The 15th International Russian Jewish Shabbaton was held at the Parsippany Hilton (with an overflow accommodated in the adjacent Hampton Inn) from March 29-31. The event was co-sponsored once again by Chamah, led by Rabbi Hillel Zaltzman, and Chabad-Lubavitch Youth Organization, led by Rabbi Kasriel Kastel, and was supported by the World Zionist Congress. It was directed by radio and Internet personality Rabbi Benzion Laskin and addressed by Itay Milner, Consul for Media Affairs at the Consulate of Israel in New York. Over 1,000 people attended, almost everyone either born in Russia or closely related to a Russian-speaker.
Presentations were scheduled for 45 minutes at a time, about half of them in Russian, about half of them in English, on Friday night, Shabbat, and Sunday, outside of davening times and mealtimes. Actually, the lavish variety of food was far from limited to mealtimes. The diversity and creativity of the topics that were covered and the speakers from all over the world were nothing short of mind-boggling. Here are some examples:
A Lesson in Humility and 700 Benches: A Historical Incident That Changed Jewish History; Jewish Life Behind the Iron Curtain; Navigating Entrepreneurship in the Tide of Rising Antisemitism; The Mechanism and Structure of Jewish Law; Be a Proud Jew, Wherever You Are: True Stories and Discussion about Antisemitism in Schools; Terror and War in Israel in Light of the Secrets of Kabbalah and Chassidut; Kabbalah and Money: Codes of Abundance and Meditation for Attracting Prosperity; Present and Future: How to Prepare for the New Era of Artificial Intelligence and the Coming of the Messiah.
A regular feature of the Shabbaton is “Crossfire: Challenge the Rabbis – Your Questions, Any Questions, Answered.” A teenager actually drew applause for asking about the kashrus status of a rabbit which would be genetically engineered to have the two signs of a kosher animal. Another question was what happens to a reincarnated soul at the time of the revival of the dead? A person who married more than once? The panelists this year were brilliant as always, coming up with instant answers to the most creative questions that would surely stump lesser rabbis. The legendary Rabbi Manis Friedman, who just launched his new book To Win a War, was as quick with a quip as well as an answer as ever, and Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, the head of the Beis Din of Sidney, Australia, was the straight man who simply exuded wisdom.
There were sessions for singles and sessions for parents, as well as playgroups for children of many different ages, separate swimming before Shabbat, and a live concert for women on Motzei Shabbat featuring the renowned composer and entertainer Zlata Razdolina and her Jazz Band.
I delivered a presentation on the highlights of 19 of my articles on the Daf Yomi and the war in Israel, elections, and other hot current events. I announced that I would attempt to provide highlights of my articles all within 45 minutes. I almost got in all of the articles, including a reference to the 100th anniversary celebration of Beit HaRav Kook, the last topic I discussed. I mentioned that my great-grandfather, Harry Fischel, whose grant funded the construction of that historic house and yeshiva (now primarily a museum and tourist attraction), elicited a promise from Chief Rabbi Kook to send him a pre-email telegram when Moshiach would come (the sponsors of the Shabbaton, of course, are big on Moshiach) so that Fischel, a major builder at the time, could help build the third and final Beit HaMikdash. Fischel obtained the same commitment from Chief Rabbi Herzog years later. But Rashi and Tosfos in the Daf Yomi implied that the Beit HaMikdash will be built by G-d. Others interpret this to mean that the Beit HaMikdash will be built by Moshiach or ordinary individuals under the direction of G-d. On this point, I concluded, “Alas, Chief Rabbi Kook is not available to make that call (or telegram), nor is his successor, Chief Rabbi Herzog, and Harry Fischel is not available to take that call (or read that telegram). Nevertheless, we hope and pray that Moshiach will come soon and in our times, and that the Beit HaMikdash will be built soon, one way or another!”
The Grand Melave Malka Dinner was quite extraordinary, though a bit incongruous since the mood was generally solemn because of the war in Israel, but there was room for some singing by Israeli sensations Vladi Blayberg and Avi Peretz, and some levity by noted comedian Ilya Akselrod. Chazzan Moshe Shur led the services with power and inspiration, and participated in this concert with a microphone he didn’t seem to need. Young men broke into spontaneous singing and dancing many times, with chants of “Am Yisrael Chai” uplifting and encouraging all the participants.
There were video presentations about the current war, and the family of a hostage, and then Dr. Yair Ansbacher, an Israeli counter-terrorism expert, reservist, and research fellow with a Ph.D., a beard (trimmed), and tzitzit hanging out, made a moving presentation about what it was like to travel from his home in Israel to the war in Gaza, one of the first to do so, to help liberate one of the kibbutzim under attack by Hamas, and to witness the carnage and help Zaka to close dead people’s eyes.
Netflix’s now-famous Aleeza Ben Shalom spoke about her rise to prominence and led a live matchmaking experience entitled “How to Get Married and Stay Married.” But for many people, the most meaningful presentations were Rabbi Laskin’s Kabbalah-inspired lectures he delivered on Shabbat and the mind-and-body healing meditation after Shabbat accompanied by the music of his famous mother, Zlata Razdolina, all to packed audiences, where many people were brought to tears of joy.
The whole experience felt like the culmination of the transition of the Russian community from repression to exhilaration in an inspired Jewish atmosphere, setting the stage for the ultimate redemption with Mashiach.
Author’s note: I was involved in the organization of various Yavneh Shabbatonim in my youth. My Russian bona fides include being a great-grandson of Harry Fischel, referred to a century or so ago as “the Russian Jacob Schiff,” and being married to Dr. Isabella Reichel, who immigrated from Ukraine long before the current war there and is now a professor at Touro University.
