My name is Shmuel Eliezer Ben Moshe Adler. I grew up in New York City so if you’ll pardon me, I’m still learning English.  Growing up there I had a lot of questions. How could we believe in a good God who allowed such a horror of the Holocaust to happen to our people? The rabbi, a very dear and sweet and gentle man, he said, “Well, the only thing I can tell you is what I tell myself…He who believes cannot question… and who questions really cannot believe.”  Well, that didn’t help me at all.  I went from appearing very religious growing up to then becoming quite rebellious in the sense. 

I was a mapmaker in the US Army in Vietnam.  During the Battle of Tet we were under such attack. Horrors were going on there.  Either you were on drugs or you were drunk.  The commander of my unit, he thought he was like John Wayne.  His Scotch in his canteen, he was drinking scotch, he passed out just before the battle began. Some of the sergeants got so overwrought they were breaking down crying in the bunkers. You know they say there are no atheists in the foxholes. So even though I was pretty sure there was no God whatsoever, the whole thing was like idiocy, you know, the opiate of the people. Because of the kind of horrors that go on in warfare all the time I might have been interested to hear some good news.  Even in Vietnam

there and the chaplain comes by and all he said was I’m getting out here but good luck to you some of you won’t be in the morning I said this is a religious person yeah they were bringing troops through and going on to other areas of his deployment and so they were sleeping out in the open and we were under attack all the time incoming missiles and I remember saying to the officer in charge I said listen let them sleep in the barn because at least I’ll have some protection and the officer said no they don’t have the clearance to sleep in the barn with the master the next morning all there was a puddle of blood though the blood from these fellows like to think of the heartache war it’s a horrific thing perfectly I was what might be considered politely in English an unregistered pharmacist a drug dealer not particularly kosher I would run into people who had the nerve be on the streets of San Francisco proclaiming this Messiah Jesus I was a little bit off put by it because they smiled too much I didn’t think that people should smile that much who could be that happy but one of them are one night had the nerve to try to tell me that I needed to believe in Jesus I felt so offended let me tell you why I thought oh my goodness they want me to go to the side of our enemy it turns out and that he was he said he was Jewish my heart broke for him I thought a Jew who believed this this has to be the dumbest Jew who ever lived what kind of Jew believes in such knowledge quite such foolishness he invited me to go to what he called a Bible study I thought maybe it was like an archeological find of a Bible they’ll look at it from different sides I couldn’t figure out what that might be I would go there to laugh at them I thought it would be my evening entertainment now I got there and there was a very ordinary looking group of people each one had a Bible I thought that was pretty interesting they share their own Bible but they were taking everything so seriously what do they think these are God’s love letters to them and the portion that they were looking at was in the prophets in Isaiah chapter 53 in traditional Judaism oh we don’t study Isaiah 53 that portion is skipped over by rabbis they wanted me to give my opinion of who I thought the Prophet was talking about give me a minute let me take a look at this thing as I was reading through it and we talked about the one if I go all we like sheep have all gone astray each one has turned to his own way but Hashem has laid on him the iniquity of us all it said there that he would be killed cut off from the land of the living for the transgression of my people or the strange thing for our scriptures to say and I got to it the last verse in that section and even though he’s been cut off it said there that he would give the gift of spoils to the stronger faith because he had been cut off Torah my people – how could he but he had died now he’s giving it came to me that he hadn’t but maybe he came back to life at that point it came very clear what this section of scripture was speaking about it seems to be talking about you know who that Jesus nothing is supposed to be this clear these are really tricky sneaky people they put part of their Bible in what’s supposed to be my Bible what a bunch of idiots things they’re going to be able to trick real Jews you know and so when they said so who finally who do you think it’s speaking about I look at them and I said I don’t know I don’t think anyone can tell the Bible is such a mystery no one can ever figure this out they look so disappointed and they said to me well we’ll be praying for you I should fat chance what kind of God is that I want to answer prayers for someone like me where was this God in the Holocaust I said to her over that period of time I found myself thinking more and more about it my goodness this is just like be on the side I came like that I remember you know okay God is if you have a messiah for us that’s fine but please someone besides this Jesus I was living in a very bad place when people are doing drugs but some thoughts entered my mind it seemed somehow clear to my thinking that drugs were opening me up to the spirit but it was the wrong spirit that there was a spiritual battle for my soul but I was on the losing side I wasn’t sure that I got on my knees there and I cried out for Jesus to save me I woke up that next morning somehow I knew my life was different I wasn’t sure about all the details but something and in my heart I actually believed that that Jesus is what is our Messiah I wasn’t sure what to do I wasn’t sure where to go who’d he talk to about these things out in that world well there was a restaurant there were pictures of Jesus on the wall I really didn’t know what would make someone a believer or something so I thought that was a pretty good shot so I went in there was really early in the morning I didn’t know what to do when they’re just opening up the place you know the manager opening up I said so hey listen Jesus save me last night what do I do now the guy looked at me and said I don’t know you want breakfast then I remembered that a long time before I had done to this couldn’t remember what they called it a Bible thing but they maybe they would know what to do I couldn’t believe that they would remember me but nonetheless I called him up I said listen my name is Sam maverick I came to your Bible single a long time ago and but listen Jesus save me last night what do I do now they were so happy they had been praying from it every day today when people ask me how can you believe in God in light of the Holocaust in all of our reflections he was afflicted and so to be his people means to be kind of his raw nerve endings and all of these matters he is afflicted he mourns and cries over all of our pains and issues let alone something like the Holocaust but he may then be blessed forever our Messiah he loved the unlovable he forgave the unforgivable but yet he died a horrible evil torturous death by crucifixion he understands the pain of the Holocaust he knows what it’s like to go see a personal Holocaust this is what he brings to our hearts as well.

Sam Adler is One for Israel.

Choose Life, Avoid Hell

Jesus/Yeshua,

Please hear my prayer.

  • I admit I'm a sinner in need of a Saviour – [Romans 3:10 / 3:23 / 6:23]
  • I believe in my heart that Jesus/Yeshua is Lord – Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose again, paying in full the death penalty for my sin. [Romans 10:9-10]
  • I call upon the name of the Lord and I confess with my mouth Jesus/Yeshua is Lord and I believe in my heart the God raised Him from the dead, so I will be saved. For it is with my heart that I believe, and am justified and it is with my mouth that I confess and am saved. [Romans 10:9-10 / 10:13]
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