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Sunday, February 16, 2014

Special Prayers for Allied Jewish Soldiers who died in battle defending their homelands - צידה לדרך האמת 1919

In 1919 in New York, an interesting edition of Ma'avor Yabok, comprising readings, laws, and customs relating to the sick, death-bed, burial, and mourning rites was published by Yehuda Leib Gordon. It includes several specific prayers, a reflection of the times. 
On page 72 appears a prayers 
בעד נשמות צעירי ישראל בארופה ובאמריקה אשר נהרגו במלחמה האיומה משנת תרע"ד עד שנת תרע"ט ולא באו לקבורת ישראל
For the souls of the youth of Israel in Europe and America which were killed in the brutal war from the years 1914-1919 and never received a Jewish Burial

On Page 70 appears a prayer 
בעד הרוגי הפרעות משנת תרע"ז עד שנת תר"פ
For those killed in the Pogroms of 1917-1920

The author singles out the countries Ukraine, Poland and Romania and begs G-d to avenge their deaths and punish these "wild savages".

On page 74 appears a prayer for the souls that died of hunger and murder in Eastern Europe. This time, the author singles out Poland, Ukraine and Hungary in requesting that G-d avenge their deaths.








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1 comment:

  1. Much of my father's family came from Proskurov, Ukraine (Podolia, I think). In 1919, there was a huge pogrom, 1000 people died. My grandparents had already left before the War, but I know a bunch left around 1920, so I figure this must have been part of what made their decision. After the pogrom, the town was renamed Khmelnitskii, ironically.

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