Rabbi Lazar, the most amazing head Shliach.
I've been thinking alot recently about what it would mean after we receive the news.
Suppose the news is: return. All is good.
Then we'd have to organize new visas, work on getting the paperwork together for my permanent residency, and the return to Stavropol would mean that:
- The community would be pumped. They would see a bright future, and be very excited about it. We'd be welcomed with open arms
- Yefim, as we have seen, will stop at nothing, and who knows what he'd do upon our return. It's actually a scary thought. His girlfriend (and one of the causes for all this) works for the newspapers...
- We might be swamped by the local news, who reported everything, and made us look bad (except for one newspaper which actually was somewhat neutral). We'd have to prepare for that too
- The community would be more united, particularly after uniting to try and bring us back. That part would certainly be more beneficial
- As per a Hachlata we took on, we would immediately focus all our energies into starting a fund for the building of a Shul in Stavropol
- We might be closely watched by the FSB and other authorities who will try to make our lives miserable
Suppose the news is: it's over. Move on with your life.
Then the following consequences happen:
- Someone must fly out to Stavropol and get our stuff packed and shipped to Montreal
- We also must say our sad goodbyes to our friends and Mekuravim
- Who will take care of the community? At least now they are more united, and hopefully they will get rid of the corruption taking place at the top, and be able to move forward
- We need to decide what we will do with our lives (and I doubt we are going back to Shlichus, in all honesty)
- Should we go to the newspapers and television about getting kicked out of Russia or not? that's another tough decision, which will be up to Rabbi Lazar
- We'd be pretty devastated
- Finally, we'd have to figure out what to do with the Sefer Torah, donated by Eli Ginsburg. Does it return to him, do we give it to the Sachnut, or to a different Jewish community in Russia? What happens?
What do you guys think? I prefer being practical than pretending that everything will 100% be ok. And things are not looking too great at the moment.
12 comments:
Hmmmm, practically speaking.
Something just came to me. I think that the focus over here needs to be not ourselves (or yourselves for that matter), rather the several hundred or thousand Neshamos in Stavropol left without a mentor to guide them on the right path.
Therefore, even if physically it were to be over ch"v.
You could still work on them from abroad. Perhaps this is the reason for the whole invention of internet, media etc...
Would it be impossible to set up some sort of foundation which works for the Jews of Stavropol from abroad.
I think there's a Aizenbach who runs such an organization in the states for the Jews of Cuba. He doesn't live there, but sends out other bochurim and people on special occasions.
What if you were to make a Russian Dvar Torah and send it to all your contacts every week?
To ask one of your close Mekurovim to arrange for one night of learning and you would communicate with them in someone's house via telephone or something??
Perhaps arrange once or twice a year for Bochurim to go out there and make a small, private quiet Minyan and service for RH and YK, for Pesach etc... You can run the whole operation from your comfortable home in Montreal.
I think it could work and it would show the world that as much as they try to stop you, there is nothing that can get in the way of you and the Jewish people's souls.
This could all be done without you compromising a regular job and a regular life.
I think that it's quite the idea.
If you Takeh listen to the law of Russia and stop totally, then it's over. If you continue with overseas Peuloi's, making online Shiurim for the Russian's (perhaps try out a conference call for the Russian's and see how many people log on etc..), keeping in touch via weekly email newsletters to everyone (they have websites that arrange it for you), send 'other' people there to run small, private peulo's that Yefim only finds out about later... These all show they Yefim did not gain victory over you.
You need to be strong brother!
A weekly youtube dvar torah in russian sent to your mekurovin
Dear Mexican shliach, how bout you send a weekly spanish dvar via youtube and instead of living in beautiful MEXICO you'll move back to Schenectedy and Lincoln place?!?!
No offense.... you are a great leader!
Benny, you bring up some good points. I'll speak to some of my 'Balabatim'.
Anonymous, relax my man.
Anonymous, andate a miercoles (ONLY IN CASE THAT WAS SHOCH!!!)
Nunca vive en schenectady y lincoln.
I'm not suggesting to live under such suffering circumstances. I'm saying that when he's thrown into such suffering circumstances, he should make sure that he lives!!
Couldn't have put it better than Benny. I think there are even sites where you can teach like through webcam (I think Skype does that) and if you had a once a week class where all community members came to one house and it was set up and you gave a class like that, where they can still ask questions, that could work.
P.S. I'll still send my monthly check ;)
About point #2, that point really hurts and just does not sound right! You can still keep up a connection!
If this is what it had to take for your community to be united, then at least something good came out of it.
You guys did and can still DO an awesome job!
I sent out an email asking if there's an interest for a class online...
We'll see what they say...
No. Anonymous wasn't me. I actually have no clue where u lived or where u live. and really, I couldn't give a crap.
Shoch
Now to the important things in life:
My opinion is as follows:
Stay in Canada for the next 5 years until the situation clears up then go back.
In the meantime, set a base in Yerevan, Armenia (i.e. get a contact there) and send Tashmishei Kdusha etc. from there to Stavropol via plane (Armavia - http://www.u8.am) since that is a country which is friendly with Russia and it is the only international flight to Stavropol. I wouldn't recommend Moscow unless you can figure out a way that the Community will not be able to get their hands on it.
Also, fundraise in Canada/USA for this and send Bochurim there every few months for a few months at a time (like Merkos Shlichus). And during holidays send reinforcements.
For more info, call me: 248-247-4900. I would like to speak to you. I don't have ur number.
Shoch, you rock casa!
Shoch, my number is 514-621-yale
for now at least give benny the torah
all so let me go whack yeffim
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