Palestine was a haven for thousands of European Jewish refugees escaping from the Nazis, yemach shemam. Among these refugees was Herbert Froehlich, a young man who arrived from Germany in 1935. He rented a room in Haifa from a woman who owned a boarding house. After Herbert had lived there for many weeks, the woman asked him if he would accept a roommate. Realizing that his landlady needed the extra income to offset the difficult economic situation, Herbert readily agreed.
As fate would have it, his roommate turned out to be the only non-Jew in the boarding house. Being a good-natured fellow, Herbert welcomed his roommate warmly and they established a close friendship as well as a mutually deep respect for one another. Herbert learned that his roommate’s parents had sent him to Palestine from Sweden in order to learn the British banking system. After being invited to join in various Jewish trips and activities, including Shabbat meals, Herbert’s roommate gained an appreciation for the Jewish religion and the Jewish people.
A Sign of Our Everlasting Friendship
After several months, Herbert’s roommate completed his education in Palestine and prepared to return to Europe. As the two friends tearfully bid each other farewell, Herbert’s roommate removed his ski cap from his head, handed it to Herbert and said, “I want you to keep this as a sign of our everlasting friendship.”
Just a few years later, the world turned a blind eye as six million Jews were slaughtered in Europe during World War II. Only a small number of gentiles stood up to save Jewish lives. Among these heroes was a young secretary at the Swedish Diplomatic Mission in Budapest named Raoul Wallenberg. He was instrumental in saving thousands of Jews by securing visas for them. To this day his whereabouts are unknown, as Raoul Wallenberg was arrested by Russian soldiers during the last days of the war. It is believed that he died in one of Stalin’s prisons or in Siberia.
He Never Forgot His Friend Raoul
Many could not understand Raoul Wallenberg’s unusual sensitivity towards the Jewish people, but Herbert Froehlich did. You see, Raoul was Herbert’s roommate. Herbert believed that Raoul’s association with his Jewish friends in Palestine was instrumental in creating his tremendous desire to help the Jews. As for Herbert, he never forgot his friend Raoul and wore his ski cap every night, even as it tattered and frayed with age. Thousands of lives were saved, no doubt in part because one Jew made a Kiddush Hashem. (Excerpted from the Feldheim book – “For Goodness’ Sake”)
Reprinted from the Parshat Noah 5786 email of Rabbi David Bibi’s Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace
