KLEINMAN FAMILY HOLOCAUST EDUCATION CENTER

Serving as a Holocaust education center על טהרת הקודש, within the framework fashioned by the precepts of Halacha as well as the ethos of Torah Hashkafa.

Functioning as a facility for teaching the history of the Holocaust and the lessons to be learnt therefrom.

In doing so, focusing special emphasis on the spiritual and moral dimensions to the Holocaust; in particular:

Conveying the grandeur of the vibrant, richly-tapestried life of Torah-observant Jewry in Europe, which preceded the Holocaust, and was so tragically destroyed by it;

Transmitting an appreciation of the spiritual and moral heroism, constituting lofty kiddush Hashem, evinced by so many of our brethren who, despite experiencing horrors of unprecedented nature, in conditions well beyond the limits of human endurance, retained their unshakeable faith in Hashem and the eternity of the Jewish people, and steadfastly maintained their adherence to the Torah practices and traditions with which they had grown up and been imbued;

Engraving on the human consciousness the towering personalities of the saintly Jewish leaders, of blessed memory, so many of whom perished during the Holocaust, whose lives of piety and purity continue to serve as a source of inspiration and example to Jews in every corner of the globe to this very day, and whose brilliant and luminous teachings are studied and absorbed as standard sources in halls of Jewish learning wherever the thirst for knowledge and wisdom pulsates in Jewish hearts and minds, and to convey, and help absorb, their teachings on the lessons inherent in the test of faith represented by the Holocaust, as well as in the rebuilding of Jewish life in the post-Holocaust era;

Illustrating the miraculous resurgence of the Torah world, in the post-Holocaust era, and the extraordinary rebuilding of Torah communities and institutions, all the while maintaining continuity, through profound links with, and deep roots in, the pre-Holocaust world that was destroyed.

In carrying out this Mission, and achieving these objects, the Kleinman Family Holocaust Education Center will strive to target the widest possible audience, in all age groups, but with particular attention being paid to the young generations, who are furthest removed temporally from the events of the Holocaust, and who are therefore least knowledgeable about it, but who represent the future.

Belief in G-d After the Holocaust

Rabbi Nissen Mangel was a 10-year old child when he came to the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. There he witnessed unspeakable atrocities, but he also witnessed amazing acts of faith. In this moving and powerful talk, Rabbi Mangel tells his first-hand account of what he saw. (Many viewers may find details described to be extremely disturbing. Viewer discretion advised.)

In a sincere speech, Crown Heights author RabbiNissen Mangel recalls an encounter with Auschwitz's notorious "Angel of Death," Dr. Josef Mengele.

By Karen Schwartz, Chabad.org

As it does every year, Chabad-Lubavitch of Port Washington welcomed members of its Long Island community for a service and lecture commemorating the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. But things proceeded a bit differently last month, with the event also remembering the life of Zelik Sander, the local Holocaust survivor who for years was the gathering's featured speaker.

Taking Sander's place was Rabbi Nissen Mangel, a renowned philosopher and author who was sent to Auschwitz as a 10-year-old boy and spent five years in the death camp before his liberation in 1945. Addressing the concept of belief in G-d after the Holocaust, he reviewed the events he endured as a child, including his first encounter with Auschwitz's notorious "Angel of Death," Dr.Josef Mengele.

Community member Dr. Orly Calderon-Sherman described the talk, which is available online from the Chabad.org multimedia portalJewish.TV, as inspiring.

"It was very informal and very powerful, because he was right there, accessible," explained Calderon-Sherman. "You are not only talking with history, but with a real human being who is telling you" about real experiences.

Beginning on a Sunday with 100 Jewish men donning the prayer boxes known as tefillin in memory of the Holocaust's victims, the event included a morning prayer service and buffet-style lunch.

After Mangel spoke, the rabbi called for questions, but at first people couldn't really speak through their tears.

"People were reflecting on what he was saying," recalled Calderon-Sherman. Then the questions started. "People were interested in asking more questions and learning more about his point of view."

Sander, who passed away in September, used to focus on the positives of a life-affirming outlook, and people were pleased by Mangel's similar focus, said Calderon-Sherman. "That's why that particular talk was so meaningful. It was continuing his legacy of surviving, acknowledging G-d and goodness, and building a meaningful life. He was very special."

Chabad of Port Washington co-director Rabbi Shalom Paltiel said the commemoration was an opportunity to strengthen people's faith, as Mangel addressed not only the Holocaust, but also the question of where G-d can be found in the midst of tragedy.

"He basically said, look, if there wasn't a G-d, there was no way I could survive," said Paltiel. "He shows over and over again that G-d was there for him, and that it was a total miracle that he survived."

While survivors often tell of the horrific experiences they endured, Mangel spoke about it from the perspective of faith, continued the rabbi. And the crowd was moved.

"He really took the place by storm," said Paltiel.

From his deathbed in September, Sander asked the rabbi to continue his work, to make sure people remember the Holocaust and young people remain proud of their Jewishness. (In addition to the tefillin wrap, brunch and lecture, his memory will be honored at the organization's annual dinner in June.)

The rabbi recalled how Sander, who died at the age of 97, would be the first one at synagogue, unlocking the front door and leading the service every day for 12 years.

"I would stand next to him and watch him wrap tefillin over his left arm, right over the numbers," he said of the tattoo that bore Sander's serial number. "It was always a very moving thing, every single day, just to watch a fellow who'd seen so much horror to come to synagogue, to open the door, to lead the service. He was a big inspiration not only to me but to my entire community.

"Jews have suffered a lot through our history and often we become disheartened and people question how we could have faith if we suffered so much," continued Paltiel. "So for people to walk away uplifted and inspired to a stronger faith and a stronger connection to their Jewishness after listening to a talk by a survivor is quite unique."

Mangel said he tries to show that G-d didn't abandon the Jews during the Holocaust, but rather, that every Jew who survived did so miraculously, with G-d's help. He added that he wants people who grapple with the age-old question of how G-d could have let such a tragedy take place to understand that it wasn't that G-d doesn't exist or didn't care.

"On the contrary, G-d was very close to us," he said. "If I'm here talking and I can speak, it's only because He helped me."