This may appear to be a bit out of place but when people are looking for help, they tell the darnedest stories.

      Every good American knows the story of Washington's army overwintering at Valley Forge. Many of the troops died of starvation and of cold. Stories of the suffering have lived in American history ever since.

      But there is one problem with the story, the Valley Forge area had a mild winter with almost no snow. Not one soldier died of starvation or cold. So who started the story? General George Washington of course.

      It seems the good general was unhappy with the support he was getting from the Continental Congress. In order to increase that support he created the stories that he believed would motivate congress to do what he wanted. It worked, only too well.

      So too Rabbi Michael Dov Weissmandel may have been doing the same thing when he wrote about the things that were happening to Jews.