Time passed in this way, until the month of Tishrei arrived. My husband’s turn to receive packages occurred on the day before Rosh Hashanah and on the day before Yom Kippur. This was comforting as I would be able to send him various foods—meat and fish—which would remind him somewhat of Yom Tov at home.
In anticipation of Yom Kippur, I secretly requested from a Jewish doctor that worked there that he pay a visit my husband. Indeed, late at night after Yom Kippur and havdalah he visited my husband’s cell, handed him a cigarette—quite a treat under the circumstances—and spent some time with him observing how he ate as he broke his fast.
One day, on an afternoon in the month of Cheshvan, a young man entered our home. He ascended the steps, walked into our apartment, and went straight to the dining room. He asked no one for directions; it was as if he knew the house well. The young man seated himself on a chair and introduced himself by asserting that if I breathe a word to anyone about his visit, we will both be in danger!
Rachel, the girl who stayed in our home for many years, was present in the room when the man entered.
—She was so devoted to us that she had pleaded with the NKVD agents that they arrest her and spare the Rav, insisting that she will gladly, with all her heart, be imprisoned in his place for the entire term of his sentence.—
When the young man noticed her, he said that “her presence did not concern him, and proceeded to state that he wished to convey regards from “Levik Zalmanovitch.” It is impossible to express in writing the feelings that I experienced at that moment…
He continued: “Your husband gave me an exact description of your home so that I would not need to ask anyone for directions, and would go unnoticed. Levik Zalmanovitch was thirty-two days in solitary confinement and on the thirty-third day I was confined to that cell with him.”
He was a Christian, and an engineer, who was released after sixth months of incarceration. Before his release, he promised my husband that as soon as he would return home and change out of his prison uniform, he would bring regards from him. This he did, and immediately came to our home.
He related that he had spent the month of Tishrei together with my husband. “As long as live, I will never forget his Yom Kippur. He wept and cried out aloud the entire day, reciting chapters of Psalms by heart until late at night. He didn’t say a single word to me the entire day, and I didn’t have the courage to initiate a conversation.”
Later, when we were already in exile, my husband told me that not having a siddur or machzor on that Yom Kippur he, he recited what he remembered by heart—which was enough to keep him occupied for the entire day.
“Of what crime has my husband been accused?” I asked. “He built a “meeka” (i.e., a mikveh) in the courtyard of the synagogue—this is what he is being accused of. The shammes (beadle) had divulged some information about him.”
Indeed, at that time there were discussions about building a mikveh. The shammes of the shul had disclosed that the Rav had raised a large sum of money to build it. He also testified that there was a collection in our home, on Simchas Torah, for Tukhachevsky’s and Bukharin’s widows, and that the main solicitor had been my husband, of blessed memory.
In order to confirm this testimony, they brought together the witnesses and my husband for a joint, face-to-face interrogation. The moment the shammes and a shochet—who was also in prison—saw my husband they repudiated their earlier testimony, declaring that they had only signed because they had been placed under duress.
Then the engineer said to me, since sending notes is forbidden, find a way to inform your husband whether Rosh Chodesh of the month of Kislev will be celebrated this year for one day, or two. “This question is weighing heavy on him. It is connected to the Maccabees.” He meant to say that it was related to the festival of Chanukah.
Read the rest of part 3 in the links below
+ Orogoanl Yiddish / Hebrew
+ English
+ French
+ Russian
It’s so wonderful to read stories about our Rebbeim and their holy Rebbetzins. It’s a real inspiration to read about the real-life, human things that they went through. Thank you for posting.
this article is written in the book “a mother in israel”
its about rebbetzin chana and her husband.
BRHS of CH had to read it.
Powerful. thank you for posting.
Students in boys’ schools would do well to read it as well.
Thanks for posting!
This should be required materiel to read in all Lubavitch girl high schools.
thanks for posting