Bidspirit auction | Historical Holocaust Letter: Supply of

Historical Holocaust Letter: Supply of Matzahs for Passover for European Refugees in Shanghai including an Important List of names - Shanghai, 1942 - Holocaust document of rare historical significance, handwritten and signed by the gaon Rabbi Meir Malin, the chairman of the Machzikei Hadat organization in Shnaghai and the future Rosh yeshiva of Knesset Yehuda of Jerusalem. Shanghai, 1942.  The letter was sent shortly after the arrival of the European refugees in Shanghai, for the first Passover they celebrated on Far Eastern soil. Even those foods that had been permitted to them throughout the year due to the state of emergency and the dire circumstances prevailing there - situations that at times bordered on life-threatening (Pikuach Nefesh) - were prohibited on Passover due to the concerns of Chametz. This was particularly significant for the members of the group who took it upon themselves to be stringent and avoid forbidden foods even in times of great distress. Only six months prior, during the International Date Line controversy, despite the famous ruling of the Chazon Ish ”Eat on Wednesday and fast on Thursday, and fear nothing”, many of them chose the stricter path and fasted for two consecutive days. Therefore, on the eve of Passover , Rabbi Malin sent this letter to the leaders of the Ashkenazi community in Shanghai, specifically to the department responsible for the distribution of Matzahs to the city's Jews. In his letter, he requests a special allocation of Matzahs for approximately twenty families -men and women whose names are listed in the document - who were known for their strict adherence to only eating food that is Kosher LeMehadrin , so that they could observe the holiday without going hungry. The letter thus contains a nominal list of about twenty families among the Shanghai refugees who were considered the most stringent in matters of Kashrut and Halacha. This list serves as a rare testament to a small circle of refugees who were exceptionally meticulous in their religious observance, even under the harsh conditions of exile and deprivation . Rabbi Meir Malin was the son of the Gaon Rabbi Isser Yehdua Malin (1877-1941) who served as Av beit Din of Brisk and was murdered in the Holocaust. Only two of his sons survived - rabbi meir and Rabbi nechemya - after escaping with the Mir Yeshiva to Shanghai. Eventually, Rabbi Meir Malin became one of the leading marbitzei Torah of Jerusale, and established the Knesset Yehuda Yeshiva in the Sanhedria hamurchevet neighborhood of Jerusalem.  [1] leaf. Approx. 27 cm.  Good condition. Aging stains. Filing perforations. Fold lines with small tears along them, not affecting the text.