The lies continue

With some good friends (and fellow Rabbis) at the Rabbi-president conference in Moscow.

R' Nissen Ruppo forwarded me another email, which had been sent to Shimon Briman (who had written the only article in Russia that defended us and mentioned for example the letter with 189 signatures). It was written by a "Mikhail Kravetsky." I don't know any Kravetsky's in Stavropol.

This is a clear attempt to ruin Natasha as well. read on - translation is free:



Shimon, read the letter with 184 signatures. First of all, let me tell you that the signatures in that letter are couterfeit.

Second of all, let me educate you a bit. The letter was NOT written by community members of "Shalom", rather by Natasha Kuligina, coordinator of the Sochnut. Don't you realize what this struggle is about? It's for the money from the "Or Avner" fund.

They are terribly afraid thatt the fund will cease to finance them now that the Rabbi has departed.

What school are they talking about? It was not a school they ran. The children received no knowledge in it. Thy have no techniques or plans for teaching. The children don't know anything: neither Hebrew nor traditions. NOTHING. They used to come to the Center on Sunday, singing the same songs from year to year, and they run about destroying the Center.

This is what you have seen on that useless scrap of paper.

In general, the sunday school should be at the community Center, and it used to be there, but the diligence of the Rabbi (through Kuligina's cunning) moved it out.

The situation for the Sochnut in Stavropol with financing are bad, and therefore the Sochnut (and Chesed program simultaneously) head Natasha Anatolevna Kuligina has been banging her head on the wall worrying that G-d forbid the fund shouldn't close.

The question you should be asking is what relation did she have with "Or Avner" fund!

By the way, the inititator of the dissonance between the community and its Rabbi was tha same Kuligina, as it was in her interests to do so. Therefore Rabbi Zvi Hershcovich not only financed her school, but also paid the rent fror her premises which she was about to lose.

There wasn't only a conflit between the community and the Rabbi, there was also conflict between Kuligina and the community who have been led by its president (and twice voted in, which apparently to her is too little).

She used this conflict to achieve her purposes with Hershcovich. And he, the young and unskilled guy, trusted her. Unfortunately he doesn't understand people well.

Backing Kuligina are many Greeks - her work as head of Chesed distributing groceries and medical aid etc. through it all she was very rough and impudent.

I can give you a couple of phone numbers, so you can hear people tell you themselves who she represents.

I also wish to add that this isn't the first complaint Kuligina had with the Federation. At the end of 2008 she sent a complaint about Fainer which was full of forged signatures. People were literally in shock, having heard that in the complaint were their surnames. So too here.

Kuligina does so many sins, sending peope to Israel with false documents. She only became Jewish herself several years ago - only after 9 years of work in the Sochnut has she obtained for herself Jewish documents.

Yours faithfully,

M. Kravetsky





If there was a new low to fall, this was it. Obviously the tone of the letter is again Yana. And I'm sure that if 200 people were on video asking the request, Yana would claim that they were probably drugged. "They had no idea what they were saying, and are shocked to see what is being said in their voices!"

Hmmm, not a bad idea.

Finding G-d in Russia

This came from http://gaylasmagazine.typepad.com/gaylasmagazine/2009/03/miracles-never-cease.html. Not a Jewish website (a very Chrsitian one, as a matter of fact), but still a nice story. Could be the guy was even a Jew.

In the 1930s Stalin ordered a purge of all Bibles and all believers. In Stravropol, Russia, this order was carried out with a vengeance. Thousands of Bibles were confiscated, and multitudes of believers were sent to the gulags where most died for being "enemies of the state."

Years later, CoMission sent a team to Stavropol. When the team was having difficulty getting Bibles shipped from Moscow, someone mentioned the existence of a warehouse outside of town where these confiscated Bibles had been stored since Stalin's day.

After much prayer by the team, one member finally got up the courage to go to the warehouse and ask the officials if the Bibles were still there.…The answer was, "Yes!"

The next day The CoMission team returned with a truck and several Russian people to help load the Bibles. One helper was a young man—a skeptical, hostile, agnostic collegian who had come only for the day's wages. As they were loading Bibles, one team member noticed that the young man had disappeared. He had slipped away, hoping to quietly take a Bible for himself. What he found shook him to the core.

The inside page of the Bible he picked up had the handwritten signature of his own grandmother. It had been her personal Bible. Out of the thousands of Bibles still left in the warehouse, he stole the one belonging to this grandmother—a woman persecuted for her faith all her life.

He was found weeping—God was real.

Rebuttal part 7: Yana. Please don't pass it on

With some students. Not one of them is a Halachic Jew.






7. The next letter was written anonymously (though I suspect Yana wrote it), and sent first to the presidents of many communities in Russia, and then somehow made it’s way to the Russian media.

Here are its points (minus the ones addressed in the last letter):

1. History of Jews in Russia and Stavropol.
2. Rabbi was accepted by community faithfully
3. Community lost all its financing with appointment of Rabbi
4. He used the money to rent a 5 room apartment in the city center
5. And flew to Canada with his family weekly
6. Kosher food which should be distributed to the community disappears
7. Veterans received no victory day holiday because of him
8. He threatened to carry out a mass protest in the streets of Stavropol to draw attention to the problems of Jews in Russia
9. He intended to publish articles in local newspapers about his opinions on Jews
10. When the community addressed the Rabbi, he told them he doesn’t need us
11. He has a dozen or so supporters
12. Eventually, his actions drew the attentions of the authorities who approached him
13. Numerous letter to Rabbi Lazar went unanswered

Ok, let’s start with point 1, in which I find a little embellishment of the facts, making it sound like before I was around Stavropol was utopia. But the truth is I have no proof that it wasn’t.

Point 2 – Rabbi was accepted by community faithfully. It’s lots of fun when two people trying to lie write different letters. This totally contradicts point 1 of the last letter by Oleg Pushkantser. Apparently here not only was I devout, but the community also ‘faithfully’ accepted me

Point 3 – Community lost all its financing upon appointment of Rabbi. Oh, so easy to prove. It took a year for that to happen. The Federation can probably send you enough proof. After all, they needed to file reports to them for a year straight. And if they lost financial aid immediately, why did it take up til now for this letter to go around?

Point 4 – He used the money to rent a 5 room apartment in the city center. I was originally in a hole on Rosa Luxemburg, then in another hole for many months on Lermontova and Pushkina, and finally moved to a beautiful new apartment in the city center two months before I was deported (and half the papers to prove it). The apartment is officially a “3-room”, but if you count 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a toilet then you get 5 rooms. A stretch, but it works. So up til I moved, how was I spending that money? And besides, what made you decide that it was on community money?

Point 5 – He flew weekly to Canada with his family. This would explain my apparent oddities. My family and I would be extremely jet-lagged all the time. Oh, this is too easily provable. Next.

Point 6 – Kosher food disappears. From which program? Specify, please. Because any kosher food I have received for free I have distributed for free, and any kosher food I have bought, I have sold.

Point 7 – Veterans received no victory holiday because of him. Veterans day was celebrated last year. I even gave a speech. True, I gave no money toward the holiday, but it still happened. I do admit though, that it may have not been the right thing to do, and therefore tried to make up for it on ‘mens day’, when I had someone deliver packages of food to all veterans.

Point 8 – Threatened to carry out a mass protest. To who? When? Where? And why would I ever do that? This is the most ridiculous accusation yet, and anyway completely not my style. This is baseless, and anyone can read through this and the next lie.

Point 9 – And write opinion pieces in newspapers. I was interviewed once by a newspaper. Where is proof of this claim? This is ridiculous! It would be like me saying “and Yana was planning to throw an atomic bomb on all the worlds mosquitos.” Show me proof! It’s also not my style. And I can barely write Russian!!!

Point 10 – When the community addressed the Rabbi, he said he doesn’t need us. Which community are you talking about? The board? Ok, when? Look at the times of each meeting. Where did I say that? To the Jewish community? Who put together 189 signatures asking for my return? Did I say this in English? In Russian? When? Where?

On the contrary, Yefim publicly stated he doesn’t need me (in front of several sponsors, discussing this past Purim). Just ask them. Contact me for the list of people to ask.

Point 11 – He has a dozen or so supporters. Then how did 189 people sign a petition for my return? How were 25 people waiting in my apartment the night I was ‘arrested’? How do I have over 50 friends from Stavropol on my odnoklassniki list? How did over 100 people show up to the Torah event?

Point 12 – His actions drew the attention of the authorities. Actually, the letter sent by Oleg Pushkantser drew their attention, as it clearly states there.

Point 13 – Numerous letters to rabbi Lazar went unanswered. That I cannot defend, but I know he answered me, and I have all the letters to show for it. He was deeply involved with what was going on in Stavropol. Strangely, none of the contracts are mentioned. Why?





That finished my defence, pretty much. I spewed, and it was incredibly therapeutic. I feel like a weight was taken off my shoulders. Now I can move on with my life. Let’s hope it continues back in Stavropol.

Rebuttal part 6: Pushkantser. please don't forward

Doing what a Rabbi is supposed to do (gasp).




6. First we must read the letters. In case you don’t have them in front of you, I will list the offenses in each letter. Anything repeated in another letter or document won’t be repeated here.

Oleg Pushkantser’s letter, point by point (it should be noted that he wrote in the name of the Russian Jewish Congress, who have written an angry letter about it).

1. Rabbi arrived to the city contrary to what the voted community leaders wanted
2. The community wrote many times to Moscow prior to Rabbi’s arrival saying they wanted no Rabbi, but the Rabbi arrived without any official invitation from the community
3. Rabbi doesn’t have a visa to conduct religious activity
4. Immediately after he arrived, he brought about a split in the community
5. He called Halachic Jews ‘clean’, and claimed that non-Halachic Jews have no right to call themselves Jews
6. He is a fascist
7. He is trying to revive (Israeli, I assume) nationalism
8. He is trying to organize a religious school only for ‘clean’ Jews
9. there used to be 200-300 participants at traditional Jewish holidays, but the number has dropped to 20-50 after the arrival of the Rabbi
10. Previously the community received money from Moscow, and we filed reports on all of it
11. Now the Rabbi receives money who spends it at his own discretion
12. The Rabbi is spending the money satisfying his personal interests

Based on this, please expel this Rabbi from Stavropol.

Ok, now let’s take this point by point, starting with points 1 and 2, which may be true, and I had no idea anyway. I assumed they had asked for a Rabbi. But this is not provable, and certainly not a horrible thing. They accepted me and welcomed me to the board. They didn’t throw me out or anything. As a matter of fact, they tried (at least superficially) to work with me, as can be proven by the many contracts we wrote and signed. It seems like they accepted the Rabbi.

Point #3 – no visa to conduct religious activity. Where does he base this on? Has he seen my passport? I may not have a religious visa (because the word Rabbi isn’t recognized as a religious figure in Russia), but I’ve got the closest thing – a cultural visa. It’s not a good idea to start the letter off with a lie.

Point 4 – I brought a split to the community. Speak to members of the community. The split existed long before I arrived. Or look up the past addresses of the Sachnut. No, the split was already started, perpetrated by Yefim Fainer and people like yourself.

Point 5 – I have something against non-Halachic Jews. This is completely false, and very easily proven. Let me first say that I came to Stavropol for religious purposes and according to Jewish religion, non Halachic Jews don’t count. However, that doesn’t mean I would EVER push away a non-Halachic Jew, or even a non-Jew. I have had many interesting conversations with non-Jews. I even call some of them (like Father Pavel – a Ukrainian priest who works with drug addicts) a friend. This is a ridiculous, yet somehow actually believable accusation.

Many of our Shabbos guests have been non-Halachic Jews. Classic example – the family of Refoel Khaimov (his wife isn’t Jewish), the Andronovs. Most Jews are married to non-Jews but when we invite a family, we invite everyone. We are not disgusting people.

Go on odnoklassniki or vkontakte. Look at my list of friends. Count how many are from Stavropol. Count how many of them aren’t Halachically Jewish. Yes, at least 30 of them. I also created a group called ‘Stavropol Jews’ on odnoklassniki about 6 or 7 months ago. Half the group is not Halachically Jewish. As a matter of fact, I have several friends on there who aren’t even Jewish! For example Ivan Scheinerman, a German.

I recently helped a man whose son has cancer. I raised money for him, and helped organize that someone should sponsor medicine so his son can be treated. The father and the son are both non-Halachic Jews, and I’ll give you their names if you’d like. You can ask them yourself.

The contrary is true. Yefim is the one who has made a separation, he has been louder than I have been.

When people first visit him (anyone, try this out yourself) and claim to be Jews, he asks to see documents. Why? To prove you are a Halachic Jew. He then keeps them in his office, along with an entire dossier full of everyone’s documents. Ask him to show it to you. I saw them once, but he still hasn’t allowed me to even look at them, though I asked several times early upon my arrival to Stavropol. The proof for this is in the contracts. The last contract includes a request to see the Halachic documents. It didn’t bother me before, and it proves I had no access to them until then. The reason I asked for it then, was because I was starting to realize that this wasn’t going to work out, and I wanted to see the documents.

So in summary to that question. Yes, there is a difference between Halachic and non-Halachic Jews, but it is a delicate topic and I have dealt with it delicately, contrary to the way Yefim has treated non-Halachic Jews.

Point 6 – Rabbi is a fascist. Isn’t that like Nazism? That’s just disgusting and low. It shows that the letter wasn’t guided by brains, rather by hatred.

Point 7 – Rabbi is an Israeli Nationalist. This claim would later be made in the papers – that the Rabbi was telling people to leave Russia and go to Israel. This is entirely baseless, and there is not one proof to support it.

When I left Russia, I was under the assumption that I could return. Therefore my home and workplace are intact. Go there (ask my secretary to take you), and search for ONE Israeli flag. You can always judge a man by his books. Search for ONE book on Israel. Not that I am against Israel, I love Israel. It’s the Jewish land, but I came to Stavropol for religious purposes. I would never tell anyone to go to Israel or America. The one time I can remember suggesting to anyone to go to Israel is to the father of the boy with cancer. I told him that there are good medical centers there.

On the other hand, walk into the Jewish Center run by Yefim. You will very quickly see flags, portraits of Ministers in Israel, an entire MAP on the wall. Read the pamphlets too, please. He even has a printed list of prices of tickets to Israel hanging prominently on one of the walls. He speaks a fluent Hebrew.

Besides, what ‘flock’ would I have if everyone moved to Israel? It makes no sense.

Obviously, I am proud of Israel, and support them in (almost) everything they do, but I did not travel halfway across the world to tell Russians in a city of half a million to move to Israel and the US. And by the way, I’m Canadian.

Point 8 – Rabbi is trying to organize a school for ‘clean’ Jews.

And where does he base it from? With what money? Where will the school be? Which children will go?

Point 9 – There used to be hundreds of Jews at holidays and now there’s a maximum of 50. While I cannot give numbers to what happened before I arrived (I wasn’t there), I can certainly give numbers for when I was there. If someone does a little research they’ll read the local newspaper articles. If that doesn’t satisfy you, then I’ll send pictures in which at least 100 people can be clearly seen. And this is after I arrived. I again advise the researcher to simply ask members of the community. If need be I’ll send you a list of 100 names to ask if they were there.

The numbers I know are as follows: our first Chanukah in Stavropol was held in the Center. 75 people showed up for a sit down meal. Purim was in a restaurant – 100 people. Pesach was in the Center – two Seders. 50 at the first, 35 at the second. Sefer Torah event had 120, just ask the chefs at restaurant Kavcheg in Verkhnirusskaya how many meals they made and how much of it was eaten or look at some pictures. Chanukah this past year had 70 people show up for our ‘Chanukah on ice’. Another 40 were at Yefim’s event, which was beautiful.

So the numbers lie.

Point 10 – Previously the community received money from Moscow, and filed reports. Nothing to argue here… except that I have a copy of what the money was SUPPOSED to be used for, and have two eyes which saw where the money went.

Point 11 – Now the Rabbi spends it at his own discretion. No actually, I also have to file reports to Moscow. So if someone asks Moscow for the reports of my expenditure, they’ll find out all they need to know. As for my personal account with my salary, that is frankly none of anyones business (though the board originally wanted to see that too).

Point 12 – The Rabbi is spending his money satisfying his personal needs. Yes, HIS money, satisfying HIS personal needs. Not, the community money satisfying his personal needs. I fail to see the point here.

Now I will continue on to the next letter.

Rebuttal part 5: Deportation. Please don't pass this on.

Our final agreement, signed by Yefim a couple of hours before I was to be taken away from my apartment by FSB agents.





5. While away, I continued to hear from the community. There had been a vote (which once every 4 or 5 years) for a new president of the community. Yefim had told no one about it, except for 5 of his friends, and thus got himself reinstated.

Yefim had also started his own Sunday school. I wanted to see this for myself, and so when I returned I asked Yefim about this. He told me it was true. “But what about the contract?” I asked. “I don’t like that contract.” He said. He told me that I was responsible for making sure the Sunday school which was operating in the Sachnut returned to the Center. I told him I’d try.

But it was no use. Natasha, Anya, most of the parents were too furious with Yefim and said they’d never go in the Center again. Meanwhile, I wasn’t able to come up with the money to keep my other office, so we were searching for another one.

As he kept breaking the contract, I finally called Moscow. He was being no help, and he was going against us in every possible way. Rabbi Lazar responded by saying that the Sunday school would be under our control now. We would receive funding for it from now on.

I had a meeting together with ‘the board’ – in this case it was Yefim, Oleg Pushkantser and Dovid Fishman and it took place in the Center. I told Yefim that I want to work with him but it is impossible. After much discussion, it finally came out that they don’t want any Judaism. They respect it and all, but they want it to be as it was – a center where Jews can come and feel comfortable, where they can eat what they want, and discuss whatever they want. I told them I’m not against discussing what they want, but it looks like we have a difference of opinion here. I came here for religious purposes, perhaps it’s best if we both do our important work, just separately. They agreed.

Meanwhile Yefim started calling Moscow daily to try to get back the funding for Sunday School. Moscow decided to send down Igor Arkadyevich to rectify the situation.

Igor came in on a windy day, and spent the first half of the day speaking to me and hearing my complaints. My basic problems why it seemed impossible to work with him was:

- He doesn’t want Yiddishkeit (Judaism)
- He is extremely inconsistent
- He lies
- He isn’t even trust-worthy to keep to what he signs

He then met with some members of the community who could take off work. I went in the next room so as not to hear the bad words they were saying about the president and then when it was still too loud, I left the apartment.

Afterward, Igor met with Yefim and his people the entire evening. In the late evening, I arrived at the Center for the final meeting. Igor Arkadyevich wanted to speak to me privately first.

“They apologize and realize they were only consumed by hatred,” he said. “They want to start over.”

I told him it sounds good, but I need proof that Yefim would keep his word. Once again we sat down (my secretary Viktoria with us) for several hours until finally we agreed to what I had previously discussed with Yefim about a week earlier, that we would work separately. I’d open up a different office, and start a Synagogue there. He’d support me, and I’d support him.

As for Sunday school, we would be taking it over, but Yefim would be administrator, together with Anya Davidova. He agreed. We all shook hands and left.

An hour later Yefim called me to complain about some tiny problem. I told him to speak to Igor Arkadyevich. Igor then called me, and I said I don’t agree with this, and isn’t this a proof of the inconsistency I must deal with? Already he’s got issues!

This happened several times. Finally the next morning Igor Arkadyevich called to tell me that Yefim said he doesn’t agree to anything we had agreed to the previous night. “And he realizes that this means his funding for many things may be cut.” I kind of understood. At least Yefim was saying the truth now. That him and the people he represents never wanted nor want Judaism in Stavropol. They never wanted a Rabbi, they just wanted more money.

The Sunday school started being run in the Sachnut, as we had no real office of our own. We moved apartments to a newer apartment in the city center with 2 bedrooms, a dining room and a kitchen, and his funding for Sunday school was cut.

A couple of days later, we were informed that all of his funding was cut. Igor Arkadyevich had made his report. In it he had stated that he sees that I want peace and am trying to work for it, but Yefim wants no peace and no Judaism, which is what the Federation is giving him money for. Someone from Moscow called and asked me if I was ok with this. I told her that whatever Rabbi Lazar says is ok with me.

A week later, Yefim told the community that he is receiving no funding from Moscow. He blamed it on me of course, but I decided that I didn’t travel halfway across the world to ruin the life of a fellow Jew. I just focused on my duties, and started a Friday night minyan for prayer in our apartment.

Meanwhile the crisis had hit, and our funding was being cut drastically. Someone told us that it would be ‘men’s day’ and it is traditional in Russia to give veterans gifts on this day. I got a call from Dovid Fishman, the smart guy on Yefim’s guy who I honestly adore, and he asked me if I can do anything for this day since Yefim can’t. I told him I’d look into our finances and let him know.

I called Moscow, and found out it wouldn’t work out. So I made some local calls, trying to fundraise. Finally I gathered some money, and decided to use some of our personal money for the rest. After all, there were only 18 veterans.

I let Igr Lerner organize the packages, and unfortunately he was called into the hospital (where he works as an assistant surgeon) on Mens day. Some veterans called, furious. So I organized that a driver, Refoel Khaimov, would deliver all the packages the next day. Dovid Fishman called me to say thanks, as did several others.

I wanted to organize Purim (On Chanukah there had been two separate parties), and I wanted it all to be done together, so I called a meeting in our house. I invited Natasha, sponsors, Dovid Fishman and Yefim. At the meeting I said that we must do this together, and we will pay for the event, raise all of the money, as long as it is kosher. The food will be on us. We want to find out if Natasha can help by spreading the word and making calls, and if Yefim can help by organizing the musician, and allowing us to do it in the Center for the sake of peace.

In frontof several sponsors, Yefim stood up and said, “We have a separate community, and we will do Purim by ourselves.” After that he remained quiet through the rest of the meeting. Dovid Fishman was easier to talk to, and he explained how the elderly people would have difficulties celebrating with the small children. I told him we’ll try and work something out. We didn’t get a chance to meet regarding Purim again.

A week or so before our visas expired; I received a call from Yefim. “We must meet.” He said.

Ok, but let’s meet someplace where none of us feel intimidated. We agreed to meet in the Galeria, and the next day we sat down at a table together.

Our meeting went something like this.

“What is this about?”
“I called the meeting to meet with you. You know, about our situation.”
Pause.
“We need your help. You know the work we do. We need money.”
“Money? It’s always about money, isn’t it? The only work I saw you do so far is aside from all the personal hurt, you’ve torn apart a beautiful community. I thought you wanted to talk about making peace, but apparently everything is about money with you…” Then I stood up to leave.
“No, no. I want peace.”
“Oh really? You do? And how in the past year since I’ve arrived in Stavropol have you proven it? I can prove all the things I did so that there should be peace, but name me ONE TIME that you have proven that you want peace. Just once.”
“Well, I said..”
“Not saying, I want to see one time where you DID something for peace.”
Silence.
“Yefim, I cannot trust you. I think all you want is money and power, not peace. You can tell me all year that you want peace, but you have nothing to show for it so far, and all I have so far seen is that I cannot trust what you say. So how am I to know that you truthfully want peace? How am I to know that you won’t spend the money you receive on trying to convince more people to sign a document throwing me out of the city?”
“I’m telling you now that I want peace. I’ve done several things to help you.”
“Unfortunately I can count them on the fingers of my right hand. You have done way more to hurt than to help, and any time you have helped, it was your duty. But this isn’t about me, it’s about the community. Do you honestly want peace in this community, or do you honestly want money and power? You should think this over…”
“I honestly want peace. I just don’t think it can be achieved because Natasha…”
“I’ve heard all your horrible stories about everyone else. Anyone who could possible hold a position of power, including your girlfriend, has been subject of vicious lies and horrible tales. I’m sure you’ve been saying nasty things about me too behind my back. My point is, I judge by what I see, and you have proven to me so far that you have no interest in peace. On the contrary, Natasha has been a tremendous help from day one. She has gone out of her way for us many times.”
“Ok, so what do I need to do to prove that I want peace?”
“Think about it and tell me. I have one idea: you will prove to me over the next three months that you want peace, and then I will not only request that Moscow sends you money, I will demand it.”

That was the gyst of our conversation. I also received an interesting call from two of the elderly Jews in the community (who I assumed he had convinced that I was a horrible person). They met in my apartment, and asked me why I wasn’t coming anymore for Shabbos. I told them that Yefim had said that they don’t want me, and they don’t want Judaism. “But we do!” They said. After a long discussion, we decided to meet on Sunday morning with Yefim and Dovid and try to work something out.

Sunday came, and we met. In front of all of them, I reiterated my statement that I want peace, and have proven, but Yefim has yet to prove it. Again, Yefim kept bringing up the topic of money, and finally one of the older men told him that as far as he sees it, Yefim won’t receive a kopek from the Federation. Isn’t it obvious? The head of the Federation is a Rabbi! (Rabbi Lazar). Therefore, you must work with the Rabbi. Dovid Fishman agreed. He said that they thought I wasn’t in Stavropol for the long term, but now that they see I’m dedicated to the community, we should work together.

I told them that I need to see results before I work in the community. Nevertheless I will show another leap of faith that peace will happen by coming to the Synagogue every Shabbos (which I did until I left).

I emailed all this to Rabbi Lazar, who told me that Yefim was calling incessantly, and he thinks we can work out an agreement in which the main term would be that if I don’t sign a document each month stating that everything is ok, Yefim receives no money the next month.

That sounds like a good idea, I wrote back. We made the terms, and this time they were harsher than ever. On the original document was included for example, that the Rabbi chooses two new members to be added to the board. We decided not to put it in the contract in the end, and the final contract we made up read like this (I can send anyone who wants a signed copy):

- We will all work together
- We will together write a plan of how we will work together
- The Sunday school will be in Sachnut until the Rabbi has a proper office and place for a Synagogue, after which it will be moved there
- We will together meet the governor and mayor, as well as other officials, and request our Synagogue back
- Finance from the Federation will only be given (to Yefim) after receiving a signed document from us stating that everything is ok.
- The president and the board will write an official document inviting Zvi Hershcovich to be the Rabbi of the community
- Upon reception of this contract, Rabbi Lazar will allow funding immediately to return to the Center
- President and Rabbi will together go to all interfaith and international conventions and conferences in Stavropol
- The president will give the Rabbi access to all documents proving who is and who isn't a Halachic Jew

I told Yefim and Dovid about the news contract, and on Thursday evening we sat down together to finalize it. A few tweaks were made. I refused to add to the contract that the Sunday School in the Center can remain open, as I told them it hurts the community to have two Sunday schools open. But in the end we reached an agreement, and gave it to my secretary to type up for the next morning at 10:00. Our visas expired on Sunday and after Shabbos we were immediately leaving for Krasnodar and eventually America.

Friday morning at 9:00 Yefim called to say he couldn’t make it. Can we meet in the Center at 14:00? I told him that this is his problem, he is inconsistent, and this is what he must prove. He told me that he had to go to the administration of the city because something came up (now I think I know what that ‘thing’ was). I asked him if it was more important than signing a document, if it was more important than peace in our community. Finally we rescheduled to 12:00.

Viktoria came at 10:00 and when she found out the news she burst into tears. She had woken early and rushed all for nothing. Her children had barely been fed, and she had managed to somehow get them to school and rushed over. “How can you work with such a man? It’ll never work out with him,” She sobbed.

Yefim came at 12:00, along with Dovid. He signed the document. I have it and can easily attach it to any email. That evening half an hour before Shabbos I was taken from my apartment by 4 FSB (KGB) officers, and held for four hours while they took me to a fabricated courtcase in which the result was already known, while 25 guests waited for me at home. At that point I thought it wasn’t Yefim causing the problems, and said so to the guests when I returned home. I told them that I think there will finally be peace in the Stavropol Jewish community.

After Shabbos I flew to America, only to discover that my passport had been stamped while I had left it with the authorities (since I couldn’t carry it home on Shabbos), stating that I may not return to Stavropol. Ever.

Then came the letters, documents and TV interviews which I will now disprove one by one.

Rebuttal part 4: contracts. Only for the blog - do not pass thiese around.

Page 4 of the Moscow contract, signed. How I wish we would have kept it. Things would have been so mch more simple.


Page 3 of the Moscow contract, signed. They didn't trust him.


Page 2 of the Moscow contract, signed.


The first page of our contract in Moscow with Rabbi Lazar. We signed on all 4 pages of the document, however ridiculous that may seem.




4. This is when the contracts began. One night in April, I received a phone call from Yefim. Coincidentally, several hours earlier several women from the community had called me to complain that they had been threatened by Yana that if they don’t send their children to the new Sunday School she would open in the Center, they wouldn’t receive any food packages. Thank G-d I had by then found out that he wouldn’t be running that program anymore, and I told the parents so.

Yefim told me that there was a meeting in an hour in which they would give me their contract. I told him to email it to me, since there was no purpose of me being at the meeting as it would only make both of us more upset with each other. I also explained that he had to tell me about meetings a day in advance or I wouldn’t show, and that I felt that I wasn’t allowed to speak or defend myself at the meetings.

He emailed me the contract, and when I received the translation (the next day), I was again shocked.

If anyone wants I can email them copies of all the contracts we have gone through. This one was the most ridiculous of them all. The basics are:

Rabbis duties:
- Teach Jewish laws and organize classes in the Center
- Do Rabbinical work in the Center
- Has final authority on Kosher status of food

Rabbi must pay 10000 rubles monthly (about 400 dollars):

- 3000 rubles monthly for bills
- 2000 rubles for the secretary of the president
- 2500 rubles for foods for Shabbos
- Both internets and the Rabbis phone line
- Extra money to fix up the place and get new furniture

Rabbi must be at Shabbos club
Rabbi and president must meet monthly to make a schedule together
Rabbi must tell the board where all money from Or Avner or the Federation goes
Rabbi cannot fundraise in Stavropol. If he does, he must first ask the board
Anything that has to do with officials, including getting back the Synagogue must first be asked to the board
The Center cannot be used as a Synagogue, since people live above it
Sunday school is in the Center, and Rabbi must ask the board before he can teach in it
Rabbi cannot visit the Sachnut without first notifying the board
Rabbi must organize and pay for all Jewish monthly and weekly literature from Moscow

In return, the board (and presidents) duties:

- Give the Rabbi room for an office, and allow him to install a phone line and internet
- Give the Rabbi a computer and office furniture to use
- Organize monthly meeting to share the schedules
- Answer any questions the Rabbi may have

Then the contract finishes with the statement that if it isn’t signed within 3 days of them sending it to me, then the board will ask Rabbi Lazar and the Federation to send me out of Russia and give them a different Rabbi.

This was so unfair! Aside from the fact that I waited for over a month to receive their contracvt and they expected my answer in 3 days, where were their duties? I wrote to Rabbi Lazar asking advice, and he helped me write a new contract to give the board, which is based on how a normal community works. My contract reads in brief:

Rabbis duties:

- Be a spiritual leader and organize classes on Judaism
- To be available for every Jew in Stavropol
- To ensure Jewish growth
- To visit community members at home
- To organize Shabbos prayer and meals
- To have kosher products and religious articles available for the community
- To meet with officials together with the president

Rabbi must give monthly:

- 2500 rubles for Shabbos
- 1000 rubles for the cleaning crew
- Internet for both of us, and the Rabbi’s phone line

Rabbi must organize money and buy things for:

- Kosher food at holidays
- Kosher food for all classes
- Synagogue repairs and items including Mezuzas for the entire Center
- A kosher kitchen
- The start of a Jewish library
- Jewish teaching materials
- Programs to take place in the Center for the poor and needy
- Jewish magazines and periodicals from Moscow

Rabbi must organize in the Center:

- Kabbalas Shabbos club
- Torah classes for the elderly, the youth, men and women
- A Minyan and Kiddush for Shabbos and holidays
- Sunday school – at least the Jewish parts of it
- Programs for the poor

Rabbi must meet monthly with the president to make a schedule of all activities.

Board duties:

- To represent every Jew in Stavropol
- To notify everyone of board meetings at least one day in advance
- To speak and listen to every other member of the board
- After every meeting a concrete decision must be reached, to be filled out before the next meeting
- Add some younger people to the board

President duties:

- The Center must be open for all Jews who should be made to feel welcome (at one point in my first month he had called the police on a fellow Jew who had threatened him and had him thrown our of the Center)
- Organize programs for Jews

President duties to the Rabbi:

- Call him ‘Rabbi’
- Give Rabbi an office with furniture, a computer, internet and a phone line (the last two the Rabbi will pay for)
- Give Rabbi use of the Zal (main room) for a Synagogue and Jewish classes
- Give Rabbi keys to all the rooms
- Give Rabbi kitchen to make kosher, and allow Rabbi to lock it so that only Rabbi and person in charge of Kosher will have the key
- Introduce Rabbi to the community and give him community list
- Give Rabbi a list of some sponsors
- Help invite people to programs coordinated by the Rabbi and his wife
- Help the rabbi get the documents for his visas and his permanent residency
- Coordinate with the Rabbi all activities of the Sunday School

President and board must pay for:

- President phone line
- Anything that doesn’t have to do with religion
- All the money they receive from the Federation for its purpose

The agreement would begin from the moment of signing.

I had requested from Moscow a list of the money he receives from Moscow. I still have a copy of it. I was mildly surprised to find what I had suspected the entire time… he was stealing money for himself. For example, in my previous emails to Moscow he has always asked to demand money for everything since ‘Moscow doesn’t pay for our rent’. He showed me some documents that the government gives them the offices rent-free (which they did after pressure started about returning the Synagogue). However, what does he do with the 6748 rubles he receives monthly for rent?

All food he buys must be kosher as per the contract between him and Moscow, and yet every Shabbos (even though he already received 2640 rubles for Shabbos food, and now another 2500 from us) there was non-kosher wine on the table!

He receives over 3500 rubles monthly for a ‘family club’ which I never heard of nor have seen! And Sunday school was a whole other story.

This explained all his previous actions. However, I still have not told him that I know of this thievery, even though he is accusing me now baselessly of stealing money for myself. I can send anyone who wants a copy of this, and all the contracts as well.

Anyway, we had to leave to Canada to have another baby (Chaim Shimshon), and so before I left I told him I’d drop by and give him my contract with my changes.

He said that the board will be there and wants to meet, but I had no time and I told him so. I eventually came by and dropped it off, then left to Canada.

I didn’t hear anything for two weeks, and then everything came fast.

My secretary was kicked out of her office, and the locks on the building were changed. I received an email I still have saying that I shouldn’t return to Stavropol since the ‘community’ has fired me. Funny enough, the community knew almost nothing about this at that point. I had by then discovered that he had upset and alienated himself from about 90% of the community, and we were well-backed. I passed his email along to Rabbi Lazar, and spent my time in America fundraising and meeting new Jews on Russian facebook-type websites like odnoklassniki.ru and vkontakte.ru where I started groups ‘Stavropol Jews.’ Odnoklassniki’s group has 52 members, while vkontakte has about 20.

While I was away I received another report from Stavropol about how he organized a meeting with all the older people in the community (who rely on him for food packages he gives out from the Federation), and convinced them to sign a document asking Rabbi Lazar to throw me out of Stavropol. I heard he gathered 25 signatures, but it had caused a massive argument to break out when some people stood up for me.

I notified Rabbi Lazar, who told us that when I return we would meet again. My return would only be for a month, since my original year-long visa would expire, but I’d have enough time to organize my Sefer Torah welcoming event, and meet with Rabbi Lazar to hopefully come to some sort of agreement.

We made a party to welcome Chaim to Stavropol on our first Sunday back, and 50 of our friends came (which was very heartening). Then we worked on the Torah event day and night (we had one week to have it all ready). We got a police escort for the tiny parade down the streets (the mayor of a suburb of Stavropol even offered us land to build a Synagogue), and organized flights for arriving Rabbis and sponsors.

On the big day I honoured Yefim to write one of the first letters in the new Torah. He was also one of only 4 people (if you include myself) to speak to the community – actually he spoke after me. I hoped he would understand that I really, truly want peace. I gave him the Torah to dance with before we even started the parade, and honoured him with some of the early prayers for the Torah. All of this is on video, since the entire event is on video, and photographed in proper sequence.

We met with Rabbi Lazar a few days before I left for another month. I traveled a day early, since I wanted to speak to Rabbi Lazar first. I managed to organize a half hour meeting with the chief Rabbi, who told me he thinks that peace could be worked out. Then the next day was the big meetings. Yefim, myself, Alexander Boroda (head of the federation), and a woman named Milla sat in Rabbi Lazar’s office where the Rabbi listened patiently to Yefim’s complaints.

“We are a small community of 150 people,” was one of the complaints. “And this Rabbi wants to fight for a Synagogue back. He wants to do big things, but we are so few!” When Rabbi Lazar pointed out that he was receiving money for a community of 1500, Yefim got caught in his words, and managed to stammer, “Oh yes, actually there are at least 2000 Jews.” It was almost comical, yet I was surprised to see him lie to the Chief Rabbi of Russia.

He laid out his complaints, and tried to pull out his paperwork (including the petition by 25 people to throw me out), but Rabbi Lazar stopped him and told him that this was pointless. He said that he was receiving money from an organization that promotes ‘religion’. The Federation is a ‘religious’ Jewish organization, and therefore the Center must be used as a Synagogue. Yefim agreed. It also must have a kosher kitchen. Yefim finally agreed to that as well. Then, said Rabbi Lazar, go in the next room and make a contract. When it is done you will sign it and everything will be good. I’ll look at it tomorrow.

So we moved into another office. Milla went and brought a man named Igor Arkadyevich, an old friend of Yefim who works in the Federation. I was nervous, but soon realized that there was nothing to worry about. Igor told me that Yefim was the third toughest president of any community in Russia to deal with.

It took 7 (yes, that’s SEVEN) long hours of him tweedling and fussing over every minute detail. He stormed off several times and Igor Arkadyevich would chase him to the elevator and then try and reason with him, but finally we reached a new agreement. They made him sign on every single page, since ‘we know your tricks already’, and I also signed so it could be fair. I slept that night in a dark side room next to the Synagogue in Moscow from 2:00 in the morning (when the meeting was done) until 6:00 (when someone walked into the room).

Here is the crux of the contract we signed (a copy with his signature on each page can be emailed to anyone who wants).

The Rabbi and President will work in the Center. The Rabbi and his secretary will move to a new office to be used for Or Avner (which we had just opened), where the Rabbi will be starting a kindergarten. The Center will be used for Sunday School, Synagogue, clubs, library, and food programs.

Only one Sunday school will exist in the city of Stavropol and it will be in the Center.

Rabbi’s duties:

- Lead the community spiritually
- Teach Judaism classes
- Ensure growth of the community
- Organize Shabbos meals in the Center
- Visit Jews in their homes
- Have kosher products and Jewish items available for Jews to buy
- Appoint someone together with president who will be in charge of kosher
- Represent the community to officials together with the president
- Organize food programs for the needy
- Together with president to decide who will teach in Sunday school

Rabbi must give monthly:

- 2500 rubles for Shabbos
- Salary of the person in charge of kosher food

Rabbi must provide money (is responsible) for:

- Kosher food for all holidays and events
- Entertainment programs for all Jewish holidays
- All items in the Synagogue including furniture and books (which will be located in the hall of the Center)
- Mezuzas on all doors of the Center
- Arrangement of kosher kitchen
- Jewish projects for teaching Hebrew
- “Lechaim” magazines

Rabbi must organize in the Center:

- Regular praying
- Torah classes for children, students, adults and the elderly
- Programs for older people

Board and its president duties:

- Center is open to all Jews
- To organize programs which benefit Stavropol’s entire community
- Any activity to do under accordance of Halacha as decided by the Rabbi
- To provide a working place for the Rabbi’s activities
- To make the hall/main room and the kitchen available for the religious use
- To give the Rabbi keys to the building, excluding the president’s office and his secretary
- To provide a room where kosher storage can be kept
- To make sure only kosher food is found in the Center
- To give a community list to the Rabbi
- To help the Rabbi fundraise (before Pesach I had asked him to go with me. He refused to even go to people he didn’t know)
- To invite people to the Rabbi and his wife’s programs
- To help the Rabbi with everything necessary for him to get visas and permanent residency

Board and president must pay:

- All utilities and expenses for running the Center
- Repairs and equipment of the Center, excluding the Synagogue and kitchen
- Salaries for the president’s secretary, the book-keeper and other people that the Federation gives money for
- Salary for the cleaner

As you can see, the idea is: the Rabbi is in charge of anything that has to do with Judaism. He pays for it, and makes decisions on it. President has the same responsibilities for everything else.

This is a great contract in my opinion, and pretty much means that he pays for the bare essentials and bare minimum, while I have to work like a horse to pay for virtually everything. But at least there would be peace, and can you believe he was still upset about the contract?

I left to America several days later and made a new visa back for 3 months. The lies, though, were only beginning.

Rebuttal part 3: Nastiness. please don't pass this along

Yefim being told the news about the Sefer Torah. I expected him at the time to react with joy, as he claimed he was passionate about Judaism.






3 – But things got worse. At the end of the month, I received a phone call from Yefim. “In one hour there is a board meeting,” he said, “you must come. And have your secretary come with.”

I dropped what I was doing, and rushed to the center. Being that we had no time to organize a baby-sitter, Chayale brought the kids along. I also called Viktoria, who dropped what she was doing and came.

When we got there, the ‘Zal’ (hall) was packed. About 15 people were there, which was odd. Usually board meetings had 5 people. Why were so many people there? I had a suspicion, and it was confirmed when Yefim pulled out a… how should I call this… Dossier sounds about right. Thick papers, carefully prepared over days, perhaps even weeks.

He then spent the next full hour going in detail over all the ‘crimes’ I had committed. This in public, in front of many members of the community. I looked around, and they were eating it up. Igr Lerner was the only man who kept looking at me and winking. His way of telling me things were ok. His complaints boiled down to: The Rabbi has tons of money, and he isn’t sharing. We have been awfully nice to him by allowing him the use of our office, but he hasn’t done anything in return. The Rabbi is trying to force his religion on people. He isn’t asking the board for advice, and isn’t sharing his monetary expenses with them. The Rabbi wants a Synagogue back even though he hasn’t consulted with the board beforehand. He doesn’t take anti-Semitism into account. He didn’t hire any Jewish workers.

I was shocked. At one point, Chayale told me to close my mouth. My jaw had dropped open and stayed there for the first half of his speech. I couldn’t believe this was happening. When he finished, he paused and waited for me to speak. I slowly stood up. By the way, I sent this all in an immediate email to Rabbi Lazar.

“I was only told of this meeting an hour ago, and so had no time to prepare.” I said.

By that time already his supporters had started shouting at me, and wouldn’t let me speak. I sat down. Finally after a while of trying to speak, I told them that I had been a decent guy who had let them speak for an hour, but can’t they give me 2 minutes? When they quieted down, I told them that I had no idea they were this upset. I said that I think the obvious question is, can we work together? But the real question is, do we want to work together? I told them that I definitely wanted to.

At this point Yana stood up and said that they never wanted a Rabbi in the first place (which came as another shock). When Moscow had asked them if they need a Rabbi, they had said no, and then they had sent me anyway! She pulled out a picture of Rabbi Shayevich (the other chief Rabbi of Russia, along with Rabbi Lazar), and said: ‘this is the Rabbi we want!’ She then went further, asking some of the older people if they want a Synagogue. “No!” One man kept saying. Then she went personal, calling Chayale a “low person” (I had to substitute these words for what she really said. It was disgusting) for sitting on the floor. At this point she had gone too far, and people tried calming her down, telling her the obvious – that we had no idea that in Russia women aren’t allowed to sit on the floor. Yefim added then that while we gave them food on Shabbos, there was no meat in the cholent. “The Rabbi keeps all the meat for himself.” This was beyond baseless. In fact, each Friday our housekeeper would divide the meat exactly in half.

I tried to speak again, but it was no use. There was only one man who would listen, that being Dovid Fishman, a smart man on Yefim’s side, whom I honestly admire. I asked him what to do. He told me that he wants us to work together, and he said that he thinks we should write a contract, in which both sides know what they are supposed to do, and this way we can work together. I agreed, and after more nasty words from their side, and more trying to be heard from mine, it was agreed that the board would write up a contract within the next week, and present it to me, after which I would return it with the changes I think appropriate. Dovid Fishman took the board times and notes, and all of this should be able to be seen if you ask him.

Rabbi Lazar wrote me that he also thinks it’s a good idea to have a contract. In the meantime, I decided that I cannot give Yefim any more money. His word doesn’t count for anything, and that day was the worst day of my entire time serving as a Rabbi in Stavropol.

A month went by with no contract. Pesach was approaching and Moscow made me pay for the Matza I bought. I sold the Matza to members of the community after explaining to Yefim that I had actually paid for them – they hadn’t been free. He looked at me like I was lying, and somehow got Matza as well, and sold them for less. I decided not to confront him, rather I sent a few people his way. I also brought all the Matza and grape juice into my office, because I had no idea what he was thinking.

We had organized that the Seders (Pesach meals) would be in the Center, and we prepared for this. I had learnt my lesson, and didn’t ask him for help in getting people to sign the Chametz form. Instead anyone who bought Matza from us signed the Chametz form. I also gave him several of these, and I hope he had people sign them and sent them to Rabbi Lazar.

Erev Pesach I received a frantic call from a young mother. I should mention that we were focusing on the youth of the community, and had become very close with the young parents. The Sunday school was supported by the Sachnut and Yefim (from the Federation), with Yefim giving most of the money. He was officially the headmaster, but he actually taught a small group history on occasion. Anya Davidova was the real administrator of the school, and the children and parents love her. The school is quite popular among the kids, and the parents are close-knit group who support the Sachnut. Very few are friends with Yefim. I remember when we left to Moscow for the conference, he never told Anya that the center would be closed on Sunday, and she was furious with him for that.

Anyway, the young mother asked for my help. There was a program in which packages were being given out by communities to poor children. The program was being coordinated by Yefim, and it had been running for one month. Children who wanted food had to give in some documents which Yefim sent in a list of names to Moscow. Anyway, he decided not to give some of the women, and instead gave to his friends. I told the woman that it was Erev Pesach and I’d take care of it on Chol Hamoed (mid-Pesach). A few other women called and I said the same thing to them.

Chol Hamoed came and I found out the news – the women had turned to Anya Davidova, who had met with Yefim to complain. His response? “You are a nobody in this community…” I can only imagine what he told her, but I have seen for myself how nasty he can be. She came home sobbing and her husband told her that if Yefim thinks she’s a nobody, then she’ll show him she is somebody. And so the next day they showed up to the Center, and took away everything that had to do with the school, moving it all to the Sachnut.

I also went to speak to Yefim. He told me it was not my area, and I had no business poking in since this had nothing do with religion. He may have had a point, but I told him that my job is to ensure peace in the community, and that no one is taking advantage of anyone else. It was the first time I had spoken up to him. He again told me that it’s none of my business.

When I wrote to Rabbi Lazar explaining the situation, he told me that the program (childrens packages) is supposed to be given out by Rabbis, and I should take it away from Yefim (I still have the emails, of course). I felt uncomfortable with his, since I knew it would make Yefim mad, and when Moscow called to confirm this I told them I wanted to give Yefim a fair chance first.

So I sat down with Anya Davidova and together we compiled a list of 30 children (which I still have). Children who in her opinion need the food the most – poorest to richest. I also had Moscow email me the original list of the 30 children that they were under the impression were receiving the packages.

Then I met with Yefim and told him that Moscow wants to give me the project, but I don’t want it. Instead, all I want is to be fair. Let’s sit down together and make a list of 30 children who need it the most. You choose them all.

We sat down, and I still have the papers we wrote and the reasons for all our choices. The first bunch were the obvious children who came from destitute families or single parents. Then he chose children who came from normal families and could use the food. And with one spot remaining I asked him who to choose. He told me that it should be a Halachic Jew rather than a non-Halachic one, and chose another child.

Then I read over the list. It had taken us over an hour to compile it. I asked him if he felt it was fair. He made a few minor changes, but said it was good. Then I pulled out the other two lists and told him that we must be fair now and make a list for Moscow. I told him that he knows the community best, but there may be some children he doesn’t know that Anya knows who are very poor. So we sat down to make the new list.

The first group of kids we put in was anyone on both lists (his and Anyas). Then we put in anyone who was on his list and the list he originally sent Moscow. Finally there were about 10 spaces left, and I asked him if he agreed that anyone in the top 10 deserves automatically to be in. He agreed, and we added a few of his names, and a few of Anya’s names. The last couple of names were from 10 to 15 of the lists, first choosing off his list.

I showed him the new list, and asked him if he thought it was fair. When he saw it, he got angry and told me that he doesn’t agree with this person, or that person. He told me that he knows for a fact that this person owns a restaurant (I’d been in her apartment a one bedroom shack). I told him it didn’t matter, we were trying to be fair. After he kept nitpicking and refusing to go with it, I got frustrated and told him “Fine. You lost the program.”

I called Moscow and he was told that no longer would he be running the program. Incidentally the program was closed in the entire Russia due to lack of funding, so I never got to run it.

However, the next day I got a call from one of the parents of a child not on the list. He told me that Yana had called him and told him that his child wasn’t on my list. I was surprised that Yana would do such a thing. I told him that I had not made the list, and explained him the system which had been used. I told him I would ask Moscow if a few more names could be added.

Meanwhile, Meyer Emanuel, a friend from Ottawa who was doing well in business, agreed to sponsor a kosher kitchen which we would put into the Center. When I told Yefim the good news, that he’d have a brand new kosher kitchen for free, he said that we couldn’t do it. Excuse after excuse followed, it’s government property…

He also told me that we can no longer make cholent on Shabbos, since it was a danger to have a fire cooking on Shabbos in the kitchen. I told him that we’d use a hot plate from Israel, and he said that the electricity would be a problem.

When I told this to Chayale, she was upset and asked why we were still paying for Shabbos. We kept paying for Shabbos, but didn’t prepare any of the food.

Rebuttal: part 2: arrival. (Please don't pass around)

A womens event in February, which we started doing in our apartment.



2 – We visited the three cities, and were attacked in an anti-Semitic incident while in Ivanovo. We were most impressed by the community of Stavropol, since the other cities seemed to have no youth, while Stavropol boasted a Sunday school with almost 30 children, and when we asked Yefim Fainer, the president of the community, what they’d like to see from us, he answered that they are ready for a kindergarten.

That was the decision-maker, and we chose Stavropol, which was also a very pretty city and we were impressed with all the people we had met there.

Back home in Montreal, we prepared to leave. We packed our stuff into boxes, and shipped them to Russia (they would arrive 6 months later). We sold our furniture, went around fundraising, and started a blog in order to record all the events that took place there for our friends and supporters (after hearing from many people that they would be interested in reading what it’s like to a Canadian Rabbi to start work in Russia). The blog has been a private diary of sorts; people searching for the truth should contact me (rabbizvi44@yahoo.com). They can be invited and then go all the way back to the beginning and read for themselves the difficulties and rewarding times we had, with pictures and videos scattered through it. Here further proof of what I am writing can be seen.

We also called many Rabbis of cities in Russia, particularly the American and Canadian ones (all 3 of them), to get tips and ideas from them, which we wrote down. One piece of advice was to have the president of the community find a couple of apartments which we can look at, so that we don’t have to stay in a hotel for a month trying to find one ourselves. However I was unsuccessful in reaching Yefim, though I tried calling many times.

I should mention that the reason why Russia must rely on foreign Rabbis is due to the fact that for over 70 years Judaism was not allowed. This meant that there were no yeshivas where people can train to become Rabbis. Therefore, almost every Rabbi in Russia is from Israel. There are several Russian Rabbis, but they are far and few between. Only 5 Americans/Canadians work as Rabbis of cities in Russia (if you include Rabbi Silberstein of Vladivostok and myself, who are currently in America hoping this problem gets sorted out and we can return to our communities).

We left Canada in a wave of tears, most of our friends and family didn’t really understand why we chose somewhere so far away, but they respected our decision. We brought with us many bags of luggage, from which we would live out of for 6 months.

We arrived in Stavropol at night, and went straight to a hotel. The next morning we went to the center and met with Yefim. We had brought a small list of requests which we had taken upon the advice of our fellow Rabbis.

The list read:

1 – Help us get a secretary (she must speak English)
2 – Help us find an apartment (followed by a list of what kind of place we’re looking for)
3 – We need an office.

We sat down with him, and spoke about our vision and plans for the community in 1 year, in 3 years, in 5 years. I had written this all down a few weeks earlier. Then he said his vision and plans for the future, which I also wrote down. I still have this paper.

I asked him our requests and he promised to take care of all of them, and help us out in every area. Then he said something which at the time I found very odd. He warned me that we must work together. He said that in other communities, there have been battles between the presidents and the Rabbis (he brought the example of Kursk). He said that he hopes we don’t have a similar problem. I told him no way, I’m glad to work with him. I am not in it for the power, money or anything. I want to build our community and we’ll be great together.

Of course, nothing of this can be proven, as I didn’t write any of this down, but it still struck me as odd.

What can be proven is that we were stuck in the hotel for over a week (I’m sure they keep a registry of guests). We were running out of money, and desperate. Whenever we went to the Center Yefim told us that he was working on finding us a secretary and an apartment. However he didn’t lead us to a single interview for a secretary, or a single apartment. Even our office was a problem, something which should have solved quickly, as there was a large office which could have been used except for Sundays when the children went on the computer in Hebrew school.

Instead, after about a week of our questions, he told me that I could use a corner in the ‘Zal’ (large room) as my office. I told him it wouldn’t work, that I need a room to use, and he said he’d work on it. These frustrations can be found in my schedule book, where I listed my requests before each meeting.

By a stroke of luck, we met a non-Jew named Alexander Dengin who helped us find several apartments. We became friends, and when we were running out of money, we were forced to choose one particular apartment on Rosa Luxemburg in order to leave the hotel.

I’ll now get to the Sachnut. Natasha Kulugina runs the Sachnut and Chesed together with Yulia Sharapan. When we first visited the city, we went over to say hello. The Sachnut is an organization concerned with sending Jews to Israel, Halachic or not. The Chesed, or ‘the joint’, gives out food packages to elderly (and sickly) Jews. Yefim told me from the beginning that we have nothing to do with them, since they work with non-Halachic Jews (I will prove this and more later). However, I was curious as to what kind of work they do, and they seemed very nice and helpful.At that point I did not know of the past history of the Stavropol Jewish community.

So when we saw that we were getting nowhere with Yefim, I went to the Sachnut and asked them for help in finding a secretary. Ads were placed the next morning in Stavropol’s newspapers, and after interviewing several candidates, we hired Viktoria, a capable and very nice person, who has been our secretary since.

Ironically, while I am now being attacked for ‘only doing things for Halachic Jews’, I was originally attacked for ‘only doing things for non-Jews.’ When Yefim found out that I had hired a non-Jewish secretary, he asked me why I did that, when there were perfectly good Jewish ones (whom he hadn’t told me about, though I’d asked him several times to help me find one).

I explained what I had been advised from other Rabbis, that to hire a Jew means that it is difficult to fire her if she is incompetent. It would divide a community. He still bothered me about this for several weeks, and continued to bother me when I hired a non-Jewish housekeeper and driver (for a time).

After a month or so, I was given an office. It was in a small, dingy room (I have pictures of myself squeezed in there) which used to be used as a place to exchange money. The key I was given was twisted, which made it almost impossible to open the heavy door, and I had a copy made. When I later would return the key to Yefim, I forgot to return the original, and I still have the twisted skeleton key with me.

After more cajoling, my secretary was given the nice, large room to use as her office. Meanwhile, I began to realize that no one showed up to the center, except on Shabbos (Saturday) afternoon, when around 10 to 15 of the elderly Jews would gather at 14:00 to eat a meal and talk about the Torah. Aside from the Sunday school, the place was always quiet. No classes took place, and barely anyone ever came in.

This was in sharp contrast to the Sachnut, which was constantly busy (at least whenever I was there). Students gathered in a classroom to chat after college, and young mothers met up. Whenever I was in the Sachnut (which was rare), people were always wandering in and out, chatting and smiling.

One day I met with Yefim, who told me that I must stop having anything to do with the Sachnut. I asked him why, and he told me that Natasha was a sly woman trying to take his job. He told me the history of the community.

After a year of being there, I still don’t have the history down pat, but this is what I gather (I can prove nothing. I am merely repeating what I’ve heard from other people).

The community was organized around 12 years ago. Yefim was president, and thanks to his wife Polina, the community was very active. Igr Lerner ran the Chesed, Natasha the Sachnut. Everything was run out of the Center. Then Polina passed away and the bickering began. It reached a height (and upset most of the community) when Yefim started going out with a new girl, Yana.

She had a terrible influence on him (this I can attest to), and he threw Natasha out of the Center. He somehow threw anyone else with a hint of power out as well, which meant that Igr and Yulia Sharapan began working in the Sachnut, which rented out a new place.

Since then the place is generally quiet, except for Sundays when it was full of children there for Sunday school.

Anyway, I started doing my work. This meant meeting people, inviting them to Shabbos meals and trying to organized Jewish classes and clubs. I had big problems trying to get classes started. The few times I visited the Sachnut, the students asked me question after question about Judaism. But my work was not for the Sachnut, and I asked Yefim to help me organize classes (all over my schedule book). Obviously, he promptly forgot about it. I even tried organizing a chess club with Torah, since I knew he loved chess, but still I received no response.

So I asked him for a community list so that my secretary can call people to a class I’ll coordinate. But he refused to do this either, telling me he’ll instruct his secretary to make calls.

It reached a climax when Chayale organized a womens event. She spent hours and hours preparing for it (making Challah class). I reminded him several times to invite people, and when the time came, not only didn’t his girlfriend or secretary show up, but no one else did. My wife was very upset about it, and so was I. We realized we couldn’t trust him when the same thing happened at a Tu Beshvat event (all proven by emails I sent to Rabbi Lazar I can dig up from back when it was happening, and my schedule book, plus photos).

Something else annoying happened. Moscow told him that he couldn’t ask for any more money, but any more money had to go through me. I hadn’t opened an Or Avner organization so Moscow wouldn’t give me money either. I asked for Yefim’s help in opening the organization but he flat out refused. Instead, he’d come and demand that I give him money for this and that…

I told him I had none, I was only receiving my salary, and he called a board meeting. At the meeting, I was told to reveal all money I receive from Moscow. I told them that I had no written proof, but they can call Moscow and see for themselves that until Or Avner is started, no money comes through except the Rabbis salary and a little bit to pay his secretary and driver.

It was simple to realize I had no money. We had no office tools or anything. Had I had money, I would have at least bought one computer, one chair, one printer, one lightbulb for my tiny office.

Instead I was being asked not only to get him nearly 10,000 rubles to come monthly (which included a huge raise in his salary and the salary of his girlfriend whom I had never seen at work as his ‘secretary’, but also money to put a water cooler in the Center), but also a one time payment of over 10,000 rubles to buy new chairs and furniture (which made sense to me too).

I still have several original papers that he gave me detailing these requests, a paper of me writing them down, and the email I sent to Moscow asking for them. Naturally, I received no answer. Anyway, until Or Avner was opened I had no way of receiving the money.

But even though I explained this to him over and over again, every day without fail he pestered me and bothered me, which made it difficult to work there.

Another problem I had was the phone line. We needed a separate phone line. But every petty little detail was a huge one for Yefim. Thank g-d he let us use a computer, but we wanted high-speed internet and offered to pay for him to receive the same as well. However, this took ages to happen, since he refused to sign papers allowing us to get a new phone line.

My secretary Viktoria once went to speak with him and ask him to sign a document, but he shouted at her, hurling insults and telling her she was a nobody. When I saw her in the office later, she was still crying from the verbal abuse which he would inflict upon her several more times, until I advised her not to speak to him.

Another problem was Shabbos afternoons. The older men met at 14:00, which was a bad time for me. I had to Davven (pray) and eat my Shabbos meal. I asked if they could move it to 10:00 or even 11:00. He told me they couldn’t, so I wasn’t able to make it every Shabbos (it was a 45 minute walk each way and on Shabbos you are not allowed to drive).

Another ugly incident marred Shabbos, when Yana (Yefim’s girlfriend) started taking photos of the meal one Shabbos. I asked her to please put away the camera, and she straight out refused. As she continued taking photos, I pretended I had to go to the bathroom and left the hall. I stayed out until after everyone had left (about an hour) and then asked her why she did that. “Not everyone wants religion.” Was her reply. I was very upset about this, and told to please not do this again, or I wouldn’t come to the meals any more.

When we went to Moscow for the annual conference of Rabbis and Presidents of Russia, we met with Rabbi Lazar. Yefim complained that I was receiving lots of money and not giving him any, and I complained that I had yet to be taken to meet people in the community or even see a community list. Rabbi Lazar told us we must work together. He asked me in English if I could spare money. I told him not much, and he suggested that I help out monetarily with Shabbos, and he also advised me to fundraise a bit so that I can give Yefim a monthly sum to keep him happy.

We also went to FEOR (the Federation), where I spoke to a woman named Rita, and asked that she give Yefim a salary raise. She raised it, giving him the most any president of any community received in all of Russia! She told this to Yefim, saying she was glad I had asked for this, and it shows a true sign of wanting to work together.

Our flight back to Stavropol that night was cancelled, and we sat in a cab driving through the darkness. It was there that I pulled out 6500 rubles and gave it to him, telling him that I’ll help him out monthly. I also told him I’d help him out weekly for Shabbos by my wife making most of the food, and my driver willing to go shopping for him. He looked me in the eye and promised that he would do everything to make sure we worked well together.

I got home all excited. My wife made a cholent for them, and two Challahs. She also bought extra drinks and white eggs that they could use. She would do this weekly until things got out of hand before the month was up.

It was also at this time that we celebrated Purim, which was a beautiful event. 100 people showed up (read newspaper article on it, or see the restaurant listings… or just ask anyone in the community), and everyone was united. It felt good, like the future would get better. Yefim made a speech at the event how it was the first time in many years so many people had attended a Jewish event in Stavropol.

Rebuttal: part 1. Who we are (please don't pass this around)

The 'queen sized' bed from our hotel room when we first arrived in Stavropol.




To whom it may concern,

I write this in response to the terrible accusations made against me by Yefim Fainer, president of the Jewish community of Stavropol, Oleg Pushkantser who is a representative of the Russian Jewish Congress in Stavropol (as I have only recently discovered), and some accusations by the media.

The truth always prevails, and nothing can refute it, particularly when it backed up by so many proofs. Therefore, I would like to start off by saying who I am.

1. My name is Zvi Peretz Hershcovich. I was born on 22 Av, 5742 (August 11, 1982) to Mechel and Faigy Hershcovich in Montreal, Canada. My father is a man of integrity, a deeply religious man who works as a handyman. He can fix or repair anything, and is a well-known member of the Chabad community in Montreal. My mother is a former nurse and current doula. She wasn’t born religious, and only became religious a couple of years before my birth. I have 6 siblings, who live in Montreal, Florida, New York, and Los Cabos, Mexico.

Chabad is a group of Chassidim. We follow the 7th Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who was born in Ukraine and moved to America after World War 2. He taught his Chassidim to learn how to love and care for every Jew, and he was among the fore-runners of the ‘Kiruv’ movement, in which he sent Rabbis around the globe to revive Jewish communities which were losing their attachment to Judaism.

In yeshiva (Jewish school), I spent my childhood learning Torah, Mishnah, Talmud, Shulchan Aruch and Chassidus (when I wasn’t playing hockey). I did not receive much of a secular education, but my knowledge of Judaism was (and still is) superb. I learnt to love every person, Jew or non-Jew as one would love himself, and I spent every Friday doing practical Rabbinical work putting Tefillin on Jews at work.

I learnt in large Yeshivas in London, New Jersey, Toronto and Montreal, and worked for a Synagogue in Sydney, Australia for a year. Then I spent two and half years in Ottawa where I worked as a teacher while learning ‘Semicha’, Rabbinical ordination.

I completed my Semicha and was tested by a Rabbi from Israel, the chief Rabbi of Ottawa, and a Rabbi from Venezuela in the summer of 2004.

At the end of that summer, I met my wife, Chaya Mushka Greenberg. Her father is a Rabbi in a Yeshiva in Morristown, New Jersey, and her mother works as a teacher in a school in the same town.

After we were married, we moved to Montreal and settled down in the Jewish community there.

I had been to the FSU 4 times before we were married, and the Jews of Russia and Ukraine had made a deep impression on me. Three times I had been to summer camps in Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine and I had helped to conduct a Seder in Kaliningrad, Russia. I felt a close attachment and deep love for these Jews, who after facing over 70 years of hardships and religious intolerance, were stepping up in large numbers and announcing that they were Jews. I cried like a baby when leaving camp in Dnepropetrovsk (and have pictures of it too), and still am in contact with many of my campers (through web sites such as odnoklassniki, vkontakte, and by regular post and telephone).

As a married man, I wanted to do something meaningful with my life. There weren’t too many Americans working as Rabbis in Russia, in part because it was financially more beneficial to remain in America (or Canada), and in part because of the language and cultural barriers. Nevertheless, I decided together with my wife that if there would be anywhere to work as a Rabbi, Russia would be the place.

This was for several other reasons as well. I felt that I would be able to do a good job in leading a community spiritually, and as a Chabad Chossid who has heard my Rebbe cry for the Jews in Russia, I knew that it was the place I must go. If I’m going to do something (in this case, be a Rabbi), I might as well do it right (and go somewhere where it will count, where I’ll honestly make a difference).

I contacted Rabbi Berel Lazar, chief Rabbi of Russia, and tried to organize a meeting. It took many months before we finally sat down together in a house in Crown Heights, and when I explained why I wanted to move to Russia, he simply asked me which city.

Up to that point, I had been doing odd jobs in Montreal, such as working as a ‘Mashgiach’ (Rabbi who makes sure the food is kosher) for a Kosher caterer in Montreal, and being an assistant film editor for a friend. I also helped write the CGI animated movie ‘Young Avraham’ (youngavraham.com), and wrote myself a live action Chanukah play (walk-through) called ‘Maccabees’, in which I also acted. It was performed in New York City the first year, attracted 15,000 visitors in its first month and was made into a video by Yanky Teitelbaum and Dovid Weinbaum (see here: http://www.mostlymusic.com/jewish-childrens-museum-maccabees-live-chanukah-adventure-p-3833.html). It also was followed by perfomances in Montreal (12,000 people over one month), and most recently Miami (another 15,000).

But all those were temporary jobs, and when Rabbi Lazar asked me to choose a city, I told him that I had no city in mind, but I did think I would do best as the Rabbi of a city rather than being another Rabbi in Moscow, for example.

He gave me a list of cities which needed Rabbis and told me to narrow down the list to three cities, which I would then visit and decide for myself.

We spent the next month doing careful research until we chose our final 3 cities. A month later, we visited them and were shown around the cities and made to meet the communities by the leaders of the communities.

Now that you understand who I am, I will give a history of what has happened since my first arrival in Stavropol. I’ll try to be brief, and be careful to back up my words. Actually, everything I write here can easily be backed up by even a cursory glance at my schedule book, which was filled daily with all the work I had to do. I can scan and upload the 5’th of January of this past year for example, and there you would read for example that at 9:00 I had an appointment with a Stavropol businessman. At 11:00 I had gone to a store to look at prices of different appliances (and written them down in my book), at 13:30 I had been on the phone with a scheduled appointment with a fellow Rabbi, at 15:00 my wife had work on the internet for askmoses.com and at 17:00 I had gone to buy a scanner for our office (or lack thereof).

You get the idea. Every date, from my permanent arrival on 4 Kislev, 5768 (November 14, 2007) is available. I also have photos, and in some cases – videos, which I have filed in my external hard drive and my parents computer and have with me today.

But without further ado, allow me to take you to July, 2007 where a young, excited couple (my wife and I), together with our 8-month-old daughter Miriam, traveled to Russia to choose a city to work in.

A nice email I just received

That's Chaim Tanny at the wedding.


Dear Zvi,

The director of EF told me that she saw a report on the local television about you. It was an interview with your good friend the president of the community and these are the things he claimed that I remember her telling me:

1. No one in the Jewish community knows who you are because you never see them.
2. You lived in a run down little house on the outskirts of town so no one knew where you lived.
3. You were in Russia without a visa.
4. You didnt fulfill your duties as a rabbi, even on festivals.

Now we all know that is a pack of very stupid lies, but I have no contact with anyone from the community now, so I dont know how they have reacted. Did you hear about this?

Do you have the number of the family who speaks Hebrew? Maybe I can at least do the seder with them.

How are you all doing? Any news about your return here yet?

Missing you all,

Mel.




Should I post all the other emails? (I'm too lazy to translate them all).

A cute email

Chaim Shimshon, a proud Russian (whom we hope will grow up to emulate some other great Russians, such as Reb Mendel Futerfas at best, or Alexander Ovechkin at worst).

Someone asked me a good question in an email: why wasn't Yefim voted out by the community in the last election?

The answer: last election was this past summer. Yefim told only 5 of his friends about the date, time and place. Then he was revoted in. Apparently there's no rule which says he cannot do this.

Anyway, I got a cute email Erev Shabbos. It was sent when it was already Shabbos in Stavropol.

Dear Zvi,

Tonight we gathered together about 7 of us in the Sachnut where we prayed for your return and sang all the songs from the friday night prayer you taught us. We then ate a Shabbat meal. We hope you return, we don't want any other Rabbi. Say hello to Chaya and the kids...

Then theletter goes on to discuss other stuff.

I thought it was very cute.

Thank you Reb Reuven!

Roman Yablonovsky kindly helped me (figure out how to) translate the web page I wanted in the last post.

It's difficult to read and translate appropiately (and a long article), so I'll just post the new revelations.

1 - Apparently I am an Israeli espionage agent, or so 'sources' claim.
2 - Yefim Fainer refused to an interview, claiming that 'you know why I can't speak, and if you look into the story a little bit you'll see what you want.'
3 - The Russian Jewish Congress is furious with the letter by Oleg Pushkantser
4 - My 'crime' has now been changed to 'convincing people to leave to the US and Israel.'
5 - 184 (off the mark by 3) people signed a letter to Rabbi Lazar asing him to send them back their Rabbi
6 - Medvedev said something about how Rabbis shouldn't be deprted, but can be seen as nationl security threats (i I understood the end of the article correctly).

Great. I'm apparently a National Security Threat.

I'm getting punched around in the press. But you know that for every goal power forwards score in hockey they get pounded around a bit first.

I hope I go back. I miss my friends and community.