Simon Wiesenthal in The Murderers Among Usdescribed on of his most painful death camp experiences:
A new arrival had smuggled in a siddur and Wiesenthal admired his courage; risking discovery, he was risking death. His feelings soon changed when he discovered that the courageous smuggler was bartering 15 minutes rental of the siddur in exchange for one fourth of a day’s meager rations. The inmates were emaciated but willingly made the exchange.
A new arrival had smuggled in a siddur and Wiesenthal admired his courage; risking discovery, he was risking death. His feelings soon changed when he discovered that the courageous smuggler was bartering 15 minutes rental of the siddur in exchange for one fourth of a day’s meager rations. The inmates were emaciated but willingly made the exchange.
After the war, Rabbi Eliezer Silver visited the DP camps and arranged for prayers and words of encouragement to the survivors. After noticing that Wiesenthal did not come to the synagogue, Rabbi Silver decided to visit him. As Simon Wiesenthal recorded:
“He put his hand on my shoulder. “So they tell me you are still angry with the Almighty.” He said in Yiddish. And he smiled at me.
“I said, “Not with Him but one of his servants.” And then Wiesenthal proceeded to tell him what happened. He kept smiling. “And that’s all you have to tell me?”
“Isn’t that enough, Rabbi?” I asked.
“Tell me,” he said. “Why do you only look at the man who took something? Why instead, don’t you look at the Jews who gave something? (Why look at the man who rented out his siddur for soup when you can look at those who gave up their meager rations for minutes with a siddur?” -Zelig Pliskin
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