The Wandering Jew

The Wandering Jew Odessa, Ukraine

By Hershel Lieber

My overwhelming involvement with the Yeshiva of Kishinev began during the Pesach that my family spent there in 1996. This meant that I was involved with everything from hiring the rosh yeshiva and his staff to making judgments concerning the curriculum. It also included overseeing our non-Jewish manager, Sergei, and determining how to spend our limited budget. Above all, it meant raising funds for our schools. All these obligations presented a multitude of problems. Our most important, yet very difficult, goal was to recruit Jewish children between twelve and fifteen years of age for our boys’ and girls’ schools.

The 2003, 2004, and 2005 school years were extremely hard for us. Being that many Jews from Kishinev had immigrated to Israel, Germany, and the United States, it became quite challenging to find parents who would want to send their children to our yeshivos. Hiring staff, especially a rosh yeshiva, was an arduous undertaking. The ones we had hired during those years were not up to the task, and, at times, they were completely incompetent. Raising funds also became a formidable task, as potential donors tired of helping Russian Jewry and directed their charities to other causes. We were at a standstill, yet we wanted to continue our objective in bringing Yiddishkeit to the remaining Jews of Moldova.

As we were heading through the darkness of the tunnel, a ray of light suddenly appeared. I do not remember who had made the first connection with Rabbi Shlomo Baksht of Odessa, but it could have been either Rabbi Mordechai Neustadt or Rabbi Zeev Rothschild of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel, who met Rav Shlomo in Israel. The bottom line was that they asked him to take over our

With Yeshiva boys in Gibraltar

project in Kishinev.

Rabbi Baksht came to Odessa in 1993 and founded many Jewish institutions in that former heavily Jewish city. Besides starting a yeshiva and boarding schools, he was involved with the return of the Great Choral Synagogue to the Jewish community. He was also responsible for the building of a mikvah and the opening of a kosher restaurant. Together with Rabbi Refael Kruskal, who joined him in 1999 as deputy head rabbi and CEO of Tikva Children’s Home, they represented the new face of a revitalized Jewish life in Odessa.

The distance between Odessa and Kishinev is about 110 miles and just under three hours by car. Taking over our project could be viewed as an extension of their successful activities. Rabbi Baksht and Rabbi Kruskal were extremely capable people, had great contacts in the world of philanthropy, and had relationships with many Russian-speaking Orthodox Jews who would have the skills to teach and manage our schools.

After the Vaad’s initial suggestion, it was decided that I should go to Odessa to meet Rabbi Baksht and Rabbi Kruskal. My aim was to see their projects and assess the possibility of assigning our yeshivos to be administered by them. The second part of my mission was to travel with both of them to Kishinev, so they could evaluate our schools and decide whether they could undertake this proposal. My trip was scheduled for the end of May 2005, so that if we can come to a mutual agreement, they would take over our schools starting the fall semester.

There was another project that I had in mind while traveling to Odessa. I made a stop in Gibraltar where my purpose was to make arrangements for a group trip which I was organizing in November to Spain and Gibraltar. The twenty participants were all people whom I knew very well. I needed to prepare airline reservations, hotel accommodations, coach travel, kosher food, restaurants, sightseeing and entertainment for this group. I felt that, since I would already be in Europe, it would be a lot easier to plan and book everything in person.

I spent two very busy days in Gi-

With Chief Rabbi Ron Hassid of Gibraltar

braltar and slept over one night by Chief Rabbi Ron Hassid, whom I got to know from a previous trip to Gibraltar. Baruch Hashem, I accomplished all my goals there in a relatively short time. I still had time to lecture about my experiences in Russia and about the renewed Jewish life in that part of the world. I addressed two classes at the girls’ high school and the combined older grades at the boys high school. I also spoke for a group of women at the Nefutzot Yehuda shul and then again at the grade school for the younger boys and girls. Indeed, it was a very hectic schedule but was a truly meaningful experience.