By COLlive reporter
The late Rabbi Shlomo Matusof is known as the first Shliach of the Rebbe and for establishing a system of Jewish schools across Morocco and educating thousands of children for many decades.
But is his previous, lesser-known role that is now the basis of a new book chronicling the “great escape” of 350 Chabad families from Russia after the Second World War.
Born in Vitebsk, Belarus, and educated in Chabad’s underground Yeshivos, Rabbi Matusof was part of the great migration of Polish citizens out of the Soviet Union using a forged visa, making his way to Germany in 1946 and 1947.
The group ended up in Pocking, a German town close to the Austrian border that was home to the second-largest DP camp (“displaced persons”) in Germany. The camp housed 7,645 people, mostly Jews, until it was disbanded in 1949.
Committed to their tradition, Chassidim continued leading a thriving faithful life, setting up makeshift shuls and schools. Rabbi Matusof, who helped run Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, served as the vice-principal of the Yeshiva in Pocking.
In private journals, Rabbi Matusof chronicled the trying yet fulfilling life of the chassidim in war-torn Germany until their eventual migration to France, Israel and North America.
Having discovered those fascinating writings, his son Rabbi Elie Matusof of Crown Heights took to publishing them along with documents and photographs and original research work by author R’ Shneur Zalman Berger of Israel.
The new book “Hayetzia M’russia” (The Exodus From Russia) describes Chabad life and institutions in the DP camps with a focus on legendary personalities such as Reb Nissan Nemanov, Reb Peretz Mochkin, Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dvorkin, and Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Plotkin.
The 365-page book includes original and hitherto unpublished letters of the Rebbe Rayatz and detailed directives of his son-in-law the Rebbe, known then as the RaMash.
There are numerous pictures of individuals and descriptions of numerous Chabad families. Here’s an index:
מפתח-שמות-היציאה-מרוסיהThe book is available in leading Judaica and book stores.
can we get this book translated into English so those of us who can’t read a book in hebrew won’t miss out
Is says in the book that they are working on it
Rabbi Matusof is the real thing. A nicer, true chassid you wont meet.
Hatzlacha!
Here are two videos of the author sitting in 770 with rabbi berel mochkin, purportedly looking at photos of the people who were featured in the book.
The elder rabbi mochkin recognizing a many of the photos and telling the author the names of the people:
https://youtu.be/b1AzUN9JYIo
https://youtu.be/0uOKl0MJWuM