מצבתו של ר' אהרן בלויא - A visit to Verbove

From cousin Zalman K.

Vrbove Slovakia 27 Cheshvan 5768 25 November 2008

Today Zalman and Shoshana (Shoshie) Kastel visited the town of Vrbove Slovakia, the home of the Blau family “for several generations” (- heard in conversations with R' Avrohom M. or his brother Yissocher Nov 08) ending with the father of R. Moshe Yehudah Blau who moved away to go to learn and later to be a Rav in Germany.

The town of Vrbove has a shul that is mostly ruined and boarded up, you can see the shul on the main street, an orange/teerocota coloured building, with Luchos at the top. The structure of the building seems intact, some of the beautiful design work, especially the painted ceiling is still visible if you can get the chance to see it. We went all the way around the block up a drive way with a sign is Slovak that seemed to say keep out. There were a set of locked steel doors on one of the windows. We bent down underneath while also pulling them open as much as the lock would allow.

We could see the blue painted ceiling, one pillar next to the Aron Kodesh, some of the columns and the women’s section.

It seems that at some point our family stopped davening at that shul and started to daven in another minyan. The facts or story needs further verification, the basic details I understood from R' Avrohom M. is that R. Aharon Blau who had served as the Rabbi and Av Beis Din [Correction: He was a Chazzan not a Rav, see here for list of the Rabbonim of this city] was removed from this role and another Rav was installed. The Hertzog family supported Rav Blau at this time. It would appear that this is the shul where we didn’t daven, although I would think that in earlier times the Blau’s would have davened in this shul.

Not far from the shul, on one of the side streets off the main street, is the Jewish cemetery. To get in you need the key from a lady who lives next door.

As you enter the cemetery, one of the first graves near the pathway at the front is that of the Shaarei Torah. I am a bit confused about the notes I took from my conversation with Rabbi Avrohom about the location of a Kever of an ancestor by the name of Hoffman, I first tried to find Reb Aharon Blau, by the time I had finished it was late, and unfortunately I could not find the others.

Near the back of the cemetery, there is a road blocked by a brick wall. Toward the middle of the 2nd to the last row, over a bit to the left I was told was the Kever of Rabbi Aharon Blau, I also had a photo which gave some clues about it’s location, a short distance to a brick wall, a small matzeva to it’s right and behind it over to the side, a Matzevah with a distinct design leaning forward. I walked the full length of this area a few times but there was nothing to match the photo.

I suspected that the Matzevah might have fallen down. With the clues provided, I decided that I had found it, a Matzevah with the correct shape, lying face down in the right spot near the other two markers and the wall behind it. We began to dig around it then went for help and tools.

When we looked closely we could see that it was unfortunately split in two parts. We turned them over, dug a little hole and stood the bottom half in the hole. We placed the top half in front of the bottom half. We said some Tehilim, almost 100 years after he was buried in 5675. The lady told us that hooligans came around 10 years ago and broke some of the Matzeivos.

I am not sure how long it will stand, I think we need to get someone proffesional to set it for the long term. I don't know how much I can do from Australia. Contact details for person with key to cemetery, is Maria Niznanska, 033/7791493, Eintorinska 5, Vrbove, Slovakia. Sh lives next door to the Beis Olam. The closest Chabad Shliach is in Piestany, which is 10 minutes from Vrbove. I have higher resolution versions of the attached pictures if anyone wants or needs.

Deciphering the Matzeva
By Mendy E.

R' Aharon's Chazanus
by Mendel B.

It's interesting that it's written on the Matzeiva about R' Aharon Chazonus.

I heard from R' Yissochor last week, that when the Blau's (Aharon and children) would sing Zmiros on Shaboos, the neighbors would stand outside the house to listen to the beautiful voices singing.

I was also told by Nanette that R' Armin loved music. This is also evident from one of Yeshayahu Aviad's articles about Armin. It seems the family was very musical. Zaidy too had a love for certain music (Rosenblat for one) and would sing Birchas Hamozoin, the Hagada etc. in a very nice tune. My father remembers alot of it.

Mandel Blau
by Yissochor

I assume you know that R. Koppel and Ahron Blau also had a brother Mandel, who is buried right next to Ahron in Verbau. The matzeva was still standing and just about legible the first time I was there. I think I also have a photo of the matzeva of Mandel Blau's wife.