Eli Wohl Photo

04/09/2021

This is Rabbi Leibish Laufer. The rebbe of Nadvornah-Debrecen.

He was born January, 1930 in Debrecen, Hungary.

I spotted the Rabbi taking a walk on the street today, and asked if he would share with me on this Yom Hashoah some of what he experienced during the Holocaust.

‘I was the youngest and the weakest of my family and the only one to survive’ the Rabbi shared with me today.

At the young age of 14 he was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. His parents 3 brothers and 2 sisters all perished in the death camp.

Despite witnessing the worst of humanity the Rabbi never gave up. He started life anew establishing institutions and a beautiful and growing family.

See the stories parts of the interview with the Rabbi.

**i @ Brooklyn, New York

03/24/2021

Passover shopping in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

#פסח @ Williamsburg

03/05/2021

Erev Shabbat in in Borough Park. We all busy Shlepping something.

❤️ @ Borough Park

03/03/2021

Post Purim hangover.

#פורים

02/28/2021

At the Rebbe’s Purim Tish

(Purim 2020).

#פוריםשמח @ Brooklyn, New York

02/26/2021

Happy Purim and Shabbat Shalom.

(Purim 2020).

❤️ #פורים @ Brooklyn, New York

02/24/2021

This is Aaron Gross.
Born August, 1934 in Turda, Romania.

The week of Purim is all about giving. No better time to share the story of Mr. Gross.

While touring Williamsburg during the latest snowstorm, the sight of this older person pushing a baby-stroller caught my attention. Coincidentally we had crossed paths before and I sensed he had a story to tell. So when I spotted him on the street pushing a stroller on the snow-covered pavement, against heavy winds and snow, I approached him. 'What you are distributing there'? I inquired. 'Oh, these are just rolled Oats' he tells me with a heavy Hungarian accent as he continues his pace, as if on some urgent mission. 'Come with me, I am dropping off a bag of these rolled-oats [cereal] to some of the teachers in this yeshiva' he tells me while demonstrating neatly packed cereal-filled cups. As I joined him on his daily route, he explained to me the health benefits of this special cereal that he cooks daily. He shared that for years now he has been distributing these packages on foot to many needy people in the neighborhood, including the eldary, those with digestive issues, and even to local teachers so they can have a nutritious meal.

His early life:
When Aaron was just a 10 year old child, he was weeks away from joining the fate of the millions of Jews before him. It was 1944, and the Germans entered the city of Cluj. A city just Miles away from Turda. By May of the year, over 18,000 of the local Jews were put into the Kolozsvár ghetto, from where they were transported like cattle to Auschwitz. Most of them were killed upon arrival.
In the fall of 1944, Aaron's town of Turda was taken over by n**i-allied Hungarian forces. Little Aaron and the local Jews now faced deportations. To his sheer luck, a few weeks later, as the war was coming to an end, his town was liberated by the Russians. Aaron and the local Jews were saved from certain death.

@ Williamsburg

02/21/2021

This is Mendel Weiss.
Born in 1926, in Jasov - a small town near the Košice region of eastern Slovakia.

Read his story 👇

* * *

‘You have to come down and cover this Holocaust survivor that does not miss a day in Shul despite the heavy snowstorm’ a follower messaged me two weeks ago amidst a heavy snow storm in Brooklyn.

* * *

At the young age of 17 he was taken to the the Auschwitz Birkenau death-camps. Mendel was now known as prisoner number A-10660 - a number which was engraved into his forearm.

As Mendel was watching many of his prison-mates drop dead from the harsh conditions of severe labor, starvation and beatings, he stepped in. Whenever he would sense that his mates couldn’t take it anymore, he would sabotage the machinery, by throwing in small stones and thereby disabling it for hours and giving the prisoners a much-needed break, and thereby saving many lives.

It wasn’t long, and Mendel was caught in his act by an SS guard and was beaten to a pulp. The next day, despite his injuries from the beating, he was back to business and sabotaged those machines again.

Mendel with his short built and fearless character was nicknamed the The Emperor Of China by his fellow prison-mates.

His entire family perished in the Holocaust. But he survived to tell the story and watch his family thrive.

Now that you know Mendel you’ll understand, how despite his age and disabilities, he doesn’t miss a day in shul.

**i
‎ #שואה @ Brooklyn, New York

02/19/2021

Shabbat Shalom.

Shabbat prep and shopping in the snow storm.

❤️ @ Williamsburg, Brooklyn

02/18/2021

02/15/2021

‘Let me give you a hand’ pleads a young fellow with a storekeeper - an older gentleman - struggling to shovel the snow in front of his property.

Minutes later I observe an older gentleman attempting to cross a snow-covered crosswalk. He didn’t struggle for long though. He was helped by another stranger passing-by. Inspired, I offered the man a ride to his destination. It’s when we observe a man offering assistance to another person struggling to get his stroller safely on the sidewalk.

Later, a stroller-less teenager passes by us, clutching a toddler while barely hanging on to his tefilin and shopping bag.

These are just some of the kind deeds anyone walking through this community can observe during the storm.

👉 Swipe for more 👉

@ Williamsburg

02/11/2021

Serenity.

@ Brooklyn, New York