The Wandering Jew

The Wandering Jew A Memorable Shabbos in Kishinev

By Hershel Lieber

My involvement with the Yeshiva of Kishinev, Moldova, began in the summer of 1994. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel in 1980, I was involved in many of their projects. During the summer of 1994 I went with Pesi for a week to the outskirts of Kishinev to the Yeshiva’s summer camp which was geared for teenage boys and girls. I gave a number of shiurim to the campers, while Pesi engaged them in arts and crafts. We developed a meaningful relationship with the teenagers, so much so, that it inspired us to go again in 1996, this time for the entire Pesach together with our two younger children.

That second trip sealed our fate for good. Within a short time, I joined Rav Moshe Eisemann of the Vaad in taking over the reins of running the yeshiva. This involved everything from hiring the Rosh Yeshiva and his staff, to making decisions concerning the curriculum. It included overseeing our non-Jewish manager and, above all, raising funds for our schools. All these obligations presented a myriad of difficulties, but raising funds was the most problematic of all. When I look back to the period from 1996 until the yeshiva closed in 2007, I cannot believe that we raised over two million dollars to support our project! Our donors included both individuals and charitable organizations. Our methods revolved around personal solicitations and parlor meetings.

Another method we employed in raising funds was through organizing trips for potential donors to see our yeshiva and to experience what we had accomplished with our students. We would invite an important personality to lead the trip and solicit people of means to join the adventure. Our program was multifaceted and included interesting tours and activities. At the same time, we highlighted our educational achievements and showed with our students. Over the years, we conducted at least seven of these trips, each one bringing between fifteen and twenty-five participants to our yeshiva in Kishinev. The monetary success of these trips varied greatly, but they all played a role in balancing our budget. The Vaad was running a number of other projects in other cities of the former Soviet Union. When the Vaad organized trips, it would include other cities such as St. Petersburg, Tbilisi, Baku, Kuba, and occasionally Moscow, as well as Kishinev. During the trip in 1999, Kishinev was the last city on the itinerary, which meant that all the potential donors had already committed themselves to various undertakings in the cities that they visited previously. When they finally arrived in Kishinev, although they were truly impressed with our progress, their contributions to our yeshiva were not substantial. For the following year, I insisted that our city and our yeshiva be the first stop of the journey. I persevered, and the group was set to arrive Erev Shabbos, December 9, 2000.

Pesi and I arrived the preceding Wednesday, and we began the monumental job of organizing every aspect of the weekend schedule. All Wednesday, we were assisted immensely by the staff of the school, our Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Baudilovsky, Rabbi and Mrs. Yehoshua and Shulamis Kwit who headed our girls’ school, Sergei Durlestan, our manager, and a very talented bochur Moshe Herman, who volunteered in running our summer camps for a number of years and came to Kishinev quite often throughout the year. The hotel rooms for the guests were booked ahead of time, and bus transportation was arranged. In the kitchens of both the boys’ and girls’ buildings, the chefs were busy cooking up a storm. The students were prepped about what to expect and how important it would be that their behavior be at the best.

On Thursday after davening with the boys, I joined Pesi at the girls’ school where we directed the staff how to set the Shabbos tables for the seudos and how to prepare the lobby for the Kabbalas Shabbos davening. The plan was that the visitors would join the girls Friday night and go to the boys’ yeshiva during Shabbos day.

With a Yiddishe neshama

Pesi with the girls of Kishinev Yeshiva boys with their new sweatshirts. Moshe Herman is in the center.

That same afternoon, we managed to visit an elderly woman at her apartment to bring her regards and some money from her family in Brooklyn. Later, I went with Moshe Herman to meet with the military attaché at the United States Embassy about getting surplus goods and funds for the yeshiva. I also dropped in to visit U.S. Ambassador Rudolph Perina whom I knew from previous encounters. The rest of the day I worked on budget issues with Sergei. After 8 PM, I went back to Hotel Jolly Alon and continued discussions with Sergei and Moshe in the lobby until 3 AM.

Friday morning after davening and breakfast we readied ourselves for Shabbos. There were a few delays in the arrival of the group. The group finally arrived at Kishinev airport at 2 PM. Shabbos was just a bit after 4 PM! With the help of Sergei, who had connections all over, visas were issued immediately, and our guests were on their way to the hotel where they were given barely thirty minutes to get ready for Shabbos. From there, a bus took them to the girls’ school, and they arrived with no time to spare for licht bentchen.

The group, comprising of twenty men and six women, came from all over. Heading the delegation was the Nasi of the Vaad, Rav Matisyahu Salomon, and his rebbetzin. I recall a number of people who were there but cannot remember all their names. Among the attendees were Rabbi Elias Schwartz, former principal of Yeshivas Toras Emes; Rabbi Raymond Beyda, the well-known lecturer; Rabbi Mordechai Neustadt, the Chairman of the Vaad, and his wife Alice; Rabbi Yitzchok Aron Fischer, the famed mohel; Rabbi Zev Rosen and his son Rabbi Tzvi Rosen from Baltimore; Rabbi Gedalye and Rachel Weinberger; Rabbi Yeruchim Shapiro, Administrator of the Bais Yakov of Boro Park; Yitzchok Mashitz; Dr. Jack Jedwab; and Ralph and Rus Zucker.

Kabbalas Shabbos was led beautifully by Rabbi Zev Rosen. The zemiros at the tisch were rousing, and we reflected how we were sitting in midst of twenty-five young girls that were getting their first exposure to Yiddishkeit at the yeshiva. Rav Matisyahu spoke endearingly to the students, as did Rabbi Elias Schwartz. Two of the girls also spoke in English, and I was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. After benching, we toured the girls’ building which was recently bought and renovated. Baruch Hashem, it was not too cold during our forty-five minute trek back to the hotel. We were all very tired but on a spiritual high!

Shabbos was a short but an activity-laden day. A Daf Hayomi shiur by Gedalye Weinberger was followed by Shacharis, leining and Mussaf. Misha, a talmid of our Yeshiva, had his bar mitzvah. Ten of our new girls

Women of the Vaad delegation (center right is Rebbetzin Salomon)

Rav Matisyahu dancing with the bar mitzvah bochur

Rav Matisyahu as sandek by the bris of one of the boys, L-R: Dr. Jedwab, Moshe Herman, Rav Matisyahu, me, and Rabbi Fischer, the mohel were given Hebrew names. Rabbi Raymond Beyda and Rav Moshe Baudilovsky spoke at the seudah. The women of the delegation walked over to spend the afternoon with the girls, while some men partnered as chavrusas with the boys to learn together. Shalosh Seudos was held in the suite of Ralph Zucker.

The most important part of this trip took place at a meeting which was held at the hotel conference room for the visiting delegation. It was there that we pitched our message to the guests about helping to support the

yeshiva. Rav Matisyahu spoke passionately about what we had experienced during the past twenty-four hours. Rabbis Neustadt and Fischer enthusiastically conveyed the message of our accomplishments in bringing Yiddishkeit back to the lost souls of Klal Yisroel through teaching and guiding the next generation of Russian Jews, which was our yeshiva’s mission. I presented our visitors the specific investment opportunities that they could take part of when they contribute to our mossad. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we raised a very nice amount of money that very night.

The meeting was followed with a grand farewell Melave Malke at a fancy hall. Besides our guests, all our students and teachers attended. There was live music and dancing, delicious hot dishes and spontaneous speeches given by many participants about the personal emotions they felt during the past Shabbos.

Sunday’s program was really jam-packed. The group took a tour of Kishinev’s Jewish sites. They included the Holocaust memorial, the Beis Olam, where we said Tehillim by the kever of Rav Yehuda Leib Tsirelson, the legendary leader of Kishinev Jewry. He was one of the foremost personalities of Agudas Yisroel, a great talmid chochom, a rosh yeshiva, a prolific writer, and spell-binding orator. He was also a member of the Romanian Parliament. He was killed by the Germans in June 1941.

Our delegates also visited the ruins of the massive building which was the prewar Yeshiva of Kishinev.

Later that day, Rabbi Yitzchok Aron Fischer performed ten brissim on our newest talmidim. He was assisted by Dr. Jedwab, and ten of our guests were honored with being a sandek. A gala seudas mitzvah following the brissim with gifts presented to all the baalei bris. We exited the yeshiva and walked across the street to the City Stadium, where we sang and danced with the boys, less than an hour after their surgeries. This was the very stadium where the Jews of Kishinev were rounded up to be sent to concentration camps and to their deaths. It was surreal to celebrate the renewed Jewish life that was taking place in this city, which had seventy shuls before the war, in this auspicious place. At the same time, we realized how much part of that miracle we were.

We exited the yeshiva and walked across the street to the City Stadium, where we sang and danced with the boys, less than an hour after their surgeries.

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.

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7th, 2022