Last week we were privileged to hear some exciting news:
with obvious siyata deShmaya the burial place of
HaRav Yisroel Salanter ztv"l in the ancient cemetery
of Koenigsberg was located. Those involved in this holy task
these past few years could not find an adequate way of
giving expression to their feelings of joy and gratitude to
the Creator. "They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy."
Many years of tireless work to locate the final resting
place of the founder of the mussar movement and guide
of the yeshiva world during the last few generations finally
bore fruit. No joy is as great as that of having doubts and
uncertainties resolved.
However it is too early to congratulate ourselves. We now
have to invest all our efforts into recruiting funds for
setting up a gravestone befitting this giant figure, and
building a mokom tefilloh for the masses who are sure
to come in the future to this site, and to continue to
rescue the whole of this ancient cemetery and to revive the
Jewish community in this town where Rav Yisroel was active
in his last years. We must do everything in our power for
the sake of this gaon, who created a revolution in
Torah and yir'oh in the last few generations and who
"through his activities and methods of learning
mussar saved all the yeshivos from falling prey to
the maskilim and the accursed haskolo" (HaRav
Shach shlita in his letter printed in Writings of
the Alter of Kelm and his Students).
Strenuous efforts with a view to saving the ancient
Koenigsberg cemetery, locating Rav Yisroel's grave and
reviving the Jewish heritage of the local community have
been taking place continuously since a delegation of senior
mashgichim, rabbonim and roshei yeshiva left for
Koenigsberg about four years ago, and witnessed the dire
state of the cemetery and the yearning for a Jewish
renaissance amongst local community members.
The idea of sending a special delegation of very senior
figures in order to advance the activities of those working
for the rehabilitation of the Koenigsberg (the modern
Kaliningrad) cemetery has proven itself effective.
Local government leaders in Kaliningrad, who were impressed
and amazed by the sight of these venerable rabbonim who had
taken the trouble of making a long trip lasting only a few
hours for the sake of saving the cemetery, promised to deal
with the legitimate requests made by the delegation and
undertook to authorize the activities for the rehabilitation
of the area.
Since Yated Ne'eman first published details of these
events, our readers have followed with great interest the
attempts made towards preserving the cemetery where Rav
Yisroel as well as other important rabbonim and community
members are buried. The trip made by the delegation and the
intensive activities preceding it were taken as an
indication of the holy duty of the Jewish world in general,
and of the yeshiva world in particular, to save this
forgotten cemetery, which became severely neglected over the
decades because of historical circumstances.
Members of the delegation, and especially the leading
mashgichim of our generation who, with great self-
sacrifice, came to witness the situation at first hand, were
shocked by what they saw. Although they had been forewarned
of the situation, they were still deeply pained by the
contact with grim reality and the sight of open graves whose
tombstones had been removed, some of which had already been
rummaged by local vandals searching for gold from the
skeletons of the deceased. The graves were covered with
overgrown vegetation, bushes and trees, making it almost
impossible for members of the delegation to make their way
through the overgrowth.
In the course of the visit, members of the delegation heard
many frightening tales from local residents about the search
for gold teeth in the graves. They were told that the
inhuman grave-pickers had become more "sophisticated" over
the years and they now walked over the ground with a special
metal detector, which signals whenever there is metal
underneath the ground! As if this were not enough, the trees
and vegetation crowding over the graves gave profligate
local youth the feeling that this was a "park" Rachmono
litzlan, where they could have a good time. There was
also silent testimony to the fact that the beis olom
was rapidly turning into a municipal "park" in the shape of
leftover food and beer bottles thrown over the graves.
It was a depressing and despairing sight, but it did not
deter the activists. They cited a well-known saying of HaRav
Yisroel Salanter zt"l: "A mentsch darf toen, nisht
oiftoen" (A man is obligated to do whatever lies in his
power to do; he is not obligated to achieve results). It was
decided to take a series of essential measures as far as
possible on an immediate basis: To clear the area of
overgrown vegetation, to fence off the whole area with a
massive barrier, and to cover the graves in a way that would
prevent unwanted elements from loitering around the area,
digging into and desecrating the graves. This would prevent
the disrespect for the deceased and the complete destruction
of the cemetery.
Stunned and shocked by what they had seen at the cemetery,
the delegation continued on to the municipality building in
Kaliningrad for a meeting with local government leaders.
Heading the delegation were HaRav Nosson Wachtfogel
zt"l and ylct'a HaRav Shlomo Wolbe together
with HaRav Yosef Zvi Dunner, head of the chareidi
communities in London (and the last rov of
Koenigsberg before the war), HaRav Nachman Plontchik, one of
the roshei yeshiva of Slobodke Yeshiva, HaRav Yitzchok
Grodzensky, head of Toras Avrohom kollel, whose
mother, the wife of Rav Avrohom Grodzensky Hy"d is
buried in that cemetery, as well as descendants and members
of Rav Yisroel Salanter's family, rabbonim and activists.
As we noted, the sight of the elderly mashgichim who
had taken the trouble of a long flight for a visit
consisting of a few hours with the express purpose of
advancing this topic, left a very deep impression on the
local officials.
During the meeting the problem was discussed with due
seriousness, and Rav Chaim Boruch Druck, rabbi of the police
and New York airport, presented a special gift from then-
President Clinton and the Washington government, where he
sits on a special governmental committee for the
preservation of cemeteries and the prevention of vandalism
and desecration of graves.
After the initial meeting (with only part of the
delegation), a reception was held with the participation of
all the guests and senior government representatives. During
this event, the deputy mayor, Mr. Savanko, repeated what he
had told delegation members at the earlier meeting: "My
colleagues and I have been very impressed by the arrival of
such important and elderly figures. This has illustrated for
us the severity of the problem. We have understood that if
such elderly and respectable people have flown thousands of
kilometers to get here, their reason for coming must be
important and very critical. We in Russia have always
respected people who adhere to a cause and sacrifice
themselves on its altar. This rare characteristic we have
witnessed in this delegation. The city authorities hereby
promise that we, for our part, will do everything to solve
the problems which have brought you here."
HaRav Shlomo Wolbe's impassioned words at the special
meeting made their way straight into the hearts of his
audience: "Here in Kaliningrad lies buried Rabbi Yisroel
Salanter, may he rest in peace, who founded the mussar
movement, and handed down to us the elevated ethics of
Judaism. He had a profound insight into the makeup of a
human being, and discovered the foundations of the human
soul, "psychoanalysis," decades before Freud and others. To
this day we are all dependant on his writings, and attempt
to perfect our personalities in accordance with his
system.
"With these feelings in mind, we came to the cemetery today
and were deeply shocked. The graves have almost totally
disappeared. It is dreadful! We still have to work hard to
locate his grave. We thank the mayors for their willingness
to help, and hope that, with G-d's help, this meeting, after
many years of intense activity, will lead to the desired
result, for the honor of the giant of mussar and ethics."
HaRav Nosson Wachtfogel zt"l, who dedicated himself
to this topic during his last years, said at this meeting:
"On behalf of all bnei Torah and of the yeshivos, I
would like to thank those people who have an appreciation of
this matter and of the suffering of the Jewish people, and
are ready to bring about the rehabilitation of this
destruction."
No Time to Waste
During discussions held on that same day, in which Mr.
Victor Shapira, the head of the Kaliningrad Jewish
community, also took part, it was agreed that measures had
to be taken urgently and costs estimated. It was felt that
this auspicious moment when the local authorities
demonstrated a positive attitude, had to be utilized to the
full. It was decided to turn to the general public and to
donors so that they could also have a part in this important
mitzvah. This discussion took place at the end of a long and
tiring day, but HaRav Wachtfogel zt"l ruled that the
work had to start right away even before ma'ariv!
And so a series of telephone calls were made from
Kaliningrad to chareidi centers throughout the world before
vehu rachum!
The activists did not rest for a minute. They pieced
together every scrap of information but were unable to
pinpoint the exact location of the kever.
The Work Begins
After the visit, the Yated Ne'eman wrote, "In the
future, it will be possible to try to locate the exact place
of the kever of Reb Yisroel ztvk'l. There are
a number of signs and general maps of the graves according
to dates, but it will only be possible to use them after
cleaning and inspecting the area." At the same time, those
involved in the project requested that anyone who had any
crumb of information -- oral or documented -- about the
cemetery or had access to libraries and historical archives
that could help resolve the issue, should relay the
information promptly.
The work continued energetically. All over the world,
experts searched for documents, memories, old pictures and
even aerial photos taken by the German government. No effort
was spared to find information leading to the grave's
location. The group of talmidei chachomim, trained in
the mussar approach, did not despair.
Pieces of information were added to the puzzle and a picture
began to emerge. After the area was cleaned, they found
signs of the cemetery's gate, which coordinated with an old
picture of the cemetery's gate and the taharoh room.
They also found a map and lists made by the old
kehilla's Chevra Kadisha with a map of the graves.
Reb Gedaliah Olstein, a descendant of Reb Yisroel, was very
helpful in finding the documents and deciphering them, step
by step.
The first step was completed. The site of the grave was
determined within a twenty meter radius, but the exact
location had yet to be found. Some activists felt that this
information was enough already to build a matzeivoh
as it would protect the graveyard and discourage vandalism.
The many visitors who would flock to Reb Yisroel's
kever would ensure the cemetery's safety and oblige
the local Russian government to keep their promises.
After consulting HaRav Eliashiv, however, they decided to
wait to build the matzeivoh until the exact location
could be found.
And then, with chasdei Shomayim, after a document
about Reb Yisroel's kever and maps of the cemetery
were found, esteemed activists who were experienced in such
matters entered the picture. They weighed all the
information and documents and reached a clear conclusion as
to the exact location of the grave! However, the thick snow
that covered the area the whole winter did not allow for
measuring the place accurately to verify the information in
the documents.
At the beginning of last week, a party from London went to
Kaliningrad. They measured and investigated and with
chasdei Hashem determined the exact location. All the
pieces of information joined into one solid proof, which was
corroborated: Out of respect to Reb Yisroel, the community
had left a large open area on all sides of his grave, which
was actually found in the cemetery. To the activists' joy,
they also discovered that the grave had not been desecrated
by the vandals who had wreaked havoc in the rest of the
cemetery. As HaRav Aryeh Finkel, a rosh yeshiva in
Mir said, this alone is proof that this is where Reb Yisroel
is buried!
News of the grave's location spread and was met with great
happiness by those who had been involved as well as the
Torah world in general. As per the request of rabbonim,
roshei yeshiva and communal activists in Eretz Yisroel and
abroad, the hakomas matzeivoh will be delayed until
the coming Av. A large ceremony should also arouse the local
community's interest in Judaism, which was Reb Yisroel's
great vision. Yated Ne'eman, which has covered the
topic from the beginning, will continue printing updates on
the special event that will be attended by adherents of Reb
Yisroel Salanter, gedolim, roshei yeshiva,
Jewish personalities and philanthropists from all over the
world.
The Efforts for the Living: Or Yisroel to be
Learned in Koenigsberg Once Again
After their visit to Kaliningrad, the gedolei Yisroel
issued a sacred call to save the cemetery and reestablish
the Jewish community. As printed in our newspaper, the issue
was raised at the 75th National Convention of Agudas Yisroel
of America. Rav Reuven Dov Dessler, grandson of the
Michtav MeEliahu led a discussion there about
measures to save remnants of Jewish life in Europe, through
saving cemeteries and rejuvenating kehillos that were
destroyed in the Holocaust.
On the evening of the convention, he received a letter from
HaRav Shlomo Wolbe, who had visited Kaliningrad and seen its
destruction with his own eyes. "We were shocked to see that
the entire cemetery was completely destroyed and it is not
yet possible to find Reb Yisroel's kever," he wrote.
"When we were in the city, we were informed that 2,000 Jews
who have no connection to Judaism live there today. There is
no shul, no shechitoh, no education for the
youth. When I was speaking to my friend Rav Raad, who was
also there, we thought that if we would have been next to
Reb Yisroel's kever, we would have felt that he was
telling us, `Take care of the Jews living in this city. They
could become completely swallowed up among the goyim
and not even have a Jewish burial. Have pity on them and
save them!'"
When the rabbonim went to Kaliningrad, they met with the
local Jewish community and the members of the delegation
tried to think of ways to further Jewish awareness. After
speaking to the local Jews it became clear that, to a large
degree, one mission depends on the other. When the residents
were told about the efforts taken to save the cemetery and
locate Reb Yisroel's kever, they were very happy to
be living in the city that the world famous giant of
mussar is buried in. They hoped that interest in the
cemetery would bring other Jewish groups to the city,
especially after the cemetery is renovated and the tomb
located. These group would then form a connection with the
community which would cause a rejuvenation of Jewish
life.
The sight of a community so far removed from its roots,
which did not yet merit the light of the Torah, pained the
visitors. They remembered that one of the reasons R' Yisroel
Salanter came to the city, like the other cities he was
active in, was a desire to be bring wayward youths closer to
Torah and mitzvos. "And behold even more than being a
gaon and chossid, he merited and caused the
masses to merit and he raised the banner of Torah and
yiras Hashem in the world, especially in our areas,"
his talmid muvhak, Reb Itzele Blazer, wrote about him
in Nesivos Or.
Koenigsberg, like Paris (where Reb Yisroel was also active),
was considered a center of universalist culture and
"enlightenment." The Gymnasiums and universities in the city
drew students from all over, including young Jews. One of
the great philosophers of the 18th century, Immanuel Kant,
as well as other gentile thinkers, had lived in
Koenigsberg.
Reb Yisroel had his work cut out for him. He toiled to raise
the banner of Torah and show the youths who thirsted
knowledge the greatness of Torah, the eternal depth and the
moral perfection in keeping mitzvos.
Here too he succeeded with great accomplishments. However,
the turmoil of the stormy war years and the governments'
constant changing shook the Jewish community, and most of it
was destroyed by the Nazis ym'sh. The remnants alive
today do not know anything about their Jewish heritage.
Tefillin for the First Time
The members of the delegation saw the community's spiritual
thirst. Children and teenagers listened attentively and
enthusiastically to a shiur that HaRav Dunner gave.
Some of the youths said that they wish they could see
davening in a minyan at least once, and they
came to the delegation's minyan in the hotel the next
morning. They put on tefillin for the first time in
their life. Word for word, they repeated the pesukim
of "ve'eirasticho li le'olom." HaRav Wolbe explained
to them that the posuk also refers to their laying of
tefillin, which denotes an eternal treaty with the
Creator of the world and His Torah.
The members of the delegation watched the sight and their
hearts shrank. They knew that if nothing further is done,
this could the last time these youths would lay
tefillin. Some of those present immediately began to
plan what could be done and how, in addition to saving the
prestigious cemetery. As one of them said, "We have to take
care of the living also."
They were encouraged by the words of the Kaliningrad's
minister of public relations and international connections.
She had announced during the discussions that the local
government maintains positive ties with the Jewish community
and would graciously accept efforts to strengthen Jewish
culture in this community.
Activists' visits and official contact with the community
and government officials in order to save the cemetery,
especially now that the kever was located, could act
as a springboard for kiruv activities. Since the
visit, Reb Abba Dunner of London is very active there, in
conjunction with rabbonim and communal figures from Eretz
Yisroel and abroad.
These Jews had been very interested in the circumstances of
the visit; they saw the deep spiritual connection that
observant Jews had with the past generations and were amazed
at the mesiras nefesh of the elderly rabbonim for the
honor of the dead and the honor of the Torah. They heard
about the "Mussar Movement" for the first time in their
lives, about its rabbonim, methods and accomplishments. It
filled them with much satisfaction and inner pride to know
that the world famous gaon of Torah and mussar
was active in their city in his last years. "Give us books
and articles translated to Russian about Rav Salanter,"
community leader Victor Shapira begged.
And so, the efforts to save the cemetery became a matter of
"mitzvoh gorerres mitzvoh" and began to bear fruit in
zikui horabim, Reb Yisroel's life's mission.
"Megalgilim zechus al yedai zakai," even through such
sad circumstances as a vandalized cemetery.
Hopefully, activism on behalf of kovod hameis in
Kaliningrad and Jewish life there will complement each
other. Ongoing efforts, experienced activists relate, will
remove the threat the Reb Yisroel's kever and many
Jews will be able to daven there. At the same time
there will be someone who will be able to learn Or
Yisroel in Koenigsberg and he'll learn "mussar
seder" with fiery enthusiasm, like Reb Yisroel
envisioned.
