Description
The evening of Tisha B’Av, 5702 (July 22, 1942). Jews gather in a home in the Kovno Ghetto to say Kinnos and Megillas Eicha, mourning over the suffering of Jews in Galus while experiencing the brutal murder of masses of Jews and the destruction of their communities. In the midst of the Kinnos, German soldiers burst in and demand that the Jews participate in the night shift of slave labor. The participants, including Rav Oshry, are forced to go, and they work through the night. When the morning arrived, the Germans demonstrate unrelenting cruelty and coerce these Jews to continue working throughout the day. Many are unable to continue and simply collapse on the ground. Rav Oshry instructs the people to eat the meager portion of bread and soup provided by the Germans, as it would be dangerous to do otherwise. A question is posed to Rav Oshry – one which reflects the resilience of the spirit in the darkest of times: does one say Nachem, the special Tefilla said on Tisha B’Av, when saying Birchas Hamazon?
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