Russian Jews' Nostalgic Search for Judaism Told by Visiting Israelis After Visit

had been Completely isolated
Again at the Leningrad minds as a scene of wonder. It
In a series of two articles, Never will I forget t► e dumb
from the rest of Jewry for more
was
pathetic
to
behold,
reflect-
synagogue, their entry created
syndicated and copyrighted by expression on the face of the
ing an image of Russian Jewry's than four decades.
a
stir
the
following
morning.
the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, usherette who handed us a
"There were some who seem-
"A study in disbelief—that silent tragedy. As I made my
Michael. Shashar, one of three program. 'God bless you,' she
ed to have some idea of what
way
back
to
my
seat
the
,old
is
the
only
way
to
describe
Israeli students who visited Rus- whispered in Yiddish. These
the looks of the men as they Men stroked my arm, kissed the was really happening in Israel.
sia, described the group's exper- were minor incidents but they
watched us wrap ourselves in fringes of my prayer shawl, One scholarly looking , man,
revealed
a
great
deal.
iences.
pressed my hand—these people speaking in. a fluent Hebrew,
"We had a most unusual ex- prayer shawls and don our with their tattered tephillin and asked whether it was true that
He relates how they were
phylacteries.
We
came
to
be
assigned an efficient guide- perience at a symphony concert known as 'The Young Jews torn talesim. Tomorrow . . . Chief Rabbi Herzog had died
bring me a mezuza . .. please,' and whether- Israeli ships were
Sima—and the manner in which in Leningrad. As tourists we who still pray.'
still barred from passing
their activities were supervised. were given front-row seats. in
"One man, bent with age, whispered one of them sitting through the Suez. All of them.
full view of the orchestra. The
They drew attention wher- conductor strode onto the plat- hobbled forward and examined by the aisle. The service con-
ever they went by the . white form and took his bow. As he my phylactery straps. 'Such eluded with the recitation of were impressed to learn, how-
Jerusalem skull caps "which was about to climb the rostrum straps,' he mumbled, 'when did Kaddish—the mourner's prayer. ever, that Jerusalem is the Cap:-
we wore as headgear through- he noticed our skull-caps and I last see such Tephillin The congregation rose to a man; ital . of Israel and is not govefn-
ed by the United Nations. Nbile
out our stay."
looked directly at us. A glance straps . . .?' I would have glad- they became transformed into of them knew that Israel has a
They asked to be taken to at his name on the program ly given him my phylacteries on an assembly of mourners.
"As we were folding our population of two million,
the Leningrad synagogue on confirmed his Jewish origin.
the spot but I had already learn-
prayer shaws they came to though for some reason they all
Lermontov street, and only be-
ed
that
such
presents
could
not
"We soon became adept at
thought that Ben-Gurion was 'a
cause of their obstinacy the taxi
be openly received. My prayer us, one by one. At first nobody
driver was directed to take recognizing Jews by the simple book, however, did find its way spoke until one wizened gentle- young man in his early forties."
device of what we called 'The
them there. Shashar relates:
into another person's hands. As man said: 'What about the
"Having convinced our guide Skull-Cap Reaction.' To the Gen- the scrolls were being taken out famine in Israel?' This started Hayim Salmon Dies; Was
that we would find our own tiles our skull-caps went un- for the reading of the Law, a a flood of questions. 'Is there Pioneer in Pharmacy Field
way back to the hotel, we walk- noticed—just another 'piece of man, standing alone by the Holy electricity and running water in
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Some
ed through the main portals strange tourist attire. The Jews, Ark, asked if he might borrow Tel Aviv? Why are Russian citi- of Israel's most prominent cit-
and entered a side-room. Some however, recognized our caps my prayer book in order to re- i zens expelled from Israel?'
izens, including President It-
20 people, all old people, were with an immediate instinctive cite the relevant prayer. I saw There were other questions zhak Ben-Zvi, attended funeral
response.
at prayer, dressed in cloth caps
that his hands shook as he even more grotesque. 'Is it true
Once, in a restaurant, we turned the pages. 'Take it,' I that Israel has found the cure services for the late Hayim Sal-
and thick winter coats. • Our
mon, one of the pioneers of Is-
entry caused a visible stir. Peo- were subjected to the stares of whispered. He did not raise his f Or
-9 Has Israel g ot the
rael's pharmaceutical industry,
ple instinctively sidled away a young man who was obviously eyes but just mumbled, 'My atom bomb?' Our negative an-
who died here Saturday. He was
and all conversation stopped. intrigued by our headgear. He heartfelt thanks to you .. .' and swers were a disappointment to
They behaved as if we were eventually came up to our table stuffing the book in his pocket those men who saw in Israel 80.
Born here, Salmon had served
unclean. Eyes stared at us with and invited us to join him in he joined the other congregants. the embodiment of their salva-
piercing looks expressing suspi- a drink. He introduced himself
"I was called to the reading tion. There were some who on the Jerusalem City Council,
cion, expectation. Our own as an agricultural scientist and of the Law. A hushed silence were surprised that Herzl was was vice-mayor of this city for
a member of the Communist greeted me as I was about to no longer alive, and that Rabbi a term, was a founder of the
greetings went unanswered.
"We asked in Yiddish if the Party. 'Are there many Jews in recite the benediction. The sight Reines, the founder of the Miz- Rehavia quarter and of Yeshu-
afternoon service was over, and the party?' I asked. He nodded of seeing a young Jew reciting rachi, was no longer with us. rin Synagogue, and was among
one aged congregant replied in and said with a sigh: 'But it's a blessing over a Sefer Torah We realized that these inquiries the founders of a hospital and
a tremulous hesitating voice a problem nevertheless.' He became transfixed in their had a relevance for people who a school here.
that it was. We approached the then raised his glass and called
`Le Haim!' That used to be my
Ark and prayed alone.
"Eventually a man ap- grandmother's toast,' he said
proached and bade us wel- with a smile.
come. One of them inquired
"On another occasion, while
from where we had come. having dinner, a middle-aged
'From Jerusalem,' we replied. man stopped by our table and
'What is it like there?' he asked: `Zie zent Yieden?' On
asked. 'Good, very good,' we hearing that we were Jews he
answered. 'Do they not die of sat himself down and proceed-
hunger in Israel?' asked an- ed to tell us about his work as
a veterinary surgeon. In a
other.
"We tried to talk to these old broken though coherent Yiddish
men, to tell them a little about he spent some 20 minutes de-
Israel, but their looks froze us , scribing the great strides Rus-
into silence. At first it appeared ' I sia was making in the sphere
as though they were completely' of animal husbandry. When the
apathetic, but it soon became time came for us to leave we
clear that what they showed 1 shook hands. 'You know,' he
was fear. Israel was not a name said with a wry smile, 'if
to be mentioned; it had too Khrushchev would have his
Your newspaper is "Free-
many dangerous associations. It way, he would send us all to
was only when we were about the moon.'
dom's Textbook" . .
to leave that one old man sidled
"These chance meetings were
us to us and whispered: 'Tell only possible so long as we
bringing you, without fear
me, have you got a prayer book were alone. Once in the com-
or favor, the facts you
you could let me have?' It was pany of Sima, our Intourist
not his question that startled us guide to Leningrad, we rarely
must have in order to
but the way in which it was had an opportunity for direct
asked. His eyes shifted continu- conversation with people. But
exercise wisely the free-
ously, trying to make sure that there was an occasion when
he had not been seen by the even her resolute chaperoning
dom of choice which is
others. I placed the small pray- broke down.
basic to all of your Amer-
er book into his hands and he - "We were being shown
quickly hid it in the folds of around the Armitage Museum,
ican freedoms. Just so
his coat. He said nothing, only a former winter-palace of the
a quick handshake and a look Czars, when we were interrupt-
long as the press is free,
of abject gratitude.
ed by a well-built young man
We were not in Russia very whose dark complexion gave
unhampered and uninter-
long before we realized that the him an Oriental look. Hardly
shortage of prayer books — in had he introduced himself as a
rupted, your rights and
fact all religious requisites—
student from Baku when Sima
privileges
as an American
prayer shawls, calendars, mezu- intervened and asked him not
zot — was most acute every-
to disturb us. To our utter sur-
are secure!
where. A small pocket calendar
the
Jewish
year
costs
$2.
A
i
prise
he
took
no
notice
of
her.
of
Instead he began reciting whole
prayer book can cost anything sections from well-known Sab-
up to 200 rubles, a quarter of bath hymns—`Lecha dodi likrat
a worker's monthly wage. To kala .. ."Yigdal Elohim
buy a prayer shawl one has to chai . . .' He spoke so rapidly
pay as much as 1,500 rubles, and in such a confused manner
which is the equivalent of a that it took us a little while
doctor's pay for five weeks. until we realized that the man
These old men live on a pension
was reciting in Hebrew.
of no more than 300 to 700
"Sima again reprimanded the
rubles a month."
Describing a visit to the Jew- fellow. He responded by snatch-
ish theater, again attracting at- ing the Hebrew newspaper pro-
tention by their Jerusalem skull truding from my pocket and be-
caps, Shashar relates how "the gan reading out letters—`Beth
barrier of silence" - again was . . Kuf . . . Shin . . ."From
broken when a young couple where do you know all this?' I
THE JEWISH NEWS
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asked. 'From my mother,' he
stepped up to them:
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replied,
'my
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I
". 'It is good to see you,' said
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the boy. 'We have never seen of us.' This said, he started to
Gentlemen:
Please
send
The
Jewish
News
to:
sing
a
Purim
melody,
followed
Israelis before. Keep strong!'
by Filling in
Then there was the man of by a recitation of the names of
Name
about 40 who drew us aside the celestial angels — Gabriel,
or
Calling
Raphael,
Michael
.
.
.
In
reply
Address
in the foyer and told us that
our shoes needed repairing. to my question whether he ever
State............ I
Zone
City
attended
a
synagogue,
he
made
am a shoemaker,' he said,
0
Enclose $5.00
I
and handed us a note upon a gesture with his hand indi-
Please give name of sender
which his address was scrib- cating that he used to go as a
Name
child.
'But
I
am
circumcized,'
bled This was his way of tell-

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