13th Letter from Crimea

B”H

Spring, 2006/5766

Dear Everyone,

So many of my friends keep asking me for my letters. I know I’ve been terribly remiss. It’s been a combination of many factors. For one thing, there is just so much work, and so few hours to do it all. Things pile up, sleep is pushed to the side, and when can I possibly find the time to write? For another thing, in spite of our “trials and tribulations,” I’ve always tried to keep my letters upbeat. Usually I can look back at what has happened, and laugh. I keep on waiting, sometimes more patiently, sometimes less, for the time when I can look back and laugh, and write you one of those funny letters, but it just hasn’t come yet. I know it will, but it just ain’t happened yet.

This past Thursday night, someone scrawled swastikas and “Death to the Jews” on our gate. Tonight, following a football game, there was a street war between the skinheads, rappers, and other groups. We were warned about it ahead of time. I sent all the girls to stay in the apartment of Baila, the school’s mashgicha. The boys locked themselves into the house. There are bars on the windows – for whatever they’re worth in a serious situation, chas v’sholom. We haven’t had any guards for the last two months, because we don’t have the money with which to pay them, so there was nobody guarding the house. My son Dovid spoke to someone from “security” (the 3 letter guys) and pre-arranged that chas v’sholom, if they would hear anyone climbing over the wall, they would call him immediately, and he would get a SWAT team over right away. It was a very tense night, but Boruch Hashem, it passed without incident.

Not so last January, when a group of 17 of us, mainly children and young adults, (I was the only older person,) were walking home from shul at 8:00 one Friday evening. Born and bred in suburban America, Boruch Hashem, I was never personally faced with anti-Semitism before. Yes, this is one of the many problems facing us – the resurgence of prejudice and hostility towards Jews in the Former Soviet Union. We were walking along the dimly lit street -- it used to make me feel like I was walking on the set of an old movie -- when suddenly two groups of 17-20 year olds, (a total of nearly 30,) who were waiting in ambush for us on both sides of the intersection, called out "One, two, three! There they are -- get them!" Most of the older boys had already passed, and they cowardly mainly attacked the girls. They zig-zagged crazily towards us. One ringleader ran in my direction, narrowly missing me as I dumbly stepped aside, thinking that he was running from his peers, not at us! But missing me, he targeted frail 11 year old Beila Zhvakalyuk, smashing his fist hard into her face and knocking her to the ground in a pool of blood. He immediately punched Svieta Abramovych, a 20 year old teacher (who was learning for geirus at the time) in the head, knocking her over as well. Then he punched Ettel Dolgaya in the jaw, and ran away. Others attacked 2 young men, Lonya and Sasha.* The entire attack probably lasted only a few minutes, but was shattering. Beila and Svieta (now Sarah Rivkah) are both still suffering the effects of their concussions, and little Beila's nose was broken and required surgery. Worse yet, her mother changed her mind, and won't let her learn in the school! Obviously the attack caused traumatic repercussions amongst those present and other students of Bais Menachem, the only Jewish Day School in Crimea, as well as in the wider Jewish community. One precious child, (who was not present at the time of the attack,) has been taken out of the Jewish School as a result, since her family is afraid of her growing up Jewish now. Beila, the most harshly attacked, immediately said "my mother is a psychologist and will let me keep coming for Shabbos." In the hospital, the first thing she told her parents (only her mother is Jewish) was "those guys spoiled my Shabbos!" (Unfortunately, her mother hasn’t lived up to Baila’s expectations, and she is no longer permitted to come for Shabbos, camp, or school.)

Within days of the attack, 20 of the individuals involved had been apprehended, and most had admitted to participation in the attack. They eventually located everyone who had been involved. However, almost all of them were released back onto the streets after only a nominal appearance at the police station. They are now claiming that they only found 4 suspects, (as most of them successfully bribed their way out,) and have put off the trial to yet a 4th date.**

As a result of the attack, we had to very steeply reinforce our protection. Besides security in the synagogue, school, and at our home, three guards are needed to accompany the group of people who keep Shabbos, while walking from our home to the shul and back several times on Shabbos. But as I mentioned above, we no longer can afford the guards. We now would need to pay $1,000 a month for guards, and probably the same or more for a security system. This is on top of an already exceedingly strained "budget" (otherwise read as major deficit.) [We had to discontinue the guards due to lack of funds, but desperately need to start again with anti-semitism building up, as evidenced by the recent attack in Kiev, and at least 20 publicized incidences in the Former Soviet Union this year.]

The attack was a follow-up to other recent attacks by these skinheads or "parodies on skinheads" as the police tend to call them, in an attempt to keep this low profile. In August, I walked into shul, after lighting candles at home, and people were saying something about the boys being downstairs, and bloody. I thought they were talking about my sons, Schneur Zalman and Shmuelie, and that they had fallen or something -- not something to get majorly bent out of shape about. However, the two American rabbinical students, Avi and Shmuelie, who had come to run the summer camp, had been severely beaten up and left unconscious in a small park in the center of town, while on their way to shul. When Avi and Shmuelie were attacked, the incident had begun when a group of 10-15 youths walking behind them asked if they were Jewish, then calling out anti-semitic slurs while kicking them in the faces, kicking their heads with their steel toed boots, and punching them. Avi did manage to give one of the attackers a broken arm in the process, but nothing like what they did to them. (The father of the injured boy later had the chutzpah to say that G-d will punish us for filing a complaint against him!)When Avi tried to help Shmuelie, they all jumped on him, and Avi's face was beaten up -- lacerated, and swollen, with a huge black eye, bruises, and a concussion. The two of them were left unconscious in the bushes, across from a cafe. When they came to, a waitress offerred them some napkins to clean off some of the blood. That was the beginning and end of the help they could expect from the bystanders! Unfazed, the two of them found their way to shul, entering singing "I'm a Jew and I'm Proud," which made a tremendous impression on all those present! (Okay, actually at first they thought they were nuts, but then it did make a kiddush Hashem.)

Last Yom Kippur, my then 11 year old son Shmuelie, and his friends Don Yaakov and Levi Yitzchok were also attacked and their yarmulkas were stolen. On Friday night of Sukkos, my husband was strongly shoved against the wall in an underpass by one of the youths involved in that incident. It happened that that night, walking next to my husband was a huge Jewish bouncer, who had come to shul for the first time. The two of them grabbed the teen who had pushed him and brought him up to the street to a policeman. Being that it was Yomtov, and with a houseful of guests waiting, they weren't able to go to the police station at the time, so my husband suggested that the attacker be assigned to community service, something they'd never heard of before. But even that was never acted upon. This same young man is the one who organized the attack last January.

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On a more positive note –

A number of the students in Bais Menachem have become fairly fluent in English. Therefore I looked, and found, Boruch Hashem, a sponsor for some of them to take part in Bais Chana’s Teen Camp and the women’s program. The results of the trip were very positive. The girls did quite well in the Bais Chana Programs, in spite of the fact that English is not their first language. One girl has become much stronger in her desire to learn in Machon Chana next year. Hopefully, we will be able to convince her mother to allow her to go. Another had decided prior to the program to go to a non-religious program in Israel this year, but she has stayed and is living with us again. The third girl in the camp program had already applied to learn in the machon in Zhitomir, but has been strengthened in her Yiddishkeit, and wants to return to spend her holidays with us. One older girl took part in the women’s program. She was dismayed at first that, unlike the younger girls’ camp program, she was in for serious morning till night learning. However, after a day or two, she grew to enjoy the classes, and the program has had a very good effect on her. Before she went, she was leaning strongly towards going to a very watered-down program in Israel this year. Now she told me that she realizes that “although the texts they use may be the same, they are not teaching real Judaism.” She has increased her observance of kashrus, Shabbos, and tznius, despite the extreme pressure in her home from her parents, who were thoroughly indoctrinated with communist ideology.
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Bais Menachem is hanging in there. Precariously, but we will survive!

As you probably remember, in September of 1999 we founded the only Jewish Day School in Crimea, The Bais Menachem Jewish School of Simferopol. The school began with two grades, and the hope was that each year would see an expansion of two more grades until it would eventually encompass all grades from preschool through high school. But the unexpected positive reaction to the school’s phenomenal level of success, as well as to a most amazing summer camping experience, put the continued existence of the school in jeopardy, as the school suddenly jumped from two grades to eleven, and the monthly budget soared from $1,500 to nearly $15,000, in one year! In addition, we have students dorming in our home and a nearby apartment. With new students constantly signing up, Boruch Hashem, it required the school to unanticipatedly move into its own building, with all that is entailed.

In Bais Menachem, our students receive an excellent secular education, in uncrowded classes, together with Jewish tradition, encouraging a pride in our rich heritage. Once again this past year, all of our students who entered national competitions in mathematics, geography, the sciences and Jewish tradition took highest honors! There are now eleven grades, (meanwhile students graduate after 11th grade here,) with hopes of opening a preschool soon if we quickly receive the necessary funding (approximately $10,000.***) Our students are unable to pay tuition, and therefore are all attending on scholarship, with several making a token donation of the equivalent of $7 or less per month. Students daily enjoy delicious breakfasts, lunches, and snacks from the school's kosher kitchen. 11 specialists check their medical needs and give them immunizations.

Ukrainian Law binds the licensing of a school to the building where classes are held in order to ensure proper classrooms, according to code, and conducive to study. At one point the owner of the building which we had been renting, put the building up for sale, and we were in serious jeopardy of losing our license. Thanks to a generous friend of Chabad of Crimea, Mr. M. Tabacinic, who donated over $250,000, we were able to purchase the building.

The budget for the school is currently $182,500, including the dormitory facilities. Originally, we had been promised a grant of $80,000, but during the school year a stipulation was made that was inconsistent with the ideals and direction of Jewish education, thus we were forced to decline, and the funding was rescinded, leaving us without a sponsor. This left us with a crippling debt of $53,000 to close up last year’s books. Additionally, we urgently need $168,000 for necessary repairs, renovations, and furnishings. The roof is now leaking very badly, causing untold damage. If we can switch over the heating system to gas, at a cost of about $100,000,**** we can save at least $2,000***** per month, year round, on heating. The heating season will be starting very soon, and with the amount of money we owe the city for last year's heat, they will not provide us with heat, potentially forcing the school to close down chas v'sholom. The electrical system is antiquated as well and needs replacing. The Licensing Board has given us only short extension to have the bare minimum of repairs and renovations completed.

These funds are vitally needed. We need a minimum of $89,000 immediate cash flow to keep the school open. Where it will come from is anybody’s guess. G-d willing, by my next letter we should be able to pass on the good news. Meanwhile, if any of you have a clue as to where we might find it, we would appreciate your passing the information to us.

Bais Menachem’s principal, Elka, is constantly asking me why we can’t just find 1,000 people to give $18 per month, (or 500 people to donate $36 per month, etc.) which would cover the school and the guards. A handful of people do make regular monthly donations in varied amounts. If more people would only follow their example, we could achieve our goal.

Itchie is forced to spend most of his time abroad, seeking funding, while I “man the fort,” sometimes nearly literally, at home. It would be nice to be able to resume some kind of a normal life again, with the both of us on one continent!

I'm going to have to call it quits for now. I really must get back to work!

Be well!

Leah Lipszyc and Company

*Sasha was also learning at the time for geirus, and was m'gayer this year just before Pesach. He is now Shmuel, and is learning in yeshivah.

** In the end everyone was let off scott free, with the four getting a little "slap on the wrist." They cannot learn in university (like they were anyway) and can't get good jobs. Which leaves them out on the streets!

*** Unfortunately, we're still waiting, and the cost will now be at least $25,000 because of the rising inflation.

**** We have now found a much cheaper electrical system that should cost under $20,000 -- if we can get the funds for it right away. The other system was gas, which would cost more because we'd have to bring in a gas line from another street, but would have cost much less to run.

***** Now $5,000 per month!