The Wandering Jew

The Wandering Jew A Tale of Three Cities and a Hurricane

Part I

By Hershel Lieber

Havdalah

About eight years ago, in late October 2012, I participated in Limmud Polska. The Polish version of this international Jewish learning program brought together about eight hundred participants for a three-day weekend of educational, cultural, and religious events. The assortment of guests ranged from those with zero knowledge about Judaism to those with a fair amount of understanding, from the secular to the religious, from the Orthodox to the Reform, and from Halachic Jews to those with some Jewish ancestry. The event was held over a Shabbos, and both Shabbos and kashrus requirements were adhered to during all communal happenings. Shabbos regulations during smaller events and workshops were applied according to the level of observance of the presenters and lecturers, most whom were not Orthodox. Food preparation, which was entirely vegetarian, was supervised to conform with kashrus and hilchos Shabbos according to Or-

Limmud Polska participants on Motzei Shabbos

thodox standards to allow maximum participation at this gathering.

I accepted the invitation to give lectures at this event with full knowledge that I would be only one out of four Orthodox teachers (Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, Jonathan Weber and I) among dozens of other lecturers from Reform, Conservative, and secular backgrounds. I felt that it was important to show a Torah true perspective to a program that promotes the study and understanding of Judaism. I wished to promote a traditional approach in following a life based on Torah and mitzvos and to show that it is compatible with living in a secular society. I arrived from Warsaw on Friday afternoon to a beautiful, large suburban hotel with just a small amount of time to unpack, shower, and get

I realized, based on the news reports, that I would not be leaving Europe for quite a while.

dressed for Shabbos. I lit candles in my room and rushed down to the Orthodox minyan. I was honored to daven kabbolas Shabbos, which I conducted in the Carlebach style, with lots of singing and dancing. We had about seventy to eighty participants, our competition being the Reform/ Conservative services. Most participants did not join either group, rather they used the time to socialize in the various lobbies.

The Shabbos meals were held in a large banquet hall where we sang Shalom Aleichem in unison, which was followed by kiddush by Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, former director of the Ronald Lauder Foundation in Poland, whom I have known for years. I washed for the meal and had some salads. I sat with Professor Jonathan Weber from Oxford University, who is a member of the International Auschwitz Council, and his wife and had a short conversation. The general atmosphere of the Shabbos seudah was clearly not Shabbosdik. Most people were quite removed from Yiddishkeit, and the huge ballroom made it difficult to connect to the enormous crowd without the use of a microphone.

I then rushed up to my room to finish the seudah with some cold cuts and unheated kugel by the glow of

With Staszek and Monika Krajewski

With Halina Wasilewicz

With the Stankowski brothers

my Shabbos candles. Then I hurried down to give my lecture/workshop on Shabbos zemiros. About twenty-five people joined me in singing at least ten different songs and listened intently to my commentary on the meaning of these treasured verses. This was truly the highlight of the evening, and most of the participants wholeheartedly agreed. The rest of the evening I spent mingling with the crowd, reconnecting to many old friends while making some new ones. In many ways, I considered this to be a true oneg Shabbos and, in a sense, a kiddush Hashem as well.

Shabbos day was a repetition of the previous evening. A small amount of mispallelim joined me for Shacharis, which I davened. The lecture on Birchas Hashachar, where the inevitable misunderstanding of the bracha “shelo asani isha” always needs a clarification, was a success. The seudah once again had the same non-Shabbos environment as the night before. Again, I returned to my room so that I could supplement some meat to my meal in honor of Shabbos. Interacting with many people in the lobby was, of course, satisfying to me and an opportunity to present a positive image of Orthodox Judaism.

I was asked to lead the Havdalah services, which was also attended by the non-Orthodox clergy. We sang together and showed respect to each other, though our differences on religious beliefs and practices are in many ways poles apart. Following the singing and dancing, a beautiful buffet dinner was served. I ate some herring and vegetables and then sat in the lobby having intimate conversations with many of my friends. This was also an opportunity to take photos and exchange contact information between each other. It was during this evening that I was informed of the impending Hurricane Sandy that was heading to the Eastern Coast of the United States. flights to this area were cancelled and that evacuations were being planned.

About a week before leaving for Poland for Limmud Polska, he happened to call me, and I informed him that I would not be far from him in Warsaw for a weekend. He then asked if I could join his Lativ retreat for the following weekend. I told him that I really would love to but that I had to return to New York immediately after my weekend. That’s how our conversation ended at the time. Realizing now that I would be stuck in Europe for the next week or so, I called him and asked if his invitation for me to Sunday night dinner in Warsaw with Rabbis Schudrich (left), Bookstein (right), and Pawlak (center) join his retreat was still in the offing. On Sunday, after davening, break- ing tides were destroying homes in participation and asked that I give at fast, and many heartfelt farewells, I lower lying areas. In short, the dev- least two lectures. headed to the Radisson Hotel in War- astation in the New York area was cat- I immediately accepted the offer saw where I stayed overnight. My astrophic! Planes to the United States and started to make plans to get to plans were to leave for New York the were cancelled from Poland and other Budapest, at the same time as trying next morning. During the afternoon European cities for the unforeseeable to book a flight home to New York. and for the entire evening, I was oc- future. I was at loss about what to do The only flights that were flying to cupied trying to encourage a couple to for a whole week in Poland, when I re- New York were from Air Austria with go for counseling over the breakdown minded myself of an invitation that I the first flight beginning the followof their marriage. It was a very com- received only about two weeks before. ing Monday. So, I booked a flight to plex situation and involved children I had befriended Rabbi Dovid Ke- Vienna and I arranged for a roundtrip as well. My personal presence was a leti, who ran an organization called train reservation to and from Budafollow-up to previous phone conver- Lativ in Budapest, almost seven years pest for the next day. I called my coussations with both parties. Unfortu- before. Rav Dovid’s project was fo- in in Vienna and told her that I would nately, I was not successful, and they cused on introducing Yiddishkeit to be arriving later that evening. Debby eventually got divorced. Jewish university students in Hun- and her husband, Zwicky, were excit-

I came back to the hotel after mid- gary. I had been by him on at least ed that I was coming and that I would night and turned on CNN. I saw the three occasions in Budapest and lec- spend some time with them and their devastation that Hurricane Sandy tured to his student groups as well. newborn son, Jonatan, whom I had caused in the Caribbean and heard Rabbi Keleti always visited me when yet to meet. I ran out to buy a gift for that it was headed to the New Jersey he came to the States on fundraising Jonatan, packed my bags, and headed coast with potential destruction in trips, and Pesi and I had the pleasure for my late afternoon flight from WarNew York City. The reports said that all to host him for Shabbos many times. saw to Vienna. He enthusiastically welcomed my I went to sleep after watching hours of Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding the ongoing saga. I realized that I was 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. not leaving Poland the next day and He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with pondered about what to do next. many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at

By the next morning, which was the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw Monday, I realized, based on the news every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews reports, that I would not be leaving 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 Europe for quite a while. The hurri- travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. cane flooded streets and subways, Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a vaelectricity lines were out, and the ris- riety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.