Russian Olim see local Kollel grow from strength to strength

Jerusalem - 20-Feb-06

Hundreds of miles to the south of Moscow and far away from the main centres of Jewish life in what was once the Soviet Union lies proof that the spirit of Torah learning is once again gaining a strong foothold in Russia. 

This was the message that Rav Michoel Fruhmin, Rav Beit Haknesset d'Saratov and the city's Rosh Kollel Rav Shimon Levin, came to tell former members of the Saratov kehillah last week in Eretz Yisroel.

Rav Fruhmin and Rav Levin came to Israel together with a group of rabbanim, avreichim and ba'ale batim to visit many of those who left Saratov more than ten years previously and the similarity between the two groups was evident for all to see.

This was a remarkable chance to discuss the miraculous re-birth of Torah-true yiddishkeit in Saratov, where the kollel is today the centre of a flourishing frum kehilla.

The centrepiece of the trip, which included visits to the m'komot hakedoshim in Yerushalayim and to many yeshivot and batei midrash, was a special ceremony held in Ramot, now home to many of those who previously were part of the Saratov kehilla.

Held at the "Mishkan Shraga" shul in Ramot, the ceremony brought together many rabbanim whose life work has been building yiddishkeit in the former Soviet Union. These included Rav Benzion Zilber, head of the Toldot Yeshurun organisation, Rav Moshe Lebel, Rosh Yeshivat Torat Chaim and Rabbinical Director of the Conference of European Rabbis; Rav Yigal Polischuk, Rav Yaacov Baum and representatives of "Ner Le'elef".

Despite the negative attention of the Communist authorities in Saratov throughout much of the 20^th century which reached a low point during the infamous "Doctors' Trial" when the shul was forced to shut for so-called safety reasons, the kehilla never ceased to operate thanks to the tremendous mesirat nefesh of its own members.

Through their works keeping alive the flame of Torah Judaism in Saratov, the land was made ready when the spectre of Communism finally crumbled in the early 1990's.

Jews from all parts of Saratov flooded back to the shul so that today the city represents one of the centres of Torah Judaism in Russia.

According to Rav Fruhmin, the visit to Israel and the re-uniting of former and current members of the Saratov kehilla bears witness to the constant flowing of yiddishkeit in the community.

And as the rosh kollel, Rav Levin, pointed out, the groundwork for the kehilla was really laid in 1958 with the building of a mikve for the community.

Rav Levin told the tekes in Ramot how during this period, almost all the mikvaot in russia were destroyed or left in disrepute while the penalty for building a new mikve was a certain prison sentence.

"But even though many people said they should not annoy the authorities, the rabbonim of the time in Saratov refused to give up," Rav Levin said.

Ultimately, all the fears were set aside by the chance appearance of Rav Shmarya Marinowsky who stopped off in Saratov while travelling from Tashkent to Moscow.

Rav Marinowsky went into the shul and there he met a member of the kehilla by the name of Friedman who invited the rav to stay over at his home.

The rav told him that he must build a mikve and later Friedman himself with the help of others in the community began work by night digging a hole to serve as the basis for the mikve.

The authorities were told they were building a bath house for hygienic purposes and the work continued until Saratov had a kosher mikve k'dat u'chdin.

Today, the same mikve is being renovated as part of the 10 Mikve Project in the Former Soviet Union under the auspices of the Conference of European Rabbis while the kehilla continues to thrive with some 2,500 Jews in the city.