Mindel Zemba stood in her shop, counting the change in the
money box. All day, she was kept busy with customers, but the
purchases of nails, horseshoes and other small metal hardware
items were scant. She noticed how frugal were the customers
and how carefully they ordered the items they needed and
counted out their pennies. She sighed.
Gone are the days when wealthy customer ordered in large
quantities and paid for their purchases with ready cash.
Nowadays, everybody is so penny-pinching, and though they do
come for their bare necessities, our earnings and profit are
much less.
Meanwhile, R' Menachem Zemba, esteemed Torah scholar, sat in
his study on the second floor of his home on 34 Brokov St. in
Warsaw, hosting his eminent guest, R' Moishe Blau, of
Yerusholayim, representative of the Eida Chareidis of Eretz
Yisroel. "It is our great honor to offer you to become our
official Rov," said R' Moshe Blau with importance.
R' Menachem listened carefully, then said, "I am greatly
honored and I must admit that I am very tempted to accept it,
but I must first consult my wife. Ever since the untimely
death of my father-in-law, our life has changed drastically.
My wife now runs the family business singlehandedly since I
have, until now, refused to accept any rabbinical position.
But in this case... I must ask what she thinks..."
And in the shop, Mindel sighed. The day's income had been
very small. How are we going to pay all those high taxes
when our debts keep multiplying? She walked to the door,
ready to lock up and retire for the night.
A slight noise of a door closing behind her startled her. She
swung around and noticed her husband standing at the back
entrance of the store, his face lit up with a bright and
joyful smile. She didn't have the time to wonder about his
jubilant mood because he was already telling her.
"I had a guest from Eretz Yisroel today. He told me that the
Eida Hachareidis is looking for a Rov." He stood still,
waiting for his wife's reaction.
Mindel stood frozen. Could my husband be contemplating the
position of Rov of Yerusholayim? she wondered. She stood
there silent. Was R' Menachem truly prepared to go all the
way to Yerusholayim?
"I was offered the position. I asked for some time to
consider. I had a feeling you would not be in favor. Our
debts are high and our income is low."
"That is not really my main consideration," she admitted.
"What about the married children? How can we just get up and
leave the family here?" Her words continued to flow without
pause. "I know that to be a Rov in Yerusholayim is truly a
great honor, and though you've refused many rabbinical
positions, I understand that you would like to accept this
one. But, I don't know..." She lowered her gaze and sighed,
thinking about the sad situation such a move would create.
He nodded slowly, "It is a wonderful opportunity. I do regret
that you don't want me to take it up. True, it would be a
pity to leave the Admor, the Gerrer Rebbe, and our married
children, and the grave of our beloved son who died so
young..." Crestfallen, he turned to go, resigned to the
decision that had just been made for him.
Mindel stood near the door, concentrating on locking the
door, not knowing that in that short exchange, she had locked
more than the door to her store...
R' Menachem Zemba had given a negative answer shortly before
W.W. II broke out, so his first chance to escape the war was
lost.
*
In Warsaw, debts continued to accumulate and taxes were
increased. Mindel had no recourse but to close shop. The
community appointed three rabbis to serve the needs of the
people and R' Menachem agreed to be one of them. The house on
34 Brokov was sold and the Zemba family moved into the
crowded Jewish ghetto.
Germany invaded Poland and R' Menachem was arrested, already
in the beginning of the war. He was tortured by the SS
police, who demanded that he provide them with a list of all
the wealthy Jews, in return for his freedom, but he refused.
Mindel assembled the prominent Jews of the community and
raised a large sum of money for his ransom. This was accepted
but the imprisonment and torture had already taken a
significant toll on his health. Fearing another arrest, the
Zemba family decided to keep on the move, and never remained
for any length of time at any one address. Few people knew of
their whereabouts at any given time.
Many people tried to escape; some succeeded. Among these were
the Admor of Gur, R' Menachem Alter. Permits to leave Poland
and enter Eretz Yisroel were delivered by a messenger who
secretly entered Poland via Italy. The permits included the
Rebbe's family, as well as R' Menachem Zemba and his
family.
Everything would have been fine, except for a serious
setback. The names on the certificates were made out for
members of the Alter family; the Zembas could not
qualify...
Another messenger was dispatched with revised permits but he
was caught and the permits were confiscated. The second
chance was missed.
*
In all of Warsaw, there was only one esrog that year.
The Rov allowed the people of the ghetto to recite the
blessing over it and this brought a small measure of hope and
comfort to the disconsolate, suffering Jews.
The war continued and the Germans were determined to thin out
the ghetto until no Jews remained. The residents were rounded
up regularly in aktions and taken to the Umshlag Platz
where a selection was made. Mindel and her daughter were
herded there along with another wave of people. They were
sent to the left. They knew exactly what that entailed.
"Don't look back," Mindel told her daughter. "We are headed
to the Other World, and there, it is all good."
R' Menachem had been given a brief reprieve and he was
determined to help his fellow Jews as best he could, for
whatever time was still allotted him. If he survived, he
hoped to publish his Torah writings, but this was not to
be.
The three rabbonim of the Warsaw ghetto were given a chance
to escape and go to Eretz Yisroel. They met together to
discuss this golden opportunity and after much serious
deliberation, decided that they could not, at this crucial
time, abandon their fellow Jews.
Not one member of the Zemba family survived the war. They had
missed their three chances to make aliya.
May Hashem avenge their brutal deaths.
