Budapest – In a highly emotional speech given at yesterday’s commemorative event in Budapest at the Shoes on the Danube Promenade, the Kalever Rebbe, from Israel Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taub, had strong words for President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, regarding Russia’s recent annexation of Crimea.
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As previously reported on VIN News, over 200 rabbis, including the chief rabbis of Israel, gathered yesterday at the Holocaust memorial on the shores of Budapest’s Danube River to mark the 70th anniversary of the destruction of Hungarian Jewry. Rabbi Taub, himself a Holocaust survivor who was transported to Auschwitz in 1944 and was experimented upon by the notorious Josef Mengele, also spent time in the Warsaw Ghetto, the Breslau concentration camp and Bergen-Belsen.
The speech was posted on YouTube watch below:
While most of the Rebbe’s remarks were in Hebrew, he switched to English in order to deliver a direct message to the two world leaders, saying that the world today is like the time of Kayin and Hevel.
“I’m talking now to the president of the United States, to the president of Russia. It was not enough 15 million went on? The Ribono Shel Olam created the world to stay, a nice world. Now you want to destroy in seconds the world? What will come from that? Nobody will have anything.”
The Rebbe, who has spoken extensively about his own experiences during the Holocaust, dissolved into tears at several points during his address, recalling how he witnessed children being thrown into pits and into fires during the war, how he himself expected to be thrown into a fire and how he screamed Shema Yisroel, as he asked Hashem to spare his life.
The Rebbe also tearfully recalled those who were shot and fell into the Danube and lamented the threats to Torah scholars in Israel, which he likened to a spiritual war against the Jewish people.
“What will be?” queried the Rebbe. “If there is no Torah, there is no klal yisroel.”
Thank you for posting this video. While I had heard of the Rebbe, I had never seen or heard him speak. Powerful stuff.
Respected Rabbi for his own discipline and values. I hope that Mssrs. Obama and Putin very much heed his very true words. There is no captivity in a lost value of unanticipated vacant desire. Never Again.
To mention in one speech what the Nazis ym”s did to the Jews with Israel running after draft dodgers who claim to be studying Torah is a great outrage.
The Kaliver Rebbe… Nazi surgents opened him up and he saw, witnessed the horror. No one can judge him, yet he can!
Who else can give you the past and the present if not him.
I truly believe that those Jews who have that bad concious when one talks about Jews and God, are ashamed of their religion or simply think that laying low is better then having something done!
עת לעשות לה
Dear VIN,
One correction:
The Rebbe didn’t say “15 million people”.
He said “50 million people”.
It is well known that a total of 50 – 60 million people died between 1939 and 1945.
(including civilians and military.)
My parents went through the holocaust just like he did we are also from hungary but lets call a spade a spade,never in the history of judaism has learning toireh more widespread then now and on top of that never had there been so many young man learning toireh full time being supported by others so please lets not start saying things that dont make sense lets talk about reality .and not be so selfish as to only want things for youreselfs .
It’s sad to see that almost every event in the Jewish world becomes a fight between the charedi and Zionists. Even this somber memorial. Very sad.
This pure Rebbi went through HELL and has the wisdom that most of the above will never have and you have the chutzpa to speak like this?
I am a big Zionist and grew up in Boro Park and understand various opinions but we all respected one another.
Before you know it, Yom Kippur will be here.