Venerable individuals still among us share their recollections of personal encounters with yesteryear's giants
Toronto, Ontario
Growing up in a home of Sanz chassidim in the Galician town of Oshpitzin (Oświęcim), Chava was exposed early on to the glory of the house of Sanz. As a young child, she stood on a balcony observing the street packed with local Jews, waiting for a visit to the town by the holy Kedushas Tzion of Bobov, Rav Bentzion Halberstam Hy”d. The little girl thrilled as a procession approached, led by chassidim riding white stallions.
While her four brothers attended the local Kesser Torah yeshivah of the Radomsker Rebbe, Chava became one of the first students of a newly founded afternoon Bais Yaakov. The formative group — about 20 girls of all different ages — was taught by teenagers who’d studied in Sarah Schenirer’s Bais Yaakov in Krakow. Aside from the daily classes, they’d gather on Shabbos morning for group davening and other activities.
A highlight of the Bais Yaakov experience was a visit from Frau Sarah Schenirer herself. She would sojourn around Poland, speaking and inspiring the young charges. When Sarah Schenirer would arrive in the town for a visit to the local Bais Yaakov, the young girls understood they were part of a larger countrywide movement, with a loving teacher at the helm.
During her visit to Oshpitzin, she spoke collectively to the group and individually to each girl. “She was so sweet,” Mrs. Bleeman remembers. “It was such a happy occasion; she was so easy to talk to and spoke with such warmth.” Though she arrived without pomp or ceremony, and the content of the conversation has also disappeared into the abyss of history, the impressions remain fresh and clear, and the love and sweetness have lasted well beyond the brief encounter.
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