SIVAN, 5732 / MAY, 1972 VOLUME Viii, NlJMBER 5 fHE FIFTY CENTS Is There Shabbos • 1n the Soviet Union? · also: An Epitaph For Conservative Judaism • Jewish Social Service and Jewish Tradition • Crisis in the Jewish-Israeli Equation THE JEWISH OBSERVER in this issue ... Is THERE SHABHOS JN THE SOVIET UNION? Nisson Wolpin . 3 WHAT JS A JEW ... ? Yisroel Spiegel, translated by Miria1n Margoshes ....................................................... 6 JEWISH RELIGIOUS TRADITION AND JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES, JJaul Weinberger and Dorothy Z. Weinberger ........... 8 A VICTORY CENTENNIAL, Shniuel ,5inger . 13 AN EPITAPH FOR CONSERVATIVE ]UDAISJ\1 16 MY STUDENT, MY TEACHER, Elkanah Schivartz . 22 TILL SHILOH Col\1ES, a poem by Aaron Blech ..... 25 SECOND {_OOKS AT THE JEWISII SCENE WHEN ONE LOOK IS SUFFICFNT 27 THE JEWISH OBSERVER is published monthly, except July and August, l~ETTERS TO THE EDITOR 28 by the Agudath Israel of America, 5 Beekman Street, New York, New York 10038. 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Kashrus of any product or service advertised in its pages. City.... .. ................ State .... ..... Zip.... .. City...... ..... .State ........... Zip ... D Enclosed: $ .......... ~.~ .......... ... D Series I D Series II MAY, 1972 VOL. VIII, No. 5 D Bill nie: S.... D Series Ill ·~~ NiJron Wolpin Is There Shabbos in the Soviet Union? When l entered the room, l thought Dr. Silber was inspiration from any stories you might tell. Also, they late for our appointment. The only man present that are curious-is this Jewish awakening in Russia of I did not recognize was a slender, neatly dressed, national.istic origin or does it have religious roots? bearded fellow in his mid-forties, who looked very Give them your assessment." much the typical American mesifta principal. "You want me to put courage in a test tube . .. Of I had been told that Dr. Yitzchok Silber is a brilliant course, for many there is an eleme11t of nationalism, physicist, who-unbelievably-is also thoroughly versed but I can say that it is surely more than that. in all volumes of the Talmud; who defied Soviet au­ "The first American visitor that l ever met-it was thorities for years, keeping Shabbos while he studied, on a Shabbos Mikeitz-quoted Joseph's query in the taught, and helped prepare the launching of Sputnik l; weekly portion: 'Js your father liying? Do you have who spent years in prison; who immigrated to Israel brothers? Does our Father in heaven still live in your this past February, and was now in America for a hearts? Do you know that you have brothers in Amer­ brief visit. ica?'-So he had asked me. Tell your readers in my The stranger seemed neither the worldly scientist nor name, and on behalf of those l left behind: Yes, we the freshly released fugitive. But after our introduction, still have our Father in heaven. And we know of our and in the course of our three hour discussion, I was brothers in America. ... Tell them!" he repeated, treated to a man throbbing with Yiddishkeit, as un­ grabbing my arm. daunted by Soviet oppression as it was untarnished by American materialism. -References to a passage from Then he tugged at my sleeve, and added, "And tell Jeremiah or Amos or an obscure Midrash were backed it to them with warmth. .." by free-flowing quotations from the original.-He could Dr. Silber then began to rerninisce. His stories dealt not fathom the function of a Yeshiva banquet souvenir with quiet heroism of a personal nature and brazen journal which was lying on the table. ("It runs counter defiance on the part of individuals as well as masses. to everything l was taught about 'Hatzne'a leches­ In total they spelled out a determination on the part and ye shall walk modestly with thy G-d!' ") of the most estranged Russian Jew to find his Jewish "What do you want to know?" he asked me in core, and a will for spiritual survival by all. fluent, r;chly accented Yiddish. "What shall l tell your The few tales recorded here describe a sampling American readers?" from the constant battle to keep Shabbos. Rather than "They want to hear of a living Yiddishkeit in de­ despair, they signal victory, simply because the battle fiance of an atheistic system. I'm sure they'll draw is being waged. Shamor: Guard the Shabbos from desecration them aside by playing absent-minded professor. When I knew of a Shabbos inspection in advance, I would bandage my hand the day before, to I gave up my career in physics to teach mathematics appear incapacitated. Then I could be a "good because I found it easier to avoid chillul Shabbos teacher" without writing. Once we had n surprise as a teacher. I must say, that even though schools inspection. The visitor was impressed with my operate six days a week in Russia, never-never!­ lesson and asked me to wtite some notes for him did I compromise the Shabbos. Students always on it. I was in a sweat. I never wrote on Shabbos and did the writing on the chalkboards. I even entered I did not intend to. Nor would I confess my religious my daily log-the questions I asked and my evaluation convictions to him. That would have meant sure of the students' responses-on Fridays, in advance. demotion, possible imprisonment. "Of course I I was seldom inaccurate in predicting my students' will," I told him, "but allow me to take care of a ratings. personal matter for a minute." Supervisory inspections were often on Shabbos. I left the classroom and kept on going-out of The district superintendent would sometimes review the door, off the campus, and walked the ten my log and find discrepancies, but I would wave kilometers home. Tire Jewish Observer I May, 1972 3 I met him again on Monday. "What happened to Mordechai gritted his teeth, "I'm not good with you? J waited over an hour for you!" words. You write it.'' "Oh, yes," J blushed. "J got involved in something "But it's your request. It's not for me to write it. else and forgot. How silly of me." You put it down on paper and I'll countersign." Better to be shamed in this world than in the "No. Please, you write it." \vorld-to-co1ne. "It doesn't make any sense. I can't write your request!" The dialogue continued for thirty minutes, while My wife was a graduate electrical engineer. She the visitor's mood shifted from vexation to exasperation also gave up her career to teach-for Shabbos's to fury. Finally he exploded: "Get me a pen. I'll sake. As luck would have it, her assignment sheet write it myself!" had a 3 P.M. Friday class. Jn our country, that runs into Shabbos during the winter months. She's far too spontaneous a personality to plot I was doing a term in a prison work camp. The questions in advance and predict student responses. head machinist was also local party secretary. When Consequently her classroom log was blank. Her he checked his new "recruits," he pulled me aside: 1 head-teacher caught wind of it, and reported her ' Zhid?" inefficiency to the supervisor. This was late Friday. "Da." She stayed at the school overnight and all day "What do you need to make life liveable here?" Shahbos. Late in the afternoon, when it was sufficiently I did not hesitate: "Not to work on Shahhos." dark, she "borrowed" the custodian's key ring, and "0.K. See inc later." frantically tried all the keys till she found the one He showed me a fenced-in area. "The job is that fit the cubby where the planbooks were stored. picking up sacks of sawdust and stacking them She pulled hers out, wrote in all she could possibly in the corner. Is it permissablc for you to carry here?" remember from all the classes to date, slipped it This time I hesitated. This was not digging or back in place, and locked the cubby. carrying-merely moving 1nateria1, hut halachically First thing Monday, the head-teacher grabbed her it couldn't be used on Shabbos and was therefore plan hook and showed it to the supervisor. He muktzah. I told him my reservation. He smiled. thun1bcd through the pages. "Very impressive," "Then you'll be my secretary." the supervisor said, "but J don't see what you were co1nplaining about.'' J did not accept his offer for fear of exposing our "understanding." I was able to get a different clerical job, "hiring" substitute labor on Shahhos. Mordechai ;;"y, a simple Jew, managed a huge Again he asked me: "What can I get you to make plant-one of the largest in the country, employing life liveable?"-My wife was permitted to bring me tens of thousands of workers.