MAN OF PEACE AND MAN OF WAR

The life story of R’ Yerachmiel Benjaminson, an alumnus of Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Lubavitch and a distinguished Chabad rabbi, a genuine Chassid, a man of peace who served as rabbi in Zhlobin alongside the rabbi of the non-Chassidim in brotherly love, but who knew how to be a man of war in the Rebbe Rayatz’s war against the communists. * Part 1 of 2

Letters from the Rebbe Rayatz to Rav BenjaminsonGOING TO LUBAVITCH

Rav Yerachmiel Benjaminson was born in 5644/1884 in Beshenkowitz, Lithuania to a family that was not Lubavitch and apparently had no connection to Chassidim. In his youth, his father, who highly valued Torah study, sent him to learn in the yeshiva in Slobodka, a famous Lithuanian yeshiva.

Slobodka, which was an exceptional yeshiva by Litvishe standards, had excellent roshei yeshiva, a high level of learning, and an atmosphere of “gadlus” – a desire to learn more and more and become a gadol b’Yisroel and it attracted many brilliant students.

Yerachmiel, being a bright young man, quickly acclimated, but at a certain point he felt that something was amiss in the yeshiva system. It seems the yiras Shamayim (fear of heaven) was not on the same high level as the learning. His sincerity and refinement did not allow him to remain there and he began looking elsewhere.

The reputation of Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Lubavitch, which was founded by the Rebbe Rashab, was most favorable. The yeshiva, whose light shone over all of Russia and Poland, with its learning and conduct according to the teachings of Chassidus, and its students who were outstanding in their scholarship and fear of heaven, their genuine Ahavas Yisroel and their greatness in both Nigleh and Chassidus, appealed to him. He decided this was the yeshiva for him.

One day, he took his bag and together with a friend, they set out on the long journey to Lubavitch. He was accepted into the yeshiva and quickly integrated into the student body and became an ardent Chabad Chassid. His friend did not last there; he did not like the Chassidic practices, the meditation on the greatness of the Creator for a long time before the davening, the lengthy and late davening, and he left. But R’ Yerachmiel had found what he was looking for. He became close to his teachers and mashpiim and became mekushar to the Rebbe Rashab.

Having a very good head, he did well in his learning and he soon acquired a reputation as a genius in Nigleh, Chassidus, and Halacha. Despite his talents, the young talmid acted like a real Tamim, i.e., his behavior was modest, he loved peace exceedingly, which made him beloved to those who knew him, and most importantly – he was utterly devoted to the Rebbe.

THE SIXTH GENERATION

The Rebbe Rashab passed away on 2 Nissan 5680/1920 and his son, R’ Yosef Yitzchok, was his successor. Thus began the sixth era in Chabad, a period steeped in mesirus nefesh for Torah and mitzvos and maintaining Jewish life despite the religious persecution.

The communists and their enforcement arm, the KGB, led by the Yevsektzia, the Jewish communists, set their goal to eradicate religious life and raise a new generation of patriots of the Revolution.

The Rebbe Rayatz led the way like the pillar of fire in the desert; he feared no one. He urged his Chassidim to strengthen their Jewish commitment and even to teach and strengthen others who were afraid of the government. As is known, the Rebbe Rayatz set up an enormous secret network of chadarim, yeshivos, and mikvaos, teachers, ritual slaughterers, rabbanim and mashpiim, who kept the flame of Torah Judaism alight as much as possible in every place.

For the Yevsektzia, nothing stood in their way from carrying out their nefarious goal against religious Jews in general and Lubavitcher Chassidim in particular, who refused to drop their “antiquated” ways and enjoy the Russian “Garden of Eden.” The Chassidim slowly were crushed under the constant and cruel attacks on them, and those who persevered did so with literal mesirus nefesh.

At that time, the Rebbe Rayatz convened ten of the great Chassidim who worked with superhuman strength to carry out the Rebbe’s assignments. The Rebbe made them swear that they would not budge from their commitment to spread Torah and Judaism in Russia and that they would fight to their last drop of blood against the attempts to defile the Jewish people throughout the vast expanse of the Soviet Union. R’ Yerachmiel Benjaminson was one of those ten who committed to fighting till the end on behalf of Judaism and Jews.

THE RABBINATE IN ZHLOBIN

In 1927, R’ Yerachmiel, who was a husband and father by that time, was offered the position of rav in Zhlobin. This position became available after R’ Moshe Axelrod, the previous rav, went to serve as rav in Suraz.

Zhlobin had a rich Jewish heritage. In Chassidic history it is known as the location of the “Great Wedding” between the grandchildren of the Alter Rebbe and R’ Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev. At this time, there was a fully developed Jewish religious infrastructure in the city and it had all the requisite Jewish institutions that a Jewish community could need. In Zhlobin, the Chassidic and non-Chassidic communities lived side by side. In all the shuls they davened Nusach Ari as is the Chassidic practice and in general, there was a Chassidic atmosphere in the town. The chassidishe rabbanim, who were genuine T’mimim and mekusharim, led their k’hilla in a spirit of hiskashrus and devotion to the Rebbeim, with yiras Shamayim and Chassidishe chayus.

The city had two rabbanim. The non-Chassidic rabbi, who was older, was Rabbi Vilda. He was a great gaon, a man of stature, who descended from a family of rabbis. The younger rabbi was the Chassidic rav who ran the practical side of Jewish life. There wasn’t always peace between the two rabbis and their views diverged on a number of matters and this is how things were until 1927.

R’ Yerachmiel asked the Rebbe Rayatz about the offer and was given the Rebbe’s consent and blessing, “Mazal tov on your new position, may Hashem shower you and your holy flock with a flow of life and much blessing … and may He give you much blessing and success to sustain your flock with righteousness, to strengthen and support them with public shiurim and draw them close to all that is good and beneficial for them and their households, and teach them the ways of Torah and mitzvos… As far as your question about the manner of conduct, it is an extremely good thing because there is no vessel that contains blessing except for peace…”

We don’t know what the question about how to conduct himself was but R’ Yerachmiel was outstanding in the way he went about promoting peace in the city, something which was characteristic of him and was a central theme throughout his life, as will be described.

When he first arrived in Zhlobin, he went to greet the older rav, R’ Vilda. He told him that he had no intention of serving in a city which had “sides,” and so, if R’ Vilda agreed to his coming, then he would stay, and if not, he would leave. R’ Vilda agreed and there was peace.

R’ Mordechai Shusterman, who was a member of R’ Benjaminson’s household, described the welcome for the new rav in his book, L’Maan Yeid’u:

“I remember that when they made a welcome gathering for R’ Benjaminson in our shul there were the two rabbis, the old and the young, sitting at the head of the table. Zhlobin had not seen a sight like this since it was founded! One of the distinguished householders spoke about the statement of Chazal, ‘Torah scholars increase peace,’ and that ‘the sides had reconciled.’”

R’ Yerachmiel continued to treat the elder rabbi with respect. He would go to his house Yom Tov night to wish him “gut yom tov,” and he brought an atmosphere of peace to the city.

Everyone in the k’hilla, from old to young, greatly esteemed the new rabbi. His refined personality along with his strength in Jewish matters (as will be told), his Ahavas Yisroel and his brilliance in Torah, formed a Chassidic image that had a positive influence on the townsmen. The community in Zhlobin merited, in those turbulent times, a rav of stature who led them fearlessly.

In R’ Vilda’s house there was an old and extremely valuable library which had rare Jewish books worth a great deal. When the rabbi passed away, he bequeathed his library to R’ Benjaminson, which shows how much he admired and loved the Chassidic rabbi.

5687 – A FATEFUL YEAR

That year, 5687, was a particularly fateful year for Russian Jewry. The decrees multiplied and the cruelty of the Yevsektzia was horrendous. They closed down the chadarim, the yeshivos, shuls and mikvaos. Whoever was caught involved in spreading Judaism was sentenced to long years in Siberia. Even with those things which were legal, the Yevsektzia were “mehader” more than the Russian gentiles and arranged that the sentencing be harsh. Many Jews disappeared with no trace of what happened to them and were never heard from again.

The peak of the troubles came at the start of the summer when policemen from the Yevsektzia broke into the Rebbe’s house and took him to Spalerka, the infamous prison. Their satanic plan was for a quick and decisive end, but thank G-d, due to international pressure, they were forced to release him after a brief time.

Following the imprisonment, it was seen as imperative that the Rebbe leave Russia and at the beginning of 5688 he left for Riga.

The Chassidim who were left behind in Russia felt orphaned. Their leader, whom they trustingly followed, was far away, and they had the responsibility of carrying on under almost impossible conditions. The Rebbe Rayatz, of course, did not abandon his flock. As soon as he left Russia he set up an aid association for Russian Jews, which was in constant and secret touch with the Jewish centers in Russia. The center, although meant to help financially, also helped spiritually. The Rebbe would send encouraging letters to strengthen the morale of those fighting on the front lines.

OFFER OF
RABBANUS IN RAMEN

A little more than a year later, at the end of 5688, R’ Benjaminson was offered the rabbanus in Ramen. Ramen was a larger and more central city than Zhlobin and being the rabbi there was more prestigious. Until recently, R’ Chaim Schneersohn, descendent of the Tzemach Tzedek, had been the rav there. When he passed away, the townsmen looked for a new rabbi.

One of the important askanim in the city, the Chassid, R’ Yechezkel Greenpress, sent a letter, on behalf of the k’hilla, to the Rebbe Rayatz. At the same time, the offer was made to R’ Benjaminson who also asked the Rebbe.

In two letters that are both dated 26 Iyar 5688, the Rebbe gives his consent and blessing. In a letter addressed to R’ Yechezkel and then to the community, the Rebbe highly praises R’ Benjaminson as someone great in Torah and fear of heaven with good character, who can lead a community with patience and diligence.

In the end, the position in Ramen did not work out, here too, because of R’ Benjaminson’s fine character. He went to Ramen to see the town for himself and there he learned that the branch of Tomchei T’mimim there, which was run by R’ Yaakov Gurary, had closed down. And since he was left without a position, there were those who said that R’ Yaakov should be the rav of the town.

Hearing that, R’ Benjaminson returned to Zhlobin where he served until around 5694.

THE WAR OVER THE CITY

R’ Benjaminson, as the rav of the city, stood at the head of the young fighters, who with outstanding strength and courage maintained Jewish community life there. For the rav, it did not only entail physical danger to his life, but he had to actually oversee every little detail. He had to see to financing all the activities, pay salaries, find men who were willing to learn and teach while in danger, and send older students to secret yeshivos in various locations. He also had to see to providing for mohalim, shochtim, and mashpiim, and visit women whose husbands disappeared.

The Jewish communities were in dire material straits. They literally did not have bread to give their children, not to mention money for heating, schooling, etc. Once they shut down the shul, even if they found a new hole in the wall to have a secret minyan, there was no money to make necessary renovations. There was the association that the Rebbe Rayatz had founded outside the country, but the center could not help with anything more than a few rubles.

The KGB and their collaborators worked full force and the Chassidim were informed of yet another Chassid who had disappeared in the night. Faces drawn from hunger and frightened eyes followed the news of the missing people who, in most cases, they knew they would never see again.

R’ Benjaminson led his k’hilla fearlessly against their enemies. He established shuls, mikvaos, chadarim, melamdim, and shochtim. Instead of the melamed who was caught yesterday, the children encountered the new and frightened face of another young man who knew he was also in line …

R’ Benjaminson’s son Nachum Yosef describes those times as they were engraved in his memory as a child:

“We learned in a small, damp basement, we learned and learned, always tense, awaiting the break-in of the dreaded KGB. I remember the tension on the melamed’s face (Velvel was his name) when he taught us. Outside, one of the children stood as a sentry.

“Once, a wagon and wagon driver came and we were frightened, but he identified himself as a friend and told me that my father said I should go with him. My father then joined us and we traveled about twenty miles outside Zhlobin for a secret bris.

“We arrived at some building where a woman and baby awaited us. The father of the boy worked in a communist factory and his participation in this ceremony meant death for him. My father circumcised the baby and gave him a Jewish name. We made the seudas mitzva with mashke and a bit of cake. The father left a few rubles for my father for his devoted work. 

“This is what life was like, day in and day out, hour after hour. That wasn’t the only trip we made. My father made dozens of trips like this for dozens of Jewish neshamos and Jewish matters for which he was moser nefesh.

“I remember that one day we sat in class and learned when suddenly the boy who was on guard jumped, turned pale and trembled. Before he could say a word, our melamed had already disappeared and a moment later, the police barged in.

“There was no reason to play games. They wanted to know where the melamed was. We children had been trained and said nothing. The police took us to jail where they tried to extract the information in all sorts of ways. In the end, we withstood their interrogation and they had to free us since we were minors.”

In one of the letters that was sent to the Rebbe’s organization, R’ Benjaminson described the situation:

“… thank G-d for the kindness He did with us and He gave us K’vod K’dushas Admur Shlita, who was moser nefesh for all matters and over the last years we received help and support from the Rebbe. With their help and their urging was built, established, and strengthened, all essentials for Jewish life including mikvaos in dozens of small and large towns in our area.

“From the day the Rebbe left all the wellsprings of aid ceased and all those things constructed with much effort and toil are on the verge of collapse, G-d forbid, and urgent help is needed to maintain them in a timely fashion… and everybody’s only request is that I correspond in writing and make public their suffering by way of the Rebbe shlita… and to work for their benefit for the future as well.”

R’ Nachum Yosef said that when they somehow managed to acquire a small, secret mikva in their city, they had to clean it in order to make it appear somewhat fit for humans. Even work like this in Russia entailed mesirus nefesh, which is why R’ Benjaminson took it upon himself without regard for his status as rav of the city. He himself worked for hours to clean it so as to enable the continuity of Jewish life in the city.

Then came the day when the Yevsektzia agents arrested him, together with the shochet, and put him in jail with murderers. There in prison, his cellmates highly respected him.

After holding him and tormenting him for a week, they released him because of pressure from people in the city, including non-Jews. After his release, although he had only been in jail for a week, his family did not recognize him because of the tremendous change wrought in him.

LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT

R’ Benjaminson apparently served as rav in Zhlobin for seven years until 1934. During that time, the situation got worse and worse. The KGB kept him under surveillance and arrested him. If not for the protest by the Jews of the city who loved their rav, who knows what would have happened to him.

The k’hilla dwindled with the “help” of the authorities. The financial obligations and the need to continue working in secret became more and more difficult and complicated. It was clear that it was only a matter of time until the Yevsektzia would find the time and reason to lay their impure hands on the rav and to cruelly eradicate all Jewish life in the city.

R’ Benjaminson and his family began looking for ways to leave Russia.

To be continued, G-d willing