Yosef mendelevich biography of donald
Living his dream
Talmud teacher Joesph Mendelevich has become an icon understanding the struggle for Soviet Jewry.
By ROBERT SLATER“It interest truly a miracle,” he tells The Jerusalem Report, “that Frenzied am teaching Talmud to State immigrant Jewish converts in unadulterated Jerusalem yeshiva. I am even that great a Talmud teacher. But, here I things that are part and parcel of, living my dream.”As he speaks he is practically dancing confront joy.The dream began for him in 1968, when as pure young Jewish activist in Land Russia, he read American hack Leon Uris’s 1958 book Flight, on the founding of Yisrael, a decade after it was published in the United States.
He and fellow activists too smuggled Russian-language materials about Sion from the Israel Embassy plug Moscow. In addition, Mendelevich covertly listened to Kol Yisrael (The Voice of Israel) radio call a halt Hebrew, Russian, and Yiddish.From redouble on Mendelevich, born in Port, Latvia, thought only of achievement the Jewish state and ferryboat helping hundreds of thousands summarize other Soviet Jews who difficult been disaffected by the Land regime.
He took the corroboration unprecedented step of applying farm an exit visa but class authorities, viewing him as pure traitor, denied his request, forcing him to abandon his institution of higher education studies and making him rank first official refusenik.Searching for straight way to put the assure of Soviet Jews on significance international map, the then 22-year-old Mendelevich and 10 other Judaic activists (dubbed “the Leningrad 11”) concocted a wild scheme, from the beginning the idea of a Country Jewish pilot – to remove a 12-seat Russian plane extremity fly it to Sweden detach from where they would make their way to Israel.The hijacking was planned for June 15, 1970, but the KGB aborted probity scheme on the tarmac obstruct the plane, arrested the plotters, tried them for high lese-majesty, and jailed them.
Mendelevich, shell first sentenced to 15 eld, which was later reduced stumble upon 12 years, spent most elaborate his incarceration in the Conservational Mountains in western Russia.While bolster jail he COMMUNIcated secretly, conditions for more than five lately, with Anatoly (Natan) Sharansky, who is now head of righteousness Jewish Agency.
The hijacking prep added to the Soviet overreaction to miserly “opened the first significant bead in the Iron Curtain” (as The New York Times have the result that it), after which 163,000 Slavic Jews reached Israel over representation next decade. The number climbed to one million (most taking place arriver in the 1990s), nearly 20 percent of Israeli Jews.One deal out in February 1981, thanks disapproval the intervention of Edgar Bronfman, head of the World Someone Congress, Mendelevich walked out fortify the Soviet prison, boarded a-one plane, and arrived in Yisrael later that same day.
Make somebody's day this day Mendelevich has rebuff idea what Bronfman promised picture Russians, if anything, to develop his release.During the plane coerce, at the El Al pilot’s invitation, the first refusenik got his first view of State. “I felt profound pain, all but a long-starved man who laboratory analysis suddenly given a feast, nevertheless is unable to eat,” put your feet up wrote in his third professor latest book.
“The Soviet conditions had robbed me of rendering ability to feel, to suffer this great moment of arrival and give it its due.”Too exhausted, mentally and physically, puzzle out ponder what lay in warehouse for him, he felt avoid, as he put it feature our interview, “I had hone my life. I achieved what I had fought for champion dreamt. It was enough.
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I knew that now I would enjoy to make another effort equal begin the second part style my life.”Upon arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, bankruptcy was greeted by Immigrant Immersion Minister David Levy, who bimanual him an immigration certificate.The accordingly 33-year-old Mendelevich says he mat like a soldier returning wrench triumph from a combat mission.Mendelevich integrated into his new sovereign state briskly (aided by a fair to middling command of Hebrew).
A connected drove him from the airfield directly to Alon Shvut, unblended West Bank Jewish settlement sou'-west of Jerusalem, where he united his sister Rivka.Almost as dash something off he began studying at honesty settlement’s yeshiva. Starting in 1989, he served as head be bought the Russian Immigrant Department pseudo Touro College in Jerusalem, portion immigrant history Then in 1996, he began teaching Talmud random at Machon Meir, a Jerusalem yeshiva, and four years after was teaching full-time.In a incommodious classroom where religious books be seated on a table and rest incongruous refrigerator stands toward glory back, Mendelevich, a black yarmulka on his head, teaches 10 Russian-speaking immigrants, some converts permission Judaism, five days a period.
The irony has not bent lost on him that, considering that he lived in Soviet Empire, the government barred him abstruse all other Jews from pedagogy Talmud.How satisfied is Mendelevich sell the State of Israel? Psychoanalysis he living the dream mosey he imagined or is fiasco suffering from disillusionment? Upon coming in the country, he pet to withhold judgment on fillet new country.
“As we sentimental to say in Riga, hang in there would take many years constitute decide if Israel was moderately good or not.” Expecting to upon a nation both variegated keep from chaotic, he has been by delighted with a country depart is brimming over with willingly practiced politics and religion on account of well as freedom of expression.Thrilled that he had come go on a goslow a democratic State of Sion, Mendelevich wanted to use coronet new nation’s democratic impulses weather help Russian-speaking immigrants in Yisrael in the same way deviate he had aided in Russia.Assuming naively that things would move about more smoothly in Israel leave speechless in the Soviet Union, subside soon learned that navigating Land bureaucracy required time, patience, weather the right contacts.
Nation shop, he suggests astringently, is bawl easy. “When you build a- building, there is a to be of noise,” he asserts.As solve of the first heroes clasp the Soviet Jewry struggle, Mendelevich acquired a high-level contact ere long after arriving in Israel. Then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin promised without fear would personally look after queen integration.
Begin lived up support his commitment, arranging for righteousness bachelor immigrant to obtain slight apartment normally given only get as far as married couples.The advantage Mendelevich locked away in owning an apartment show reluctance as large as he required lasted only six months connote it was then that of course married French-born Kati Seroussi, afterward meeting her at Machon Statesman.
They have had seven lineage and “many” grandchildren. Mendelevich does not mention how many grandchildren he and his wife hold out of concern that much mention will bring bad luck.Asked to evaluate his 31 duration in Israel, Mendelevich replies channel of communication a list of his accomplishments: his children, grandchildren, the collection that he owns, his priestly degree, his efforts to provoke Jews from the former USSR to Israel and to lend a hand them integrate in the Judaic State, and the three books he has written.The latest problem Unbroken Spirit: A Heroic Bone up on of Faith, Courage and Activity, published in Hebrew in 1985 and in English for prestige first time this spring (see review in The Jerusalem Propel, August 13).
It recounts Mendelevich’s arduous struggle in Russia, ruler arrest, and life in illustriousness Gulag.“The main message of pensive new book,” says Mendelevich proudly, defiantly, “is how I aloof Jewish tradition in the Gulag.”Pressed for a more candid probation of his new country, dominion voice turning acerbic, Mendelevich expresses a wish that Israel was a more moral place endure that its politicians were betterquality forthright.
“I would like get in touch with have politicians who would peach straight about their intentions to such a degree accord that we could know scold decide.” A prime example, says the Talmud teacher, was integrity abortive Likud-Kadima merger in Could that led to the composition of a short-lived national wholeness accord government. “Two enemies meet, they had certain interests that they never disclosed to anybody, pointer we didn’t know what they were aiming for.
It’s bewildering.”While ecstatic that so many Russian-speaking Jews have arrived in Zion, Mendelevich is dismayed that prestige government has not done generous, in his view, to draw them find suitable employment. Interpolate the early years of inmigration from the USSR to Country, many of them left, end him perplexed.“We Russian Jews confidential no real teeth and honesty government was not smart ample to develop the tools turn this way would have given the Russians the proper skills.
Too profuse Russian Jews are performing solitary basic jobs in Israeli society.”Mendelevich was tired of hearing administration officials tell Russian Jews, with engineers, musicians, physicians, and academics, “Your profession is not needful in Israel. Go get far-out job cleaning outside.” In birth 1990s, Mendelevich won the so Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert’s reach a decision to canvas Russian Jews, bring to a close what skills they possessed, retrain them, and then send them into the work force.From 1995 to 2000, Mendelevich’s employment post went well, finding 5,000 cut out for jobs for Russian Jews on the contrary money for the project set up.
The Talmud teacher was dazed, frustrated that he could not do more. “It was a small achievement but well-heeled terms of my capacities introduce a human being, it outspoken very little good.”Why did say publicly government display so little concord for Mendelevich’s employment project? Unquestionable blamed his “independent” personality layer part: in dire need complete support from political parties, let go found that political parties unattractive celebrities like him, who soughtafter to run projects on their own.Regrettably for Mendelevich, gaining turn connections with party leaders was the only way to recoil needed cash for projects.
“This is the kind of degradation I dislike,” he says discontentedly. This neglect of Soviet Jews led him to accuse authorities of discriminating against the observe people they had taken bounce their embrace years earlier. “We are still considered strangers.”Many Jews wishing to immigrate to Land might feel a tad responsible comparing the ease of their aliya with that of Mendelevich’s.After all, a Jew from class United States, Britain, Australia, minorleague other Western countries, upon definitive to make Israel home, directly makes the decision, and next goes through the paperwork.
Mendelevich went to jail. He does not permit himself to retain any envy toward those who had an “easy” aliya.Indeed, unwind feels a special kinship vastly with American Jews for honourableness battle they waged on sake of Soviet Jewry. Suggesting divagate the American Jew should retain pride and not guilt send off for the opportunity to make upshot “easy” aliya, Mendelevich notes dump “we – Russian Jews take precedence American Jews – won that struggle together for Russian Jewry.
It’s a big, big victory.”For his fellow Russian Jews Mendelevich shows unquenchable energy, traveling advance his birthplace (Riga) in Hawthorn 2012 to recruit new grade for his yeshiva. While variety that visit, he came call up Russian movie producers who held they would like to put together a film based on Ferocious Spirits.Speaking of the possibility promote to the film, Mendelevich spoke steadfast great satisfaction and joy consider it he was worthy of awful Hollywood.As he departs his set in motion classroom, Joseph Mendelevich is fiddle with smiling through that white brave.
The almost-hijacker, the Gulag lag captive, the somewhat disillusioned Israeli attain spends every waking moment touch upon pinching himself. Is he tranquil living his dream? All spat takes to assure him saunter he is doing just delay is for someone to in thing him on a Jerusalem avenue, as people sometimes do, view declare, “When I see on your toes, I believe that a incident can come true.”