History of Chabad in the USSR - 1989
Book detailing the history of the Chabad movement in the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1950
History of Chabad in the USSR (Hebrew: Toldot Chabad be-Rusya ha-Sovietit) is a 1989 historical work documenting the struggles and activities of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement in the Soviet Union between 1917 and 1950.
The book covers the period from the Bolshevik Revolution through the leadership of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (Rayatz), focusing on resistance to religious persecution by the Yevsektsiya (Jewish Section of the Communist Party), underground yeshivas, and efforts to sustain Jewish observance.
Background
Compiled by Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin based on letters, documents, and oral testimonies, the work was published by Kehot Publication Society in Brooklyn, New York.[1]
It details the Rebbe Rayatz's campaigns, arrests, exile, and support networks for Chabad communities, including the network of underground Tomchei Temimim yeshivas that operated across dozens of locations despite repression.
Content overview
The volume is structured chronologically and thematically, with sections on:
- Early Soviet years and economic conditions
- Dispatch of emissaries
- Underground education and yeshivas
- Persecutions, arrests, and escapes
- Aid efforts from abroad, including matzah shipments and emigration support
Extensive appendices include indexes of topics, institutions, people, and places, plus photographs and maps.
The book highlights the secret "underground language" used in correspondence to evade censorship.[2]
Publication
Published in 5749 (1989) as part of a series on Chabad history in various countries. It draws from archives, including those of Rabbi Israel Dzyakobson, and interviews with survivors.
Network of emissaries
Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn dispatched several emissaries (Shlichim) across the Soviet Union to strengthen Jewish observance, Torah study, and Chabad activities amid persecution.[3]
Key individuals included:
- Ben Zion Shemtov
- Benjamin Gorodetsky
- Simon Yakobashvili (Jacobson)
- Shmcha Gorodetsky
- Mordechai Dubin
- Others such as Shmuel Levitin and additional messengers for regional support in Georgia and elsewhere.
These emissaries operated secretly, establishing underground networks for education and ritual observance.[3]
See also
Chabad-Lubavitch Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn Tomchei Temimim
Notes
- ↑ Levin, Shalom Dovber. Toldot Chabad be-Rusya ha-Sovietit, Kehot Publication Society, Brooklyn, NY, 1989.
- ↑ Levin, Shalom Dovber. Toldot Chabad be-Rusya ha-Sovietit, pp. 16-17, Kehot Publication Society, Brooklyn, NY, 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Levin, Shalom Dovber. Toldot Chabad be-Rusya ha-Sovietit, Kehot Publication Society, Brooklyn, 1989.