Friday, September 7, 1945
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
A Belsen
Diary
DEATHLESS GLORY
by Rabbi Shlomo Baumgarten
(Rabbi Shlomo Baumgarten of
London is a member of the four-
man relief commission sent to the
liberated camps in Germany by
the Chief Rabbis Council, and by
the British Agudath Israel. The
following extracts of the daily
diary that Rabbi Baumgarten is
keeping during his stay at the
infamous Belzen-Bergen Concen-
tration Camp was sent to us by
the Refugee-Immigration Division
of Agudath Israel Youth Council
of America, 113 \Vest 42nd St.,
New York City. Those few p ages
from Rabbi Baumgarten's diary
speak for themselves.---The Edi-
tors.)
July 2: Time here is too valu
able; there is little time to write
and I must be brief. One can do
more Mitzvoth here in a day,
than in London in a lifetime,
1 arrived here shortly before
Shabbos. Shortly after my ar-
rival, two girls came to me, cry-
ing bitterly. Their mother had
just died; all they asked was a
separate grave. I went to the Bur-
ial Officer, and pleaded for the
fulfillment of this last wish. To-
day at 11:30 a.m, the funeral
took place; I spoke a few words.
You walk through the camp;
people throng towards you from
all sides: "Rabbi, sholom alei-
diem, where are you from?", and
in a few minutes new hopes are
aroused, and people are happy.
They have not been forgotten.
Hundreds of people wish to dis-
cuss their personal matters with
you; everybody wants encourage-
ment and advice,
Today there were six funerals,
all in a mass grave, and two
separate ones. There are no Tach-
riehim and the 'offins are made
from old cases. Because of the
possibility of infection, there is
no Tahara, but I have arranged
a Chevra Kadisba, which will
look after all these matters. I
have also arranged for a Minyan
to say Kaddish daily.
JDC SENDS 10,000 PAIRS
OF SHOES
ISTANBUL — The Joint Dis-
tribution Committee's office in Is-
tanbul is now arranging the ship-
ment of 10,000 pairs of shoes to
Prague. The consignment, which
will cost $50,000, has been ob-
tained in Palestine and will be
sent via the Port of Constanza.
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
Hannan Real Estate
Exchange, Inc.
General Real Estate
and Property
Management and Insurance
See us about Mortgage money
300 Lafayette Bldg.
CAdillac 7700
Philip Olender
8 Co.
•
be, I have a Zeide in London, I hospital, as I should at least have
know his name, can you find some gift for each, at least for
him; I would like to go to him.", the children. I need sour sweets
I asked the child where are your 1 and chocolates. Today I gave a
parents; "They were thrown into little chocolate to a boy whose
1400 FOURTEENTH
the Ofen (furnace)' is the reply, ribs were sticking out of his body.
and indeed, the sonic reply was It was too much, the tears with
given to me by very many chil- which he thanked me. These chil- •
dren. I have not yet visited the dren do not need sweets as a
Le Shono Tovo Tikosevu
general hospital or the central luxury, but in order to live. Their
A Happy New Year!
children's home. At least I should legs are almost as thin as fingers.
have a piece of chocolate or They have T.B. from hunger, and
•
sweet for each child; all ask me
for a small Mesuso or Mogen
REEBER
David. It is so little, yet so much.
July 3: Today there were only
Happy New Year To All!
FURNITURE CO.
three funerals, and the Minyan
came as arranged. Tell the Agu-
3353 MICHIGAN AVE.
dah to send as many Jewish news-
MICHIGAN PAPER
papers as possible. The people
LA. 5070
BOX COMPANY
yearn for news-. • -
Set Up and Folding Boar
In 6e mess where we eat, all
Dies and Die Cutting
the official liaison officers are;
many arc Jews, but there is no
426 CASS AVENUE
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
officer for Jewish interests. The
R Andolph 9117
work is tremendous.
I have not yet been to the
•
PRESSLEY
Beauty Salon
Le Shono Tovo Tikosevu
35 E. GRAND RIVER
GREETINGS
RADDEN'S
ELECTRIC
COMPANY
CH. 3656
6362 SCOTTEN AVE.
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
•
PHIL BRICKER
Manufacturer of Fine Furs
11612 DEXTER BLVD.
TO. 8-7692
r
•
"
Seasons's Greetings and
Best Wishes
Warshaw 8 Prager
Bakery
B. LEVINE, Prop.
•
Special Orders Taken for
WEDDINGS and PARTIES
•
8605 Twelfth Street
TYler 5-6340
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
DAVIDSON'S
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
S.
Housewrecking Co.
Richardson's
Drug Store
U.
Woodward Ave.
Birmingham, Mich.
Open All Night
9083 WOODWARD
19966 DEQUINDRE
TYler 4-6430
Manufacturers of
CEMENT LAUNDRY TUBS
and STEEL FRAMES
ti
•
Women's Apparel
ELECTRIC
CONTRACTORS
R. BLISS WOLFE, Pres.
3RD FL. UNIVERSITY BLDG.
from
Detroit Wash Tray
Mfg. Co.
at Clairmount
TW. 8.7761
Greetings of the Season!
4112 PETER SMITH AVE.
•
PLAZA 2775
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
Hyman Perlman
We Welcome
You to
The Swedish
Smorgasbord
KOSHER MEAT MARKET
11504 DEXTER BLVD.
•
TO. 7.9818
LE SHONO TOVO TIKOSEVU
Happy New Year to All!
ROSH HASHONAH
SEWARD
BEDDING CO.
GREETINGS
Best Wishes To You All
Furniture Outfitters
Juvenile Furniture
CHAMPION GAUGE
TOOL CO.
8051 12th St.
TY. 4-1090
••
LE SHONO TOVO 7IKOSEVU
LE SHONO TOVO TIKOSEVU
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
And Best Wishes To You All
r-
dren of six years of age fasted
for days and gave their mothers
the slice of bread. If we in Eng-
land lived from bread and water
and gave everything else away,
that would be the smallest sacri-
fice.
Greetings from
Rosh Hashonah Greetings!
1014 E. JEFFERSON
, many, alas, are hopelessly lost.
I My tefillin are in use from
morn to night; I wish I had hun-
dreds of pairs here.
I July 8: How can I describe
yesterday's Shabbos. On the eve
of Shabbos I was asked to speak,
and more than 200 people came.
I was invited to eat with the Pol-
ish group; they kashered their
, kitchen. In the morning there was
a great gathering for Rosh Cho-
desh benchen, including many
women and girls.
I have said good-bye to the
Czech group; 1600 have gone
back. They tell the story of the
death of the Jews of Slovakia
and Bohemia; I cannot control
my emotions. One Kehillah after
another was sent collectively to
Auschwitz, and in a few hours
destroyed.
We must face the bitter facts.
Those who have remained alive—
each one is a separate Nes. In the
face of these heroes, we should
be ashamed of our petty trou-
bles. A fortnight without bread,
without a drop of water — these
were quite ordinary events. Chil-
ie—
I have visited the children's
home and have arranged a Bris,
the first in Bergen-Belsen. In the
evening, I am speaking at the
Beth Jacob group, which has been
active here since the liberation.
In the children's home, a girl
of about 10 came up to me: "Reb-
The
STOCKHOLM
► Page Seven
Rosh Hashonah Greetings
And Best Wishes To You All
Nen Year Greetings to All
Hy Grade Restaurant
2806 MICHIGAN AVE.
BANNER LAUNDERING CO.
2233 BROOKLYN
CHERRY 7200
United Metals Refining Co.
1641 CANIFF
1