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.
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