For the first time in 8 years, Subbotnik Jews make aliyah
Subbotnik Jewish get together in Beit Shemesh
Ariel and Moria Shishliannikov are the latest members of the Subbotnik Jewish community of Russia to make aliyah. But they are also the first to do so since 2005, when Israel’s government inexplicably shut down the aliyah of the Subbotnik Jews. Now, with Shavei Israel’s help, the Shishliannikovs are the first of what will hopefully be a new wave of immigrants.
The Subbotnik Jews hail primarily from Vysoky, a central town in southern Russia where, some 200 years ago in the early 19th century, under the rule of Czar Alexander I, thousands of mostly Russian peasants converted to Judaism. Many studied in some of the great yeshivas of Lithuania, while thousands more immigrated to Israel during the “2nd Aliyah” in the early 1900s. The name “Subbotnik” comes from their love of the “Subbota,” Russian for Sabbath.
The Shishliannikovs are joining a small but thriving community of about 300 Subbotnik Jews in the city of Beit Shemesh, about a 30-minute drive from Jerusalem. Shavei Israel’s emissary to Russia, Rabbi Zelig Avrasin, was there to greet the Shishliannikovs when they arrived at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport and took them to visit the Western Wall before helping them affix a mezuzah at their new home. We have pictures below.
We wrote about Ariel and Moria when they were remarried in a traditional Jewish ceremony in Moscow earlier this year, following their formal return to Judaism. The ceremony was organized by Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund. Rabbi Avrasin presided over the chuppah. We have a short video from the ceremony here.
Shavei Israel recently initiated programming for the Subbotnik Jews who have moved to Israel, hiring Esther Surikova to coordinate activities both in Israel and back in Russia, from where she herself made aliyah, arriving in Israel about a year ago. She previously worked in the office of Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the Chief Rabbi of Moscow and the head of the rabbinical court of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Two meet-ups of Subbotnik Jewish immigrants in Beit Shemesh have taken place so far, the most recent last week (see pictures below). The meetings, which were attended by about 20 people, have consisted of updates from the community back in Russia, Torah lessons given by Rabbi Avrasin, snacks (these are Jewish meet-ups, after all!) and fundraising activities. Together with the Russian Jewish Congress and the Jewish Community of Voronezh, Shavei Israel is building a synagogue for the Subbotnik Jews of Vysoky (up until now, they have prayed in private homes).
“We hope that the building of a new synagogue will attract more people, especially the youth, to Judaism and to Shavei Israel’s activities in Vysoky,” Surikova explains. “We have already purchased the building and now are working on improvements and repairs. Many of the Subbotnik Jews in Beit Shemesh have relatives and close friends still in Vysoky.”
If you’d like to contribute to the Subbotnik Jewish synagogue project in Vysoky, please visit our Support page.
Surikova says that the next meeting in Beit Shemesh will take place before Chanukah and that a new booklet on the holiday, with prayers, songs and even recipes in Russian for making latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (holiday doughnuts) will be distributed. Surikova has plenty of plans for the future, including creating a film club and inviting special guest speakers.
And oh, if you happen to speak Russian, you can follow the community’s progress on the Shavei Subbotnik blog: https://subotnikjews.wordpress.com/
Here are some pictures:
