Page 36 - RMBA Upper School Haggadah 2018
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ֶא ָלּא ֶשׁ ְבּ ָכל דּוֹר ָודוֹר עוֹ ְמ ִדים ָﬠ ֵלינוּ, ֶשׁלּ ֹא ֶא ָחד ִבּ ְל ָבד ָﬠ ַמד ָﬠ ֵלינוּ ְל ַכלּוֹ ֵתנוּ,ְו ִהיא ֶשׁ ָﬠ ְמ ָדה ַל ֲאבוֹ ֵתינוּ ְו ָלנוּ
ְו ַה ָקּדוֹשׁ ָבּרוּ הוּא ַמ ִצּי ֵלנוּ ִמ ָיּ ָדם,ְל ַכלוֹ ֵתנוּ
This covenant that remained constant for our ancestors and for us has saved us against any
who arose to destroy us in every generation, and throughout history when any stood against us
to annihilate us, the Kadosh Baruch Hu kept saving us from them.
Vehi Sheamda - Nissim Ruben (7th grade)
Do you know the true meaning of Vehi Sheamda? Well, if you don’t that’s exactly why I’m
wri ng this. Do you know what Vehi Sheamda means? Most people say it refers to the promise
Hashem made with us: Vehi Sheamda, “and it stood”. But that’s not the true meaning. The true
meaning is that the Jewish People, as one united na on, stood against all the genera ons of evil
trying to kill us, but we s ll stood strong with the help of Hashem. Without Hashem we would
have all died in Egypt. Vehi Sheamda truly means that WE (the Jewish people) stood against all
odds and survived Egypt, the Spanish Inquisi on, and most of all the Holocaust, with the help of
Hashem our god. So in conclusion, Vehi Sheamda means that we as a united na on stood up
tall. Though there was so much pushing us down we stood strong as a na on the en re me.
Pesach During The Holocaust - Orly Lashak (9th Grade)
Solly Ganor saw what he thought was his final des na on when the train he was placed on
reached Lager X, an outer camp of Dachau in 1944. In the camp, there was a man who always
smiled, knew all the prayers by heart, and was the one person that kept urging everyone to
keep on to their Jewish faith. This same man was given the job of burying the dead and called
himself the Chevrah Kadisha as he was known to recite kaddish a er every burial. Everybody
knew this man as the “Rebbe.” In the middle of March he told everyone that Pesach was coming
and that it was crucial for their minor seder to have two things: matzah and maror. The only
problem was that they were missing flour and the only way to get it was to steal it from the
kitchen. Solly, who at that me worked in the kitchen, was asked by the Rebbe to take some
flour. A er Solly’s father got furious the Rebbe convinced him to take it and gave him two gold
teeth that a friend gave him before being killed. The teeth could help him bribe his way to
ge ng flour for the matzahs. Hesitantly, Solly put his life at risk and asked the usually mean
German cook for some flour. Instead of having a horrible reac on he recognized the Pesach
story (because he was Catholic) and gave him the flour without taking the two gold teeth. They
did their small symbolic Seder and had hope that not only would they be celebra ng exodus
from Mitzraim, but soon also exodus from Nazi Germany. A month later they were rescued by
the Americans. Solly never forgot that symbolic seder that wouldn't be possible without the
help from the cook.
So we ask ourselves: How was Pesach kept by the Jews throughout the Holocaust? A er hearing
this story, it was clear to me that the reason these Jews kept their faith started with one person
who encouraged it and tried to keep the customs alive. It's important to remember that keeping
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