Posted to Mivtzoim on
by Baila Olidort - Lubavitch.com
Left: Simon Gronowski. Right: Rabbi Shmuel Metzger.

Jew Meets Jew at a Williamsburg Café

Simon Gronowski was 11 years old when his mother pushed him off a train transport to Auschwitz, saving his life. His mother and sister were gassed upon arriving in Auschwitz, and his father, he says, died of a broken heart in 1945.

The lawyer and jazz musician who lives in Belgium was visiting New York where he played with Woody Allen at the Carlyle. Sitting in a Williamsburg café on Sunday, he struck up conversation with Rabbi Shmuel Metzger, of Chabad Beekman-Sutton on Manhattan’s East Side. Metzger introduced his children, Mendel and Chana.

It’s been a long time since Simon heard the name Chana.

“That was my mother’s name,” he told the little girl, his tears welling up.

The Holocaust survivor inscribed a copy of his child-friendly memoir of survival, Simon, le enfant du 20e Convoi, or The Child of the 20th Convoy, and gave it to Chana.

As they got to talking, Rabbi Metzger asked him if he’d like to put on tefillin.

Simon didn’t think so. He never had. Orphaned, with no parents or siblings before he turned 13, he had no bar mitzvah. Now he was reluctant.

“I’m not a good Jew.”

“You’re the best Jew,” Metzger said.

They decided to speak again the following day.

Monday morning, Simon invited the rabbi to meet him at the Carlyle at noon.

With the rabbi’s help, Simon Gronowski, 82, wrapped tefillin for the first time in his life.

And from some distant place the words came back: Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.

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17 Comments

  • This is a WOW

    I have tears swelling up as I finish to read this article.
    An 82 yr. old karkafta! If this isn’t Moshiach Zeit, what is?!?! Yaasher Koach Shmulie! How lucky you are that Hashem chose you to have this zechus!

    • Kop Mentch

      I am a bit confused by the excitement of “An 82 yr. old karkafta!”.

      When yid is saved from doing a Lo Sa’asay (an aveira) – he is saved from punishment of doing an act which is against the Rotzon Hamelech. THAT is gevaldig!!

      But when a yid convinced to do a mitzva a’say, he earns a “credit” for which he will be rewarded in Gan Eden. If he does not do the mitzva a’say, he merely does not earn the reward.

      When a person is young, part of kiruv is to get them to do mitzvos (a’say) so that “mitzva goreres mitzva” and EVENTUALLY they will stop doing aveiros, marry Jewish etc.

      The advantage of getting kiruv people to do mitzvos is the LONG TERM effect!

      But what is really the big deal if an 82 year old put on tefiiin ONCE (after missing THOUSANDS of potential credits for the mitzvah)?! He merely earned one “minor” credit in Gan Eden! (Of course, “minor” is used when compared to the potential credit of putting on teffillin for 82 years each day).

      I would think that it is far more important to save this yid from doing aveiros, e.g. chillul shabbos, non-kosher food, loshon hara etc. than “just” doing a mitzva a’say.

      Putting on teffillin would be comparable to getting him to learn Torah for a few seconds – both would be equally a big deal, but it would be a BIGGER deal to SAVE him of transgressing!

  • To Kop Mentch

    I often agree with your comments but this time you are soooooooooo off! I am sure others can explain why better than me, but you are WONG WRONG WRONG!!!

    • Kop Mentch

      The issue is:

      What is greater – saving a yid from Gehenim or helping him gain a share in Gan Eden?

  • To number 5

    Chabad has a completely different view of ‘kiruv’ and if you really want many good answers, a good lubavitch mashpia will explain it all to you. But here is just one point: our point in not doing aveiros and doing mitzvos is out of love and connection to Hashem- we are not carried away by the rewards and punishments and using that as our motivation. EVERY mitzva done is a HUGE deal!!!!! Mitzva means to connect to Hashem – this man just reconnected on the deepest level after being lost for so many years- and the affect is everlasting- permanent connection with Hashem aside from the fact that this man is already ‘kadosh’ – we cannot even imagine the suffering of this man!!!! To be left alone in a horrific world at age 11???? He is truly the BEST jew!!!
    I keep rereading this story because it is so wow!

    • Kop Mentch

      The issue is:

      What is greater – saving a yid from Gehenim or helping him gain a share in Gan Eden?

      “Sur may’ra” comes before “v’asay tov”. A doctor first stops the bleeding before stitching the wound.

      As far as “connecting” to Hashem, this is accomplished by any mitzva, and even poshei yisroel are filled with mitzvos, such as tzedaka, a moment of Torah learning, kibud av v’aim etc.

      But if a mitzva makes a “connection”, an avayra makes a “disconnect”. I assume that the “huge” connection of a single mitzva becomes “botel b’shishim” if accompanied by many avayros.

      The first step in kiruv is to stop disconnecting from Hashem (stop doing avairos). Like a child/parent relationship – first stop insulting your parent before bestowing on them honors. It is no honor to the parent if the child continues to insult.

  • Dear "Kop Mentch"....

    B”H
    “Kiruv” means “to bring close”.
    Only Hashem knows who is already “close” to Him and who is not yet close to him.
    For any of us mortals to think we know who is “far” from Him is a bit of a chutzpah.
    Many who don’t “look” so close to Hashem may in fact be closer to Him than even you perhaps are.
    Chabad chassidim don’t try to label people as “kiruv” candidates or not. Instead, we try to share the joy of our Jewish heritage, and the power of mitzvot.
    I hope that one day you will consider the value of this.

    • Kop Mentch

      It is odd to hear from a Chabad person the premise that “Only Hashem knows who is already “close” to Him and who is not yet close to him. For any of us mortals to think we know who is “far” from Him is a bit of a chutzpah.”

      After all, Chabad is based on Ufaratzta to the “Chutzah” – the people on the “outside”.

      That means that there are “outsiders whom the “insiders” try to bring “in”!

      Is that not “Kiruv” by definition?!

      Indeed, it seems harsher to label people “chutzah” than “rechokim”!!