The Wandering Jew

The Wandering Jew Wroclaw & Tallinn

By Hershel Lieber

When I prepare to write about some of the places that we visited, many times I wonder: is there is enough material to write about and will it be interesting enough for the readers? Obviously, certain trips were filled with exciting adventures; other times we were exposed to fascinating places and people, while some of our journeys offered us opportunities for personal accomplishments. Then there were some that lacked any special features, nevertheless Pesi and I felt gratified to have made those trips as well.

Many of our trips were in conjunction with our two annual trips to Poland. During the summer, we went to the retreats sponsored by the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, where we would teach and give lectures about Yiddishkeit. A few weeks later, we would go to Warsaw where I was officiating as the chazzan in the Nozyk Synagogue for the Yomim Noraim. After our summer trips and in between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we would travel around different European countries. Many times, these trips offered additional

A view of Wroclaw

kiruv opportunities, and on other occasions it was mostly sightseeing. In either case, we gained so much from these experiences and my articles are based on those highlights. In 2008, after spending Rosh Hashana in Warsaw, we went for Shabbos Shuva to Wroclaw. This Polish city was actually the German city of Breslau, which was given to Poland after World War II in an arrangement made by the Allied victors. Borders were shifted so that eastern Poland was given to the Soviet Union, while eastern Germany was annexed by Poland. Before the war, there were Orthodox Jews there, but they were overshadowed by the larger Reform movement as Breslau was a leading center of the Haskalah. Immediately after the war and for a number of years afterwards, Jewish communal activities continued there but after the 1968 mass emigration only one Orthodox synagogue and one secular club serviced the remaining Jews of Wroclaw.

In the early nineties, I got to know Jerzy Kichler, who was the head of the kehilla. He tried to rebuild the community and had some minor successes but remained with major challenges. When Pesi and I arrived for that Shabbos we stayed by Rabbi Yitzchok Rapaport, his wife, and their three small children. Yitzchok arranged that I would give a lecture at his home to a group of seven Jewish university students. The theme was, of course, the coming Yom Kippur holiday.

Friday was the only day that we had time to see Wroclaw. The Old Town Square and the many houses that surround it as well as the adjoining streets were created in the 13th century with many additions added over the centuries. The shapes and colors of the slim, tall buildings and their decorative features have a fairytale look. We visited some famous houses and marveled at the early 1800’s University library – truly a stunning interior which overwhelms the visitor. As usual we

With Jerzy Kichler, the kehilla president of Wroclaw

could not satiate our eyes with these spectacular sights and did not stop snapping pictures. At one point, Yitzchok who had escorted us, rushed us back to his apartment as Shabbos was rapidly approaching.

The Shabbos tefillos took place at a youth club since the shul was in middle of a restoration project. Friday night we had no minyan but Shabbos morning over twenty-five people showed up. I led the davening but was saddened by the bickering and infighting that seems to persist in many small kehillahs. My Shabbos Shuva drasha was centered on this theme and the need for peace and harmony through compromise. We ate the Shabbos seudos by the Rapaports and were joined only by two other people. Motzei Shabbos we spent in serious discussions concerning the future of this community. The conflicting emotions of despair and hope permeated the atmosphere during this auspicious time of the year. At a time of the year that our concerns are about our very lives and existence, our communities are also being judged about their future survival.

On Sunday morning, we left Wroclaw and flew to Tallinn, Estonia. Why Estonia? Because we were never there before. Yom Kippur was starting on Wednesday evening and we would have two days to explore this country located by the Baltic Sea across from Finland before returning to Warsaw. Estonian history during different eras was very much tied into its neighboring countries, Swe-

With Rabbi Yitzchok Rapaport

The shapes and colors of the slim, tall buildings and their decorative features have a fairytale look

The Chabad synagogue in Tallinn

den, Finland, Russia and to the German-dominated Hanseatic League. The Jewish population was always small, never more than five thousand people. Most Jews escaped the invading Nazis by fleeing to the Soviet Union, but about one thousand Jews were killed during the Holocaust. Jewish life resurfaced after the fall of the U.S.S.R. and the emergence of an independent Estonia. I did some research about the local community, and we were enthusiastic about meeting and connecting with our Estonian brothers and sisters.

We arrived at our hotel late in mid-afternoon and immediately went out to explore the city. We headed to Tallinn’s Old Town, which a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for a good reason. The Old Town is one the best-preserved medieval trading city in the world. The city walls and fortifications, the merchant’s houses,

Giving a shiur to university students at the Chabad shul

Tallinn’s Old Town

the squares, and the public buildings combined with the narrow winding cobble-stoned streets were enchanting. We walked for a few hours and still could get enough of its charm. We promised ourselves a return visit the next day.

Before returning to our hotel, we stopped by at the Winter Garden where we listened to a jazz concert. I appreciate jazz, Pesi does not, but this concert was actually irritating to both of us. We could not leave in middle, so we escaped during the intermission. We returned to our room, davened, and warmed up our Schick’s canned dinner, took nice hot showers, and went to sleep early.

When we planned our trip to Tallinn, I did not realize that there was an operating Chabad synagogue in town. Monday morning after davening and eating breakfast we went out to reserve a guided tour of the

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A quaint street in Tallinn’s Old Town

city. This included a one-hour bus tour and an informative one-hour walking tour in the Old Town. It was our guide who made me aware that there is a beautiful new synagogue and that its rabbi was Chabad. The guide gave me the rabbi’s number, and I called Rabbi Shmuel Kot. Rabbi Kot welcomed me and asked if we could come towards the evening. He said that although there was no weekday minyan, he had scheduled a lecture to a group of Jewish students that evening and would be honored if I gave it. I accepted the offer, especially when he mentioned that there was a kosher restaurant within the shul building where we could eat dinner. The rest of that day we wandered around the Old Town which had a magnetic attraction to both of us. We visited both the City Museum and the Estonian Heritage Museum. And, of course, we took almost one hundred photos!

Towards the evening, we took a taxi to the shul. What met our eyes was a mirage! We faced this huge ultra-modern architecturally designed edifice which overshadowed the surrounding smaller buildings. Rabbi Kot greeted us and gave us a tour of the interior of the beis haknesses. Everything was so tasteful and radiated a feeling of kedusha. We davened Mincha alone and then we went to eat at this spectacular restaurant called Moses. The food was delicious, and our meal was complemented with a fine bottle of Israeli wine. By no means was the restaurant crowded, as we were the only diners. Rabbi Kot told me that not many people come to eat there but the availability of good kosher dining is part of his kiruv programing.

Soon after dinner, we entered a study hall and were introduced to ten members of his kehilla, mostly young men and women. I gave a half an hour lecture about teshuva and Yom Kippur which was well received. Everyone understood English, and they were able to ask questions and make comments. The evening came to end when Rabbi Shmuel Kot drove us back to our hotel and we wished each other a gmar chasima tova.

We sometimes contemplate about our trips which come out during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva. After all, sightseeing during these “Days of Awe” may not be in tandem with the seriousness of the moment. And yet, the Ribbono Shel Olam somehow always provided us with missions and opportunities that justified our journeys.

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.