Almost three hundred years ago the Jewish community of Lemberg (Lvov) was traumatized when two of its spiritual leaders, the Av Beis Din, Rabbi Chaim ben Yizchok Halevi Reizes and his brother, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Lvov, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Yitzchok Halvei Reizes were tortured and burnt at the stake by Jesuit Priests.
During the eighteenth century, Polish Catholicism was influenced by Jesuit fanaticism. In Lemberg the Church installed an Inquisition which goal was to wipe out Judaism by bringing about forced conversions by torture, and executing those who resisted their rule of terror.
The last name of the two Tzaddikim who died Al Kiddush Hashem was Reizes, attributed to their mother, Reize, the widow of Rabbi Yitzchok Halevi of Lemberg. Widowed at a young age, Reize successfully ran her late husband’s many intricate businesses and became known as a generous and kindhearted Eshes Chayil who was a prominent philanthropist. Her two outstanding sons who achieved immortality with their martyrdom were to be forever linked to her through their “Reizes” name.
The story of Reize’s two sons who died Al Kiddush Hashem in the capital of Galicia took place in the spring of 1728 when the local bishop accused the two as well as some other Jews of convincing a Jewish apostate to return to Judaism.
Rabbi Chaim Reizes , the older of the two brothers who was 41 at the time was very wealthy and a big Baal Tzedaka. In addition to being the head of the Beis Din in Lemberg, he served as the Rav in the neighboring town of Kamenka-Bugskaya, situated about 24 miles northeast of Lemberg in what is today Western Ukraine .
Rabbi Yehoshua Reizes (1697-1728) who was ten years younger than his brother, led the prominent Yeshiva of Lemberg.
The Yeshiva of Lemberg in Polish Galicia was one of the three main yeshivas [the other two being the one in Volozhin (in Lithuanian Russia) and the one in Pressburg ( in the Austro-Hungarian Empire)] that are considered to be the forerunners of the Yeshiva movement. Lemberg, because of its many Talmidei Chachomim became known as an “Ir V’em Beyisrael” (a city and mother of Israel).
The Yeshiva of Lemberg’s previous Roshei Yeshiva included Rabbi Yehoshua Falk (1555-1614), mechaber of the Beis Yisroel commentary on the Arbah Turim among other works.( The name Falk or Valk has been attributed to the acronym of “Veahavta Le’reiacha Kamocha” mentioned in Vayikra 19:18). This Rabbi Falk is not to be confused with Rabbi Yaakov Yehoshua Falk mechaber of the Pnei Yehoshua.
Another Rosh Yeshiva was the latter’s Talmid, Rabbi Avrohom Rappaport (1584-1651), son of R. Israel Yechiel Rapoport of Cracow and son-in-law of R. Mordecai Schrenzel of Lemberg. R. Mordechai Schrenzel was the son of R. Nachman Schrenzel who built the prestigious Goldene Roize Shul in Lemberg. (The Goldene Roize Shul in Lemberg is named after Rabbi Avrohom Rappaport’s aunt, Reizel Schrenzel. See article entitled “Two Valiant Women,” HaModia, Inyan Magazine, Dec. 9, 2015).
For forty-five years Rabbi Avrohom Rappaport led the Yeshivah at Lemberg. Being very wealthy, he expended large sums on behalf of the Yeshiva. He also served as president of the Vaad Arba Aratzos ( Council of Four Lands) and authored several Seforim, some of which have unfortunately been lost.
Rabbi Yaakov Yehoshua Falk,(1680-1756) the mechaber of the Pnei Yehoshua was a Rav in Lemberg when our story unfolds. During this period the two Reizes brothers were able to fully devote themselves to Klei Kodesh because of their wealth. They also distributed much charity to the poor, widows and orphans.
The younger Reizes brother, Rabbi Yehoshua was known as an ascetic person who removed himself from this world and fasted often.
Much of what we know about the story of the Reizes brothers was recorded in the Pinkas of the Chevra Kaddisha of Lemberg. Other sources include the Paris Gazette of 1728 in which the story was reported, and Polish Christian municipal documents to which Meir Balaban, the prominent Polish Jewish historian who came from Lemberg had access.
A Jew who had become an apostate in another city moved to Lemberg. Being exposed to the Torahdig atmosphere of Lemberg, the apostate who had become known as Jan Filipowicz began to regret his baptism in a Uniate Church and decided to return to his people. When the clergy learned about Jan Filipowicz’s return to Judaism, Filipowicz was arrested and tortured. He “confessed” under duress that the rabbis had desecrated a crucifix he wore and had kidnapped him. The Jews allegedly imprisoned Jan for four weeks in a cellar, threatening him with death to force him to reembrace Judaism.
A lawsuit was brought against Lemberg’s Jews for forcing the baptized Jew, Jan Filipowicz, to return to Judaism. The city Prosecutor Regnito filed a complaint against Lvov’s rabbis and elders. Filipowicz’s “confession” led to the arrest of many Jews from Lemberg and its surroundings. They were all told to line up in the street of the Jewish area so that Jan could identify the culprits.
One by one, each Jew was asked to pass before the apostate in order for him to identify the man who forced him to return to Judaism.
At first Jan claimed, he didn’t recognize the perpetrators and refused to point a finger at anyone. At that point Rabbi Chaim Reizes who was fluent in Latin, said in that language that since Jan Filipowicz wasn’t pointing to anyone, it was obvious the Jews were wrongfully accused. Sadly, Rabbi Chaim spoke too soon for at that moment Jan pointed to Rabbi Chaim and his brother who were standing next to each other. Eventually, the Reizes brothers, along with Rabbi Chaim Leizorovitz , and a Jew called Moshek, were put on trial. Rabbi Chaim Leizorovitz and Moshek escaped and fled for their lives.
According to Polish documents, a complaint was filed against the Reizes brothers with the Sejm. The basis of the accusation was the testimony of Jan Filipowicz, a Jew who had been baptized in the Uniate Church and then returned to Judaism. Jan Filipowicz was then executed.
The Reizes brothers were arrested on Erev Pesach.
In the Hebrew journal Hayehudi published by Rabbi Chaim Karlinski, (Issue Aug.-Sept. 1938), A. R. Malachi writes in his “Hakedoshim Bnei Reitza” that according to one source, the head of the Jesuit Priests, Zhultovksi would regularly borrow money from the Reizes brothers. The Jesuits were green with envy and hated the wealthy rabbinical brothers. Zhultovski hoped to be able to influence the brothers to convert. If not their deaths would absolve him of his debts.
Zhultovksi was not successful in his attempt to convert them in exchange for a pardon. It was said in Latin about his attempt on Rabbi Chaim “Sed nihil evicit in obstinato pectore”(but he could not convince his obstinate soul).
The brothers were immediately convicted and sentenced to a vicious and cruel death in the presence of many high ranking officials. These included according to municipal documents, Warden Stefan Potocki , governor Jan Stanislav Yablonovskoho, Jan Vishnevetskogo, Castellan of Cracow, Stephen Humetskoho, and Podolski governor, Stanislav Potocki, as well as provincial and municipal judges.
The two Reizes Talmidei Chachomim were imprisoned in chains in Lemberg’s castle dungeon till their sentence was to be carried out. The older brother Rabbi Chaim was condemned to be quartered, his hands cut, his tongue ripped out and his brain crushed. Then he was to be burned at the stake. His brother Yehoshua was ordained to be tied to the tails of horses and dragged through the streets to be subsequently put live on a rack and burned.
The two brothers accepted their “Gzar Din” with joy. In prison together they encouraged each other to make a tremendous Kiddush Hashem by demonstrating their emunah and reciting Shema Yisroel with love.
Rabbi Moshe Hagiz of Jerusalem writes in his Sefer “Mishnas Chachomim” about the martyrdom of the brothers and mentions the Tzava’ah (will) of Rabbi Chaim Reizes. Rabbi Hagiz relates that before Rabbi Chaim was taken out to be killed, the Tzaddik Chaim justified his punishment by stating the following: his hands were being cut off because they counted the money he paid to accept the Rabbanus; his tongue was being cut off was because he had studied Latin and other languages. His brain was decreed to be crushed, he continued, as a punishment for his having delved into the secular world at times to help him make a psak. He pleaded now that it was a Mitzvah for all of Bnei Yisroel to distance themselves from Machlokes, not to teach their children the languages of the Goyim and not to accept any rabbinical position by paying for it.
Rabbi Yehoshua Reizes died in prison from the torture. His fragile body was not able to tolerate the blows. Rabbi Chaim Reizes had his tongue and hands removed, his brain crushed and his body quartered. His tortured body joined his brother’s dead body that had been dragged through the street by horses, and together they were burned at the Stake.
The flesh and bones of the Reizes brothers went up in smoke on Erev Shavuos, 1728. Only ashes remained of them. These ashes had to be purchased by the Jewish community and were buried in the local Jewish cemetery.
A special monument was erected where their ashes were buried. On it was written:
“Menuchas Ha’achim Hageonim Hakedoshim Moreinu Harav Chaim Reizes VeMoreinu Harav Yehoshua Rezises, Zeher Tzaddikim…, asher nehergu al Kdushas Hashem be’erev Shavuso vechol eis Yisroel yivku es Hasreifah are Saraf Hashem…..The resting place of the holy Gaonim, Moreinu Rabbi Chaim Reizes and Moreinu Rabbi Yehoshua Reizes, Zechar Tzaddikim… who were killed on Kdushas Hashem…they were burnt at the stake… and their souls left in Kedushah and Tahara. Their ashes were saved and placed here…..”
The old Jewish cemetery in Lvov was located on a plot of land surrounded by Rappaporta, Kleparowska, Browarna and Szpitalna Streets. In “Zabytki historyczne Żydów w Polsce” [Historic Jewish monuments in Poland], published in 1929, the prominent historian Meirr Bałaban wrote that the Jewish cemetery was closed for further burials in 1855.
The cemetery was devastated by the Nazis. After World War II, the Communist authorities cleared the area and built the Krakovsky Market in its place.
The property of the Reiẓes brothers was confiscated and set aside for financing a project to strengthen the town walls as well as a stone sculpture of the crucifixion of Yeshu to be erected in front of the Jesuit church.
Annually on the day before Shavu‘os, a special penitentiary Tefillah dedicated to the memory of the Reizes brothers was recited aloud in the shuls of Lemberg and and in surrounding towns. A special memorial service was held in the Golden Rose shul.
The brothers were also commemorated in an acrostic poem by the Gaon, Rav Aryeh Leib ben Yitzḥak Shapiro of Vilna (mechaber of Nachlas Ariel). Rabbi Shapiro’s heartbreaking description of the tortures they endured when the Neshamas of the Reizes brothers left their bodies would be recited every Erev Shavuos in Lemberg.
The late scholar, Dr.Manfred Lehmann wrote that he had acquired an old Siddur from Lemberg, handwritten on parchment, containing the kinah by Rabbi Shapiro. This heartrending prayer was recited in Lemberg on Erev Shavuos until recent times, together with the weekly “Av Harachamim,” he stated.
It is not known if Rabbi Chaim Reizes left any children after him, but Rabbi Yehoshua’s descendants were all Rabbonim. His son Rabbi Mordechai Reizes was a tremendous Gaon and famous in his generation. He served as Rav in Kaminka and was a Rosh Yeshiva in Lemberg. The latter’s son Rav Yitzchok HaLevi Reizes was married to the granddaughter of the Chacham Tzvi and served as Rav in Krakow.
Sadly the Matzeivah and ashes of the Reizes brothers have been replaced by a market and the Kehillah in Lemberg that commemorated their martyrdom has been wiped out. With no zecher of their martyrdom, let us take some time during the Three Weeks to remember these Kdoshim.
Yehi Zichram Mevorach.