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IN-DEPTH FEATURES
Part III
The Vaad Lehatzolas Nidchei Yisroel organizes an annual
trip of rabbonim and askonim to visit the locations in remote
areas in which the Vaad is active. The delegations go to give
encouragement to the communities by bringing major Torah
figures to speak to them, as well as to make them feel
connected to world Jewry. This is a report of the most recent
trip, that took place around Chanukah this year.
As we have seen so far, the delegation has visited the
remote city of Kubah, where the Jewish community was entirely
cut off from the world until the Vaad discovered it. People
there thought they were the last Jews in existence. After
Kubah, the delegation visited Baku, where the Vaad's
shaliach, HaRav Moshe Kashei, has revolutionized the
state of Yiddishkeit in the eight years he has been
there.
The delegation then visited Tbilisi where they met Rabbi
Ariel Levine, who became a talmid chochom from
learning with the shlichim of the Vaad and is now one
of the successful rabbonim supported by the Vaad. The last
stop was Kishinev.
*
Kishinev
The name Kishinev, now the capital of Moldova, evokes painful
memories. `The Kishinev Riots' have become a concept in the
Jewish history of our times. Even though "only" about 40 Jews
were killed, and compared to the horrors of the Holocaust
this appears to be a minor event, as it were, these riots
have become etched into the Jewish consciousness as a most
traumatic recollection. The riots, which were not an
impulsive attack by local hoodlums but rather a premeditated
massacre by the government, triggered the emigration of
hundreds of thousand of Jews from all over the Russian
Czarist realm, mostly to America, which opened its gates to
the immigrants. A minority went to Eretz Yisroel and
made up what is commonly termed, the First Aliyah.
For many years, Kishinev was a thriving Jewish Chassidic
center, especially for Skver Chassidim. The Jewish community
started developing there at the end of the eighteenth
century. Once it became the capital of Serbia in the year
5518 (1758), the kehilla grew rapidly until it became
one of the most important Jewish centers in Eastern Europe.
When the Haskoloh movement struck, afflicting every place in
Europe, Kishinev remained largely unaffected.
At the end of the nineteenth century, a short time before the
riots, the Jewish population in the city numbered 51,000. In
the years 5663-5665 (1903-05) there were two pogroms in the
city -- in addition to hundreds of pogroms in other cities
all over Eastern Europe -- that, as stated earlier, affected
every Jew in Eastern Europe and spurred a massive emigration.
See the recent series of articles in Yated, parshas
Toldos, Vayeitzei and Vayishlach entitled, "From
Kishinev Until Bialystok -- and Since."
The last rabbi of the Jews of Kishinev was HaRav Yehuda Leib
Tzirelson who, when the Agudas Yisroel was founded, served as
its chairman. He founded Torah institutions and a yeshiva
gedola there, the remnants of whose building still exist
to this day.
When the Nazis invaded Rumania in 1942, when Moldova was
still part of it, the first bomb that landed in Kishinev fell
near HaRav Tzirelson, who was killed instantly. 53,000 Jews
from the city were murdered by the Nazis and thus ended
Jewish life in that city.
At the beginning of the '70s, the Jewish population of the
city numbered about 70,000, but there was no organized Jewish
activity. Only in the year 5750 (1990) did the Vaad
LeHatzoloh set up its first yeshiva in Kishinev. HaRav
Hershel Liba was the Vaad shaliach who resurrected the
spiritual ruins of that city.
Divine Providence accompanied the rebuilding of the community
every step of the way. When the first building was rented to
the yeshiva, a local resident came to HaRav Liba and told him
about the "Jewish pieces of leather" that there were in the
attic of that building. When the Jews went up there they were
amazed to find individual yerios of sifrei Torah,
apparently hidden there by one of the Jews of the city to
save them from being desecrated.
Here, in the place where sefer Torah parchments were
hidden, the foundations were laid for the establishment of
the Kishinev Yeshiva. The parchments were buried next to
HaRav Tzirelson's grave, in the city cemetery.
Prior to the war, the present yeshiva building was one of the
10 shuls in the city, when most of them were destroyed. The
yeshiva bought it and moved in, without knowing anything
about its history. Then, one of the local Jews went to HaRav
Liba and told him the amazing story of the building.
When the Nazis entered the city, in their savage brutality
they gathered together a large number of Jews and told them
they would allow them to recite one last prayer before being
executed. The Jews went into one of the shuls in the city to
daven their last minchah. When they finished,
they went out to the courtyard of the building and were shot
dead by the Nazi murderers. That shul and its courtyard are
now the site of the Yeshiva of Kishinev! In the very place
where the blood of the Kishinev Jews was spilt, the sound of
Torah is once again heard.
Unlike other places, the Vaad in Kishinev insists that both
the yeshiva students and the girls of Bais Yaakov live in the
dormitories of their respective institutes. As HaRav Liba
puts it, "If these students were to go home after their
studies, all the effects of our teaching would be lost, since
most families eat treif foods, and there is no mitzvah
observance whatsoever."
By the time the yeshiva celebrated its 10th year, more than
80 chareidi bnei Torah had graduated from there and
had gone on to build outstanding Torah homes in America,
Canada and Israel. Such an impressive figure should certainly
spur them on to continue their phenomenal operation.
A few years ago, the Bais Yaakov school was in danger of
closing. It simply ran out of money. Then, in a program that
leaders of the various institutes organized for some visitors
from overseas, a video was shown about the school. The end of
the video showed the wedding of one of the Bais Yaakov
graduates. After the screening, HaRav Liba commented that
this was the last wedding of the school graduates since the
school was about to close.
One of the visitors was so distressed by this showing that he
decided on the spot to donate money for a magnificent,
luxurious building so that the school could continue to
exist. Thus Judaism kept on flourishing in this state.
Members of the delegation attended the bris milah of
five yeshiva students aged 8-14, with the major donors of the
Vaad officiating as sandeks. It was an inspiring
experience to watch a mature boy give himself a "mazel tov"
on his own bris, and join in the powerful singing of
"Shema Yisroel" with those in attendance. "Happy is
the people for whom this is so!"
On Shabbos during the Torah reading, in accordance with the
local custom, Jewish names were given to the newly
circumcised boys, through those who were given the honor to
be sandek.
The principals of the institutions, led by the rosh yeshiva
HaRav Shmuel Koren and his household, prepared the Shabbos
meals in Kishinev, sparing no effort to make the Shabbos into
an event that would be forever etched in the memories of the
participants. It was a Shabbos of spiritual uplift, combined
with the constant worry about the minute details of the
Shabbos foods which, when you are talking of an Eastern
European state like Moldova, is no trifling matter.
The joint seuda for the members of the delegation, in
which HaRav Eliyahu Sternbuch from Antwerp participated,
together with the yeshiva students and the Bais Yaakov girls,
was a truly elevating experience for all the parties
concerned. The harmonious voice of Rabbi Nechemiah Brodt led
the enthusiastic audience in a glorious rendition of the
Shabbos zemiros. Without a doubt, this Shabbos
constituted an exciting finale to the tour.
Members of the delegation have returned to their respective
countries, but nevertheless, in Eastern Europe, Jewish
operations are continuing full force. The Vaad Lehatzolas
Nidchei Yisroel continues to encourage and fund them. All its
activists around the world are doing work that is entirely
voluntary. Rabbi Neustadt has sold his business so that he
can devote himself fully to the Vaad. So has his right-hand
man, Rabbi Zeev Rothschild.
The Jewish children, lost Jewish souls in the former
Communist region, are imploring for help. They are crying to
each and every Jew to open his heart and give them the chance
to know their own Jewishness.
`Tachlis' -- An Overflowing Heart and an Open Hand
by Yitzchok Roth and Eliezer Rauchberger
Most of the members of the Vaad LeHatzoloh delegation are
businessmen. However, whether they are in real estate,
imports or business management (there is even a principal of
a Talmud Torah), they are, first and foremost, warm Jews,
yeshiva graduates, who in essence have remained bnei
Torah.
Even when they are immersed in the business world, these Jews
still remain deeply attached to the Torah, to their rabbis,
to their kevi'us ittim in Torah learning, to the
secure foundations of their hashkofoh which they have
absorbed internally and which uplift them. They are
outstanding people and, the more you get to know them the
more you feel their inner, Torah-Klal Yisroel personality
pulsating inside.
Most of them have close ties to the Vaad, although for some
members of the delegation it is their first time visiting the
operations in Eastern Europe. All of them took a `break' from
their respective businesses because they wanted to witness
the Jewish revolution firsthand. There is nothing better than
seeing it with your own eyes.
It was not easy to drop everything, leave in the middle of
the working week and go off for a whole week. But they were
all fully conscious of the goal, to give chizuk and
get chizuk. "We came to give strength--and came back
stronger," is their unanimous response, and it is no trite
statement.
Indeed, the excitement, even of those who have already seen
it all more than once, is palpable. It is difficult to remain
passive when you see these sweet Jewish children who perhaps
until recently did not even know they were Jewish children at
all. It is impossible to stay unmoved at the sight of girls
dressed in the familiar Jewish tzonua attire, who
already know what Chanukah is and why candles are lit.
Each time, you are stirred and thrilled all over again to see
a living Jewish world resurrected. As much as you read about
all the Jewish operations and hear about them, seeing them
with your own eyes has an effect on your soul.
These noble Jews are fully aware that the Vaad operations are
built on money. Maintaining the Jewish institutions, meeting
the needs of the kehilla, the shlichim and
their families is a huge expense, and runs into colossal
figures. There is no government aid, nor any other external
aid whatsoever. The Vaad LeHatzoloh has built the whole
enterprise almost single-handedly.
And money, in these remote places, is synonymous with
Judaism. More money equals another Jewish child who can be
drawn to Torah. It is that -- clear and simple. But when you
see the astounding work that the shlichim do, and how
they have succeeded in creating `something out of nothing' in
this isolated Jewish world, it is understood that all
preconceived notions about the value of money pale in the
face of overriding needs.
The procedure is that, following each visit, members of the
delegation gather around the table to discuss the
contributions. It is a moving, exciting and uplifting get-
together of Jews opening their hearts and their purses. For
the most part, it is a gravely serious event, for everyone
knows that every extra dollar that they give equals more
Judaism. Most of them had, most likely, intended to give a
donation to the Vaad anyway, but it is doubtful if any one of
them had planned on pledging that much.
Most of the participants are not wealthy by modern world
standards. They are affluent men, who make their
parnossoh by the sweat of their own hands, but their
hearts are big. They give far more than they had intended,
because the visions of what they have seen give them no
peace.
The Mashgiach of Lakewood opens the appeal with a fiery
speech. He is giving a discount to no one. He knocks them on
the head and demands that each one of them contribute above
and beyond their means.
"I know," says HaRav Salomon, "that the same grating question
is revolving around all of your heads: Why do I need to give
so much money to these places, to save another Jewish child
or two, when for exactly the same amount, I could support
dozens of children learning Torah in yeshivos and Talmud
Torahs in other places?
"I will answer your question, even though you did not dare to
ask it publicly. Imagine a father who has many children and
one of them is a special needs child. Naturally, the father
realizes that he has to shower a lot of money on that child,
to help his progress -- much more than he allots for his
other children.
"Now, what if that same father insists that his money has to
be equally distributed among all of his children, and each
has to be given an equal portion? Can you imagine anything
more heartless? The father knows perfectly well that any hope
of helping this son progress, of lifting him to freedom, of
granting him an equal opportunity for social adjustment, must
depend on the funds he dedicates to this child. Giving this
child, choliloh, the same amount as the other children
is simply cruelty.
"HaKodosh Boruch Hu also has children with special
needs; they are the Jewish neshomos who live in these
areas. And these children need more money, more care and more
attention than other children do. They are the children of
our Father in Heaven, as are all Jewish children throughout
the world, but these are the special needs children. Anyone
who says he is giving these children the same amount as he
gives children in other places is nothing but heartless!
"I know," continues the Mashgiach of Lakewood continues with
a sigh, "that there are those who counterattack: `How can you
leave the talmidim in your holy yeshiva for more than
a week, and go off to such remote places?'
"But gentlemen, these accusations don't bother me at all. I
don't regret, not even for an instant, becoming the president
of this holy enterprise, no matter what burden it entails.
For these precious Jewish children are the children of
HaKodosh Boruch Hu, and they need a caressing hand, a
warm word, and a great deal of money. Because they are also
HaKodosh Boruch Hu's special children, the special
needs children, for whom we must dedicate far more than what
we give other children!"
After these warm words, no one can remain indifferent. Each
in turn announces the sum he is contributing for the local
operation.
Let's take, for example, the appeal that was held at the end
of the day's visit to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Rabbi
Boruch Hertz, an affluent businessman and one of the
mainstays of the Vaad, directs the appeal. He has personally
`adopted' the Jewish operation in Georgia, and previously
donated the school building which is named Tiferet Zvi, after
his late father. Now he donates $100,000 to pay for a new and
larger building, to meet the growing needs of the school.
After that impressive donation, he calls on others to
contribute as generously as possible. And the donations pour
in, as Rabbis Neustadt and Rothschild note them down.
Then another long-standing friend of the Vaad, Rabbi Ephraim
Hansfeld, gets up and reminds everyone of the operations in
Azerbaijan and charges the participants to contribute to this
cause too. Rabbi Boruch Hertz immediately responds to the
appeal, and even though he had not planned to do so, he
immediately pledges another $18,000 for the Azerbaijan
agenda. Again, another round of pledges is conducted for this
community too.
Money is streaming in from all sides, but Rabbi Neustadt
never looks satisfied, not for an instant. He knows full well
that even after this impressive appeal, the budget for the
operations will require far greater sums. Furthermore, as the
additional money comes in, the operations will grow but the
needs will also grow correspondingly. That is the virtuous
cycle of Hatzoloh operations.
Nevertheless, Rabbi Neustadt cannot conceal his pride in his
Vaad friends, Jews who are inspired with a great inner
strength and a powerful desire to give.
Nagorno-Karabakh -- and the Jewish Issue
by Yitzchok Roth and Eliezer Rauchberger
The name Nagorno-Karabakh perhaps jogs in the reader a rather
hazy memory from the not too distant past. In a certain
period the name appeared in the news columns, though not the
front ones, following a war that was fought over this
territory. Until a little over 10 years ago Azerbaijan ruled
over this autonomous region. However, following the war
against neighboring Armenia, which was actually started by
Azerbaijan, Armenia conquered this area.
Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijan refugees escaped in the
thick of the battles between the conquered zone and
Azerbaijan, and settled in refugee camps. There they have
remained until this very day, abandoned to their fate,
subsisting in appalling, subhuman conditions, prey to the
brutal cold in the winters and to the blazing heat in the
summer months.
Azerbaijan's leaders find the Nagorno-Karabakh refugee
problem most vexing. The million refugees, who amount to one
seventh of the total population of the country, impose a
heavy financial strain, with which the heads of state claim
they are unable to contend. They have applied for aid from
the international community.
The US originally placed sanctions on Azerbaijan for
initiating the war, causing international aid to be withheld
from the refugees for quite a few years. However, in recent
years, as a result of political activism by Jewish groups in
Washington, this ban was lifted, permitting humanitarian
organizations to grant aid to these poor, wretched people.
What has all this got to do with the Vaad LeHatzoloh trip?
Well, as we all know, everything that happens in the world is
connected, in one way or another, to the Jewish people. Even
that long-forgotten war has today become a major impetus for
the burgeoning of the Vaad operation in Azerbaijan.
Rabbi Moshe Kashei, Vaad LeHatzoloh shaliach in
Azerbaijan, realized, shortly after his arrival in the state,
that he would be able to work with greater freedom and a
great deal of help from the government if he could get the
Vaad LeHatzoloh to join the efforts to aid the Nagorno-
Karabakh refugees.
Consequently, the Vaad was declared an international
humanitarian organization to aid all kinds of people in need.
This enabled the Vaad to operate freely in Azerbaijan and
with government support.
The Vaad took several refugee camps under its wing, numbering
about 15,000 people, and began distributing food and clothing
to them as humanitarian aid. And that is how the Vaad
LeHatzoloh gained official recognition in Azerbaijan, and the
enormous sympathy of the government authorities.
It is no surprise, therefore, that the Vaad LeHatzoloh
delegation which arrived in Azerbaijan was designated, `the
guests of the President.' A magnificent bus, used to
transport guests of top-ranking government officials--was
placed at the delegation's disposal. Two police cars
accompanied the bus as it made its way through the capital
city of Baku, one traveling ahead with flashing lights and
paving the way by stopping all traffic and ignoring the
traffic lights, and the other trailing behind the bus.
As far as all the necessary entry and exit permits were
concerned, everything was arranged without delays or hitches,
as befitted the guests of the President.
Furthermore, when the delegation flew from the capital city
of Baku to the little town of Kubah in a special helicopter
placed at their disposal, the helicopter landed in barren,
isolated terrain, to highlight for the travelers the Vaad's
crucial role in aiding the refugees.
There, on a plateau between the mountains, far from any
living habitation, one of the hundreds of refugee camps is
located. In makeshift structures made of wood and metal live
several dozen families, men, women and children, who have
been rooted to this place for more than a decade, in dreadful
conditions. The little children often die due to exposure to
the treacherous cold and the appalling malnourishment.
However, if it were not for the Vaad's aid in dispatching
vital foodstuffs and warm clothing, it is doubtful if any of
the refugees would have survived.
Thus, the Azerbaijan war against Armenia has been transformed
into a springboard of major importance in terms of Vaad
LeHatzoloh operations for Jews in Azerbaijan.
Planning and Implementation -- Rabbi Zeev
Rothschild
by Yitzchok Roth and Eliezer Rauchberger
Organizing a journey like that of the Vaad LeHatzoloh
delegation is no simple matter. The delegation, which was
composed of more than 40 members, was supposed to travel
through six states in a mere seven days. The time available
is limited and has to be utilized to the maximum. The
organization has to be exacting to the last detail, since the
circumstances of the trip make it most difficult to
improvise.
There has to be organized transportation in every site,
overnight accommodations, food in some of the locations and
during traveling time, entry and exit permits, and another
thousand-and-one different and often peculiar details. Only
highly disciplined and efficient planning can ensure the
success of a mission such as this one.
The central figure in the logistics and planning is Rabbi
Zeev Rothschild, the right hand-man of Vaad chairman Rabbi
Mordechai Neustadt. He too, like Rabbi Neustadt, abandoned
all his private businesses to devote himself completely to
his volunteer work for the Vaad LeHatzoloh. He is the man
behind the scenes, on whom the success of the journey
depends.
Only when you see, on a daily basis, the problems that come
up, and the different needs of the members of the delegation,
do you begin to grasp what lies behind the organization of
this journey.
With his characteristic modesty, Rabbi Rothschild joined the
trip as just another delegate; but actually he inspects and
oversees everything to ensure that things run smoothly. No
problem or obstacle ever rattles his peace of mind. For him,
there is always a solution.
For instance, imagine you arrive in Baku, capital of
Azerbaijan, only to discover that the hotel where your
delegation was supposed to stay for three nights had
mistakenly only booked them for two? And nothing can be done
about it, because other hotel guests have already booked that
third night.
Certainly, you would start looking for another hotel.
But what if you then found that none of the decent hotels in
the area had any vacancies, and you needed a hotel with no
less than ten vacant rooms?
Are any members of the delegation aware of how serious the
problem is? And does Rabbi Rothschild look irritated or
worried. Not in the slightest. A little patience, and he is
sure that everything will be sorted out. Eventually, they
will find a hotel, and members of the delegation will have a
place to put their weary heads down on that third night.
That's the way it is with every detail of the trip: Rabbi
Rothschild is always there to make sure everything runs
smoothly and on an even keel.
The crates of food brought by the delegation are arranged and
marked for each specific location, and for each specific
journey. For longer journeys of more than a few hours, Rabbi
Rothschild makes sure there is plenty of food and drink for
his travelers.
Everything is done in the same quiet, calm and unassuming
manner. But when anyone attempts to thank him for all his
efforts, he looks astounded as if he has no idea what it has
to do with him.
Fortunate indeed is the Vaad to have a person like Rabbi
Rothschild as a member!
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