On Erev Shabbos Chanukah, the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, arrived at the gates of the Butyrki prison in central Moscow, where the holy brothers, the grandchildren of Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, were imprisoned during the famous libel against the Slavita press, to bring the light of Chanukah to the Jews incarcerated there.
On erev Shabbos Chanuka, the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, arrived at the gates of the Butyrki prison in central Moscow. The Chief Rabbi was received by the prison administration and its commanders, who hosted him in the administration office, where he received from them an overview of the general activity and cooperation with the Jewish community for the Jewish prisoners under their care, thanks to the activities of the Chaplain of the Russian Prison Service, Rabbi Aharon Gurevitch, who also participated in the visit.
Rabbi Lazar said that he is kept up to date with what is happening in the prison all year round, through the activists who regularly visit the place, and expressed his satisfaction and appreciation for the opportunity given to every Jew in the prison to observe mitzvos all year round, especially on Shabbos and holidays, thanks to the dedication of Rabbi Yitzhak Zilberg and Rabbi Shlomo Dishko and others, who work in this prison and in other prisons in Moscow.
In light of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s call that during Chanukah, one should especially reach out to those who feel the sensation of “the sun setting,” such as the elderly, the lonely, and prisoners – this visit by the Chief Rabbi has already become a regular tradition, but this year, due to it being so close to Shabbos, the Chief Rabbi asked to shorten the visit, which began with the prisoners putting on tefillin and reading the Torah in a room that serves as a synagogue, where Torah lessons, holiday meals, and even the Pesach seder are also held each year.
The prison leaders came in for the lighting ceremony, and watched attentively as the Chief Rabbi lit the candles. For many minutes, he strengthened the prisoners with words from the weekly Torah portion about Yosef HaTzadik, and the events of the holiday of Chanukah.
In this very prison the holy brothers, the grandchildren of Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, sat, in the famous libel of the Slavita press. The renowned activist Rabbi Mordechai Dubin was also imprisoned there, as were many of the great Chassidim devoted to Russian Jewry. With every visit and each Jewish activity there, the Shluchim feel a special excitement.
Photo: Butyrki Prison Spokesperson
VIDEO:
This is a historic event. The Slavuta (Slovita) printing press founded by the Shapiro family was very important in the Jewish life at the time and beyond. The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, once said that the Shapiro family is one of three families, most ancient and distinguished in their ancestry. Rachel Bayvel (my mother o”h) is a direct descendant of the Shapiro family and her book about the Shapiro brothers and other members of the Shapiro family as well as some other important episodes in Russian and Eastern European history are described has recently been published by Vallentine Mitchell:
The The Shapiro Family, Jewish Creativity and Courage in Russia and Eastern Europe.
The book covers some 1100 years of the more dramatic history of the Shapiros from the 11th century to 20th century. The Shapiro family gave the Jewish world such luminaries as Rabbi Natan Spiro from Krakow, the author of Megalleh Amukkos, and Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the founder of Daf Yomi – the page-a-day Talmud study programme. The Slavuta Printing Press which published the famous Slavuta Shas (Talmud), as well as the first edition of Tanya, existed for some 75 years (1791– 1866) and Rachel describes their changing fortunes. A chapter is dedicated to another member of the Shapiro family – Chava Shapiro (1878– 1943) – who also came from Slavuta and became one of the first women in the history of Hebrew literature. Several chapters are dedicated to Jewish life in the USSR during Stalin’ s time, covering the little known contributions of the Jews to Second World War efforts, as well as the periods when the entire existence of the Jewish community was under threat.
https://amzn.to/3Pk3iNJ