Kalonymus Kalman Shapira

Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira was the first Piaseczno Rebbe. Born in 1889 to a renowned chasidic family, he was appointed rabbi of Piaseczno, near Warsaw, in his early twenties and established the yeshiva Da'at Moshe in 1923. He was passionate about education, stressing positive methods that would create connection and joy, and authored several important educational works. Imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto, he took an active role in supporting Jewish life. His works from this period include Tzav VeZeruz, a personal diary, and Esh Kodesh, a collection of sermons that grapple with personal and communal suffering. Rabbi Shapira was killed in a mass shooting in the Trawniki work camp on November 3, 1943. His manuscripts were later discovered buried in a milk canister in the ghetto.