At the end of the eighties and the nineties, massive waves of
immigrants from the former Soviet Union entered Israel.
Although we had all waited seventy years for our fellow Jews
to come from Russia, when the Iron Curtain was pulled down,
the country unfortunately lacked the means for their
spiritual absorption.
Although myriad organizations have contributed to the
spiritual return of Russian Jewry, only a few are still
active today, including: Shuvu, founded by HaRav Pam
zt"l, Yeshivas Shvut Ami, under the direction of HaRav
Eliezer Kugel; and Toldos Yeshurun, under the direction of
HaRav B. Z. Zilber.
Seminars: A Proven Method
Rav Uri M. Aumann is a rosh kollel in the southern
part of the country. Seeing the desperate spiritual state of
Russian Jewry, he decided to adopt the seminar system and
subsequent follow-up that has proven so successful in the
teshuvoh movement.
Following our greatest Torah leaders, whose blessings he has
received, Rav Aumann's enthusiasm was contagious. He spread
his fervor to the best of the Russian-speaking lecturers on
Yiddishkeit to fulfill his dream.
This was the beginning of Miktze Haaretz: an organization
without a penny to its name, but one experiencing tremendous
Divine Help every step of the way.
Rav Shimon Garelius, a refusenik who spent many years
behind Soviet bars and is today one of the most sought-after
lecturers on Judaism in the Russian language, notes: "The
combination of dedicated, skilled organization men working
alongside Russian-speaking lecturers and volunteers has
brought about the blessed achievements of Miktze Haaretz."
One Torah scholar who took part in a Miktze Haaretz seminar
expressed his feelings with great emotion: "I haven't the
slightest doubt that were Stalin to emerge from his grave and
see what I have witnessed here, he would have a heart attack
and die on the spot. . . "
Not the Same Man
The case of the N. family is typical. Husband and wife
disagreed about their return to the path of Yiddishkeit.
Although the wife had begun her journey after
participating in a Miktze Haaretz seminar, the husband did
not want to hear anything about it. Since the woman wanted to
keep peace in the family at all costs, it seemed that no
progress would be made.
One day, a Miktze Haaretz volunteer got a frantic phone call
from Mrs. N. "My husband was in a terrible work accident and
is unconscious and in critical condition. Please pray for
him."
Word was spread throughout the Miktze Haaretz movement to
pray for him. And indeed the prayers were answered, and the
man had a complete recovery. After that, at the earliest
possible opportunity, he went with his wife to spend a
Shabbaton with Miktze Haaretz. The husband was called to the
Torah and benched hagomel, pledging a substantial sum
to charity. At the closing symposium, the wife stood up and
publicly thanked HaKodosh Boruch Hu for restoring both
her husband and the light of Yiddishkeit to her
home.
Professor Rips and the Torah Codes
One of the most mesmerizing lectures in the Miktze Haaretz
series is that of Professor Eliyahu Rips, a lecturer in
mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, on the
subject of "Torah Codes."
This lecture often serves to break the ice for the many
intellectual atheists among the former Russians.
A Few Statistics
Rav Aumann doesn't like to discuss the success of his
seminars in numbers. He always quotes the verse, "Blessing
comes only in hidden things." His natural modesty plays a
role in this too, as he says, "I am only trying to do my
duty."
However, when the movement sought financial support they
prepared a comprehensive survey of their results.
In a survey of seminar participants beginning from the year
1999, more than twenty percent had drastically changed their
way of life and could be categorized as "religious." Twenty-
five percent had become "traditional." Ninety-nine percent
expressed positive feelings towards Judaism. In addition,
among those who took part in a follow-up Shabbaton, the
numbers were even greater: More than ninety percent became
complete baalei teshuvoh.
Those who saw them were amazed by these statistics, noting
that they surpassed any other organization's success rate.
The Secret of Success
What's your secret? we ask Rav Aumann. He answers with a
smile, listing his three secrets of success: "Siyata
deShmaya, siyata deShmaya and more siyata
deShmaya. I could fill a thick tome with stories of the
miracles we witness during each seminar. Our sages have
taught us, `Words emanating from the heart can pierce the
heart,' and there is no doubt that each Miktze Haaretz worker
is armed with this `secret weapon' to give with his entire
heart and soul to each individual.
"It seems to me, however," Rav Aumann adds, "that we try to
instill an additional element into our workers. When working
with the Russian community, a community that scrutinizes the
religious public with a microscope to expose our `horns,' an
extra dimension of kiddush Hashem is involved.
"In a similar context, during many of our Shabbatonim we make
sure that the participants are hosted by bnei Torah
families for at least one meal, so that they can gain first-
hand impressions of the warm relationships that characterize
chareidi families," Rav Aumann adds. "Many Russian families
decide to change their way of life in order to improve the
quality of their own family lives."
Rav Aumann calls upon bnei Torah families to continue
to host families, in spite of the many difficulties and in
spite of the fact the host family doesn't necessarily see
immediate results. There is absolutely no doubt, he stresses,
that one Shabbos spent with a chareidi family can lead to the
most lasting long-term results.
Rav Aumann adds, "Chanukah is approaching, the holiday of the
victory of truth over falsehood; the victory of spirituality
over materialism. It seems to me that there is no greater
expression of this than to see the emptiness of Soviet
atheism when compared to authentic Judaism."
Man of "Flour and Torah"
Rav Aumann doesn't discuss Miktze Haaretz' financial
situation. Only when we persisted and came to the Miktze
Haaretz "office" (if you can call it that) we understood that
no money is involved here. What's important is the
organization's vision, determination and resolute
devotion.
We heard from one of the movement's workers that Rav Aumann's
devotion to the cause of Russian Jewry is so great that
during his thirteen years of activity, he has drawn no salary
whatsoever from the movement. He even sold his apartment in
order to finance its activities.
If such a great project can evolve from one man's determined
initiative, one who succeeds to overcome infinite obstacles
with siyata deShmaya -- how much more so is it
incumbent upon us to do whatever we possibly can to help.
"If there is no flour, there is no Torah."
For more information, you can contact: London Friends of
Miktzei Ha'aretz, 21 Elmcroft Ave, London, NW11 ORS; 020 845
80 805. In Israel, contact Rav Aumann, 052 964 645. Email:
miktze_haaretz@walla.co.il
