A Universal Jew
In villages across the expanses of Southern Russia live many Jews, the descendents of Subbotnik converts. Alexander Zaid, Alexander Penn, Raful and perhaps, even Trumpeldor are their descendents. Vysoki, Southern Russia Various sources testify about the transition of the original Subbotniks, limited to Sabbath observance, to a fully observant Judaism. “These converts are actually Russian people,” wrote Joseph Klausner, “who accepted the Jewish faith at first only by a quarter, then by a third followed by a half and in the end, in full. From the research of Dr. Zev Chanin and Velvel Charnin, we learn that across Russia there are between 10,000 to 12,000 Subbotniks spread out in over a dozen communities. Some of them live in their traditional centers, in the Veronezh area, the Volga area, eastern and central Siberia and in the Caucasus region. In their homes they observe the laws of Kashrut and are even stringent to fulfill the ‘Positive commandment’ of drinking four cups of vodka at the end of each meal (even after breakfast). The local vodka, Smogon in their language, is pure and clear. Its alcohol content reaches up to 80 percent. At one time, they prayed every day but the generations have declined and they only gather for prayer on Mondays and Thursdays. At one time they would listen to the reading of the Torah from the mouth of ‘Grandpa Pinchas’ who learned in a Lithuanian Yeshiva. However, since he went on Aliya to Israel, the community has been left “orphaned.” After a train journey of 12 hours from Moscow, we arrived in the city of Voronezh in Southern Russia. From there, after another journey of about three hours, we arrived at a small village called Vysoki. There I found one of the most astonishing phenomena of the Jewish world in the shape of the Subbotniks. There is no need for a full description of Vysoki village beyond saying that it truly reflects the shtetle from Shalom Aleichem's or Shai Agnon's stories. The Subbotniks’ story is also the story of the Jewish faith and its resilience throughout the generations, in all the conditions of place and time.
23 February, 2008