Translation from Hebrew by Daphna Brofman
Coordinated by Tilford Bartman 



Shmuel Chessler 1928, by Benn Rabinowitz

Ancient was the Jewish community in Zabludow and ancient was the historic synagogue made of wood. Also ancient were the legends embroidered around the synagogue.

Like a castle the synagogue rose above the sands, and by it's side there lies the stone from the six days of creation.

And surrounded in secrecy it was guarded by two small cemeteries on its head, and also the grave of a bride and groom who died under the wedding canopy, and who are buried in one grave. And all those living in the Jewish community of the town were tied to this historic building.

When a wedding took place in town, the bride and groom were escorted with music all the way to the old historic synagogue where they stood under a canopy.

And if there was, god forbid, a funeral, they surrounded the synagogue with the bearer. And if the dead was an important person, they used to carry the lamentation by the synagogue and then bring him to the grave.

The dead were buried in Zabludow without the talit.

This custom is linked to a legend and to rules from way back when it was written in the old Pinkas (notebook) of the Zabludow synagogue. This Pinkas is now at the library of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

The legend tells: on the eve of Yom Kippur the crowd is waiting for "Kol Nidrei"; but they feel that the place… is becoming more and more crowded.

The synagogue is full of Jews whose heads are covered with talits and their number is rapidly growing… The Tsadik of that generation, the famous Rabbi Bendet, tells that the dead from the nearby cemeteries came to hear Kol Nidrei…

And in the synagogue there was almost no room…then the Tsadik took to the Bimah and commanded that the dead should leave the place- but none moved. And in the synagogue there was little room to move.

The Tsadik then instructed the living to remove the talit from their heads. And when the living did so, many remained with the talit over their heads… the Tsadik R. Bendet called " not the dead shall praise god! I call for the last time that the dead should leave the synagogue."

And the dead harkened to the Rabbi's voice and the synagogue gradually became more spacious. The living again covered their heads with the talit and Kol Nidrei began.

Immediately after Yom Kippur a meeting of rabbis took place, and in the historic Pinks of the synagogue it was recorded that the dead will never be buried wrapped in talit so they will not be able to come to the synagogue for Kol Nidrei.

 

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