The Unforgettable, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Futerfas
Known informally as “Reb Mendel,” he is a famous Chabad Chossid who educated and inspired the communist and bolstered Jewish life in the USSR and for having been incarcerated for over 8 years in Siberian gulags.
The following are some of the memories he shared and the lessons and inspiration he derived from them. Despite the challenges he faced, he prevailed and continued with his mission.
SEEKING BELIEVERS
One Yom Kippur, as I recited the prayer “And All Believe,” a painful thought entered my mind.
Are there really any believers here? I quickly pushed these thoughts from my mind, telling myself, How can you think thoughts that are in opposition to the words inscribed in the prayer? Surely they are true.
A week later, my cellmate approached me. “Is it true that you are a believer?” Without waiting for an answer, he said, “I am also a believer,” and thus we found kinship.
AN UNLIKELY HELPER
There was a prisoner who terrorized the rest. The ringleader in one prison was named Boris. One day, he saw me praying.
Boris mocked me: “Do you have nothing better to do than pray?” I replied: “I don’t recall asking you for advice, and I don’t plan on consulting with you in the future.” Upon hearing this, Boris became angry and said, “I won’t forget what you’ve said to me.”
A few weeks later, the prison camp was disbanded, and all the prisoners were divided among other camps. Boris was part of my group, and once again he became ringleader. Over the next day, several prisoners approached me with news that Boris was conspiring against me. I told them, “The tyrant may be here, but G-d is here too.”
Appointed the task of allocating labor assignments, Boris paired me with someone whose job was incredibly taxing, and I felt that I wouldn’t survive more than a few days.
I had just received a package of oil and nuts, and I sent them to Boris via another prisoner, and the bribe worked: by the next day I had an easier job. But the story does not end there.
A medical board was scheduled to check the prisoners a few days later. Boris informed me that the board was coming, and that if I feigned illness, I would be excused from work. I told him I would rather take sick days for Pesach holiday, which was fast approaching. Because I’d have little food to eat, I was concerned I wouldn’t have strength to work.
“Durak!” he told me in Russian. “Idiot! If they excuse you, take it. If not, do what they tell you.” I was able to celebrate Pesach more easily that year.
THE PACKAGE
During my imprisonment, I was allowed to receive packages from family and friends. They could only send non-perishable food. Of course, they couldn’t send ritual items, since it would compromise me, or be confiscated.
It would take months for a package to arrive, and I hoped dearly that they would send Matzah for Pesach. Being that it was food, I thought my jailers would not take notice, and I would be able to fulfill the requirements. Unfortunately, no package arrived. Eating matzah that Pesach was another mitzvah that, sadly, I could not perform.
The day after Pesach, I was given a package. It contained matzah, and I immediately understood that the prison had deliberately withheld the package from me until after the holiday. I began to devour the matzah, but quickly stopped myself. I wrapped up the remaining matzah with a paper and put it into my pocket, to save for next year’s Pesach.
LIFE ON A ROPE
Prisoners would often gather for discussion and banter. Usually, someone would nostalgically speak about his former occupation, which was often fascinating.
One prisoner told us he had been a tightrope walker at a circus. He described how he would dance and perform tricks while walking on a rope between two trees or beams. Most of the prisoners were from small cities and towns and had never been to a circus, so they believed his story.
He told the skeptics that one day, when they’d have time, he would perform for everyone. On the day Stalin died, the prison guards were distracted, and the tightrope walker, along with many other prisoners, put on a performance, walking on a rope tied high between two trees.
When he came down, a crowd gathered around and begged him to explain how he did it. He had practiced for many years, he said, “but there is one thing that you need to remember: Do not look down. Do not think about the dangers. Focus on the goal, and continue forward. When you manage to focus your mind, it is easy to succeed.”
I thought to myself: Life is a tightrope. Follow the expert’s advice.
