Joy . . .
The excitement of witnessing the publication of The
Redemption Haggadah will stay with me for the rest of my
life. Nearly two years of hard slog finally paid off and
boruch Hashem our fledgling tzedokoh campaign
was blessed with a publication to be proud of, thanks to the
expertise of Feldheim publishers.
The Yaacov Maggid of Dubno Fund first saw the light of day in
2001 with the aim of marking the 200th yahrtzeit of
our ancestor the Dubno Maggid, beloved the world over.
(Imagine, there is not even one street in Yerushalayim named
after the Maggid of Dubno!) We had only just joyfully
rediscovered our full family tree and determined that
something had to be done to reclaim the burial grounds of our
ancestors in Poland. This sparked off research amongst
different branches of our family and we are constantly making
new contacts.
At long last, there is a home address for the Maggid
ztvk'l and although we know how unworthy we are of
such a great honor, we constantly pray that our pleas and
supplications to Hakodosh Boruch Hu will one day be
answered.
Our sincerest thanks and appreciation to the eminent
tzaddik of our time, HaRav Elyokim Schlesinger who,
together with Chief Rabbi of Poland HaRav M. Shudrich and
their Committees are tirelessly working for the reclamation
of botei chaim in Europe.
. . . And Tears
Only in recent years are we learning about the fate of the
last resting places of the great tzaddikim of World
Jewry. From all walks of life we come to the realization that
there are still great hurdles to overcome before the Polish
authorities recognize that they need to release all of Jewish
burial grounds — and not retain some of them for their
own use.
One such tragedy is continuing to cause much anxiety: the
individual burial place of the beloved Dubno Maggid Rabbi
Yaacov Krantz ztvk'l is no longer identifiable in Zamosc, and
we are indeed thankful to Hakodosh Boruch Hu that at
least we have found the location of the burial ground itself.
For years, the only memorial to the Jewish martyrs was a
small mass grave and monument to the victims of the Second
World War in a corner of the newer Jewish Burial ground
(opened in 1907) at Prosta street in Zamosc. The rest of this
burial ground has been rebuilt and part of it is a car
park.
The ancient Jewish Burial Ground was concealed and only after
searching museums and archives, did I manage to ascertain
that the ground is at Partyzantow Street, formerly Levovska
street and that part of it houses a cultural center and the
rest is used as a recreation ground.
They say that there is no joy without tears and the great
hurdle still lies in front of us. May Hakodosh Boruch
Hu bless us with besoros tovos bimheiroh beyomeinu
and penetrate the hardhearted officials of Zamosc and start a
new era of cooperation with the Rabbinical committees
representing the world Jewish Community.
We hope that our Haggadah, all proceeds of which will
be put towards the work of reclamation of the two Jewish
Burial Grounds in Zamosc, will give an aliyah to the
holy Yiddishe neshomos of the former Jewish Zamosc and
will be a forerunner of better news in the near future.
For further information contact: The Yaacov Maggid of Dubno
Fund, POB 33628, London N16 6AW, email:
sgrossnass@tiscali.co.uk
