Rare Footage Of The Chofetz Chaim, Yisrael Meir Kagan, At First Knessia Gedolah חפץ חיים 

I'm not Jewish but reading books by the Chofetz Chaim changed my life.

Wow . Amazing 😍 So great to see the chovets Chaim Such a holy gadol Hopefully we can soon see him in real life when moshiach comes

Started reading CHOFETZ CHAIM books, full off wisdom.....I feel privileged to find his books...it changed the way I speak and listen others. I would advise anyone to read it.❤

thanx sooooo much for posting. A true saint and spiritual giant, whose memory, writings and influence will forever be a blessing!

Fantastic video. Well worth watching. The Chofetz Chaim makes an appearance at 0:56

he was the most important rabbi who spoke against loshon hora

Amazing...and frightening to think that this video was taken only 15 years before the Shoah. How quickly times change. Klal Yisrael, take heed - its beginning to happen again. Gd be with us all. ה׳ ישמור צאתך ובואך מעתה ועד עולם

Absolutely beautiful. Thank you.

Someone once came to the Hofetz Haim and asked "everything in this world can be used to serve God. But how can TV (or maybe moving images, not sure, which was a new invention at that time) be used for a Higher purpose, to serve God?" The Hofetz Haim replied " It shall only empower our belief in the principle that when one departs from this world God will show him his actions throughout his lifetime" We are so used to video, but, in reality this principle is very hard to understand...... Tell it to someone who has never watched a video in his life... It is incredible. I find it amazing to literally SEE the Hofetz Haim in VIDEO..........

איזה זכות לראות את ה"חפץ חיים"! מאז ילדותי אמא שלי לימדה אותי מתורתו המתוקה.

תודה רבה! רבן של ישראל

This is absolutely amazing We also have to look for reb Michoel Sholom. I'm pretty sure my grandfather was there.

Amazing, what a fine quality :)

It's interesting how the people stood still as though they were waiting for someone to take their portrait. They didn't seem at all familiar with video at that time.

Incredible footage.

One of the greatest men ever lived

I is a shame that man covered the camera when the Chovetz Chaim walked by - It is still an unbelievable zechut that we are able to see this Torah Giant~!~!~!

wow such humility.

It is very obvious that they do not want to be filmed.

Very nice opportunity!

Look the difference between them too us they not searching the camera . It’s amazing

מיי ומי ההולכים בצילום הנ"ל: הג"ר אברהם צבי פרלמוטר אב"ד ורשא ונציג אגו"י בסיים 0:27 האדמו"ר ר' ישראל פרידמן מצ'ורטקוב 0:47 רשכבה"ג נשיא הדורות החפץ חיים זי"ע 0:57 מלווה בבנו מצד אחד ומצד שני נכדו הגר"א קפלן הי"ד 0:57 האדמו"ר מסוקולוב ר' יצחק זליג מורגנשטרן הי"ד 1:47 הג"ר אשר מיכאל [דר. ארתור] כהן אב"ד באזל 1:57 הג"ר יהודא ליב צירלסון אב"ד קישנב הי"ד 2:05 הג"ר אלנן וסרמן הי"ד 2:22 ר' אשר מנדלסון מראשי אגו"י בפולין ונציג בסיים 2:28 הג"ר פנחס דר. קאהן אב"ד אנסבך 2:56 הג"ר טוביה הורויץ אב"ד סנוק 3:02 מורנו רבי יעקב רוזנהיים נשיא אגו"י 3:16 הג"ר אליהו [דר. ליאו] יונג רב ג'ואיש סנטר ניו יורק 3:55 הג"ר מאיר דר. הילדסהיימר מברלין 3:16 הרב שפיצר נציג אגו"י מהונגריה 3:58 הג"ר יחזקאל סרנא אח"כ ראש ישיבת חברון 4:13 רבי משה בלוי מירושלים 4:28 הג"ר טוביה דר. לוונשטיין אב"ד ציריך 4:34

Really Amazing!

נראים בוידאו: הג"ר אברהם צבי פרלמוטר אב"ד ורשא ונציג אגו"י בסיים 0:27 האדמו"ר ר' ישראל פרידמן מצ'ורטקוב 0:47 רשכבה"ג מרן החפץ חיים זי"ע 0:57 משמאלו מלווה בבנו, ומימינו נכדיו הג"ר צבי הירש לוינסון והגר"א קפלן הי"ד האדמו"ר מסוקולוב ר' יצחק זליג מורגנשטרן הי"ד 1:47 הג"ר אשר מיכאל [דר. ארתור] כהן אב"ד באזל 1:57 הג"ר יהודא ליב צירלסון אב"ד קישנב הי"ד 2:05 הג"ר אלחנן וסרמן הי"ד 2:22 ר' אשר מנדלסון מראשי אגו"י בפולין ונציג בסיים 2:28 הג"ר דר. פנחס קאהן אב"ד אנסבך 2:56 הג"ר טוביה הורויץ אב"ד סנוק 3:02 רבי יעקב רוזנהיים נשיא אגו"י 3:16 הג"ר אליהו [דר. ליאו] יונג רב ג'ואיש סנטר ניו יורק 3:55 הג"ר דר. מאיר הילדסהיימר מברלין 3:16 הרב שפיצר נציג אגו"י מהונגריה 3:58 הג"ר יחזקאל סרנא אח"כ ראש ישיבת חברון 4:13 רבי משה בלוי מירושלים 4:28 הג"ר דר. טוביה לוונשטיין אב"ד ציריך 4:34

מי האיש החפץ חיים וואו מרגש פעם ראשונה שרואה את החפץ חיים בוידאו לא האמנתי שיש דבר כזה

Fascinating. thanks for posting. Who discovered this rarity?

could you print the names of the men you recognize. I do not know who is who. thank you. adar J

*Amazing!*

Rebbe please pray for us that we should merit a salvation

, מעניין ומרגש

Beautiful footage, but it's interesting how the description says that the Congress represented "all the different sects of Klal Yisroel." The writer seems to have forgotten the existence of Yemenite Jews, Ethiopian Jews and of course Sephardi/Mizrachi Jews, who alone comprise more than 50% of the Jewish population of the State of Israel. None of these groups appear in the film. Why, after the miraculous ingathering of the exiles, do so many Ashkenazi Jews seem to remain blind to the existence of Jewish brethren who are not like them?

Is Rav Bloch at 338? Looks just like Rav E.M.Bloch... was rav yisef yehuda leib his brother or cousin or father?

Interesting. However i couldn't get the sound to work on this news.

Shalom.

מרגש

Sorry for all the research and hard work being done here to refute the troll/racist who commented, but I flagged it as hate speech and perhaps ended the entire conversation.

It is difficult to make out which of the Rabbonim is the Chofetz Chaim zt"l. Would the Rogatchover Gaon and the Lubavitcher Rebbe (the RaYatz) have attended as well?

Was any restoration work done on this film. It's clear no scratches. I watch a lot of silent films and none of it is like this. It's clear like how you would see it at a cinema in 1923!

תודה על הסרטון מעורר השראה. ניתן לראות הבדלי התנהגות משמעותיים ביננו לבינם. נראים הרבה יותר טבעיים חרף זה שמצלמים אותם זה מאד מענייין לראות כמה התרגלנו לעשות הצגה למצלמה. היו רבנים בתקופה זו שאחזו המצלמה פוגעת בנשמתו של האדם. אחרי הסרטון אני יכול להבין יותר למה התכוונו

Wow

Unbelievable stuff.

For those interested in the background of this meeting i would recommend, The Politics of Torah, The Jewish Political Tradition and the Founding of Agudat Israel by Alan Mittleman.

It's as though, the heavens open and there and behold, we see in front of us, the blinding light, of the one and only ' The Chofetz Chaim " the one of greatest person who ever lived in our Exile. Our tears missing such an angel, cover the heavens and waters the cheeks of Hashem. Chofetz chaim, you will one day be back one day, but our meeting place next time, won't be at the Knessia Gedolah, but at the Golden Top table encrusted with Diamonds, with Welcoming the Mashiach and Moshe Rabeinu announcing your arrival. From our brothers who suffer and eagerly wait the end of Golus

כל הכבוד-✡

3:26 is that the Brisker Rav shlita?

3:54, I'm fairly certain in the centre right is Rabbi Leo Jung.

Todah la EL

Mi huish, heChofetz Chaim....

Amazing footage. Why did that man cover the camera so aggressively?

Could the man motioning with his finger at 2:42 be Harav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski? It looks like him to me.

note him telling his helpers to let him go on his own and him not lifting up his eyes

סיפור מחזק שלא שמעתם על החפץ חיים לחצו : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ai5VqXI5fpk.html

להלן פענוח חלקי של הסרט: פענוח הסרט עד עתה (חלקם משוערים) בשנייה 0:28 נראה הרב פרלמוטר אב”ד וורשא ונציג אגו”י בסיים הפולני בשנייה 0:45 רואים גם את האדמו”ר הראשון לבית מחנובקא ? (אוסיף שמישהו כתב בדיון אחר "הרב לאו (הרב מפיעטרקוב כמובן) נראה ב00:45 יוצא מהשער. נראה שוב 01:13, אז נראה לצדו מימין ר"י ברויאר. ר"מ בלוי נראה בסביבות הדקה ה2:00 די באמצע") בשנייה 0:48 נראה האדמו”ר הרה''ק רבי ישראל פרידמן מצ’וטרקוב שמציע דף היומי באותה כנסיה רבי מאיר שפירא הרב מלובלין הינו מחסידיו ותלמידו המובהק שדבוק בו עד לאחת (לצידו בנו ממשיכו האדמו''ר רבי בערניו מטשו'רטקוב ) בשנייה 0:57 נראה מרן החפץ חיים, לימינו של החפץ חיים רבי שייע גינזבורג אחיינו ומנהל הישיבה, לשמאלו הרב ברודי מזכירו של החפץ חיים. (יש גרסאות נוספות שהמדובר בבנו ר' לייב ונכדו הגר''א קפלן ויש גם השערה הגר''נ טרופ זלה''ה) בשניה 1:37 חולף בחטף ימינה הרה''ק יעקב מאיר בידרמאן אב''ד לויביטש מזכיר המועצת חתנו של השפת אמת מהדיר ומגיה ומוציא ספריו, נשיא כולל רמבעה''ן ומועד רבני וורשה בשניה 1:40 נראים מימין הרה''ק חנוך צבי הכהן לוין אב''ד בנדין בעל היכהן פאר גם חתן השפת אמת (שני האחרונים ממייסדי התנועה שליחי גיסם מרן הרה''ק האמרי אמת מגור זצוק''ל מנהיג יהדות פולין) ולצידו בנו הרב יצחק מאיר הכהן לוין לימים נשיא האגודה בפולין ואח''כ בא''י בשניה 1:47 נראה האדמו”ר מסוקולוב ר’ יצחק זליג מורגנשטרן הי”ד. בשניה 1:57 נראה הג”ר אשר מיכאל (ד”ר ארתור) כהן אב”ד באזל בשניה 2:01 נראה הרב מאיר דן פלוצקי בעל ה”כלי חמדה” מגדולי הדור בפולין. בשניה 2:05 נראה ? בשניה 2:15 נראה הג”ר יהודה לייב צירלסון אב”ד קישנב הי”ד בשניה 2:22 נראה הגה''ק ר' אלחנן וסרמן הי”ד ראש ישיבת ברנוביץ. בשניה 2:28 עד 2:50 נראה ר’ אשר מנדלסון מראשי אגו”י בפולין ונציג בסיים בשניה 2:55 הג”ר דר. פנחס קאהן אב”ד אנסבך בשניה 3:00 נראה הג”ר טוביה הורביץ אב”ד סנוק בשניה 3:16 נראה מורינו הרב רוזנהיים לימינו מאחוריו נראה האדמו”ר הרה''ק מהר”ש מבאבוב בבחרותו בשניה 3:57 נראה הרב שפיצר נציג אגו”י מהונגריה בשניה 4:13 נראה הרב יחזקאל סרנא בשניה 4:33 נראה במרכז הרב משה בלוי ציר ירושלים בהמשך ? הג”ר ד”ר טוביה לוונשטיין אב”ד ציריך

This video has 100 years

מי מסביר לצופים מה רואים? אשמח!

זהו ממש פלא התמימות אז, כי הגדר שנכנסים אנשים הוא לא פתוח לרווחה, רק לבסוף רואים שהגדר פתוח

note him telling his helpers that he would like to walk on his own and that he dose not lift his eyes and dresses like a simple beggar compered to the others by the end of the day he looks like a person just like us it what you cant see on the picture his heart and mind what was different then us

USA Hamodia Feb 25th 2015 page 4 has a detailed article about this clip & how it came to light hamodia.com/2015/02/25/hidden-treasure-provides-glimpse-past/ Above issue mentions that the Chofetz Chaim is walking with Harav Tzvi Hersh Levinson (Grandson? Son In Law? see letter in next issue) Also Hamodia in the Features section March 4th 2015 Living History Reactions to the Revelation of the Unearthed Kenissiah Gedolah film Pgs 14-22 I am coping the following from the above issue. See the issue for a complete discussion of the following. 3:27 HaRav Asher Lemel Shpitzer 1:38 HaRav Yehudah Leib Tzirelson 1:40 & 4:15 Reb Moshe Yehudah Lederer 4:17 HaRav Shmuel Dovid Unger, Nitra Rav .40-.45 Julius Steinfeld Next to the Chortkover Rebbe is his son Reb Bernyu Further left from the Chofetz Chaim is Harav Arye Leib Brody

A Hidden Treasure Provides Glimpse Into Past By Rafael Hoffman hamodia.com/2015/02/25/hidden-treasure-provides-glimpse-past/ This article appeared in print on page 4 of the February 25th, 2015 edition of Hamodia. The Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, arrives at the first Knessiah Gedolah in Vienna, 1923. The First Knessiah Gedolah (Vienna, 1923) was a watershed event in the annals of Jewish Orthodoxy. This was the first gathering of world Torah leaders in the 20th century who united in the struggle against secular and assimilationist movements that were threatening the survival of Torah Jewry. Until today, very few pictures of this historic event were available. The recent release of a short film of this event is illuminating. The Orthodox community worldwide has been amazed and elated by the discovery of a rare film clip containing a crystal-clear image of the Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, and numerous other Gedolei Yisrael at the First Knessiah Gedolah in Vienna in 1923. Harav Chanoch Tzvi HaKohen Levin, Rav of Bendin, zt”l. Harav Chanoch Tzvi HaKohen Levin, Rav of Bendin, zt”l. Harav Avraham Zvi Perlmutter, zt”l, Av Beis Din, Warsaw, Agudas Yisrael representative in the Sejm (Polish Parliament). Harav Avraham Zvi Perlmutter, zt”l, Av Beis Din, Warsaw, Agudas Yisrael representative in the Sejm (Polish Parliament). Breathtaking as it is, the film has raised several questions in the community. Could it be authentic? Where was it until now? How did such a treasure get unearthed? Is there more to see? “It is definitely authentic,” said Rabbi Moshe Kolodny, archivist of the Agudath Israel of America. “We knew that there was a film, and the second half, that shows Rav Yaakov Rosenheim, has been around for a while.” Less than five minutes in running time, the film captures parts of the Knessiah Gedolah of the Agudas Yisrael. It begins with the arrival of Harav Avraham Tzvi Perlmutter, zt”l, the Rav of Warsaw, and Harav Yisrael Friedman, the Rebbe of Chortkov, zy”a, to the Knessiah. About a minute from the start of the reel, the Chofetz Chaim, head bowed but unmistakably identifiable, walks briskly through the gates towards the building, flanked by attendants. It is most likely the clearest likeness - and certainly the only live image - that anyone in the last two generations has seen of the hallowed tzaddik. Later scenes show the interior of the convention and a mixture of Rabbanim, askanim and others who flocked to the scene, in an unusually vibrant image of pre-War Europe. The story of the film’s discovery centers on the determination of Yosef March, an amateur historian from Williamsburg, and more than 30 years of work by the Moving Image Research Collections (MIRC) staff at the University of South Carolina. About eight years ago, Mr. March was searching the vast film archive of the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., for original footage of Gedolei Yisrael. He stumbled upon a record of a film of the Knessiah Gedolah, but as per an agreement with the provider, the museum did not have permission to make the actual footage available to the public. A few calls to the source, the University of South Carolina, yielded him access to the preserved image as well as the notes of the cameraman, Hans von Pebal. The notes, known as a “dope sheet,” give details of some of the figures shown in the film, which von Pebal presumably gleaned from bystanders. Probably the most arresting lines read: “The famous 90-year-old Rabbi Jisroel Meieir (sic) Hakohen of Radin, also called Chofetz Chaim after his great work.” Exciting as the discovery was, Mr. March had one problem: the Chofetz Chaim, and several others in the notes, did not appear in the footage the university showed him. “Once I saw the dope sheet, I realized that they had the other half somewhere, and that they just had to look for it,” said March. Looking for it was not as simple as it might seem. In 1980, MIRC received over 75,000,000 feet of news footage as a gift from 20th Century Fox. The boxes of fragile and deteriorating film contained reels of news clips ranging from 1919 to 1944. “We have spent the last 20 to 30 years piecing together negatives,” Benjamin Singleton, MIRC’s production manager, told Hamodia. “It’s old and brittle. Putting all of them together has been like making a giant puzzle.” MIRC has been painstakingly working to transfer the original films, kept in old boxes and held together with rusty paper clips, to computer memory that will preserve it. They have also been piecing together different parts of the film clips to make the collection into a usable archive for scholars and the public. However, Mr. March was persistent in his push to encourage MIRC’s team to search for the missing half. “I couldn't imagine that we were going to find it. I have been doing this since 1980 and it is very rare that you find more pieces after a long period of time,” said Singleton, who himself seemed touched to have been part of the discovery. “He [March] called a few times every year for a good few years. He just had faith that we would find it.” Singleton said that a combination of the sheer mass of material and its deteriorating state made the odds of locating the missing piece “astronomical.” “I wasn’t always so encouraging,” said Mrs. Ruchie March, a writer and translator who carried on much of her husband’s email correspondence with MIRC. “After a little while, I was getting a little frustrated, but he wouldn’t give up.” Von Pebel worked as Fox’s cameraman covering events in Germany, Austria and other central European countries. He sent hundreds of hours of footage over his career to Fox’s office in New York, where it was edited and selected for news reels. “It’s clear from the film and his notes that he [von Pebel] had trouble with his camera that day; these were old crank cameras,” Greg Wilsbacher, curator of the Newsfilm Collections for MIRC, told Hamodia. “Sometimes these clips do rise to the surface and when they find their way to a community that appreciates them, it is a cause for celebration. Based on the notes, we now have the whole thing.” In recent weeks, Mr. March’s persistence bore fruit. MIRC had been alerted by his consistent calls and emails to what they were looking for. “It was an odd quirk that when we did the digitizing of this story we only had the first half, since the negative was in two parts,” said Wilsbacher. The clip was found in MIRC’s routine examination of unviewed films. Soon after its discovery, the footage was mailed to Mr. March, who positively identified it as what he knew had been there all along. “I am delighted you found Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan pictured in the newly found footage,” wrote Mr. Singleton in an email to March. “It took years of sifting thousands of pieces of film to find this footage. Frankly, I did not expect to find more footage. In my experience, this almost never happens. You always believe more footage would be found in this giant haystack.” Singleton reiterated his feelings to Hamodia, saying that “finding the film fragment showing the Chofetz Chaim after all these years was, in my view, a miracle.” Hamodia did its best to identify each of the many Gedolei Yisrael portrayed in the film. However, we ask our loyal readers to help us in accurately identifying all of them. this article appeared in print on page 4 of the February 25th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.

את האנשים בסרטון זיהה המומחה העולמי הר"ר יהודה אהרן הלוי הורוויץ הערות, הוספות, שאלות או הפניות yudaron@yahoo.com

Am Israel Chai 🇮🇱🎗️

yechi adoneinu moreinu virabeinu melech hamashiach leolam voed

איזה זכות לראות את ה"חפץ חיים"! מאז ילדותי אמא שלי לימדה אותי מתורתו המתוקה.