"A Divine Miracle!"
Historic Letter for the Rescue of the Mir Yeshiva During the Holocaust from Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz, President of the Yeshiva
A lengthy diplomatic letter, spanning two pages in English, from "The Rescuer of Torah", Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz, President of the Mir Yeshiva, together with Rabbi Yehuda Zeltzer, President of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada.
In this historic memorandum, the Rabbanim appeal to the Chief Rabbinate of Britain to urgently contact the British government and advocate for finding a safe haven for the Mir Yeshiva students who were stranded in Shanghai.
In their letter, the Rabbanim detail the story of the Mir Yeshiva, one of Poland’s most prominent yeshivas, which managed to escape Poland through perilous and winding paths by what they describe as "a divine miracle". The yeshiva finally reached Shanghai where it reopened with approximately 460 students and Rabbanim.
At the end of the letter, the Rabbanim eloquently emphasize the moral duty to save the students of the yeshiva in Shanghai, who were destined to become the future leaders of the Jewish world, and to secure a refuge for them:
"At a time when the Jewish People are bowed in grief for their suffering brethren in occupied countries, their thoughts turn to these spiritual and religious leaders, this unified and compact Rabbinical group in Shanghai.
Hope is strong that these will be speedily saved and the latent moral force inherent in these saintly souls will be utilized for the betterment of our civilization."
Shortly after the Holocaust ended, entry visas to the United States were successfully obtained for the yeshiva students, and from there, many traveled to Eretz Yisrael, where the yeshiva was reestablished and became one of the largest and most prestigious Torah institutions in the world.
This letter serves as a testament and historical record of the heroic efforts of Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz, who literally moved heaven and earth to save the yeshiva and ensure its continued existence.
New York, approx. 1943/1944.
[2] printed pages in English, with signatures in English of Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz and Rabbi Yehuda Zeltzer.
Size: 21.5 x 218 cm.
Condition: Good, minor stains.
Attached to the Rabbanim’s letter (with the original staple) are two additional documents:
A copy of a letter from Władysław Sikorski, Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile (who passed away a few months later), to Rabbi Joseph Hertz, Chief Rabbi of Britain. In the letter, he describes the strict orders he issued regarding the relocation of Jews from Shanghai to a safe place, particularly emphasizing the students of the yeshiva, as they are "the spiritual guides and leaders of Judaism" (free translation). Dated: 1943.
A telegram from the same Polish Prime Minister to the Rabbis of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, in which he declares that the government will do everything in its power to assist in transferring Polish Jewish refugees in Shanghai to safety.
The Mir Yeshivah in Shanghai
The wondrous flight and rescue of the Mir Yeshivah during World War Two is one of the most inspirational tales of the Holocaust era and a clear manifestation of Divine providence.
In 1939, the Mir Yeshivah and its students fled Poland to Vilna, where they remained for a brief period of time before Lithuanian authorities expelled the yeshivah from its borders. In an extraordinary twist of fate, the Japanese consul in Kovno, Mr. Chiune Sugihara, agreed to issue Japanese entry visas to all the yeshivah’s students and its esteemed Rosh Yeshivah Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz. This enabled the immediate escape of the entire yeshivah via the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Japan where they remained for nine months before continuing their travels to Shanghai, China.
The Mir Yeshivah remained in exile in Shanghai for five years. Under the leadership of the venerable Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, the yeshivah’s students immersed themselves in the holy world of Torah, elevating themselves and creating a glorious chapter in the annals of Jewish history.
The life of
Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz (1891-1964) was a long chain of Harbatzas Torah and public efforts on behalf of Bnei Torah around the world. In 1929, at the young age of 22, he was appointed Rav in Rakov, and from that day, he never paused in his tireless efforts to promote Torah and assist his fellow Jews in distress. Rabbi Avraham was a close confidante of both the Chofetz Chaim and Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, and he spearheaded the rescue efforts of the Vaad Hatzalah in Europe during World War Two to save Lithuanian yeshivos, especially the Mir Yeshiva in Shanghai.
For close to a decade, he served as Rav in Tiktin, but with the outbreak of war, fled with his family to Vilna and, from there, to the United States. After the war, Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz founded the Mir Yeshiva in Brooklyn for Yeshiva student refugees. “He rescued Torah in our generation!” wrote Rabbi Simcha Elberg following the passing of Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz.
