The Last [?] Letter by rabbi Elchanan Wasserman – Handwritten and Signed by Him – a Touching Letter from the Year ...

The Last [?] Letter by rabbi Elchanan Wasserman – Handwritten and Signed by Him – a Touching Letter from the Year before he was Murdered: "We have Reached Vilnius, We have Escaped in Great Poverty, Thank God that we Were Saved" – 1941
A touching historical letter handwritten and signed by Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman after he escaped the Nazis and reached Vilnius, which was occupied by the Russians, to stay with Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky.

Rabbi Elchanan expresses his gratitude for escaping the Nazis, who later murdered him!

The letter was sent from Vilnius on the 19th of Cheshvan 1941 to Rabbi Wasserman's brother Rabbi Eliyahu Tzaddok Wasserman in Jerusalem.

Written on the official stationery of "Yeshiva Ravta Ohel Torah, Bernowitz".

The background of the letter

The Soviets invaded Lithuania in 1940 and it became a socialist Soviet republic.

When the Germans invaded Poland, Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman (1874-1741), a leading disciple of the Chafetz Chaim who was the head of the "Ohel Torah" Yeshiva of Bernowitz since 1921, escaped Bernowits with the students of his yeshiva to Vilnius in Lithuania, which became a haven for thousands of yeshiva students and their families. The letter before us was written at the time and this is what Rabbi Wasserman writes: "We reached Vilnius approximately three weeks ago. With me are my son Naftali and Leibel and a large number of students of the yeshiva as well as the Mashgichim and a Ram. Practically all of them escaped in great poverty. We encountered many troubles and thank God have been saved. Please let me know how you are doing …". Rabbi Elchanan also mentions his host Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky. His signature, "Elchanan Bonem" appears at the end of the letter as well as an addition handwritten and signed by his son, Rabbi Naftali, who escaped to Vilnius with his father and was later murdered with him by the Nazis.

Eventually, the rabbis and his students reached Kovno. In 1941, Lithuania, including Kovno, was conquered by the Nazis and thousands of Jews were sent to their death. During these hard times, Rabbi Elchanan delivered lessons on Kiddush Hashem and even instructed his sons (Naftali and Zvi Yehuda) in the version of the blessing to be said when dying on Kiddush Hashem.