The Third Hertzog – Israel’s New President

The Tanach on which Isaac Herzog laid his hand during the swearing in ceremony today where he officially became the 11th President of Israel once belonged to his grandfather Rabbi Yitzhak Halevi Herzog. He carried it with him throughout the post war years during a daring spiritual mission he took through the orphanages of Europe searching for Jewish children.

One day in 1946, Rabbi Herzog arrived with this Tanach at a large monastery which was known to have taken in Jewish children sent away by their parents to protect them from the Nazi terror which had ravaged Europe. Now, the time had come for the children to return home.

The Rabbi turned to the Reverend Mother, thanking her for saving the lives of the children and requesting to receive them back to the Jewish People, now that the war was over. The nun was happy to agree, but asked the Rabbi – “How can you know which of the hundreds of children here at the monastery are Jewish?” After all, it had been many months since their parents had sent them there, and many had been mere infants at the time.

Rabbi Herzog assured the Reverend Mother that he would know. He asked to gather all of the children in a large hall, ascended the stage, and cried in a loud voice:

Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad ! (Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One)

Immediately, dozens of children rushed to the stage, shouting “mama!” and “papa!” as tears filled their eyes. Many were sobbing uncontrollably.

Though few of the children remembered much of their early lives, the sound of the Shema, the most famous prayer in the Jewish faith, instantly brought back memories of reciting these Hebrew words with their parents before bedtime.

As his grandson was sworn in today on this 107 year old Tanach, the 11th President told the Knesset, “Baseless hatred, polarization and division are exacting a very heavy price… the heaviest price is the erosion of our national resilience,” said Herzog.

יחי הנשיא

יחי

יחי

יחי