As thousands of refugees streamed into Vilna in the fall of 1939, a humanitarian crisis ensued, with neither local authorities nor the local Jewish community capable of providing for the throngs of refugees. The situation was especially acute for the many impoverished yeshivos who had found refuge in neutral Lithuania. Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski was the revered leader of the Torah world and in his capacity as head of the Vaad Hayeshivos, personally shouldered the responsibility for their welfare. He turned to his trusted student Rav Eliezer Silver in Cincinnati, who in turn established a rescue organization on behalf of stranded Torah scholars stuck in Lithuania, which eventually came to be known as the Vaad Hatzalah.
The Mir Yeshiva had by this time settled in the Lithuanian shtetl of Keidan, and for the next seven months attempted to return a sense of normalcy within the growing mayhem surrounding them. Over the summer of 1940, the Soviets occupied Lithuania and all illusions of that country remaining a safe haven were dissipated. The subsequently dispersed among four shtetls in the Lithuanian countryside, and it was from there that they visa search continued in earnest.
Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/
Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform
Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites
For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: yehuda@yehudageberer.com
Soviet Chassid: The Story of Rav Mendel Futerfas
I’ve Got a Lovely Jewish Name: First Names in Jewish History
The Vurke Chassidic Dynasty & Jewish Political Leadership
Chasam Sofer Part IV: From Frankfurt to Exile
Tourbites: Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin
Marriage Age in Jewish Eastern Europe of the 19th Century
The Last Nazarite: The Life of Rav Dovid Cohen, ’Rav Hanazir’
Tourbites: The Chozeh of Lublin
Aleksander the Great Chassidic Dynasty
Holy Crown in Brownsville: The Life & Times of Rav Moshe Rosen
Early Secularization in Jewish Europe
Jerusalem Odyssey: Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap
The US & The Holocaust: A Review
Founder of a Dynasty: The Bais Halevi
Jews, Sports & Identity
Organizing Orthodoxy: The Story of the Agudath Harabonim Part I
Our Grandfathers Came to this Land
Feivels Going West: Jews in the Wild West
Chasam Sofer Part III: A Pressburg Situation
Chasam Sofer Part II: Old Traditions, New Message
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Hello Heaven Podcast
Rav Gershon Ribner
For Heaven’s Sake
The Nightingale of Iran
Meaningful People
Unorthodox