Chassidic Comics Vol. 6 - The Cantonists - English

Welcome to the sixth volume of the Chassidic Comics series. In the year 5587, Czar Nikolai issued a terrible decree - to draft Jewish children into his army, against their will and against the will of their families. He wanted to "re-educate" the Jewish communities, to indoctrinate them with his beliefs against Judaism and Torah. The stolen children were taken far from their families and raised in special Cantonist schools and where every effort was made to cause these children, the "Cantonists," to forget camps, Torah and mitzvos. Who can imagine the pain of a mother whose son is alive, but pulled far away from her and Hashem! However, even in that bleak darkness, many stories shed light on the courage, strength, and self-sacrifice with which even small children held on to their faith against all odds. Our Rabbanim and leaders made great efforts to help the Cantonist children. The Tzemach Tzedek, zt"l, established an organization to take care of these soldier in every way. They worked to free drafted children, to exempt them from the army, to inspire soldiers to continue keeping the Torah, and to reverse the decree of conscription entirely. The decree was annulled in the year 5616. In this book, we've selected seven fascinating stories from the times of the Cantonist decrees. We wish you an enjoyable and inspiring read!