Bidspirit auction | Moving Letter from Sanz-Klausenburg Rebbe

Moving Letter from Sanz-Klausenburg Rebbe on Behalf of Agudas Yisrael Holocaust Survivors in Munich – Brooklyn, circa 1947 * An autographed letter from the Shefa Chaim of Sanz-Klausenburg, written to strengthen and support Agudas Yisrael in the city of Munich, in the blood-soaked country of Germany. The Rebbe praises them: “They remain steadfast, with real mesirus nefesh, in the face of new and foreign elements, in every camp and location, who throw off the yoke of Torah handed down to us from our holy forefathers.” Due to an internal reason, members of Agudas Yisrael in Munich were not permitted to receive certificates, and so the Rebbe turns to the recipient with a heartfelt plea to assist in this matter: “Please have compassion on the souls of these unfortunate ones, who have already suffered so much, and whose strength to endure has faltered, so that, G-d forbid, they have almost given up hope. Please save them from the hand of their enemies in body and soul… for this has been the purpose and mission of Agudas Yisrael from its inception — to support and strengthen that which is built upon Torah and mesorah in the paths of our holy forefathers, in which lies all our happiness in this world and the next.” This letter was not printed in Shefa Chaim–Michtavei Torah, and it would appear that the present letter sheds light on other letters that were printed there (Part IV, letter 316 and others). To the best of Zaidy's knowledge, this letter has never been published . The letter dates from the earliest period of the Rebbe's residence in America, around the year 1947, and is written on a rare official blank with the header: “Tiferes Bachurim – Yeshivas Shearis Hapleitah.” The Rebbe first traveled to America in the month of Sivan 1946 for approximately two and a half months, and he aroused American Jews to assist in saving the souls of Holocaust survivors. In Chanukah 1947, he traveled again to America and settled there for several years, during which time he established yeshivos, chadorim, and kollelim until 1960, when he settled permanently in Eretz Yisrael. Upon his departure to America, he declared: “I am traveling to Eretz Yisrael by way of America…” (Lapid Ha’esh, I, p. 387). The Admor Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam of Sanz-Klausenburg (1905-1994), author of Shefa Chaim and Divrei Yatziv, was a genius in both the Revealed and Hidden Torah and a prolific author who wrote many teshuvos. After surviving the Holocaust, in which most of his immediate family were murdered, he dedicated his life to helping his fellow survivors physically and spiritually. He rebuilt the decimated Sanz Chassidus on the holy soil of Eretz Yisrael and established Torah institutions, charity organizations, and Kiryat Sanz in Netanya. The Rebbe was very active after the Holocaust in establishing institutions for the chareidi public, and was therefore deeply involved in renewing the activities of Agudas Yisrael in Germany. Concerning his vast activity after the war, he himself wrote in one of his letters: “I cast aside my own soul and literally gave my life to rebuild the ruined edifice of the Shearis Hapleitah, to revive broken hearts and to reestablish our holy Torah upon its foundation” (Shefa Chaim, Michtavei Torah, IV, letter 341). Brooklyn, circa 1947 . Printed letter with the handwritten signature of the Shefa Chaim and several additional words in his holy handwriting. Official blank. Size : 21.4 × 27.5 cm. Condition : Good. Filing holes, stains, and light creases.