Bidspirit auction | A Touching Letter about an

A Touching Letter about an Unknown Matter - the Saving of the Mir Yeshiva during the Holocaust - 1944 - Written during the Reestablishment of the Yeshiva - A letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Yitzchak Kolitz to his brother-in-law, Rabbi Aharon Milevsky, about the saving of the Mir yeshiva during the Holocaust. Jerusalem, 1944. The letter was written during the terrible Holocaust, which destroyed almost all of the Jews of Europe including thousands of yeshiva students. The letter before us describes in ”real time” the exceptional support given by Rabbi Milevsky to hundreds of students of the Mir yeshiva, who had escaped in time from the Nazis. This rare letter demonstrates that Rabbi Milevsky's support is what had saved the yeshiva from closing and thus, the head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, succeeded in reestablishing it that same year (1944) in the Land of Israel, with some of the students and rabbis who had survived. Rabbi Kolitz recalls: ”I have just met the genius Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel Shalita, head of the Mir yeshiva and he told me that you dear Reb Aharon God has summoned to be a rabbi in Montevideo truly from the six days of creation in order to save the yeshiva and if it were not for you, the yeshiva could not exist”. Rabbi Kolitz adds: ”I congratulate you for God meriting you to save hundreds of souls of Israel since due to your devoted actions these war refugees can survive and especially as these hundreds of souls whom survive because of you are the large, holy Mir yeshiva, which we have heard are studying diligently…” On the reverse side of the leaf, Rabbi Kolitz refers to his sister, Rebbetzen Fiya, Rabbi Milevsky's wife, and writes to her about personal and family matters. Rabbi Aharon Milevsky (1904-1986), the rabbi of Alytus, Lithuania. During the Holocaust he raised large sums of money and transferred then to the students of the Mir yeshiva who were then staying in Shanghai as well as to students of other yeshivas in various places. Within this framework he corresponded with the most prominent contemporary rabbis, among them Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, Rabbi Aharon Kotler and Rabbi Chaim Shmuelowitz as well as the heads of ”Va'ad Ha'Hatzala” of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the USA. Rabbi Yitzchak Kolitz (1922-2002), the Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem since 1983 until close to this death and a Dayan of the Rabbinical Court. When the letter was written, he served as head of the Kleck yeshiva in Rechovot. Authored the series of books ”Minchat Eliyahu” on the Talmud and the book ”Minchat Yitzchak” on the Torah. 10x12 cm. Condition: Good.