*************** ********5-DIGIT 029)l 2239 li/3J/8 ft 34 7 R. I. 2Ei,JSH HIS JR I CAL ;sSSOCIATION Inside: Local News, pages 2-3 130 SESSIONS ST. Opinion, page 4 P~O~lDENCE, R'. 02906 Around Town, page 8 THE ONLY ENGL/SH--JEW!SH WEEKLY IN R./. AND SOUTHEAST MASS. VOLUME LXXV, NUMBER 41 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1988 35¢ PER COPY The Sons of ,Jacob Synagogue is as the Baal Koreh, Torah reader, at various chassidic t<!xts. Yea riv. he the oldest "shul" in Rhode Island Mishkan Tefilah. He also would complete a tractat.e in the A New Beginning outside of the Touro Synagogue in co- published a brn,k with Rabbi Gomorah so that first-born men Newport. Conveniently located Mendel Alperin. The book. called would not have l<i fast the day of nea r downtown and the Marriott Se/er Dvash, was written to relate Passover. He a lso completed Hotel. the Sons of Jacob became the Torah insighLs of his studying all 14 volumes of the place where ,Jewish father-in-law, Rav Shabse Alperin. Maimonides Mishne Torah in one husinessmen depended on fo r a of blessed memory. year. and made a community-wide <laily minyan. Over the years, the While other men Rabbi Drazin's "siyum" lo help celebrate the Synagogu~ has hosted visitors age have retired or at least slowed Anniversary of Maimonides hirth. coming to Providence for the down. he has continued wo rking at While his future plans have yet -Jewelry Show and American Math a young man's pace. This may have lo be finalized. he hopes to return Society meetings, as weJJ as private unwillingly been the cause of his lo Providence et some point to hu,iness tri ps. It a lso played host move from Providence. While visit old friends and make new lo hundreds of area schrn,I visit ing his son in Los Angeles ones. In the meantime. he can be ehi ldren. who visited the ea rlier this year, Rabbi Drazin contacted at 90:ll Alcott St., Apts. Synagogue to learn about the world suffered a coronary at tack. A 104. Los Angeles. Calif. 900:l:,. of their fathers. procedure called an angioplasty Among Hesides serving as the Rav and was performed on the West Coast. the chasidim, there is a custom never to say goodby; the Baal Tefilah of the Weekday At the lime. his doctors advised reason being that the entire ,Jewish M inyan. Habhi Drazin served as him to return to Lo~ Angeles for nation is truly like one hody. Even I he Cantor during the High more tests and treatment. Holidays. After services. he would On Sunday. August 21. Rabbi though Rahhi Orazin has left Providence, his actions serve as a walk several miles from the Sons of Drazin and his beloved wife. shining example, and still -laroh ,Synagogue to his Fifth Hert.ha. left Providence for influence many people today. In Si ree l home. For the lasl six years. C'alifornia. He takes with him a Ari hur Hobbins provided a room at lifetime of learning. His regimen resJx>nse, the entire ,Jewish {'ommunity would like to say the Marriott for Rabbi Drazin 's included learning Chumash. "Thank you~"; and we wish you use during the High Holidays. Tehillim, Tanya, Hambam, A quiet. unassuming man. Rabbi M ishna and/or Gomorah. (Oaf and your family well. wit.h many years of good health and grn,d luck. Moshe Drazin never got involved HaYomil. halacha l'mMtsa 11 nrl in I he "politics" of Providence .Jewish Life. Rather, he preferred to work in the background, , tren!(t hening Yiddishkeit any way lw could . From the time he first moved in to Zlota Bromberg's house on ,Jenkes and Pratt, to his house on Olney and Prospect . to 12 ( ;oddard S t. and fin ally 2:l4 Fifth St.. he waged a one-man Mitzvah ----. ( 'ampaign. Rabbi Morris Drazin In 1958, he and Rabbi Zvi Hersh In the Torah, we find that the ransacked and destroyed. Galinsky organized the Chevra ,Jewi,sh people took 42 journeys With their young son, Shabse. Kadi,ha. and turned the Burial from the time they first left Egypt they ultimately ended up in Society into one of the strongest to lhe time they entered the Land Ferenwald. a displaced persons such institutions in New England. of Israel. According to our sages, camp near Munich, which was run Rabbi Drazin also acted as I hese journeys signify various by the United Nations Relief "volunteer" mashgiach and stages on a spiritual path as well, a Agency. They stayed in Ferenwald "unofficial" Rabbi of the Jewish path each person must take during for six months, until they were able Home. Every Shabbos, he would the course of his/her own lifetime. to arrange for passage to the walk to the Home and learn Pirke The number forty-two is United States. Rabbi Drazin and Avos with the residents. siJ{nificant because it represents his family were brought to America One of his best-known activities the profound concept of using one's through the efforts of Rabbi was bikur cholim, visiting the sick. ,Jewish essence to maximize both Mendel Alperin, Mr. and Mrs. In 1950, Rabbi Drazin and Max time (seven days of the week) and Ruvain Gordon and Mr. and Mrs. Greenberg began visiting patients space (the four directions, up and Liher Bain. Aft.er taking the at the Miriam Hospital. This <!own). The number forty-two is second boat of refugees from t rad it. ion continued uninterrupted , also identified with one of the Holy Ferenwald. Rabbi Drazin came to for :is years. In addition to M_iriam ·. names of the Creator. the U.S. on July 15, 1946. Hospital, he also provided Sn it is especially fitting that After arriving in New York, chaplaincy services at the Rhode Habbi Moshe Drazin is taking Rabbi Drazin and his family went Island Hospital and at Roger leave of Rhode Island in his to Worcester to stay with relatives. Williams Hospital. Over the years, forty-second year of service to the There, the young Rabbi saw an ad Rabbi Drazin provided kind words, community. In many ways. Rabbi in a ,Jewish paper looking for a comfort and prayer to thousands of Temple Schedules For The Drazin exemplified the Rabbinic sho,·hent t.o move to Providence. people, both Jews and non-Jews ideal of one who combines learning He answered the ad, and was given alike. With his phenomenal High Holy Days with "Derech Rretz," worldly a two-year contract by the Vaad memory, Rabbi Drazin would oft.en involvement. Ha Kasruth. That contract recall the circumstances, and the pages 12-13 As a Shochet. Rabbi Moshe ultimately lasted until 1967, when actual date, when he and his Drazin worked for the Vaad the Greylawn Poultry Company "patients" first met.. HaKashrut of Providence for 21 stopped slaughtering chickens in As a local "sofer," Rabbi Drazin years. As a religious studies Providence. At the height nf the would check Sifrei Torah for teacher. he helped dozens of boys act ivitv. Rabbi Drazin and the various congregations in New Rosh Hashanah prepare for their bar mitzvahs. As a other · schoctim would slaughter Eni:land. He also checked the chasid, he spent his time I 800 chickens a week. kashrus of Tefillin and Mezuzot Messages performing mitzvos. And as a Rav, In addition tn his daily for all those who came to him. he was the spiritual leader of the oc·cupation, Rabbi Drazin became Some of his other activities Kovner Shu), the Sons of Zion and I he spiritual leader of the included arranging for the bris pages 20-21 most recently, Sons of ,Jacob. ( 'ongregation Anshei Kovna in milah of newly-arrived Russian Rabbi Drazin was born and 1948. For almost 1:l years. he read boys; providing lulovim and raised in Poland. He studied in the Torah. taught tne members esrogim to families; hosting various Yeshivos. including the and performed all the duties nf students from Brown University Lubavitch Yeshiva in Warsaw. Habhi . When the property was for Shabbos and Sukkos; and During World War II, he and his taken over to make way for 1-95. maintaining an extensive reminder wife spent almost three years in Anshei Kovna combined with Sons service for yahrzeits. Rabbi White Russia, living like gypsies of Zion. Rabbi Drazin then served Drazin 's wife often helped out in wandering from place to place. I he Sons of Zion synagogue for ten many of these activities. A learned They lived in the woods. in barns. yea rs. until the synagogue was woman in her own riRht, she even in their own "grave." When rinsed. In 1971. Rabbi Drazin provided a friendly smile and I he War ended, they returned to became the leader of Sons of .Jacob. plenty of good food to the guests Vilna Governia, barefoot, dressed Here. he remained for the next slopping hy. in rags. only to find their home st>Vf' nlee n year~ . Since 198:l. Rabbi Drazin served • 2 - THE RHODE ISLAND HERALD, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1988 hair acce.~.rnrie.~ hosiery (__ L_o_c_a_I _N_e_w_s_ _______] lingerie Beth Sholom t-shirts Andrea Mitchell To Social Seniors Of Speak At Beth-El Warwick Sisterhood jewelry The Social Seniors of Warwick Congregation Beth Sholom The Benefactors Fund ,1f handbags will hold a meeting Wednesday, Sisterhood is proud to announce Temple Beth-El will sponsor an September 14 at I p.m. at Temple our new slate of officers for the bookbags evening with NBC News White Am David.