The smear campaign has begun

Apparently Yefim will stop at nothing. I guess we should have seen this coming, since the few people who have supported him up til now (from what I hear) are furious with him for going to the authorities.

The following is a letter he sent to almost every single Rosh Hakahal (president of the community) in the entire Russia. Free translation:

Who are we?

For two thousand years the Jewish people did not have a state. But the people scattered around the world managed to keep their religion, tradition and customs. They managed to remain a united nation. Only through being a community was this possible, since by being together they found spiritual support, understanding, and help in a community.

The community leaders have always told Jews to follow the laws of the country of residence. Jews in Russia have been together as communities up to the 30s and 40s but assimilation, and in particular antireligious prosecutions by the Soviet powers caused that Jewish communities were practically destroyed. Yiddish culture in the USSR was also ruined in the 40s and 50s as a result of the terrible war and Stalin's "struggle against cosmopolitis", and this helped complete the process.

In a post-war Soviet Union, existence of traditional Jewish communities was already impossible. Formal equality to Jews was limited by private instructions of the authorities. But as soon as official interdictions were removed, all over the country the process of revival of Jewish communal life began.

However there were serious obstacles in the way of its restoration. No one knew national, religious traditions, or even the Hebrew language. There were no educational institutions where it was possible to receive this knowledge. There was no place to find training, laws of the religion, ritual objects, or even books.

Nevertheless, inspired by wisdom, Jews overcame all the difficulties in a uniform structure which started in 1988.

In 1999 isolated communities initiated the creation of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia. Now under the flag of FEOR (the Federation) communities have been very successful in their work and in all seven federal districts of Russia have begun to develop.

The city of Stavropol was no exception. One of the youngest organizations in the North Caucasus is Stavropol's Jewish religious organization "Shalom". At the community center there was a Sunday school, youth and womens clubs, a library, an ensemble of Jewish music, and an Ulpan. Children left to a summer camp organized by the community of Sochi.

The humanitarian aid rendered by the community included distribution of Matza before the holiday of Pesach. Members of the community together celebrated all holidays in which the Jewish musical ensemble was an indispensable participant. There were competitions on preparations of our national dishes in which the winners received traditional gifts.

Why are we using the past tense?

In 2008 we were visited by a Canadian named Zvi Hershcovich, a young and devout person whom we faithfully accepted because until then the community in Stavropol existed without a religious leader - a Rabbi.

From the moment of arrival, Hershcovich spoke all the right words about the necessity to revive the community, the construction of dialogue with the regional and city structures of power and law enforcement bodies.

What have we received?

With the appointment of Zv Hershcovich as Stavropols Rabbi, the community completely lost its financing, i.e. money resources which came from FEOR didn't reach the community but instead went to another application - rent of a five-room apartment in the city center, and weekly trips with his family to Canada.

While members of the community have received kosher foods which came through haritable contributions from international Jewish organizations, the money for such work also completely disappears.

With such carelessness n his financial affairs, one can ask how can the community of a city exist on that.

That was all the financial aspect, but now let us discuss the theme of how he is a "spiritual leader" to members of the community.

This Canadian citizen started to apply to us Russian Jews a policy of discrimination by dividing the community into people who are pureblood (both parents Jews, or only mothers are Jews) and dirty (non-Halachic) Jews.

To can he act this way to us who have been born in the country where for 90 years our religion was banned, and the majority of marriages were assimilated?

Veterans of the Great Patriotic War (WW2) were left without a holiday to celebrate on Victory Day, and only because Hershcovich claimed that it was not in the canons of Judaism. Apparently he is unaware that Jews were the main victim of World War 2.

During the time that Hershcovich has served as Rabbi, under the cover that he is working in the interests of the community, he managed to spoil our once positive relations with the regional administration, migratory and law enforcement bodies, particularly when he threatened to carry out a mass protest in the streets of Stavropol in the possibility that it will draw public attention to the problems of the Jewish population in Russia.

Besides, Zvi intended to publish articles in local newspapers with opinions about the oppression of ethnic Jews that in actuality would inevitably lead to an explosion in our multinational city which is always on edge.

Let me remind you, this is a "leader" who is supposed to protect the commuity from internal and external threats!

The community in the city of Stavropol felt compelled to express to Zvi Hershcovich their dissatisfaction concerning his activities as Rabbi of the community. In answer he told us that he doesn't need us and that he is fine with the dozen or so people who support him.

Eventually, the rough activitiesof the Canadian drew the attention of migratory bodies of Russia and the approached him. During all the time he resided in Stavropol the foreigner never found the time to issue his stay in Russia properly.

The irresponsibility and superficialities of Hershcovich to everything he touched finally caught up with him.

The numerous letters we sent to FEOR and Berel Lazar the chief Rabbi of Russia have been unanswered.

We must ask, if the opinion of the community regarding Zvi Hershcovich doesn't interest the "Federation of the Jewish Communities of Russia", then who do they represent?

Members of the Jewish center "Shalom" in the city of Stavropol.