Michel Dorfman
Encyclopedia
Yechiel Michel Dorfman was the de facto head of the Breslover
Hasidim
living in post-Stalinist Russia
. Due to his persistence and planning, the annual Breslover Rosh Hashana kibbutz
(prayer gathering) at the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in Uman, Ukraine, which began in 1811, continued on a small scale despite the Communist
ban on religious gatherings.
in western Ukraine
and became a Breslover Hasid in his early teens. He moved to Uman at the age of 15, where he married Rivkah, the granddaughter of Rabbi Abraham Sternhartz
, a leading Breslover figure.
During the Stalinist purges
of the Ukraine in the late 1930s, Dorfman escaped to Leningrad
, where he survived World War II
. However, after the war he was arrested by the NKVD
and incarcerated in Lubyanka prison in Moscow
for two years. Afterwards he was exile
d to Siberia
for another four and a half years. Upon the death of Stalin
in 1953, he was given a reprieve and allowed to settle in Moscow.
Dorfman was certified as a shochet (ritual slaughterer) by the Rabbi
of Poltava
. He alternately supported his family as a tailor, shoemaker, and bookbinder during his years in Russia.
, where religious practices were still forbidden but government scrutiny was less intense. During the year, these scattered Hasidim did not keep in contact with each other. However, before each Rosh Hashanah
, they would go to public pay phones to call Dorfman in Moscow, who updated them on details of the upcoming holiday pilgrimage to Uman. Dorfman also corresponded with Hasidim who lived in remote areas, encouraging them to come to Uman.
Dorfman served as one of the prayer leaders at the secret Rosh Hashanah services, which were held every year in a house near Rebbe Nachman's gravesite. In contrast to the hundreds of Hasidim who participated in the Rosh Hashana kibbutz
during the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, only enough men for a minyan
(prayer quorum of 10 men) risked the annual pilgrimage in post-Stalinist Russia. Often the police would raid the gathering and take down names of participants, threatening them with imprisonment.
citizens to Uman to show them Rebbe Nachman's gravesite. During World War II, a fierce battle between the Russians and Nazis
for control of Uman had demolished the ancient cemetery
in which Rebbe Nachman was buried. The cemetery was razed and housing lots were constructed on it. The grave of Rebbe Nachman was rediscovered and relocated in the yard of a private house. Only with the aid of someone like Dorfman, who traveled to the gravesite several times a year, could foreigners hope to locate it.
By aiding foreign tourists, Dorfman placed himself in great personal danger. The government only issued tourist visa
s to large cities like Kiev
or Odessa
, not to Uman; thus, Dorfman was aiding illegal tourists. Due to his efforts, however, several hundred American
and Israeli citizens were able to visit Uman. The increasing number of visitors and requests for visas to Uman in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s put pressure on the Soviet government to ease its restrictions. Finally the gates opened entirely with the fall of Communism in 1989.
. In recognition of his self-sacrifice on behalf of the Breslover cause in Russia for decades, Dorfman was appointed as honorary Rosh Yeshiva
of the Breslov Yeshiva in Meah Shearim. He died on 5 Av
5766 (July 30, 2006).
Breslov (Hasidic dynasty)
Breslov is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism...
Hasidim
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
living in post-Stalinist Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Due to his persistence and planning, the annual Breslover Rosh Hashana kibbutz
Rosh Hashana kibbutz (Breslov)
The Rosh Hashana kibbutz is a large prayer assemblage of Breslover Hasidim held on the Jewish New Year. It specifically refers to the pilgrimage of tens of thousands of Hasidim to the city of Uman, Ukraine, but also refers to sizable Rosh Hashana gatherings of Breslover Hasidim in other locales...
(prayer gathering) at the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in Uman, Ukraine, which began in 1811, continued on a small scale despite the Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
ban on religious gatherings.
Biography
Dorfman was born in Kamenetz-PodolskKamianets-Podilskyi
Kamyanets-Podilsky or Kamienets-Podolsky is a city located on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi...
in western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and became a Breslover Hasid in his early teens. He moved to Uman at the age of 15, where he married Rivkah, the granddaughter of Rabbi Abraham Sternhartz
Abraham Sternhartz
Abraham Sternhartz , also known as Avraham Shternhartz, was an Orthodox rabbi in Ukraine and a unique and unsurpassed figure in the chain of transmission of Breslover teachings from the early generations of the movement to the latter ones....
, a leading Breslover figure.
During the Stalinist purges
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
of the Ukraine in the late 1930s, Dorfman escaped to Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, where he survived World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. However, after the war he was arrested by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
and incarcerated in Lubyanka prison in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for two years. Afterwards he was exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
for another four and a half years. Upon the death of Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in 1953, he was given a reprieve and allowed to settle in Moscow.
Dorfman was certified as a shochet (ritual slaughterer) by the Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
of Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
. He alternately supported his family as a tailor, shoemaker, and bookbinder during his years in Russia.
Breslov leader
After World War II, the few remaining Breslover Hasidim in Russia moved far away from the government center in Moscow, to areas such as TashkentTashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, where religious practices were still forbidden but government scrutiny was less intense. During the year, these scattered Hasidim did not keep in contact with each other. However, before each Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
, they would go to public pay phones to call Dorfman in Moscow, who updated them on details of the upcoming holiday pilgrimage to Uman. Dorfman also corresponded with Hasidim who lived in remote areas, encouraging them to come to Uman.
Dorfman served as one of the prayer leaders at the secret Rosh Hashanah services, which were held every year in a house near Rebbe Nachman's gravesite. In contrast to the hundreds of Hasidim who participated in the Rosh Hashana kibbutz
Rosh Hashana kibbutz (Breslov)
The Rosh Hashana kibbutz is a large prayer assemblage of Breslover Hasidim held on the Jewish New Year. It specifically refers to the pilgrimage of tens of thousands of Hasidim to the city of Uman, Ukraine, but also refers to sizable Rosh Hashana gatherings of Breslover Hasidim in other locales...
during the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, only enough men for a minyan
Minyan
A minyan in Judaism refers to the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. According to many non-Orthodox streams of Judaism adult females count in the minyan....
(prayer quorum of 10 men) risked the annual pilgrimage in post-Stalinist Russia. Often the police would raid the gathering and take down names of participants, threatening them with imprisonment.
Foreign Tourists to Rebbe Nachman's gravesite
In the mid-1960s, Dorfman began escorting AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizens to Uman to show them Rebbe Nachman's gravesite. During World War II, a fierce battle between the Russians and Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
for control of Uman had demolished the ancient cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in which Rebbe Nachman was buried. The cemetery was razed and housing lots were constructed on it. The grave of Rebbe Nachman was rediscovered and relocated in the yard of a private house. Only with the aid of someone like Dorfman, who traveled to the gravesite several times a year, could foreigners hope to locate it.
By aiding foreign tourists, Dorfman placed himself in great personal danger. The government only issued tourist visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
s to large cities like Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
or Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, not to Uman; thus, Dorfman was aiding illegal tourists. Due to his efforts, however, several hundred American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Israeli citizens were able to visit Uman. The increasing number of visitors and requests for visas to Uman in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s put pressure on the Soviet government to ease its restrictions. Finally the gates opened entirely with the fall of Communism in 1989.
Aliyah to Israel
After 38 consecutive years of petitioning the government through official and private channels, Dorfman and his wife finally received their exit visas in 1972 and immigrated to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In recognition of his self-sacrifice on behalf of the Breslover cause in Russia for decades, Dorfman was appointed as honorary Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of the Breslov Yeshiva in Meah Shearim. He died on 5 Av
Av
Av is the eleventh month of the civil year and the fifth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. The name is Babylonian in origin and appeared in the Talmud around the 3rd century. This is the only month which is not named in the Bible. It is a summer month of 30 days...
5766 (July 30, 2006).
See also
- Breslov (Hasidic dynasty)Breslov (Hasidic dynasty)Breslov is a branch of Hasidic Judaism founded by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism...
- Nachman of BreslovNachman of BreslovNachman of Breslov , also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover , Nachman from Uman , was the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement....
- Rosh Hashana kibbutz (Breslov)Rosh Hashana kibbutz (Breslov)The Rosh Hashana kibbutz is a large prayer assemblage of Breslover Hasidim held on the Jewish New Year. It specifically refers to the pilgrimage of tens of thousands of Hasidim to the city of Uman, Ukraine, but also refers to sizable Rosh Hashana gatherings of Breslover Hasidim in other locales...