We found this wonderful and moving clip of Captain Rabbi David M Eichhorn, an army chaplain with the US XV Corps which liberated the Dachau concentration camp. Eichhorn suddenly found himself responsible for the religious life of thousands of Jewish camp survivors. He rose to the occasion.
Behind the podium is the sacred Ark holding the Torah.Watch how the camp survivors join in prayer during the climax of the service, the Sh'ma at 2:45:
The Sh'ma is translated as 'Hear oh Israel, the lord is god, the lord is one' and it's kind of a base prayer for all Judaism, the opening words of the Torah, actually. If the Gentile reader finds the prayer hypnotic and vaguely soothing he is supposed to. These men did.
With Captain Eichhorn one here's a humble voice made strong by the urgent need to be strong.
As Latin is the language of the Catholic service so Hebrew is the language of the Jewish synagogue, and for the same reason. One can go to a Friday service anywhere in the world and participate. Here an American from Philadelphia ministers to refugees from all over Europe.
Very moving
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