Columbia, SC – Historic Chofetz Chaim Video Almost Unnoticed For Over A Decade

Columbia, SC – A southern college that maintains an archive of news dating back almost 100 years had no idea that one of the videos in its collection was a historical gem of major significance to the Jewish community: a silent newsreel showing the Chofetz Chaim at the first Knessia Gedolah in Vienna in 1923.

The video, titled “World Congress of Agudah Yisroel–outtakes” has been circulating recently on Jewish media outlets and on What’s App and is the only known video footage of the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan, who died in 1933.

Below Video: Downloaded with permission and courtesy given to VIN News by the “University of South Carolina – Moving Image Research Collections“.

The Chofetz Chaim is seen at minute 0:41

Despite its relatively recent popularity in the Jewish community, Scott Allen, a media archivist at the University of South Carolina’s, Moving Image Research Collection in Columbia, South Carolina, estimated that the almost five minute clip has been available for public viewing at the MIRC’s digital video repository for approximately 15 years.

“It’s funny how many, many people can see something over time but then one person sees it and recognizes its historical significance,” Allen told VIN News.

The footage was shot by Fox News cameraman Hans Von Pebal, who covered assignments in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Romania, Yugoslavia and Hungary.

Benjamin Singleton, a production manager at the MIRC, said that Von Pebal worked for Fox News, which had cameramen in over 20 countries, from 1919 through at least the mid 1930’s. Von Pebal’s nitrocellulose negative, which was taken on 35 millimeter Agfa film, was placed in a metal can and shipped to the Fox News’ headquarters on Manhattan’s West Side.

Fox developed and edited the footage, with the outtakes negatives cataloged via the Dewy Decimal system, where they remained in a can for 57 years.

“This film was among many thousands of reels given to the University of South Carolina in 1980 by 20th Century Fox,” said Singleton. “The films were cataloged and viewed by the University library system and made available to the public. The university now keeps the film in an underground vault. The air is kept very dry and very cold to preserve the negative.”

Singleton said that the footage has been available for study and licensing through the university since 1981. The MIRC’s YouTube-style website was launched in 2012, giving its catalog an even wider exposure to the general public.

The footage shows various delegates arriving for the Knessia Gedolah at the Zirkue Strasse Congress Building on August 15th, 1923, the first day of the historic ten day convention.

“The original documentation was not likely shot by Jewish scholar,” said Allen, who noted that the MIRC transferred the original negatives to video. “They put down whatever they had and kept going.”

The clip, which the MIRC says has been verified for authenticity, shows the Chofetz Chaim, who was 84 years old at the time, arriving to the Knessia Gedolah accompanied by several men. The Chofetz Chaim can be seen walking towards the camera for 13 seconds before the camera is blocked by a hand, obscuring further view. Footage shot inside the building shows dozens of men seated inside at tables on benches with banners bearing the Hebrew words “B’ruchim Habaim” and “Shaalu Shlom Yerushalayim.”

The MIRC site offers possible identification for some of the delegates in the video, including the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Chaim Sechor, chief rabbi of Romania, Rabbi Lowenstein, chief rabbi of Zurich, and Rabbi Permutier, chief rabbi of Warsaw. Allen said that much of that information was not available when the footage was originally posted to the site.

“Over time people have contacted us and added names,” said Allen. “Even the original documentation doesn’t have all the names that we have now.”

Also visible in the footage, which is catalogued as Fox News Story 1020 and was preserved by the Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation of Charleston, South Carolina, is Rabbi Yaakov Rosenheim, according to Rabbi Paysach Krohn.

“The first Knessia Gedolah was convened to bring gedolim together, to define the issues of the day and to inspire people,” explained Rabbi Krohn.

It comes as no surprise that the Chofetz Chaim, whose personal mission was to inspire fellow Jews, was a key figure at the first Knessia Gedolah, which was attended by both men and women.

The book Oz V’Hadar Levusha relates that the Chofetz Chaim was called on to mediate a halachic disagreement that arose when one individual voiced his concern that the women, who were located upstairs in a balcony, should also be separated from the men with a mechitza, while others felt that the arrangements were satisfactory as they were.

The Chofetz Chaim ruled that while there was no halachic obligation for a mechitza, it is clear from the Torah that Hashem is with us when tzniyus prevails, and if even one person felt that a mechitza was necessary to preserve kedushas yisroel, then a mechitza should be put up.

While many prominent gedolim gathered in Vienna for the milestone event, the Chofetz Chaim actually spoke twice on the opening day of the Knessia Gedolah.

“The Chofetz Chaim was given the honor of speaking first and then in the evening he asked to speak again,” said Rabbi Krohn. “It was a difficult thing to do because there were so many tzadikim there but how could you say no to the Chofetz Chaim?”

In his second address, the Chofetz Chaim who had spoken earlier in the day about being mikarev people who have strayed, related that he had overheard people criticizing him in the hallway for his remarks, quoting the Gemara in Bava Metzia which says that one should not try to perfect others until they have perfected themselves.

“The Chofetz Chaim said that he understood that many people understand that they are not perfect but that they still need to reach out to others,” said Rabbi Krohn.

In his address, the Chofetz Chaim shared an example of a beachfront community that had to filter all water before use to make it potable, but made the grave error during a massive fire of insisting that all water be filtered before being used to put out the fire, not recognizing that while fires are raging, it is extinguishing them that is the highest priority.

The Chofetz Chaim continued admonishing everyone present that when fire is present, you use any water you can to put out the fire and that with the fires of immorality and secularism raging through European Jewry, it is up to the leadership, even if they have not perfected themselves, to do everything in their power to reach out to the Jewish community and inspire them in the ways of Torah and yiddishkeit.

Rabbi Krohn noted that he was very excited to see actual footage of the Chofetz Chaim.

“I only wish there had been a close up of his face,” said Rabbi Krohn.