In an exciting and uplifting event, which became the talk of town among the region’s Jews, the work of writing a new and magnificent Torah scroll began, which will constitute another pillar in establishing the magnificent Jewish community in the city of Kaliningrad.
The city of Kaliningrad, located on the shores of the Baltic Sea is a unique Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania. It has known many ups and downs in its history, but in recent years, the city has become a beacon of Yiddishkeit, thanks to it’s beautiful, large Shul. The building, which stands in the city’s center, is a magnet not only for local residents, but also for many tourists and business people who visit the area and find a warm Jewish home, a place to daven, a mikva, and a kosher meal.
The current event marks another stage in the development of the community. The Torah scroll, generously donated by the esteemed Migirov family from Moscow, was written for the benefit, and in honor of, the community and its institutions.
In a moving ceremony held in the Shul hall, the Shliach Rabbi Avraham Baruch Deutsch honored the city’s rabbi, Rabbi David Shwedik, with writing the first letter on the parchment. The chairman of the Jewish community in Kaliningrad, Mr. Leonid Flitman, also took part in the writing, along with additional community members, who were honored and excited to fulfill the rare mitzvah of writing a letter in the Torah scroll.
“This is a sight that warms the heart,” participants shared their feelings. “To see in this place, where Jewish history has known ups and downs, a living and vibrant community that writes its own future with its own hands – this is the victorious Jewish answer.”
The sacred work of writing the Sefer Torah will continue in the coming months in the Holy Land. B’ezras Hashem, a huge Hachnosas Sefer Torah ceremony is planned for this summer, in which the scroll will be carried into the great Shul with much singing and dancing, where it will serve the community for generations to come.
Ancient glory mixed with Jewish renewal was felt by all members of the community, who experienced moments of spiritual elevation that connected its glorious past as the Jewish “Koenigsberg” with the flourishing present under the name “Kaliningrad”. That same day, the 25th of Shvat, the Jewish world marked the yortzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant, zatza”l.
The fascinating figure of the one who introduced the Torah world to the contemplation of the human soul and Tikkun HaMidos is inextricably linked to this city, where he lived and in whose ancient cemetery he rests.
Despite the wintry weather and the snow that covered the area, many members of the Jewish community flocked to the ancient Beis HaChaim in the heart of the city. The special event was organized by the Shliach Rabbi Avraham Baruch Deutsch, who led the public in reciting Tehillim and studying Mishnayos le’iluy nishmas Rabbi Yisroel Salanter and le’iluy nishmas the late Rabbi Aryeh Leib Epstein, author of Pardes, who is also buried there.
When the mispalelim stood in front of the tombstone inside the tent, and later in the Shul hall, the message was clear: The Jewish heritage is alive and well, and the holy letters continue to be written even in a place whone history has known many storms.
In honor of the Yom Hilula, special guests came from Eretz Yisroel to the holy tziyun. The Mashgiach HaRav Chizkiyahu Yosef Mishkovitz shlit”a, and a delegation from Bnei Brak’s Kupas Ha’Ir, davened there, and expressed their appreciation for the work of Chabad Shluchim in Russia in general, and Kaliningrad in particular.
Photos: Andrey Boytz
