Bais Rivka girl high school classes 10 & 11 talk #1- Stalin, Holocaust & Chabad, History- RC Dalfin

Morning to everybody. >> It's wonderful to be here. I've been here in the past years ago. See the development of the community and uh the school. So we're going to talk a little bit about uh the Holocaust and Kabad. So the Kabadim began and developed in Russia. Russia had a tyrant known as Stalin. I'm going they had many tyrants but I'm not going back right now to the alterbasis time even though tonight's yard site but Stalin is kind of the last known vicious tyrant who killed millions and millions of people including Eden and including so we'll talk a little bit about that. Then we'll also talk about the Holocaust which is more in Poland. I mean other areas too, but we're going to focus on Poland where's grandfather founder I believe of this yeshiva and the and the originally here Rabbi Kramer was uh was born like it says on the big sign coming into the the school that's Poland. You probably heard about the jokes, haven't you? >> Yeah. Well, um I guess in Canada you don't get the Jewish press. We grew up in the 1970s and ' 80s with the Jewish press and there there was always a a page of column or column you know jokes the joke was that in Yiddish we say they aren't that smart in other words they're sometimes dumb dummies you know dumbfounded you know they say say silly things so it was am joke everyone knows the joke but had a lot of fine people including including Rabbi Kramer and and many others. So we're going to talk a little bit about um the relationship between Kabad and the Holocaust. But let's begin with our origin which is in Russia. So in Russia from the alter time on were recognized by the government but it took hard work. So, utesis, you all know, right? What's the result of Utuskis? That the alterb was vindicated. YB came out on top. He is not an he's not a troublemaker. He's not going against the government and he was recognized for that. The recognition came in the third generation of Kabad. Who is the Reb of the third generation? Would you like to tell me? Which Reb is the Reb? The third generation of >> anyone of the sadic. So it was in his time that he was recognized I I I can't pronounce the words but they're Russian words as a uh a a recognized citizen a a status citizen that really came as a result of the alterba's vindication inkis it took a little while everything in Russia takes a little while it's called you know what that's called bureaucracy Right. So theic is recognized. One of the things that the lab did especially the mitedic is they they they found ways how to bring parnosa sustenance livelihood for yeden. Eden was very poor and the living conditions were horrible. People needed jobs. What jobs they what jobs they give Eden? because Yidden overall were were confined to what's called the Pale of Settlement to certain areas. They weren't allowed to live in certain cities. You I imagine if you're studying history, you were told this. So what did Raam do? They they got the government to give certain pieces of land for Eden. Not just but Eden under their directorship that got such a piece of land and the place was called Shedrin. Did you ever hear of a place called Shedrin? >> No. Shadrin later became during the time of the fifth of a very prominent place because it housed a lab a branch of and the biggest minds and hearts of kabat started in but that's a different discussion just want to give you put you you don't understand but started as a laba enclave already during the time because he was given this piece of land so there is a family here in Montreal And maybe there's some one of you a relative or a grandchild or a great granddaughter named Denberg. You know the Denberg family? >> Are they from Florida? >> Are they from what? >> I didn't hear you. >> From Montreal. >> They're from here originally. >> Yeah. >> And they moved to Florida. >> Yeah. Right. The the Denber. He was a uh an uncle of Reb um of Reb Label Denberg who passed away several years ago. So the Denver family I believe he he told me I interviewed him label he told me they came from they were from Shedrin they weren't originally from they were actually from a place called Denanburg which is Dinsk today but but they they got property and they they they were able to work the land. So what I'm showing you is that were given this right and that's how they created families and have livelihood and that's how they grew. So we see that in the beginning with all of the horrors of the Zar and everything else that endured in Russia there was light at the end of the tunnel. Now I'm talking about now 1840s 50s60s right now let's go let's move a 100red years uh let's 80 years then you go to Stalin the tyrant who I told you about Stalin in 19 I think 52 made a decree it's called the doctor's decree 52 53 where he plotted against Jewish doctors and sought and to kill them and it was a a known gazer, a known decree. It was so terrible and so difficult. Stalin already had started his edict of no Jewish education for youth. He was against you girls. He wasn't against your your your teacher and myself. We already have white beards, you know, like we're like what they say over the hill. You know what I mean? you know, we're older. He doesn't care if we learn. But to teach kids and to teach young teenagers who are the future, you guys are the future. You know that, right? >> Yes. Yes. >> So he's he's to teach the future to to to to educate the future. That's what he was against. And that was the whole decree of Stalin was not to stop the old geysers in the sh that are, you know, are come walking. You know what I mean? Who cares? you know, another few years they're, you know, they're in the earth, you know what I mean? But the young kids and the teenagers, those that was in the future. So that's so his his decree and his evil was against them. So that's why when we you hear stories, right? I'm sure you've heard in the past and here now and will hear about the exist the decrees was always on theim. When you think of you think of girl little kids older 9 10 11 12 because understood that they they they will continue and what and what is it that there's a god there's a tyra there's a reb and that's what he wanted to get rid of you know when we say that um Kaneka right what did the Ivan want to do? I'm sure you learned this. What did the Ivan want to do? They What was their primary attack? the body to kill the body to kill the Jew or or >> the doesn't say that your will the what we call the divinity the godliness God's behind this no So what do they go against? Mila Shabas kib go for it. Respecting your parents is a normal thing. You don't have to be a a Jew believe in God to respect your parents. You could be a guy. You could be a non-Jew. Humanity. The whole thing of Yiddish and is about elus godliness. Are you familiar with the word elocus? Get it through your head. Elo, divinity, divine. It's not just don't wear your beard, you know, dress inappropriately. No, it's about elus is are you symbolic? Do you represents God? That's what they were against. Stalin did the same thing. That was his objective. And therefore that especially the freeda during his time fought against it I'm sure with many of your grandparents great-grandparents who were soldiers in his army and it said we're not going to give up we are not giving up and guess what many didn't come back don't think that we didn't lose we lost plenty of yeden and plenty That was the that was the will of the Reb. The Reb made an agreement with his and they agreed. What's the stand for? Ice cream, play groups, friendship circle. What does it stand for? What does Labage stand for? Labage. You're in the school. self-sacrifice to the end. And if if if it means that God takes me cuz I get shot or sent away, so be it. That was once the msid snafish of our ancestors. And it's very important for us to know that because we're riding on this self-sacrifice. Then comes the 1950 which I'm sure you've heard about what the Reb said hurah hurah hurah three times and said to myam that nightidic discourses and basically the next day or whatever they find out that Stalin dropped dead he died somehow right so that ended the the tyrant nevertheless the government continue their terrible ways. So, this is I'm now going to this is a little bit, you know, time is short, so I'm just giving you and I want you to, you know, if you have questions or comments, I want to hear from you after I've I I finished this. Then we go to the um the Holocaust and Kabad. The Holocaust, I'm sure you all know, took six million yidden. How did Kabad fit into that whole picture? Well, first of all, in Poland, in Poland, Kabad was small, very small. That wasn't the hub. You know, like United has its hub and Delta its hub, and Air Canada its hub. The hub of Lebadich wasn't in in Poland. It was in Russia but in 1921 the freed through three Russian who lived in Warsaw who were laburers who came from Russia they made a yeshiva the lasted in var till 1935 then it moved tok which is a suburb of Warso to 1935 to the outbreak of the more the said about this yeshiva that it's lubich it has a a similarity in its dedication and its devotion and its kite and its knowledge of like lobavich and lababich the albabi yeshiva you should know was the crown was like nothing greater than the theabi yeshiva in labavich it was the crown own jewel of the Reb and the Fredba and there's a lot a lot of to talk about and stories and to explain that I've written as Rabbi Minko said I've written extensively about a lot of these things that I'm telling you about in my books you're welcome to read them if you get a hold of them anyway so the yeshiva in Poland the main yeshiva there were yeshivas like wherea comes from there I think there was a yeshiva there for a There was about 16 or maybe more little labi yeshivas throughout Poland in the 1930s 1930s but the main yeshiva was in in varia in Warso the holoca holocaust comes and it causes an upheaval and everyone's running the fle himself self ran from which I told you is 20 25 minutes out of Warso. He ran back to Warso and he ran to the house of a few one was Gurari. It's another family I think they have here in Montreal. Gerari family and he ran to the to the to the house of Zalmanov another another family I think there's here also Salman he's with and and Gurvich I think another family there were three and he hid between them and I actually went to Va and I went to and I saw the place I saw the place where used to be the buildings where the Reb hid they don't exist today but I was told this this area was those buildings. I also saw that I got married and I ka and I saw that had a suda and many other things and um I think it's a worthwhile trip to to go to Poland and with someone who knows and really really see what was going on and I found the actual yeshiva ink where your grandfather learned I was there and I walked into the building and the only thing that was left probably were the stair is the staircase but I did go and I went into basement I believe and maybe the base underground is the same probably but anyway the Reb runs around hides and he didn't want anyone to know cuz the bombs are flying and as you know the Reb said that when the bombs were flying he was standing next to Jews and they said cuz they thought they're dying they said keshm right they didn't have a yarmaka they didn't have pis they didn't have a beard they wen't religious but they said schma says the there we saw the pint there we saw that their quintessential Jewishness the when a bomb's flying and they they think they're going to die now what do they do they say now doesn't that tell you that they believe in God why don't they say Harry Potter or in today's language It's 67 or 76, right? what you know or or like come on they're saying why are they saying because they know 67 and Harry Potter and all the all the same it's NICE STUFF BUT IT'S COME on it's all you know a fantasy live in fantasy world but real life real life that's who we are and that's what they did say as the rabbi who he himself was running for his life and almost was killed many times with bombs and flying. That's what a ye is a group from the yeshiva ink many which some survived started to run. And where did they go? They went towards VNA because the FBA told them to go to VNA. VNA was a safe haven. Wilma, Lithuania. They came to Shanghai, Japan. Shanghai. Nine students came out in 1941. The others came out in 1946. And they rebuilt and they lost everybody. Everyone was Everyone was killed. It's not like they were killed. Their parents, their siblings, their cousins, all gone. They come like without a shirt AND WITHOUT A JACKET. They come. How did they have the resilience to be strong? I'll tell you how. It's because they learned and they learned and they had a and that's what you young ladies are learning now and developing and thinking about. These are the from the best years of your life. your 11th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, going to seminary probably many of you and all that to open up your heads to think what is life about? What does it mean to be a ye what does it mean to be aid? What does it mean to be a girl in in a mid how how can I impact myself first? You know, before you can impact others, you yourself have to be an inspiration. Because if you yourself are not an inspiration, trust me, people are going to see right through you. And boom, just yesterday, someone Friday, my my my my car has it had its levia on on this Friday in middle of Brooklyn, they have a street called Ocean Park where it's a very large, you know, he stops going. So some I got a new car. So yesterday the guy brings me the car has hair going down to here with a beard coming from Lakewood. Lakewood you know is uh you know what Lakewood is right? It's a place where they liter and it's a the days a lot of them there but Lakewood is known as a a liter place of of learning gam and all that. I'm just making a point here one point. So later I had some lunch with him and I saw that you know there's something to talk about and he he opened up a little bit to me. You know his father is a red being a yeshiva and he has nine siblings eight or nine siblings and he's had a very rough life. The time to to to develop yourself and and have a strong a strong foundation is now. Now, now now and that's why you have a teacher like Raber and and and many others. Now I'm very serious who you can ask questions to. That's the No, that's the point. What >> that was funny. Okay. >> A lot of questions. >> Oh yeah. Okay. But that that that's that's exactly you know you know a lot of questions you know at the right time in the right way. What time is it, Rabbi? >> 18. >> 108. Straight up there. >> What? >> Yeah. No, I can't see. >> Oh, 108. >> So, so now's the time to ask questions, but to also read. Do you read with our smartphones and computer gadgets and and AI? Where has reading gone? Do you read books? >> No. >> Yes. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. The point is whe whether you read on on your smartphone or on a tablet or but to read to get knowledge to read just to read read a lot. It's healthy to read. And when you don't understand something or you or you challenge something, ask question with not like you know with with respect. The whole the whole idea of Tyra is to ask and inquire. So what I want to do now is now go to asking you what you would like to ask me either about the things I've said or anything else. And you don't have to be, you know, bashful or shy, but ask. So, who's going to be the first one to jump into the the ocean? >> Okay. Um, you guys.