Battling for Souls The Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee in Post-Holocaust Europe

Despair and disaster had taken their toll on the survivors of the Holocaust. Many of them were ready to give up on God, yet others sought the sustenance of Orthodox Judaism to nourish them after all their losses. To keep whatever spark of Jewish spirit was alive in the hearts of the refugees, to make it glow and burst into flame, the men and women of the Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee worked long and hard. This is the story of a special breed of people, led by Rabbi Nathan Baruch. They dedicated themselves to a thankless task at the request of the greatest rabbinical leaders of the 20th century, and prevailed in their mission despite the lack of funds, the lack of people, the hostility of local populations and other Jewish organizations, and the chaos in Europe at the end of the war. What follows is the story of their battle for Jewish souls.