56 Friday, January 4, 1980
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Torah Mezion: Israeli School Designed to Aid Russian Emigres
affected — young and old,
intellectual and worker, as-
Deprived of their freedom
similated or secretly obser-
to practice Judaism openly,
vant. When the truth about
and denied the right to op-
Israel's victory trickled into
erate Jewish schools, it is
the USSR there was, as
Grilius puts it, a "Zionist
little wonder that many
Soviet Jews have assimi-
explosion. I remember look-
lated.
ing for Jewish literature in
Jews who seek to discover
the university libraries.
their roots in Russia must
There was none. It was as if
do so underground. But
we didn't exist. Then letters
there is a chronic shortage
started reaching us from the
of books, and a high turn-
West and Israel describing a
•
over in teachers. That Rus-
.1.4,--4,••• •
world of which we knew
sian Jews come to Israel
nothing."
Shimon Griulius at
with a basic knowledge of Torah Mezion.
One of the reactions to
Hebrew is nothing short of a
these growing revela-
miracle.
who really understand what tions was to openly wor-
However those who are
ship as Jews. Overnight
is happening inside Rus-
activists and are impris-
Jews began congregat-
sia." The idea is eventually
oned are generally the ones
ing at sites of Jewish
to produce the kind of mate-
who arrive in Israel with a
cemeteries, previously
rial that is really needed to
profound belief in their
neglected. For many this
publicize the Soviet Jewry
Jewishness. These facts
was the first time they
issue abroad, to counter the
have become the basis for a
met with other Jews in
negative propaganda about
unique Jerusalem institu-
large numbers, and for
Israel in the USSR, and to
tion — the Torah Mezion In-
most it was the first time
explain as forcefully as
stitute.
they heard prayers in
possible that Israel is the
Torah Mezion was only real home for Russian
Hebrew. Even the few
co-founded by Shimon Jews.
remaining synagogues
Grilius, a former Pris-
started
to hold services.
Within this framework,
oner of Zion, aided by a
Grilius describes the condi-
"And all the while the
publicity-shy philan-
tion of Soviet Jewry today. omnipotent KGB Jewish
thropist, Rabbi Oliphant.
"Very simply put," says Affairs Directorate moni-
The Institute is temporar-
Grilius, "the Jews of Russia tored these activities. This
ily located at the ITRI
are facing a Holocaust, in- was the period when under-
Yeshiva campus in the
evitable and unstoppable." ground Jewish education
southern part of To support this statement, grew strong. Hebrew
Jerusalem.
he produces a photograph of classes began anew in towns
"We are honored guests
a man in his late 40's, head and cities once rich in
here," says Grilius, a short completely shaved, and Jewish culture. Any scrap of
young man with a flowing
dressed in ragged prison information about Israel
ginger beard and piercing
garb. "This," he says "is me was hoarded. More and
eyes. "We have 30 students five years ago in prison in more Russian Jews re-
studying Torah, philosophy,
Mordovia."
quested visas for Israel, and
history, and ethics. We are
Not content with this the numbers of young men
not trying to turn Russian
refusing to serve in the Red
double
shock,
Grilius
be-
olim into Orthodox Jews.
gins his personal recita- Army and insisting instead
We are merely trying to
tion of the struggle of on their right to live in Is-
help them find themselves.
Soviet Jews. "The gener- rael rose sharply.
"That Torah is a central
ation born after the last
In June 1970, a group of
feature of our course should
Holocaust had their first Jews planned the hijack of a
not be a surprise. After all,
the language of the Torah is lesson about being a Jew Soviet plane to Israel and
in Russia during were caught. Two of the
also the language of every-
Khrushchev's liberaliza- group received death sen-
day life in Israel," he says.
tion period in the late tences, subsequently com-
While Torah Mezion has
yet to receive financial sup- '50s and early '60s. muted to_ 15-year prison
Khrushchev opened the terms. And with this the
port, this should only be a
gates of Stalin's camps Soviet authorities com-
matter of time, Grilius feels.
and
in the flood of retur- menced a crackdown on all
"After all, it isn't as if we
nees were many Jews Jewish activities.
proposed some ideas in writ-
who had been presumed
Despite what Grilius de-
ing for a prospective project.
lost for good.
scribes as a basic U.S. gov-
We already exist. Our pro-
ernment
sellout to Russia in
gram is running, and the
That they had survived
was impressive in itself. But 1975, during the detente
waiting list from Russia and
in Israel is constantly grow-
when we heard how they talks in Moscow (in which a
had survived, it seemed to fixed quota of visas to Israel
ing," Grilius said.
ignite a spark inside us. was agreed upon, but never
The idea has been so
Somehow they had kept adhered to) Russian Jewry
successfully received,
that Rabbi Benyamin Ef-
Shabat, and had even eaten continued its struggle.
grass and roots rather than
rati of the renowned
For Russians the prob-
eat non-kosher food."
Hadera Yeshiva, decided
lems really begin when
to join the Institute's
One of the returnees was they finally reach Tsrael.
staff.
Grilius' own father. Ar- "In Russia today, Jews
"The Institute has many
rested in 1949 for helping are faced with a serious
aims," Grilius continues. "It
Jews to escape to Poland en dilemma. So many lack a
route to Israel, he was sen- basic Jewish education,
has no predecessor in at-
tempting to use Jewish
tenced to 25 years in- the that being Jewish is
Kalmykskaya prison col- meaningless. They re-
studies to show Russian
Jews another way of inte-
ony. He was released in gard getting to the West
gration into Israel."
1961. The returnees kindled — and especially to the
Torah Mezion plans to re-
a slow process of question-
U.S. where they have
activate the ex-activists
ing among the younger gen- been taught for nearly a
now living in Israel. "We eration.
century now that money
Then came the Six-Day falls from heaven — as
want to create a pool of ex-
perienced former activists,
War. All Soviet Jews were the real goal.
By SHAUL USSISHKIN
From Israel Digest
For many the reality of
Israel's economic situation
as it has developed since the
Yom Kippur War is a major
factor. Drawn by the mate-
rialism of the West, and
comparing the wage scales
in Israel, Europe, and the
U.S., they decide that Israel
is not the answer.
On the other hand there
are those Jews who main-
tain their Jewish aware-
ness, but lack a channel for
expression. They put all
their efforts into their work.
It is an obsession, a religion
for them. But once they
apply for an exit visa they
are dismissed from their
jobs. They are ostracized,
and their families are har-
rassed.
"On arrival in Israel
many discover that their
professions are not needed
here. They have to be re-
trained. Not all of them
know Hebrew, and there-
fore have no common lan-
guage with their fellow Is-
raelis, no basic concept of
where they are, who they
are, or what they are.
"They start complain-
ing about the lack of
things they -could not
possibly have had in
Russia, like a car or an
apartment. And I get
angry with them. Then I
realize that they are
really like fish out of
water. The whole prob-
lem is like a disease
which should be treated
at its source —in Russia."
"Torah Mezion is de-
signed to start the treat-
ment by providing basic
knowledge to Jews still in
Russia. It can be done, there
are all sorts of ways. So Rus-
sian Jews can start learning
about themselvei before
they leave Russia. Here in
Israel the Institute offers an
opportunity for those who
want to find out who they
really are, and help them
find their real place in Is-
raeli society."
There are many Jews in
Russia and Israel eager for
the type of help the Institute
can provide. One is Moshe
Pantilat from Moscow. A
history teacher, Pantilat
wrote to Grilius in October
1978 describing a school of
40 chldren of "refusniks"
in which he taught Jewish
history.
He wrote that he had
heard about the Institute
and hoped that when he got
his visa he would be able to
study there. Meanwhile he
asked for material. Pantilat
received his visa in Novem-
ber and came straight from
Moscow to Jerusalem.
Another family called
Barg is in constant tele-
phone and letter contact
with the Institute. Barg
recently announced that
he had begun keeping
Shabat and kashrut, lay-
ing tefilin and learning
prayers. He startled
Grilius in one letter by
telling how a month prev-
iously he performed his
own brit mila. Appar-
ently there are virtually
no mohelirn left in Mos-
cow. He too, expressed a
wish to • study at Torah
Mezion as soon as he can
leave Russia.
Among the students pre-
sently studying at the Insti-
tute is a doctor of radio-
electronics, Vitali
Ashkenazi, who is fulfilling
a life's dream by studying
Jewish philosophy.
Shlomo Nahat is a
pioneer who with a group of
Russian olim tried to start a
settlement on the Golan
Heights. The venture failed
explains Nahat, "because
we had little idea of the
reality of being Jews in the
land of Israel. Now I study
here."
Shmuel Finkelman, an
agronomist, appeared at the
Institute one day with his
17:year-old son Avraham.
He wanted to enroll Av-
raham in a study course at
Torah Mezion, and found
himself enrolling along
with his son.
Finally, there is Zvi
Fried, a 19-year-old or-
phan from Minsk, and
one of the city's activists
in Jewish youth affairs.
After only 6 months in Is-
rael, most of it at Torah
Mezion, his Hebrew is
perfect.
For an increasing number
of Russian Jews the an-
swers to questions about
their past and the key to
their future is to be found in
education. The Torah Mez-
ion Institute is giving them
just this.
Women Instructors Are Fighting
Israel Army Manpower Problem
By BETTY SIGLER
World Zionist
Organization
JERUSALEM — "Who's
the chick buying out all the
face cream?" Corporal Nis-
sim asked an old friend
whom he met in the canteen
on his first evening in the
Israel Army's physical
training facility.
"That's a chick? That's a
panther," his friend set him
right. "She's Top Sergeant
Andrea, the senior PT in-
structor. She starts each
day with a six-mile run. She
can get through two natural
disasters a day!"
"Two what?"
"Two graduation exer-
cises, the stiffest test in the
book. You run four miles
with full pack. Then come
the swamp, the dunes and
the water barrier. Then you
shimmy down a cliff,
scramble up the Marines
net and take an uphill run.
Then you're ready for a
marksmanship test that
would be tough if you did it
first thing in the morning."
Nissim asked about a
blonde sergeant who was
buying lotion. "That's Orli.
She teaches sharpshoot-
ing."
Andrea and Orli, two of
the women teachers at
the Physical Training
School, are among a
growing number of
women who are teaching
in the Air Force, the
--••■•••■■•■■■■■■ .--'
Women recruits clean their weapons after firing
at the rifle range.
• • •
Ammunition Corps and
weapons system of a tank
the Armored Corps in the
once they've learned it even
Israel Army's constant
if they're not going to ride
struggle with its main
into battle."
problem, the personnel
Sergeant Miriam's spe-
shortage. Because of ciality is limbering-up exer-
their success, Army PT cises. "For a soldier who has
instruction has become
to squat for hours in a look-
largely women's work, out, trying to resemble a
one of over 200 jobs that boulder, this is important."
women do during their she tells the class, grabbing
two years of compulsory
a delicate bare foot and rais-
service.
ing it close to her ear. Hip
Women's positions in the
and knee joints crack as the
Israeli Army are behind, soldiers try to imitate her.
rather than beside the man
"They may whistle the
behind the gun. Says Col.
first evening they ar-
Dalia Raz, Commanding
rive," she said, "but from
Officer of the Women's
the first class on, they
Corps, "We don't have
hang on our words."
women attack with the
Women instructors get
commandoes, where they
more results rather than
may be captured, but there's
no reason why they can't less, maintains the base
commander. "Men feel that
teach the techniques the
if a girl can do it, they can
commandoes need, if they're
suitably trained. They can too, and they want to im-
press."
teach the structure and the