A Subbotnik Jewish wedding in Moscow
Ariel and Moria under the chuppah
As they stood under the wedding canopy in the Archipova synagogue in Moscow, Ariel and Moria Shishliannikov were fulfilling a dream they have cherished for years. It’s not the first time they’ve been married. But it is their first time in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony. And the emotional chuppah took place on the very same day that Ariel and Moria formally returned to Judaism.
Ariel and Moria are Subbotnik Jews from Visoky, a central town in southern Russia. Some 200 years ago, in the early 19th century, under the rule of Czar Alexander I, tens of 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 “Subbot,” Russian for Sabbath.
However, in 2003, Israeli bureaucracy began putting obstacles in the path of the remaining approximately 15,000 Subbotnik Jews wishing to make aliyah, questioning their Jewish background and requiring them to convert again before considering their application.
The Subbotnik Jews are now scattered through the former Soviet Union, in particular in the Far East and Siberia. However, the most critical need is with the 500-600 members of the community in Visoky, many of whom have been separated from their families living in Israel.
One heartbreaking example: a young Subbotnik Jewish man moved to Israel some years ago, married, and he and his family are accepted as fully Jewish and Israeli. However, his mother was snared by the bureaucracy and cannot leave for Israel until she converts – something her son never had to do. So the son and his entire family moved back to Russia to be with her until the day comes when the family can be together again in Israel.
Shavei Israel has taken the lead in helping to alleviate this tragic humanitarian crisis and we hope that enabling couples like Ariel and Moria to formally return to Judaism will speed their entry into the Holy Land. We have worked closely with the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Rabbi Pinchas Goldshmidt, who in late 2010 agreed to facilitate the conversions.
Alexander with Rabbi Avrasin in Moscow
Ariel and Moria were not the only Subbotnik Jews to undergo conversion in Moscow that day. Alexander Bocharnikov had previously stood before the Beit Din – the Rabbinical Court – in Moscow, but had not yet immersed in the mikveh (the ritual bath required as part of the conversion process). Here is a picture of Alexander putting on teffilin (phylacteries) for the first time as a Jew.
For Ariel and Moria, getting to their own wedding wasn’t easy. Along with Alexander, they had to travel two hours from Visoky to the nearest train station and then overnight to Moscow.
The wedding was presided over by Shavei Israel’s emissary to the Subbotnik Jews, Rabbi Zelig Avrasin. And Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund flew in especially to Moscow to attend the ceremony. We have pictures of Ariel emerging from immersion in the mikveh, pictures from the wedding itself, as well as a video clip of the sheva brachot (the seven blessings) and the breaking of the glass.
Ariel and Moria’s wedding ceremony was followed by a festive meal catered by the kosher restaurant attached to the synagogue. The Subbotnik Jews present brought some Samogon – homemade vodka so strong (it is 60-70 percent alcohol) that non-Russians have commented that it might be better suited to removing old paint from a wall.
The wedding was attended by 50 people. For both those who had the constitution for Samogon and those who didn’t, it was a joyous day – the culmination of a long process and the start of a new life that will, with G-d’s help, continue in the Land of Israel.