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November 05, 2004 - Image 81

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2004-11-05

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An Extraordinary Life

Warren Kozak with
Rabbi Haskel Besser:
The relationship "has
turned into one of
the loveliest and
closest friendships
of my entire life,"
says the author:

Author profiles a deeply religious man at home in the secular world.

everywhere, and the younger Besser
often went along to visit other well-
known rebbes. "I was sitting like I'm
sitting with you," he explains.
hen Rabbi Haskel Besser
While he feels a great responsibility
was a child, he wanted to
to honor and preserve that past and
become the conductor of
pass it on, he's also committed to
an orchestra. That was before the
engaging in contemporary life. He
European Chasidic world in which he
doesn't speak, as he says Americans do,
grew up turned upside down.
of "the fun of life," but rather, he
Instead, he is a rabbi who leads a
states, "I like the joy of life."
shtiebel, a small Orthodox shut, on
The family was able to get out of
Manhattan's Upper West Side. And he
Poland in 1939, and resettled in Tel
has become an adviser and confidante
Aviv. In 1949, he moved his family to
of government officials, business and
New York. Like his father, Rabbi
civic leaders and rabbis around the
Besser has had success in business.
world. The story of his remarkable
Walking around the Upper West
accomplishment is told warmly by
Side now, Rabbi Besser still sees
journalist Warren Kozak in The Rabbi
of 84th Street: The Extraordinary Life of glimpses of what was once a European
neighborhood, in which he immedi-
Haskel Besser (HarperCollins; $24.95).
ately
felt at home. In 1952, he began
This writer catches up with Rabbi
attending the shtiebel across from his
Besser in the study of his apartment
home, was soon appointed its presi-
on West 84th Street. Through the
dent and, in 1966, was asked to
leafy trees outside of his window, one
become rabbi of the congregation. He
can see the entrance to Congregation
agreed under several stipulations,
B'nai Yisrael Chaim, or as it's known
among them that he would receive no
in the neighborhood, "Rabbi Besser's."
salary.
The study is, of course, filled with
The book describes Rabbi Besser's
books.
early
life, his time in Israel when he
religious
texts,
but
sforim,
Not only
married his wife and his efforts after
on his table are several titles he's read-
the war to seek out the stories of sur-
ing in English, including a book on
vivors. Although he began traveling in
Polish Jewry and Mendelssohn: A Life
Europe in 1946, he didn't go back to
in Music, a recent biography of the
Poland until 1977, when he returned
composer. Even the baby grand piano
to Katowice. His mission was to find
in an adjacent room has piles of books
the grave of the Radomsker rebbe,
overflowing its surface.
shot
by Nazi soldiers in 1942.
Around the study are framed photo-
It took him many hours in the heav-
graphs of well-known rabbis, includ-
ily damaged Warsaw cemetery over
ing the late Rabbi Aharon Kotler, and
two separate trips to Poland to locate
a photo of Rabbi Besser's father with
his rebbe, the Radomsker rebbe, Rabbi the gravestone. It had no writing on it,
as there were no Jews left in Warsaw
Haskel Rabinowitz. He has few
on the anniversary of the Radomsker
belongings from his childhood home
rebbe's death. Rabbi Besser rebuilt the
in Katowice, Poland, other than some
site
and had the names of the rebbe
Kiddush cups and a stately silver
and his family inscribed. He eventual-
menorah that the family managed to
ly rebuilt more than 60 rabbinic
ship out in 1939.
tombs in Warsaw.
Rabbi Besser, now 81, embraces sev-
While he became very involved over
eral worlds. He speaks affectionately of
the next years in restoring and main-
the world in which he grew up, "in
the center of Judaism," where his fam- taining cemeteries, he got a message,
ily frequently hosted 40 people at their through his wife, from his friend, the
Lubavitcher rebbe, who advised that
Shabbat table. His home was filled
he should remember the living and
with culture as well as religious pas-
not just those no longer living.
sion.
He heeded these words, and by
His father, who was much respected
1985, he was traveling to Poland
for his wealth, generosity and intelli-
monthly to lecture and also make
gence, would accompany his rebbe

SANDEE BRAWARSKY

Special to the Jewish News

W

inroads with the government.
While in Vienna for an
Agudah meeting, he first met
Ronald Lauder, then American
ambassador to Austria.
The two men have since shared a
deep friendship and working part-
nership; Rabbi Besser has been
intensively involved in the efforts of
the Lauder Foundation to help
Eastern European Jews. Most week-
days, Rabbi Besser is in his office at
the foundation.
For almost 50 years, Rabbi Besser
has been very involved in Agudah, the
Orthodox organization. He has con-
centrated his efforts on, among other
things, the Talmud and is the initiator
of a widespread effort to have people
study a page of Talmud daily, as had
been done in Europe. He also spear-
headed a project to produce small-size
editions of the Talmud that people
could carry with them.
A photo in the book shows a crowd-
ed Madison Square Garden in New
York in 1997, with more than 20,000
men celebrating the completion of the
daily study of the Talmud over 7 1 /2
years; 70,000 people watched the
event on television.
Another photograph in the book
shows the rabbi in 1960, skiing in St.
Moritz. He explains that in Europe, it
was customary for Chasidim to ski.
Here, it is more unusual, although he
has one bearded Chasidic cousin in
America who pursues his interest in
skiing.
Through the book's account of the
many people Rabbi Besser befriends,
in so many different walks of life, it's
clear that he has a true gift for friend-
ship.
When asked about this, he answers
simply, "I love people. This is conta-
gious."
Kozak first met Rabbi Besser in
1988 while writing a PBS documen-
tary on the 50th anniversary of
Kristallnacht, sponsored by Lauder.
When he visited Lauder's offices, he
was startled to see a man in Chasidic
garb working there. Rabbi Besser
promptly invited Kozak into his office,
and — over the course of their 15-year
friendship — into his world.
Kozak was a frequent guest at the
Bessers' Shabbat table and also spent

many holidays with the extended fam-
ily, especially when he was single.
"There was always a place for me,"
says Kozak, now married and the
father of a young daughter.
A member of Congregation B'nai
Jeshurun on the Upper West Side,
Kozak now frequents Rabbi Besser's
shtiebel, Congregation B'nai Yisroel
Chaim, more often than he goes to BJ,
drawn by the "incredible warmth of
the community."
Kozak, who has written for network
news anchors and written and pro-
duced pieces for NPR and PBS, as
well as for newspapers and magazines,
is now working as a special assistant to
Lauder, writing speeches and position
papers.
Writing this book has affected
Kozak profoundly, he says, speaking
with great respect for the rabbi and his
family. "I was always going in the
direction of a strong belief in God,
and it helped solidify that."
He also has gained "a belief and
acceptance of people who are religious
and believe in God," which, he points
out, "is something a lot of my friends
who consider themselves tolerant are
not tolerant of."
Their relationship, he says, "has
turned into one of the loveliest and
closest friendships of my entire life,
and it's a friendship I never would
have expected — a self-described
Conservative Jewish baby boomer and
an elderly Chasidic Rabbi. On paper,
it doesn't seem to fit. In reality, it fits
just right."



Warren Kozak speaks 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 11, at the Jewish
Community Center in Oak Park.
(248) 967-4030.

11/ 5
2004

57

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