Important letter, sent from the heart of Poland right before the Holocaust. Entirely handwritten by the sacred gaon Rabbi Chaim Safrin, av beit din of Szil, author of Imrei Chaim . Parashat Behar-Bechukotai [May] 1939. To the best of our knowledge, his manuscripts have never been offered at auction.
The letter was sent to the Ezrat Torah organization in the United States to express gratitude for sending financial support. Rabbi Safrin writes that he received the funds through a company-bank “and although I did not receive any letter from you, I will assume the funds were sent by you.”
It is interesting to note that the letter was sent right before the War broke out, half a year after Kristallnacht. In Germany, concentration camps were already being prepared at full steam, but this letter is silent on the matter, as if the world is continuing along as usual. It is possible that within just a few months Rabbi Safrin was already murdered al kiddush Hashem . It is therefore incumbent upon us to realize that even when the Holocaust is knocking on the door with alarm bells clanging loudly, it is human nature to repress the situation and continue with our daily routine, sometimes even when it is already too late.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Chaim Meir Yechiel Safrin, may his blood be avenged, of Szil .
[1] beautiful airmail letter, 10×14 cm. Stationery blank. Entirely [15] lines handwritten, signed and stamped by Rabbi Safrin.
Very fine condition.