5 minute read
Israel Today
Israel Today Sasha
By Rafi Sackville
Advertisement
When he was a child in elementary school, Alex Kuvtonov was forever getting into fights. Although not restricted to, it seemed to always happen during the long morning recess.
Tall and strong for his age, Alex was rarely on the end of a beating but always handing them out. In her wisdom, the principal gave his parents an ultimatum: either they come to school every day and watch over their son during recess, or find him another school.
For months, Alex’s mother would dutifully arrive at school and sit in the yard watching him play. It was not a tenable situation, nor would it last long.
Eventually, Alex’s father drew a line in the sand when Alex was eleven years old and sent Alex to the local kickboxing school.
With this newfound legitimate release of energy, Alex’s behavior at school improved. Not only that, but he displayed a natural predilection for the sport.
Some six years later, Alex became European champion and during his 11th grade, he participated in the world junior kickboxing championship and came in first – a world champion at the age of 16. It was quite an accomplishment for both Alex and Israel. I’ve seen some of his fights. Alex only knows one movement: forward attack. For all the aggression that his chosen sport involves, Alex is gentle by nature. I watched him in the school halls from his 10th through 12th grade. He was carefree and boisterous. There were no fights, no altercations, just typical boyhood fun. Maybe that’s because as European and world kickboxing champion, his friends knew better than to mess with him.
During 11th grade it is customary for many schools to help their students begin the army process by sending the entire grade to the conscription office where they are all initially processed. This begins with a basic medical exam and the establishment of a profile. The highest profile one can get is 96. This gives a soldier the right to volunteer for combat units. It’s a mark of pride for students to join the elite forces. It must be difficult for many living outside Israel to comprehend the notion of parents sending their sons and daughters to join a unit whose soldiers are the first to be sent into battle. With a 96 profile, Alex passed his medical with flying colors. The army contacted him directly and offered him a sports scholarship. Only the most elite of sportsmen and women are offered such deals. They do basic training but spend most of their time involved in their given sian-speaking classes, easily over 50% of my students are not halachically Jewish.
Most of these students forge through life not interested in the Jewish and religious traditions that have held us together as a nation for millennia. When the army offered Alex a sports scholarship, he turned them down because he wanted to be Jewish. Instead of finding himself doing three years of cushy work serving his country, he instead chose to join a program called Nativ (The Way). It is run through the army and puts young men and women through a rigorous long course in everything Jewish, from learning Torah, halacha, and traditions, and being ensconced
sport, which they help teach and promote. Alex turned the scholarship down. He wasn’t interested at all. He had other things on his mind.
It is not a secret that the open-door policy during the 1990s to immigrants from Russian-speaking states resulted in many halachic issues that have had ramifications not only on the fabric of Jewish society in Israel but on the pillars of religious tradition. It is not my place nor my intention to take sides on these issues. All I wish to do is to present to you, the reader of this column, a story that, despite its specific uniqueness to Alex, is a similar story being told over and over again throughout the country. Let me start by suggesting that I would not be exaggerating when I say that in some of my predominantly Rusin an environment that is supportive and geared to being Jewish. This is what Alex wanted. He could take the Nativ course and once it was over would join a combat unit. There is no guarantee that studying the course is going to make successful converts; in order to become Jewish, Alex’s knowledge needed to be tested in a Beit Din. Many of my students who have done the Nativ course have been turned down by the Beit Din. This, too, is a test of sorts to measure their determination. If they are serious, failure presents them with another chance at success.
My wife and I happily sponsored Alex in our home for many Shabbat meals. Keren laughed each time Alex gave me a hug. She said I looked like a little child in his arms. He spent last Leil Seder with our
Alex saying Shema at the Beit Din after becoming Jewish
entire family here in Ma’alot. Our grandchildren from New York were fascinated by him.
We were struck by Alex’s willingness to learn. It was clear to me that he would eventually succeed in becoming Jewish. When I asked him about his Commando course, he told me that nothing affects him.
“They could tell me to sit in the rain for three days and it wouldn’t bother me,” he told me. His attitude in everything he does never wavers. Alex thrived in the Nativ course. He was nervous on the day he had to face the Beit Din. I have never seen him shed a tear, but when he was accepted as a Ger (convert), he shed quite a few.
Today, he is still in combat training. He was recently selected as a top soldier among hundreds. Due to his schedule, we see him less, although we remain in contact. As I earlier wrote, it is not my position to make any judgements on the validity of the course or the thoroughness of the process. I’m here to let you know that when Alex sits next to me in shul and prays, I am moved beyond words. His sincerity and love of being Jewish is inspiring to me. Oftentimes, we take for granted our own Jewishness. To see Alex’s dedication when he didn’t have to choose to become Jewish but did has left me in awe of the power of converts.
Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.
