A few weeks ago the Jewish world was up in arms when the
Moscow State Prosecutor announced that he was opening an
investigation of the Kitzur Shulchan Oruch. The
scandal made headlines in the Israeli media and abroad, and
even nonobservant Jews came out against the announcement.
High-ranking figures from the entire public spectrum began a
lobbying campaign that included harsh reactions against the
extreme move, which served to highlight the antisemitic
climate now prevailing in Russia. The brunt of the battle was
aimed at the Russian government, which failed to reign in the
State Prosecutor, thereby allowing various backward forms of
antisemitic thinking to take root. Many said the State
Prosecutor was "playing with fire."
The affair really began several months ago when 5,000
activists in a Russian Orthodox Christian organization signed
a petition to outlaw Jewish organizations, claiming that
Jewish holy books espouse religious hatred and racism. This
petition followed soon after a similar petition signed by 500
activists, including 20 members of the Dumas, the Russian
Parliament, demanding that the General Prosecutor open an
investigation against the Kitzur Shulchan Oruch.
After that story broke, this reporter received a call from
one of Moscow's leading askonim who revealed that one
of main figures behind the affair was living in Beit
Shemesh— an avreich who had translated the
Kitzur Shulchan Oruch into Russian five years ago.
As the third edition was being prepared for release over a
year ago, a group of Dumas members tried to ban its
publication, but their demand was rejected outright. Together
with a group of writers, army officers and other notable
figures in Russia, they then contacted the General
Prosecutor, demanding that he launch an investigation.
When we came to interview our avreich in Beit Shemesh
he shared with us the fascinating story behind the affair as
well as the story of his own personal transformation from a
young Russian non-Jew studying in Moscow at one of the
world's leading institutions for physics, into a Jew and
Torah scholar.
Getting in touch with Rav Alexander Kotokov was not easy. All
day long he sits and learns. In the evening he learns with
young talmidim and then goes straight back to his
learning in the little Chanichei Hayeshivos shul in
Ramat Beit Shemesh Beit. In this article Rav Kotokov's story
is brought in full, unedited. For obvious reasons we have
avoided revealing the names of the rabbonim and other figures
involved in the affair.
The Path to Judaism
I was born in Moscow to non-Jewish parents. At the age of 13
I transferred to a special institute for math and physics. My
class had just two or three Russians—all the rest were
Jews. When I continued my studies at the Advanced Institute
for Physics, one of the world's top institutes for physics,
most of the students were Jews too, so most of my friends
were Jews.
I had close friendships with them. They were not observant,
of course, but one day, towards the end of my studies at the
Institute, a couple of friends invited me to hear a lecture
on Judaism at the main synagogue in Moscow, then located on
Archipova Street.
I went with them and heard a talk on parshas hashovua.
It was parshas Vayeiro. Until then I knew a bit
about Jewish philosophy but was unfamiliar with the real
Jewish approach. I found the talk very interesting. That was
at the beginning of Perestroika — the end of Communism.
I was 24 years old. The rov said at the end of the lecture
that there would be a "follow-up" and those who wanted to
could continue and come to study at the yeshiva. He knew I
was not Jewish and some of the guys with me were not
Jewish.
I continued to come and hear the lectures on Judaism and over
a certain period of time I attended the lectures given by
HaRav Gedaliah Rabinovitz. I studied there for a year and a
half until the place closed.
Later HaRav Chagai Preschel, a talmid muvhok of HaRav
Hutner zt"l, arrived in Moscow. He took a real
interest in me and at a certain stage asked me if I wanted to
convert and become a part of the Jewish people. Of course
that was my ambition and after a period of time I converted
and went to study at Yeshivas Ohalei Yaakov under HaRav
Eliyohu Svei and HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky.
Pressing Need to Publish a Halochoh Book in Russian
Over the course of several years I sat and learned there in
the yeshiva, where HaRav Preschel was like a father and a
mother to me. He took care of all my needs. I had no need to
worry about parnossoh or anything else, just to sit
and learn. Later I began to learn bechavrusa with Rav
Yisroel Zalman, who eventually became the assistant to HaRav
Pinchos Goldschmidt, the av beis din of Moscow. I
began working at a Jewish newspaper, writing numerous
articles on Judaism, mussar, holidays and kashrus.
This helped me master the Russian language.
Once Rav Zalman invited me over and asked if I would be
willing to translate a book from Hebrew to Russian. Of course
I agreed in principle and then he put me in contact with one
of the prominent rabbonim in the city who initiated the idea
of translating the Kitzur Shulchan Oruch from Hebrew
to Russian.
He told me one of the big contributors to religious
institutions in Moscow had complained to him that he did not
know how to lead his life as a Jew and how to fulfill the
halochos in Judaism, saying there were many others like him.
Therefore he asked him for a book with all of the basic
halochos so he could become familiar with them.
The rov told him there was no such book in Russian but the
Kitzur Shulchan Oruch could be translated and if he
was prepared to fund the translation of the book he would
have what he needed. This rov spoke with Rav Zalman, who told
him he thought there were only two people in all of Russia
who could do the job of translating the book into Russian: he
and I were the only people who had a good command of Russian
and Hebrew and the material. Rav Zalman said he didn't have
the time and suggested I do the translation.
I began the work immediately and it did not take long. At
that stage he asked me to remove three paragraphs from
Section 167, "Avodas Kochavim Umazalos," Paragraphs
14, 15 and 17. He asked to hide the fact that we had removed
these paragraphs, but I did not do so. Instead I
intentionally made it apparent certain paragraphs had been
taken out.
Correcting the First Edition
I finished the work of translating in '98. Since in Moscow it
was hard to find someone to go over the book and I did not
know rabbonim in Eretz Yisroel who could do so, we published
the first edition as it was. I was pleased to see the book
was studied at Yeshivas Shevut Ami and one of the rabbonim
found a few errors, which I corrected for the second
edition.
Two years ago we were asked to publish a third edition and
then the same person who funded the original publication
summoned me and said the book was not to be published any
more. I asked him why. Then he told me several members of the
Dumas had contacted him and said the book has racist content
and propaganda against the goyim. All of the rabbonim
and askonim wanted to publish another edition because
there was much demand and great need for the book but he
objected and therefore I was asked to go and persuade him.
When I came to him I said he had no reason not to print the
book, but he then asked me to remove several other paragraphs
from Section 167—Paragraphs 5, 11 and 19—based on
fears a storm of antisemitism could form. "Let's just take
out the whole section," he said toward the end of the
conversation. In Section 182 as well (on the laws of
stealing) he asked me to take out Paragraph 4 and in Section
183, Paragraph 4, and a few more.
In the conversations I had with him he kept claiming that if
we printed the book he would get taken to court. I told him I
was willing to appear in court and explain to the judges that
what a Jew is required to do for another Jew goes far beyond
what a goy has to do for another goy. I gave him an example,
saying in Moscow that when an ambulance is summoned to handle
an emergency even if the victim is dying he will not receive
treatment without documents showing that he is from Moscow.
This is the law there and every day people die simply because
they are not Moscow residents.
I claimed that if it really did go to court we would be able
to defend ourselves honorably. Eventually he was persuaded,
and we published the third edition.
Just over a year ago we decided to make aliya. I moved with
my wife and two children. At first I worked at Migdal Or, a
school for boys in Afula, and later we began to look for an
apartment, eventually arriving in Ramat Beit Shemesh. I began
studying at a kollel, at first an evening
kollel and then at a daytime kollel. Now all
the money I brought from Russia is finished and in the near
future besiyato deShmaya I will start learning and
teaching at Shevut Ami and I will also continue the work of
translating books from Hebrew to Russian.
By the time the whole affair blew up I was already in Eretz
Yisroel and when I heard from a friend there that the affair
had been closed without an investigation and trial I
regretted not having been there to explain the whole matter
in the best way possible. I think we lost a lot because it
will come up again and again, and this way we could have
explained once and for all that in all of the halochos of the
Jewish religion there is no racism or hatred toward goyim. I
saw this as an important forum from which to explain the
matter to the world and I have no doubt we would have won in
court.
