Author: shana
Help the Story Tour Blog
The Story Tour Blog started in 2007 as a spare time ‘hobby’ costing almost nothing and representing a few hours a week of time commitment evolved into a project gemanding a lot of time and expense. The highest cost is the time cost – working on this site many hours a week. This is all very good, and we’re delighted at the steady growth in popularity of our site, but please don’t let us become victims of our own ‘success’!
No income from the Story Tour Blog has been realized, and so, if you feel you’ve received some value, or would like to help support the site’s ongoing presence, please reciprocate. Any donation would be much appreciated and will help to keep the site online and growing.
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Many thanks for your help.
Shana Tobesman
Purim: A Time of Joy
My father is filled with surprises and I found in his files, and boy does he have a lot, this article that appeared in Panorama Magazine in March 1979
Purim: A Time of Joy
The importance of Purim as a holiday of deliverance from death has served as an inspiration to the Jewish people many times throughout history. Even in the death camps of nazi Europe there were those who had that spark of hope. No matter where the Jewish people were, there were always those who carried that hope – in the ghettoes, in the camps, and in the forests.
In the Warsaw ghetto, there was a journal of everyday events kept by Emmanuel Ringlblum. On the 18th of March 1940, he told of the feelings at the Purim celebrations in the Warsaw Ghetto:
“There were assemblies in celebration of Purim this year. People hope for a new Purim to celebrate the downfall of the modern Haman, Hitler, one that will be commemorated as long as the Jewish People exist. The new Purim will surpass all previous Purims in Jewish History.”
In the concentration camps the nazis tried to destroy the Jewish people, not as a religious group, but as a physical threat to the Third Reich. The nazis saw the Jewish people as harmful to society, just as a doctor sees bacteria harmful to the health of people. So the nazis started out on a program to completely destroy the Jewish world, but that couldn’t be done.
Buchenwald, a concentration camp in Germany became the place where a young chasid, Yaakov Frankel, was sent. Many of the Jewish prisoners had lost faith and hope in Hashem. Yaakov Frankel and a. few friends decided to have small Purim celebration to lift up fallen spirits and restore faith and hope in Hashem.
From throughout the camp Frankel and his friends gathered all sorts of paper – a torn order from a nazi officer, a piece of a nazi newspaper with blank margins, or a coarse wrapping from a. bag of cement. After this collection of odds and ends was enough a great change took place. The scraps of paper slowly turned into the Megillah of Esther, Frankel and his friends using only one pencil wrote the megillah from their memories.
When the Fast of Esther was over on the night of Purim, all of the group gathered on the upper level of the block. A great number of less fortunate prisoners sensed that something was going to happen and they did not want to be left out. They declared:
“We too want to avenge the innocent blood of our families on the wicked Haman. Whatever you are up to don’t leave us out!”
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The megillah was read at 11:00 pm to avoid the suspicions of the many nazi guards. Finally the reading of Megillas Esther began, the brachah al mikrah MegIllah could not be said because of the many different kinds of paper on which the megillah was written. The reading of the megillah changed many of the hearts of the oppressed prisoners and restored their faith in Hashem and their hopes for survival were renewed. After the reading of Megillas Esther all the men sang Shoshanas Yaakov.
The Jewish people have something that is so beautiful and yet many take it for granted. What right have we to forget these precious gifts, the very thing that made our people survive the fires and destruction of Hitler’s hell? Instead of forgetting about our very recent past let us forget the Amalekite hitler as we drown out the name of his ancestor Haman
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us
Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
Rabbi Rock Receives the Silver Beaver
Well Thursday night I went with my father to a reception at Scout HQ where the National Chaplain for the Jewish Committee spoke and than my father made a comment.
Can you believe it just a little comment. He tells stories to hundreds, teaches students and discusses religious stuff with no problem, but when it comes to being recognized for his work, he has nothing to say.
We went to the Council Dinner, I wore my Venturing uniform, where he was presented with the Silver Beaver. There was easily over 500 people there. There were a lot of cheers as my father stepped up onto the stage.
Would you believe they spelled “Rock” wrong? Here is the citation that put in the program book about my father:
Rabbi Rachmiel “Rach” Tobesman
Rachmiel Tobesman came to Scouting as an adult. His motivation was to become a Scoutmaster under very special circumstances. He saw a need for fervently observant Jewish Boy Scouts to be able to participate in the outdoor program and still be consistent with their religious practices.
Consult a reputed clinic, equipped with proficient spe cheap sildenafilts, offering the services of physical therapy rehabilitation in Idaho Falls. I have ordered cheap anti-impotence viagra sale http://www.devensec.com/sustain/indicators/AppendixI_DevensSurveySummary_4_13_2013.pdf 60 mg for sale from daynighthealthcare.com. A buy cialis in india person may not be able to tolerate fatty foods or alcohol. This famous sildenafil cialis newspaper also provides the special coverage on the Libertarian Party and the Green Party matters. As an enthusiastic new leader. Rach brought maturity, passion and energy to this responsibility. Very quickly. Troop 13. sponsored by Ner Tamid Congregation was seen as successfully blending traditional standards and religious purpose. This successful combination established the groundwork for future units with the same focus.
As a unit leader, Rach combined his roles as a Rabbi. teacher, story teller and spiritual guide. Through his energy, he initially revitalized the Jewish Religious Retreat (kinus). As chair of the Jewish Committee. he worked to establish one combined truly ecumenical religious program involving all Scouts: Jewish, Catholic and Protestant. He has been so committed to his ministry that he is believed to be the only Rabbi who is a member of the National Catholic Committee on Scanting.
In 2005, Rach accepted the challenge to serve as a Mashgiach at the National Boy Scout Jamboree. In this role, he became the person who resolved both the religious and practical challenges of supervising and serving ten days worth of Kosher meals three times a day to Jewish and Muslim Scouts. Despite personal hardships, he proved that it could be done.
As a direct outcome of Rabbi Tobesman’s successes. he became a part of the Northeast Region Jewish Committee assuming responsibility for program planning for their annual conference. Similarly. he has served for a number summers as Chaplain at the Philmont Scout Ranch.
Rabbi Tobesman is creative and willing to serve God and our youth in any way he can. He serves as an inspirational example of what it truly means to be a man of God. Daily he shows us how to combine an active. Scout presence and yet still be a humble and dedicated servant, cheerfully giving of his time and talents for the benefit of others.
Scoutmaster, Venture Crew Advisor, Roundtable Commissioner, District Committee, Wood Badge, Wood Badge Staff, National Jamboree Staff, Philmont Scout Ranch Chaplain, Philmont Training Center Faculty, Shofar Award, Interfaith Committee, Chairman of Jewish Committee, Regional Jewish Committee
Chanuka and the Fighters
When my father was younger he wrote for a lot of newspapers throughout the country. I think his articles are pretty good and makes one think. Here’s an excerpt from an article from 1984 that was in the Jewish Press.
Chanukah and the Fighters
The celebration of Chanukah each year holds a message for the Jewish people throughout the world. A small group of Jewish rebels led by the Maccabees rose up against the superior Hellenistic armies. The military victories of the Jewish people against the threats of religious suppression ensured the freedom to practice Judaism and the rededication of the Holy Temple in Yerushelayim.
The threat of Roman tyranny and paganism was challenged by Judea. The revolt against Rome lasted well over one hundred years before the Jewish fighters of Masada and Beitar fell in battle and the Jewish people forced into. exile.
Many believe that the Jewish fighting spirit disappeared at. Betar. Some believe that with exile the Jewish people became fatalistic, and had no spirit. Religious martyrdom, flight and going like sheep to the slaughter commonly describe the reaction of the Jewish people to persecution until the twentieth century.
The Jewish fighter survived the Roman onslaught and championed Jewish causes many times throughout history. (the article talks about fights against Persia, Spain, and Crusaders. My father told about Jewish soldiers of the Khazar Empire, Berbers, Babylon and others)
And so the mighty tradition continues up until our own days. Yehuda HaMaccabee and his brothers fought the Hellenistic threat to the Jewish people over twenty one centuries ago. Whenever the Jewish people have been threatened the fighters have risen. The Jewish people have never been a fatalistic people who went like sheep to the slaughter.
On Chanuka, while we celebrate the victories of the Maccabees let us remember other heroes who rose to the threat of prejudice and hatred against the Jewish people.
The complete article is powerful and I wish he would write articles again.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us
Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
Please share these gifts of wonderful stories with others and start or join a discussion on the Story Tour Blog about the stories.
The Story Tour Blog has grown to over 400 short stories about faith. Many visitors to the Story Tour Blog have requested that the stories be gathered together into a book. 72 of these special tales are now available in the new book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins that would make a special gift for Chanukah
The Season of Lights – Chanukah is coming very quickly as it begins at Sundown on November 28, 2021.
The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.
The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.
Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon
20th Century Miracle – An Article from 1981
My father wrote this article in 1981 for a Jewish Newspaper
20th Century Miracle
by Rachmiel Tobesman
The excitement of Chanukah with its songs, gifts, and sizzling latkes, warms many Jewish hearts. The joy and happiness goes beyond the beauty of flickering lights and songs. A triumphant joy is felt each time the story of Yehudah haMaccabee is told, the fight and victory of the Jewish rebels over the paganistic Syrian-Greeks showed how they fought for what they believed.
The Nazi hordes descended upon Poland and conquered it in a very short time. The Jewish population of Poland had to be dealt with. In answer to the “judenfrage”, the Jewish question, the Nazis established pits of starvation and disease called ghettos.
In the capital city of Poland, Warsaw, the largest Jewish ghetto was established. The Nazi plan was not only to starve the Jewish people of food, but also their right to worship Hashem. The Jewish communities of Poland were known to be stubborn, and many did not follow the Nazi laws.
The Judenrat, Jewish Council, often collaborated with the Nazis claiming to save lives. The Judenrat tried to ban the holding of Chanukah parties without a permit from a special office set up for that purpose. The parties were held without permits, and the Judenrat did not make any profit for their Nazi masters.
Chaim Kaplan kept a diary in the Warsaw Ghetto. His diary was written in Hebrew. The entry about Chanukah 5701 was made on December 26, 1940. In it Chaim Kaplan relates: “Never before in Jewish Warsaw were there as many Chanukah celebrations as in the year of the wall….After 16 months of Nazi occupation we came to life again.“
The joy of Chanukah was not only felt in the ghettos but also in the Nazi concentration camps. In Nieder-Orschel, part of the Buchenwald industrial/death complex, a 17 year old Jewish student from Bratislava, Simche Unsdorfer, with others set out to bring Chanukah to the camp.
In the concentration camp many people suffered from severe spiritual and physical distress. Simche Unsdorfer and a few friends thought that they could somehow light a Chanukah menorah to raise the morale and restore faith to the many men in the barracks.
With Chanukah just a few days away, a plan of action was adopted. The group drew lots. The first name…Grunwald…would have to somehow obtain oil for the “menorah.” The third name would have to hide the oil and be responsible for it until Chanukah. The fifth…Simche Unsdorfer…would light the menorah under his bunk.
The “menorah“ was made from an old shoe polish tin with wicks made from blankets and oil for fuel. Finally Chanukah came.
December 11, 1944, was the first night of Chanukah. Simche Unsdorfer lit the menorah under his bunk and recited the three traditional blessings and all began to sing Ma’oz Tzur.
An unterstrumfuhrer (lieutenant) happened to smell the burning oil and burst into the barracks to find out who was burning it. As the unterstrumfuhrer was about to find the menorah the menorah under Simche Unsdorfer‘s bunk, an air raid siren blared and the unterstrumfuhrer ran for shelter.
That night in Nieder-Orschel a Ness Gadol Haya Sham (A Great Miracle Happened There). Many of the men with their faith restored in Hashem looked to the liberation from the Nazi terror and paganism.
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
(Atlanta, GA)
December 18, 1981
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
Click here for more storytelling resources
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us
Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two.
Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter
If the stories are not shared they will be lost.
Please share this story with others
Please share these gifts of wonderful stories with others and start or join a discussion on the Story Tour Blog about the stories.
The Story Tour Blog has grown to almost 700 short stories about faith. Many visitors to the Story Tour Blog have requested that the stories be gathered together into a book. 72 of these special tales are now available in the new book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins that would make a special gift for the holiday season.
The very backdrop to the spiritual stories is attractive to its readers allowing one to peek into the beliefs, and lifestyles of a vanishing age of a faraway world and reminding them that the messages are eternal – just as strong today as they were yesterday.
The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.
The book, Story Tour: The Journey Begins will remind readers of forgotten stories of faith that strengthen and reaffirm hope for a better world.
Buy a copy of Story Tour: The Journey Begins as a gift for someone special today. Story Tour: The Journey Begins is available from the publisher, Xlibris, Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon
Just Thinking
They uddated the blog, and a lot of stuff was lost. So we’re kind of starting fresh.
My father is full of surprizes. I recently learned that he used to write for several newspapers throughout the country. I will be posting some of his old articles on the blog.
By now I’m sure many of you are aware that my father’s book, (the one he was finishing up at Philmont) is now in print.
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Well I’ve got homework to do. I hope some of you will comment to the posts so at least I can respond and stop nagging my father to post.
Shana