THE COUPLE WHO BUILT AN EMPIRE FROM SCRATCH

Rabbi Sholom Mendel Kalmanson, who arrived in France as a refugee, was a model of a true Chassid. With great fortitude and courage, he undertook the founding of a Chassidic school for Jewish children who did not even know the alef-beis. * With bittul and kabbalas ol, Rabbi and Mrs. Kalmanson founded “Shneor.” They did whatever it took to realize their educational vision, and were constantly guided by the Rebbe. * A moving saga of a Chassidishe couple, based on the book written about them by R’ Sholom Dovber Friedland. * Part 1 of 2

The dedication to the Rebbe of the Chassid R’ Sholom Mendel Kalmanson, even after having lived through difficult times in Russia, replete with great suffering, did not allow him to rest on his laurels. Despite the tremendous difficulties involved, he harnessed his impressive talents to found a Jewish school in the Aubervilliers section of France. Not just an ordinary Jewish school, but a Chabad school, whose goal was to bring people in and to spread Judaism. He came to the conclusion that the responsibility for the education and spiritual future of the children of the local Jewish populace lay squarely on his shoulders. This issue disturbed his peace of mind to the point that, as he himself testified, there were many nights that he could not sleep for worry over the future of the Jews in the area.

In Aubervilliers there were quite a few Jews, many of them children of immigrants from North Africa. These children were enrolled in public schools, which obviously prevented them from keeping Shabbos, kashrus, and other mitzvos, leading to other problems related to a lack of proper moral and religious guidance.

This was no small project. Many obstacles lay in his path, including getting government certifications, finding suitable educators, preparing course materials, obtaining the funding for the purchase of a building and its maintenance, and much more. R’ Sholom Mendel had no choice but to contend with pursuing the necessary certification and recognition from the government and the city council, of whom some members belonged to the Communist Party. When he approached the city council, he was strongly condemned for wanting to establish a private educational institution. This was seen as provoking racism and discrimination between the different ethnicities of children in the area. “When hair grows on my palms, we will certify your request,” was the response of the man in charge of education for the city.

SURPRISE HELP

Then an unexpected source of funding to purchase a building came his way. Among his myriad involvements, R’ Sholom Mendel was a mohel, who would officiate at any bris that he was invited to perform. At a bris that took place in Paris on 14 Cheshvan 1962, one of those present was R’ Avrohom Yitzchok Hirsh, director of the P’eylim organization in New York, who was positively impressed by the mohel and his obvious sincerity. A serious discussion developed between the two, as R’ Sholom Mendel laid out for the guest the difficulties facing the immigrants from Algiers who settled in Aubervilliers and the surrounding areas. He also mentioned his readiness to take upon himself the heavy responsibility of founding a school.

After much back and forth, and a written correspondence that stretched over a period of six months, the leaders of P’eylim agreed to become partners in the founding of a Jewish educational institution. The connection with the organization continued for seven years, during which time they donated a large portion of the costs for the purchase of the building, and they financed a portion of the regular expenses in those first years.

From the time that R’ Sholom Mendel informed the Rebbe of the purchase of the building for the school in 1965, the Rebbe added to the list of titles addressed to him in letters the title of oseik b’tzorchei tzibbur (one who is involved in public works). Many times the Rebbe also added the title, rav pe’alim (man of many accomplishments).

THE PURCHASE OF THE BUILDING

As expected, the city council members belonging to the Communist Party strongly refused to certify the establishment of a religious Jewish school. According to them, the character of the school was in direct opposition to the spirit of communism and was inherently discriminatory. However, by an amazing act of divine providence, the certification was given. It seems that according to French law at the time, when someone requests a permit, he submits the request to the city and the regional government offices, “the prefecture,” simultaneously. Upon submission, the city has the right to veto the request, but if a month passed without a response from the city, the government treats that as a tacit agreement, and the office of the prefecture authorizes it in light of the agreement of the city. When R’ Sholom Mendel submitted the two request forms, the members of the city council expressed their immediate and explicit refusal verbally, but for some reason, days passed without them sending their expressed views in writing. After the month ended, they realized that they had not yet sent off their refusal.

The city officials tried to cover their mistake immediately by demanding that he resubmit the request with the proper forms, in order to buy themselves another month to express their view, as if it were a new request. However, R’ Sholom Mendel sent word of his refusal to do so via the lawyer representing the community. He demanded that they recognize the original request as having been certified, as per the law. This left the city council with no choice, and the school received its certification from the regional government offices.

From that point on, the municipal government tried to pile on impediments every step of the way, and they demanded exceedingly high standards of security and conveniences for the students, which forced previously unforeseen expenditures for renovating and adapting the building for use as a school.

On 7 Adar 1965, R’ Kalmanson informed the Rebbe of the finalization of the purchase of the place. His excitement over the purchase of the homes to be converted into a school building was expressed in a letter that he sent to the members of P’eylim, which also included his hopes for the future.

THE SCHOOL OPENS

At the end of 5725, R’ Sholom Mendel came to an agreement with members of the P’eylim organization in New York about opening the first two classes. They promised him full funding for the first six months, and partial funding for the months that followed. The director of the organization, R’ Avrohom Yitzchok Hirsh, went to France to monitor the developments. As a result of his positive impressions, he immediately donated an additional $1000 for the building expenses.

According to the plans, the school was supposed to begin operating for the school year of 5726, but the necessary renovations, and the required permits that had been delayed by the municipality, had the school opening the following year, 5727.

At every stage of the process of building the school and the k’hilla, R’ Sholom Mendel would send a report to the Rebbe in which he wrote about the latest developments, and enclosed copies of his letters to those who helped build the school. He would wait for an answer from the Rebbe for every critical question that arose.

For example, when R’ Sholom Mendel saw that things were “stuck” because of a delay in the permit approvals and the large budgets that he had to cover, he decided to travel to the Rebbe to personally present his questions.

In his letter of 3 Adar 5726, he explained his reason for coming – to ask questions and receive chizuk. The Rebbe answered all of his questions, like a concerned father who is devoted to his beloved son’s activities.

Throughout 5726, R’ Sholom Mendel worked tenaciously to bring his idea of a school to fruition. He held fundraisers and pressured the city himself and through a lawyer, and began registering children.

In the days before Rosh HaShana 5727, inspectors from the city and the Education Ministry came to see whether the place was fit to be a school. In a report that he wrote to the Rebbe, he announced that they approved only certain classes, and on condition that additional renovations be done which would cost more money. R’ Sholom Mendel considered it good news. The way he put it was, “Considering their wickedness, one should say this is a positive response.”

Right after the Yomim Tovim, the Shneor school began with 19 children. This was because some of the children who had already been registered, began the school year in public school. By that winter, the number had gone up to 40 children. In response to the good news, the Rebbe added a note to the general letter of 24 Teves expressing his gratitude for the good news.

THE IMMIGRANT CHILDREN ALREADY KNOW MODEH ANI AND SHMA YISROEL

R’ Sholom Mendel quickly reported to P’eylim about the opening of the school and expressed his joy and feeling of responsibility that obligated him to continue in his work:

… The fact that we have already entered the second month of the existence of the school is reliable testimony to the fact that it is a viable concern with the help of Hashem Yisborach… The great responsibility that we have taken upon ourselves in regards to the parents who took their children out of the French schools, and the teachers who left other positions, and especially the responsibility for the future of the children themselves, obligates us to not forget for a moment that we cannot suffice with the fact that we opened the school, but must work diligently towards sustaining and developing it further.

In a letter that he sent to a philanthropist, one can see the vision that R’ Sholom Mendel had:

You express your surprise that we have not written to you about the progress of the school… Do you want to know what tractate of Gemara they are learning, and how many folios of Gemara they have learned already? We hope to achieve that as well, but not in the first two months of operation. To date, we can be happy and consider ourselves fortunate, and that is worth all the money in the world, by the fact that the children of the refugees already know by heart “Modeh Ani” and “Shma Yisroel.” And if you give them a “bonbon,” they know that they have to make a blessing of shehakol on it. They also know the Alef-Beis and are beginning to read, and some are learning Chumash, as well as absorbing some matters of Yiddishkait, and this is encouraging to us.

The knowledge that there a few hundred children who are awaiting action on our part, obligates us to continue energetically and with mesirus nefesh in our holy work, and the amounts of money that are being sent us do not suffice to cover even a portion of the bills.

What you write that according to the conditions there were supposed to be 25 students and not 19, the number 19 as a start, when there exists the potential to double and even triple that number in the near future, is an excellent number. Last year, when you opened a school in … with seven students, you were extremely happy, and in Lyons they opened with one student and were eventually successful. From this we see that at the beginning the main thing is not the quantity, and especially as we do have quantity we will undoubtedly succeed beyond all expectations.

In the last weeks, more students joined and now we have more than forty students.

MESIRUS NEFESH TO REGISTER STUDENTS

Many of the immigrants from North African countries who lived in the area preferred sending their children to public school, so they would advance academically, and would earn degrees enabling them to integrate into the academic and business worlds of France.

R’ Sholom Mendel and his wife Basia began pounding the pavements in the areas where the refugees were concentrated in order to convince parents to give their children a Jewish education. One of the main concentrations was in a housing development in the neighboring town, La Courneuve, known as the “3000.” Apartment buildings in the development had 3000 units, packed with refugees. A significant portion was Jewish and there were minyanim three times a day on the ground floor.

With such a high concentration of refugees, most of them from Arab families and lacking parnasa and education, the crime rate was high. The young minorities would attack and steal from passersby and threaten the neighbors. There were local gangs who fought one another. The area had a bad reputation. Whoever did not live there, stayed away. Even emergency medical personnel who were called to the area refused to go. They knew their cars would sustain broken windows and be emptied out. The police labeled the area “crime ridden” and preferred not to get involved there too much.

The Kalmansons had also heard about the threatening nature of the area, but they knew that they would find many Jews there whose children were in desperate need of a proper chinuch. They spared no effort, climbed many stairs and went from one Jewish home to another, knocking on doors and pleading for the future of their children. When they would appear in a doorway, they were warmly welcomed and honored. It wasn’t every day that a rav and rebbetzin made a house call. The hosts served refreshments and excitedly crowded around to hear what they had to say and share their lives and daily difficulties with them.

R’ Sholom Mendel spoke strongly about Jewish tradition of previous generations, and about the dangers for the future without a Jewish education, about the trials and difficulties, and about the future success of their children in all respects even in a Jewish school.

It wasn’t easy to convince struggling parents, whose son’s future was envisioned in so rosy a manner, to send their children to a school that had just opened, with no experience, underdeveloped, and under religious administration who lacked academic degrees. Despite this, many agreed to the Kalmanson’s request. At this time, the Kalmansons did not ask for any tuition. The parents were mostly out of work. How could they be asked to pay? Slowly, a group of children formed who began studying at Shneor. This spurred R’ Sholom Mendel on to continue making house calls in nearby towns.

One example out of many that exemplifies their work is related by Mr. Avrohom Chaim Turgeman:

“One evening, toward the end of 5726, there was knocking at the door. To our surprise, three people were standing there – Rabbi Kalmanson, the rebbetzin, and a teacher from the school whose job it was to translate into fluent French when necessary. My parents, who were considered traditional, although exigencies of time and place weakened their practice, were excited by the visit and invited them in.

“R’ Kalmanson began to explain to my parents that children who went to public school were likely to assimilate. He said, ‘We opened a Jewish school and we ask you to send your children to us. We will take care of everything – transportation, food, academics, and fun experiences.’

“My parents agreed. ‘Tomorrow morning, your son should be ready at 8:00 near the building. We are coming to take him,’ said R’ Kalmanson.

“The next day, the bus came and brought me to my new school. I was one of the founding students of the Shneor school. A year later, my brother Dovid was sent to Shneor. Today he is a rav and famous activist in the Rebbe’s mivtzaim and inyanim.”

For many years, R’ Sholom Mendel maintained this practice of making house calls. In later years, his family members joined him and greatly changed the character of Jewish homes and the lives of young people living in the area. Many strengthened their Jewish identity and even became fully involved in leading lives of Torah and mitzvos thanks to the Kalmanson’s work. Over time, a nucleus of dozens of baalei t’shuva formed who established beautiful Jewish, Chassidishe families.

There were also some surprising difficulties. For example, when visiting one family, they worked hard to convince the father to send his sweet, talented son to a Jewish school. They were finally successful and Mrs. Kalmanson would drive the bus near his house and pick him up. One day, the boy was not waiting for her. When the same thing happened the next day, she told her husband so he could check things out.

That same evening, R’ Sholom Mendel went to their house. The father graciously welcomed him but said firmly, “I sent my son to you to make progress. Some weeks have gone by and he already knows how to pray and read Chumash. I am suddenly raising a rabbi here in my home and I am turning into a ‘rag.’ The more my son knows, the more of an ignoramus I am. I am not willing to go on in this way where I, as the head of the family, am just a rag.”

R’ Sholom Mendel tried various arguments, telling him that, on the contrary, the entire house would become uplifted thanks to the boy, and the credit for the boy’s spiritual accomplishments would accrue to the parents, and that it didn’t cost them anything, not the schooling and not the transportation. But it was futile. The father adamantly refused, and was unwilling to endanger his position as the head of the family, and all that involved.

To be continued, b’ezras Hashem