of Judaism to use and teach for our next generations of Jews in our
home.
Mazal Tov to Jews EveryWhere!
David,
An Eyewitness Participant From Vilnius to Jerusalem
Jan. 30,02,17 Shvat 5762
Translated and Transmitted by
Harvey Tannenbaum
2nd Generation Holocaust Survivor
Efrat,Israel
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