In this vein let us share a story (as told by Rabbi Jacobson). It was on Erev Shabbos Zos Chanukah, December 1932 in Kiel, Germany. R’ Akiva Baruch Pozner, the Rabbi of Kiel, lit the menorah in his home. His wife, Rebbetzin Rochel saw the flames of the menorah alight and, through the window, she could see the headquarters of the Nazi party with a large flag with a swastika draped over the building, across the street.
To Rebbetzin Rochel this represented the stark contrast between two world orders. She decided she had to capture the moment with a photo, after which she ran to light the Shabbos candles moments before the sun set. She developed the film, and on the other side of the picture she wrote in German:
Chanukah 1932
Judah will die, thus says the flag
Judah will live forever, thus say the lights
A few days later, Germany elected Adolf Hitler to be Chancellor. For the following fifteen years the flame of Judah came so close to being extinguished. But more than eighty years later Rebbetzin Rachel’s grandson - Yehudah Manasbach - lives in Haifa. Each year on Chanukah he takes out his grandparents’ menorah, lights it in the presence of his children and grandchildren, takes out Rebbetzin Rachel’s photo, and reads these chilling words:
Chanukah 1932
Judah will die, thus says the flag
Judah will live forever, thus say the lights
Who was right?
