The plight of Jews in Russia under the Soviet regime is a grim one indeed, especially in regards to their spiritual life. The state, which controls every aspect of life, is fiercely opposed to any form of religion, and seems to harbor a special hatred for Judaism and Jews. Persecution, imprisonment, exile, are daily dangers for those who adhere to the faith of their forebears.
But G-d has not forgotten nor forsaken His people. In the last few years, the U.S.S.R. has begun to allow Jews to emigrate from Russia and live as free Jews. The reasons for the Soviet government’s decision are immaterial. The hearts and minds of rulers are in G-d’s hands, and we can but give thanks to Him for His kindness. What need concern us is our reaction to our fortunate brethren who have managed to leave Soviet Russia.
One would assume that any Jew would feel only joy and happiness that at last these Jews have the opportunity to live in a land where they can practice their religion freely and openly. And this does not merely bring about an increase in observance of Torah and Mitzvos, but an awakening and assertion of the very core of their Jewishness. For in Russia, where organized religion has been under attack for more than sixty years, a Jew’s hold on his faith is extremely precarious. Denied any exposure to Judaism since the systematic uprooting of religion, the younger generations have absolutely no knowledge of their ancestral faith. Their vulnerability to assimilation is unprecedented, and their situation is literally one of spiritual life and death. And yet, that eternal flame that never quite dies in a Jew, his soul, his spark of Jewishness -- call it what you will -- still reminded him that he is . . . a Jew. The proof? Thousands of Jews, Jews who had never so much as seen a Torah, a Siddur, a synagogue -- risked everything to apply to emigrate from the land where they could not live as Jews.
The Russian government, through some quirk of fate, will give exit visas only to those Jews who can produce documents from Eretz Yisrael proving that they will settle there. Without such documentation, no Jew is allowed to leave. G-d had given (the authorities in) the Holy Land the great privilege and merit to help their unfortunate brethren by issuing such papers.
And so the exodus began. Armed with the exit visas made possible by these papers, Jews in the thousands left Russia and flocked to begin a new life in Eretz Yisrael. But not all were able to meet the challenges encountered there. Some chose to leave Eretz Yisrael and settle elsewhere, hoping that these new locations would help them to at last find peace for themselves and their children. Others, hearing of such experiences, decided not to go to Eretz Yisrael at all, but to go directly to other countries.
Jews worldwide, following in the tradition of their father Abraham, opened their hearts to these most needy of their brothers. Providing sorely needed assistance, both financial and emotional, they helped Russian Jews to settle in the country of their choice. Arriving in countries unknown to them, with strange languages and even stranger customs, this assistance was of crucial importance, providing them with pure basic necessities -- food and shelter. Without the help so wholeheartedly rendered, these Russian Jews would suffer severe deprivation before they could adjust and establish themselves. Blessed indeed are they who help a brother in distress.
The United States of America, that land of kindness and generosity, also opened its heart and provided government grants to help settle Russian immigrants. Realizing their desperate plight, a substantial sum was allocated for their assistance, making their future and that of coming immigrants a bit brighter.
But not all proceeded smoothly. Not everyone could rise to the occasion and give thanks, humbly and gratefully, for the kindness that G-d had showed. Men of petty minds, of smallness of spirit, were outraged. How, they self-righteously asked, can we in all good conscience send Russian Jews the documents stating they are emigrating to Eretz Yisrael, when in reality they are emigrating elsewhere? We are acquiescing to a lie! We are misleading the Soviet Government!
Had such people stopped at expressions of pious shock and outrage, the damage would have been minimal, though their sanctimoniousness just as insufferable. But they went unbelievably further; and with a coldness and self-righteousness boggling in its sheer audacity, they ignored all ideas of humanity -- of man to man and of Jew to Jew.
As upholders of the sacredness of truth, they demanded that the authorities in Eretz Yisrael withhold the documents vital to Russian emigrants from those Jews who would not immigrate specifically to the Holy Land. Better, they piously decided, for Jews to rot in Russia than we support a lie.
The infamy grew: Threats to withhold financial assistance have been issued to those Jews already outside Russia, waiting at transit stations, (e.g. Vienna) if they did not proceed to Eretz Yisrael. Not content with this, they actually dared to send representatives to other countries (notably the U.S.A.) to convince Jews there to withhold aid to the Russian Jews! And of course, all this is wrapped in a mantle of zealousness -- Eretz Yisrael desperately needs new "olim", immigrants, and to coerce Russian Jews to go there is a . . . mitzvah!
Then came the greatest shame and disgrace of all. Not content with asking Jews to withhold their aid, attempts were made to influence the U.S. government to stop their generous financial assistance. And again, adopting a guise of righteousness, it was claimed that such funds are being diverted from their rightful destination -- Eretz Yisrael. The situation is so ridiculous, the logic so warped, that one would laugh in disbelief if it were not so vilely true. A Jew begging a non-Jew to withhold aid from a fellow Jew! Can there be a bigger Chilul Hashem, desecration of G-d’s name, than this?!
Any Jew would instinctively recoil in disgust from such actions, and disavow them with a full heart. Indeed, when claims were advanced that the money given by American Jewry was meant specifically for the settlement of Russian Jews in Eretz Yisrael, these philanthropists disavowed any such intention, and publicly opposed any attempts to force Russian Jews to settle in Eretz Yisrael. But we need not rely on instinct. A logical and dispassionate analysis of the situation will reach the same conclusion as that arrived at emotionally -- that it is morally indefensible and ethically repugnant to withhold aid to the Russian Jews merely to force them to immigrate only to Eretz Yisrael.
One must of course realize that the settlement of Eretz Yisrael is indeed an important thing, that the Holy Land is indeed unique and far superior to all other places. And of course truth is indeed a precious commodity, not to be lightly dismissed. There can be no argument on such matters. But they are irrelevant to this situation.
The situation of the Jews in Russia, let us emphasize, is critical. Saving such Jews is not just for the purpose of bettering their circumstances, material or spiritual, but a clear-cut matter of saving them as Jews. It is simply not possible to live as a Jew in the U.S.S.R. All sections of Jewry -- Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, agree that the release of Soviet Jewry is essential in saving their Jewish identity -- however that is defined. Without emigration, the Jews living there will inevitably wither and die, a prey to discrimination, persecution, and worst of all, rampant assimilation. It is only by the grace of G-d that until now so many of them have retained that minimum amount of Jewishness which urges them to flee to a country where they can freely practice their religion. In such circumstances, who will dare maintain that for the sake of one’s own scruples it is permissible to deny them the papers necessary for emigration. The desire to be an honest person is indeed a fine thing -- but not at another’s expense! The blood of your brothers on your hands will not be washed off by the "purity" of your speech! And make no mistake. Should you deny them the right to emigrate, you will have contributed to their spiritual death as surely as if you had led them to the conversion fount.
There is a tragic irony in the situation. While Russian Jews are attempting to flee their country because they are denied freedom, those very people who are working to enable them to leave, are attempting to deny them that very freedom! Surely one of the basic freedoms is the choice of where to live -- and withholding aid to force that choice is just as surely a denial of freedom. Even the highest of motives cannot excuse such conduct, and in this particular case, the end so desperately sought by these unscrupulous means will not even be achieved.
The goal of all these attempts is to ensure the settlement of Eretz Yisrael and, as we have noted, this is indeed a most worthy ambition. But the means employed will be fruitless, and can only result in a devastating backlash. Imagine: A Russian Jew at a transit station is told that he will be helped only if he immigrates to the Holy Land. Due to his precarious position (and it is notorious that the Russian government does not allow these people to leave with any of their hard earned possessions) he is forced to agree, reluctantly, sullenly, angrily. One may assume that such a person will not do his utmost to become a good citizen. Filled with seething resentment, he will wait for the first opportunity to escape to the land of his original choice. So what has been gained? Such people will in any case not stay long in Eretz Yisrael, and much money and effort has been wasted. And even during his stay in Eretz Yisrael, he will certainly not contribute to the stability and building of the land.
Unfortunately, the damage does not stop there, but has an ever-widening ripple effect. News travels fast, and the knowledge that such tactics are being practiced can only serve to drain any enthusiasm that other Russian Jews may have to settle in Eretz Yisrael. No free person is enthusiastic about being deprived of his free will. Even those who would otherwise have gone there willingly will now think twice. This includes not only Russian Jews, but also those born in free countries. Such a policy can only produce disdain and disgust for a country that can stoop to such levels. Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael is therefore not only not helped, but actually impeded.
The damage affects not only potential aliyah, but assistance to Eretz Yisrael itself. The American government extends a helping hand to the Holy Land, and provides large financial sums to it. But the people in the American government are not fools. There is an inherent paradox in the above behavior, and it has already been noted by the diplomats in the State Department. For, while Eretz Yisrael requests assistance, messengers (speaking on behalf of all Jewry!) have also been sent requesting the United States to cut off aid to Jews wishing to lead a free life! The paradox is glaringly obvious, and can surely diminish the aid already being given to Eretz Yisrael. In the present climate of cost-cutting, such a possibility cannot be lightly discounted.
As the argument continues, the logic becomes even more warped. It is claimed that Russia will only continue to give exist visas if the Russian Jews immigrate only to Eretz Yisrael. However, Soviet Russia is no friend of Eretz Yisrael, and is certainly not interested in seeing an increased Jewish population there. Indeed, Arab countries have in the past requested Russia to refuse Jews permission to emigrate, for this would contribute to further personnel for the army etc. It is hardly logical then, to suppose that Russia will suppress emigration precisely because the Russian Jews are not immigrating to Eretz Yisrael!
The most repugnant aspect of this whole shameful episode is the moral condemnation Russian Jews are subjected to for not going to Eretz Yisrael. It is not for us to judge these people! Who will dare to be so bold as to smugly sit in judgment upon people who have suffered cruelly under a totalitarian regime for so many years?! Is it not enough that they have remained Jews, willing to sacrifice jobs, positions, everything, to immigrate to lands where they can be free? They did not receive any education concerning the holiness of Eretz Yisrael and were not indoctrinated about the greatness of settling there. Yet you dare criticize and, what is worse, attempt to force them to settle there? Make no moral judgments, for it is surely you, living freely and prosperously, who will be found wanting.
And the very fact that Russian Jews have no knowledge of the sanctity of the Holy Land, invalidates the claim that their immigration elsewhere will cause others to depart from Eretz Yisrael, to become "Yordim." For the bulk of those leaving Eretz Yisrael consists of those who were born in the land, and have been indoctrinated with the belief in the uniqueness of the land. It is those who came to settle there from the free countries, who were prompted by the highest ideals. To force Russian Jews, who have not received such an education, to come to Eretz Yisrael, will not solve the problem of "Yeridah", emigration from the land. They are but a scapegoat for faults that lie elsewhere.
In conclusion: G-d has granted Russian Jewry the opportunity to leave a land where they cannot live as Jews and to reach a refuge where they can openly practice the faith of their forebears. We have no right to pronounce moral judgment on Jews who have gone through the hell that is Soviet Russia and still remained Jews. Any attempts to force these people to live in a place contrary to their desire, and to use financial blackmail as a leverage, is morally reprehensible and Halachically forbidden. We can do no less than to offer up thanks to G-d for the good fortune of our brethren, and consider it our duty and privilege to give them all assistance possible. The life of even one Jew is infinitely precious. Let us not forsake the trust placed in our hands.
