The Rebbe and the Straw

Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapira of Munkács, 1871-1937, was vehemently anti-Zionist (although in 1930, he visited Eretz Yisrael). He was born in Polish territory and died in the Ukraine (Munkacs is now now, Mukachevo, 100 miles or so north of Satu Mare = Satmar, in Carpathian Ruthenia, Ukraine, which had been created with a sizable piece of Hungary, which in turn received Munkacs from Czechoslovakia; see map here).

[A unique 9+ minute video of the wedding of his daughter and other scenes of life in Munktch can be seen here. And at 1:00-1:17, he speaks to a recording instrument (seen below him to the left-center of the screen) admonishing the "brothers in America to keep the Shabbat". It is a fascinating clip and the scenes of the singing of Hatikva by the schoolkids and the Zionist youth in mixed hora dancing are very emotional.]


The HaMishpacha magazine issue for Sukkot has an article devoted to his grandson, the current Munkacs Rebbe of Boro Park, and in it I found this picture of his grandfather, the Rebbe, the Minchat Elazar, taking the baths at Marienbad in the mid-1930s:



And do you know what drew my attention?

That's right, the straws in the drinks that three out of the five Chassidim, including the Rebbe, are carrying while out for a constitutional:

Maybe a soft drink company could make use of this for promotional purposes?