Ohr Torah Stone | Features | Newsletter Fall 2001

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OTS Newsletter- Fall 2001

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HASSIDISM

A world that has nearly vanished came alive for eleven students of Yeshivat Hamivtar-Orot Lev in late June as they traveled through the Ukraine to explore the roots of Hassidism. Accompanied by their rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Chaim Brovender, the young men studied the texts of the great Hassidic leaders, visited sites of significance - and were able to witness evidence of the rebirth of Jewish identity in the former Soviet Union.

Towns on the itinerary included Kiev, Uman, Sqver, Bratslav, Mezeritch and Berditchev. "In Berditchev, at the gravesite of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, Rabbi Brovender read to us from the writings of this maverick rabbi and teacher," reports David Kilimnick, 24, of Rochester, New York. "I suddenly felt a real bond with Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's teachings and the way he assumed the yoke of his community."

Rabbi Brovender and students visit a graveyard in Rekitna, where his mother's family originated

In Mezeritch, Kilimnick continues, where the Maggid of Mezeritch spread the legacy of his teacher, the Baal Shem Tov, nothing Jewish remains. "But somehow the lush green surroundings helped us feel a spirituality in the air."

"Of course, we visited the graves of the tzaddikim, but we also gained insight into how they lived," adds Mikey Sunshine, 27, from Phoenix, Arizona, "It's much easier now to understand how the hardship of their lives gave expression to Hassidism's emotional fervor and message of hope."

Sharing a Simcha

"A real simcha" - wedding in Zhitomer

The group also visited rebuilt synagogues and schools across the Ukraine, talking and learning with yeshiva students, and meeting with local rabbis to discuss the daily challenges of Jewish revival. They even participated in a rare Jewish wedding - the second Jewish wedding that had taken place in the town of Zhitomer in 10 years. "Rabbi Brovender read the ketuba and we served as the witnesses for the ceremony," Kilimnick recalls. "Our dancing and singing helped make it a real laybedik (lively) simcha."

By the end of the visit, the group's guide - a local Jew with no religious background - had begun to explore his own roots. The Hamivtar students pooled their money and presented him with a set of tefilin as a gift.

"The trip was a great way to end my year at Yeshivat Hamivtar-Orot Lev," says Joe Feldman, 18, of Teaneck, N.J., who will start studying at Columbia University in the fall. "Hassidism is full of optimism, and our visit left us with a great deal of optimism for the future of yiddishkeit in the Ukraine."

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