MENAHEL OF THE YESHIVA IN CHARKOV

GPU agents visit the yeshiva. * 
R’ Zalman’s tactic that helped maintain the yeshiva for another year and a half. * From the life of R’ Yehoshua Shneur Zalman Serebryanski a”h.

As the years passed, R’ Chatshe Feigin got to know R’ Zalman’s tremendous qualities and his abilities in leadership and organization. When he had to leave Russia, he gave R’ Zalman the responsibility of the gashmius running of the yeshiva in Charkov. The spiritual running of the yeshiva was given to R’ Yehoshua Korf who was the mashgiach of the yeshiva. The two of them together ran the yeshiva in the face of communist persecution.

In letters that R’ Zalman wrote to his friend, R’ Eliyahu Sklar, he hinted at the state of the yeshiva. This is what he wrote in a letter dated 3 Seitzei 5687/1927:

“I am working at the factory [=yeshiva] here in the department that was previously in Szedrin. My friends Yeshua Korf and L. N. [Leibe Neuschuler] are here too.”

On 2 Teves 5688 he wrote:

“The factory [=yeshiva] that was previously in Szedrin is now here and has expanded in numbers. There are 25 workers [=talmidim].

FEAR TACTICS

After a number of years in which the yeshiva was in the shul in Charkov, the GPU decided to put an end to the learning taking place there. Since all the talmidim were over 18 and their learning did not constitute a violation of the law, the GPU decided to use fear tactics.

On the morning of a wintry day in 5688, a representative of the GPU appeared at the shul. With him was the representative of the Cultural Department and they found the talmidim in the midst of their learning. There were twenty-five talmidim there, but most of them managed to immediately slip out when they realized what was going on. The GPU agent was only able to write down information on eight boys.

The two agents spoke to one of the gabbaim, R’ Moshe Meir, and told him that the gabbaim of the shul were accused of opening an educational institute on the premises without permission from the Cultural Department. They instructed him to sign that this was in fact the case.

R’ Zalman, who was present, tried to explain to the gabbai that he could avoid signing the incriminating document by claiming that it wasn’t a formal institution, but individual bachurim who gathered to learn in the shul. However, the gabbai was scared and signed.

When they finished writing up a report of their visit, they told the gabbai that he had to get the names of the other boys who were learning there and had slipped out. They threatened him and said that if he did not come the next day to the offices of the GPU with a complete list, they would work on getting the shul closed down with the accusation that illegal activities had taken place there.

It was only after the two men left that the gabbai calmed down and began to think clearly about what had happened. He realized that R’ Zalman was right, that they had no legal reason to close the shul and they certainly couldn’t demand that he bring the names of all the talmidim. He wrote a letter in which he said he did not know the national language well and that his signature on the document was merely due to pressure. He wrote that after thinking it over, he had concluded that the report wasn’t at all correct, since there had been nothing illegal going on in the shul, just individual bachurim who had come, each one separately, in order to learn in the shul.

The next day, R’ Moshe Meir the gabbai went with the other gabbaim to the Cultural Department of Charkov and presented his letter of protest. The clerk took it but repeated his demand that the gabbaim must produce a list of the names of talmidim who had slipped out.

Although officially the law was on their side, the gabbaim knew that if they aroused the ire of the GPU they could pay dearly. They had no doubt that the GPU could carry out their threat and close the shul. They told R’ Zalman that they could not take on the great responsibility of having the shul closed, and so they wanted the talmidim to stop visiting the shul and find somewhere else to learn.

R’ ZALMAN’S PLOY

R’ Zalman understood the feelings of the gabbaim but he had an idea.

“I have a simple suggestion. Let us arrange new elections for gabbaim and we will ask one of the senior Chassidim to run against you. We will make sure this old Chassid is elected as gabbai and the GPU will surely not bother him.”

They accepted R’ Zalman’s idea and within a short time an old Chassid of the Tzemach Tzedek was elected gabbai. The yeshiva continued to operate in the shul and the GPU realized that a man of his age was not afraid that they would undermine his livelihood etc. and they left him alone.

The Rebbe Rayatz received a detailed report about the visit of the GPU at the shul in Charkov and in a letter dated 8 Nissan 5688 to Professor Chavkin, he wrote (in German):

“In Charkov the following took place. Religious classes were held in the shul for adults (over 18), which is permissible according to Soviet law. Nevertheless, special action was taken against them. Not only did they not allow them to continue, they even went to people who hosted them and forbade them from letting the talmidim into their homes at night, in order to force them to leave.”

R’ Zalman’s tactic succeeded in maintaining the yeshiva for nearly a year and a half, until the summer of 5689, but at a certain point the GPU ran out of patience. They personally made sure to maintain a presence in the shul, until the talmidim saw they could no longer have a yeshiva there.

The bachurim learned for a short time in a village near Charkov where they rented a house from a gentile. They learned with R’ Yehoshua Korf, but the yeshiva in Charkov was soon disbanded. Some of the bachurim went to Nevel and some went to Yekaterinoslav.

Before the bachurim went to Yekaterinoslav, R’ Zalman went there for two weeks to set up the infrastructure for the new secret yeshiva. During his short visit he visited the home of the rav, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneersohn, father of the Rebbe MH”M, with whom he discussed communal matters.