TO DA MOON 

THE TRACKS AT AUCHWITZ 

VICTOR FRANKEL AND THE LAST GENERATION

A sinking feeling sinks deeper whilst descending, nothing ghastly, just a description of the descent into Chicago O’Hare. Texas is an improbable stopover for someone flying from Vancouver to Chicago, but then again, one usually doesn’t decide to fly the day before flying.

Victor Frankel was in Auschwitz; he lived, all of his kinfolk did not. I sometimes think of the impossibility of description when one unburdens the happenings of the holocaust. Yet, in the context of lessons learned, not just plain description, it becomes a little more palpable. Victor Frankel analyzed his stay in hell, a derivative eventually was a theory called logo-therapy, the most apt and suitable way of explaining the theory, at least I found, was an a actual story from his book “a man’s search for meaning”.

“A man older then younger, came to me distressed and distraught. His experience had been tearing at the fiber of his sanity since his fateful day of liberation years earlier from the Nazi murder machine. I am a religious man, his beard and side locks saying the obvious. You must understand my wife my children walked into the gas chambers not as victim’s but as sacrifices to a higher cause, there place in heaven must be amongst the most lofty angels, and I fear they will be unreachable even when I pass on, I have lost them forever, how can this be, how am I to live with this loss of eternity, he ended with an air of finality and deep choking sobs.

I counseled him. Your fear is that in your wife and children’s suffering, a boundary in heaven opened. Yet for you it will be closed. Maybe consider the distress and pain that you have suffered in life is the possible key to the boundary which you so fear will impede your future reunification. The man went home for the first time feeling a Modicum of mental peace”.

After landing in Chicago, the next morning we traveled around to the local chabad houses, each shliach addressing their experiences in regards to our future “lifetime” shlichus. Rabbi shanowitz strongly suggested that having a close and happy family is a strong attracter of yidden to frumkeit. Rabbi posner suggested presentation was key, and that all programs should be held to the highest standards.

Shabbos progressed, the tone changed The Mashpiim started grasping for a reason for making a kinus so late in the year. We heard many, but only one really stands out in the mind.

It was by the banquet, with a calm demeanor rabbi ----- Stood up, leaning slightly on the bimah he began, “while it may seem that all explanations for why the kinnus is taking place by now have been exhausted. I’d like to suggest there is one we haven’t mentioned. You may think that the bachurim, the younger generations have certain simplistic hanachos that if not known, preclude any sort of real hiskashrus. But they don’t know what you know, and now every moment in till the end of the year, even if it is only two weeks or three weeks, take one bachur and build a relationship, and give over whatever it is you know. That was the gist of it.

To give over whatever it is we know?! What is it that we know, talimidim hashluchim of 2006 where about 9 years old on gimmel tammuz, at most our memories are that of a fleeting farbrengen, of going to dollars and maybe if lucky the rebbe looking at us. Of course there can be long philosophical treatise written about “di kuk fun a rebbe” but on a very simple plain, how we do we express such a connection to a bachur of 14 who saw nothing.

Victor Frankel may have been very right when he said the suffering might be the deliverance. When we attempt to warm up a Bachur to Chassidus today, the challenges are immense. You are fighting not only his yetzer’z wanton needs; you are fighting a world that is struggling for the soul of the world’s youth, bachurim included. This struggle is unparalleled in our history.

The silver lining may be that the key to the end of this madness is the madness itself. When a mashpia gets up and says “give” give something you don’t have, we reach for the unattainable not because their isn’t a will for it, it’s more because their isn’t a way, we can’t recreate history, yet we are creating history in our attempt. The rebbe prepared us, the Rebbe all the Rabbeim gave us a mayan chai so abundant with ideas that as hearty as our drive for knowledge maybe, one would be hard pressed to claim he’s seen it all.

The obligation entrusted today to Talimidim Hashluchim is heavy, Roshei yeshivos Mashpiim find it difficult to relate to generation “I” and in truth they should, bridging the gap should be the responsibility of someone that can relate to both ends, namely the Talmidim hashluchim. by the by, if your wondering when this all ocurred it was by the kinnus talmidei hashluchim in chicago.

Karlovy vary, Czech Republic

IGNORANCE IS BLISS

There isn’t enough spittle to spit on this the continent called Europe. Its contemptuous ignorance of the lesson called history boggles the mind. I am bewildered by a generation that has never known anything that is sliver different then the homogenous culture that has grown them. The minimun expectations should be an understanding or at least a polite deference from a negative viewing of minorities. Jews particularly, in light of the fact that Europe is mostly Juderein, and godless.

Four white shirted young men coming off a mostly pleasurable Shabbos in Budapest walk with the objective of viewing, unimpeded, the local tourist interests. Coming alongside some young people gay with the frivolity of youth and obviously intoxicated, one of them pipes up, in a most natural and contemptible fashion, “What the Hell??”. As if the endearing nature of the evening was lost the moment the sighting of four - yes, I admit, conspicuous - but not suspicious young men. We, the Jewish people, it seems are damned and destined to the loneliness of a pariah people. Before returning to our lodgings that night, twice more, I was kindly made aware of how different we are, and I am.

In the same vein, the United States, which is believed to be tolerant and unbigoted has stepped into a different light. Mel Gibson, achiever of stardom, popularity and money, has no real reason to be an anti- Semite. Yet, while riding the coattails of success, he drives inebriated on the Pacific Coast Highway, pulled over by police and in an intoxicated rant, he screams that the roots of his problems and of all modern day apocalypses can be traced to the ever- present demonic Jew.

Mel Gibson is not alone. An undercurrent of this ever-present anti-Semitism permeates the media of CNN and BBC. The streets of our communities have witnessed the customary arson of synagogues with swastika’s, dispelling the myth of classic anti-Semite. The irrationality that keeps this hate alive means that “progress” hardly changes the fact that we are hated. America’s goodness towards Jews is dependent on the stability and economic growth of the country. As has happened throughout history, the moment there is an irreversible collapse of the giant America, we will be the usual scapegoats. Who can foresee with certainty the future of the United States? Surely the day may come when the modern day Rome shall lose its importance in history.

Looking at the current Lebanese conflict, it becomes clear that the western world’s regression into inconsistency is here to stay. Israel, is once again facing the abnormal venting of a hostile security council looks down at Israel from its moral high ground of the Rwanda genocide which coincidentally, they helped perpetuate with inaction.

The Baghdad morgues overflow with bloodied corpses daily. The number of dead astound, More Iraqi’s have died since 2003 because of Arab violence then Palestinians since 1948. Yet the ugly anger of the worlds Muslim’s seems unaffected by these atrocities, and one wonders. Israel - the Jewish people - has always fought alone, and if the past is our guide - nothing will change. Yet there is comfort in knowing that we have prevailed over greater enemies then Kofi Annan or Mahmoud Amedinhajad.

It is the obligation of current Jewish leadership to make clear that our survival is as tenuous as it has always been. As Americas Jews buy their way to happiness, the dangers lurk. France, Germany, England, the Middle east, North Africa, Russia -- all are infected with a hatred that threatens to knock on our door.

Its time we opened our eyes.