Bidspirit auction | Mysterious Letter from Rabbi Chaim

Mysterious Letter from Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski on the Imprisonment and Release of Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky Vilna, 1932 * A handwritten and autographed letter of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, leader of the generation alongside the Chofetz Chaim. In the letter, Rabbi Chaim Ozer writes, with his characteristic simplicity, that permission had been granted for the wife of Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky — Rebbetzin Raizel — and their young children to leave Communist Russia and to travel to Poland. In Rabbi Chaim Ozer's own holy words: “According to the telegram received from the Rebbetzin, the wife of the Gaon Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky shlita — she was granted permission to leave with her young sons and remain in Poland for about two weeks.” Behind this “innocent” and mysterious message lies a story that shook the world at that time. Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky was the Rav of Slutsk under Communist rule, yet he wished to leave because of the oppressive decrees. He received an offer to serve as Rav of Petach Tikvah, and traveled to Moscow to secure an exit permit. However, the authorities suspected him of anti-Communist activity, arrested him, and sentenced him to five years of hard labor in Siberia! Immediately, worldwide efforts were launched on two fronts: securing his release and obtaining a visa to travel to another country. After immense efforts, Rabbi Yechezkel was released on Erev Yom Kippur 1932, with the condition that he must leave Russia within a month (see Iggros HaRav Chaim Ozer vol. II, Iggeres 399). Rabbi Chaim Ozer remarked on his release: “Praise to Hashem that we succeeded in rescuing such a great man from danger” (ibid., Iggeres 401). Background to this Letter To ensure that Rabbi Yechezkel would indeed leave the country, the authorities decreed that his wife and sons were required to remain in Russia until he had departed, serving as a cruel form of “collateral.” And indeed, only several months after he had left did the authorities allow his wife and two young sons to leave Russia. This is the joyful news reported by Rabbi Chaim Ozer in this letter. The two older sons, however, were compelled to remain in Russia for another five years and only succeeded in obtaining exit permits after intervention by the British Foreign Minister of the time. Through the efforts of Rabbi Chaim Ozer, Rabbi Yechezkel managed to obtain a visa to Latvia and fled there immediately, before the Russians could change their minds. At the border, he was suspected of attempting to smuggle himself out and was nearly sent back to Russia, but was miraculously saved. From there, he traveled to Riga and then to Vilna to Rabbi Chaim Ozer. He later visited Radin, where he met with the Chofetz Chaim, then traveled to Berlin, and ultimately to London. Extensive information about this episode has been preserved in the letters of Rabbi Chaim Ozer (especially vol. II, Iggros 399–405) and in the newspapers of that period, which followed the dramatic affair with great interest. This letter was not printed in Iggros HaRav Chaim Ozer. Later in the letter, Rabbi Chaim Ozer mentions Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Gurwitz's efforts on behalf of Vaad HaYeshivos and requests assistance for this important cause. At that time, Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman traveled to London alongside Rabbi Chaim Ozer’s brother-in-law, Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman, who likewise traveled there to raise funds for his yeshiva. Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, Av Beis Din of Vilna (1863–1940) , was the leader of Torah-true Jewry in the generation before the Holocaust and one of the foremost voices on every communal matter. He exerted great effort to strengthen the Torah world through arranging meetings of the Gedolei Hador and by establishing communal institutions in the path of Yisrael Saba. Vilna, 7 Adar 1932. Nine lines in the handwriting and bearing the signature of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. Size : 21.5×12.1 cm. Condition : Good. Small tear in the margins. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Special Significance of this Letter Being Handwritten  by Rabbi Chaim Ozer in the Winter of 1932 Aside from the well-known fact that many of Rabbi Chaim Ozer's letters were written by a scribe, testimonies from the Gaon himself reveal that during this very period, he suffered pain in one of his fingers, increasing his reliance on a scribe to write his letters. See Iggeres 404, dated 21 Kislev 1932: “Due to a minor wound on my finger, I am forced to write with another.” Similarly, Iggeres 408, dated 16 Adar I 1932: “Because of pain in my right finger, I have written this time with another, ” and more.