Q&A: A Rabbi and His Congregation in the Holocaust
A Rabbi and His Congregation in the Holocaust
Question
There were many rabbis and rebbes who could have escaped during the Holocaust but chose to remain with their communities until the bitter end. On the other hand, there were many who fled and left their communities, in order themselves to undergo the four deaths of the religious court — that is, four hundred deaths. What is your view on the matter? Which of the two is the proper course, this one or that one?
And more specifically, the permissibility regarding Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman requires clarification, since he did something akin to one who takes his own life by traveling from the U.S. to Europe when he knew that his end would be bitter. What is the halakhic permission for this?
Answer
For some reason, this question slipped my attention.
I can’t give a general answer. I do think it is not unreasonable to flee, contrary to the usual denunciations. The community itself wants there to be someone who will continue its path. One practical difference is that if no community remains, then there is no justification for it.
As for Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman, he did not know that this was a definite danger. By the way, the same thing happened with the Dvar Avraham and others. But even if so — it would seem reasonable that a leader has permission to join his community in such a situation, certainly when it is not a definite danger, even if the danger is great.