Rabbi Yaakov Lerner, a Chabad chassid from Jerusalem, was among the inner circle of Rabbi Yitzchak Zilber—a renowned and revered figure among Russian immigrants. Rabbi Zilber, who passed away about 20 years ago, was a great Torah scholar, an exceptional servant of G-d, possessed broad general knowledge, and was a spiritual shepherd to many.
Rabbi Lerner’s acquaintance with Rabbi Zilber lasted more than fifty years, beginning when Rabbi Zilber fled his hometown to Tashkent in Bukhara so as not to have to send his children to government schools, which gave a secular education. For about two years, Rabbi Zilber hid in the home of Rabbi Lerner’s father-in-law, the chassid Rabbi Shalom-Zev Krugliak. The latter held a senior position in the national aviation industry, and for that reason his home was considered relatively safe.
Still Needed Here
During those years, and in the years that followed, a deep spiritual bond developed between Rabbi Zilber and the Chabad chassidic community, which had also migrated from deep within Russia to Tashkent. He participated in the life of the community and its events and acted in the same spirit of devotion and self-sacrifice practiced by the chassidim under the guidance and leadership of their Rebbes, Chabad leaders throughout the generations.
About twenty times Rabbi Zilber submitted requests to leave Russia, and all were denied. With all his heart, he longed to leave and make aliyah to the Land of Israel. Each time his request was rejected, he accepted the outcome with joy, saying: “If G-d arranged things so that I remain here, then apparently I am still needed here.”
He worked with extraordinary courage to spread Torah and kindle the Jewish spark. One day, he was caught, tried, and sent to prison. Later, he recounted to Rabbi Lerner his experiences during his imprisonment, particularly one Purim that remained engraved in his memory. He told the story as follows:
“In prison, I discovered new ways to bring Jewish prisoners closer to Judaism. By G-d’s grace, I managed to organize prayer services there, under the noses of the guards. I earned the trust of several non-Jewish prisoners by performing small services for them, and in return they did my share of work required on Shabbat.
The Challenge
“Purim arrived. It was in the year 5713 (1953), and Purim fell on a Sunday. As soon as Shabbat ended, I gathered around fifteen Jewish prisoners. Of course, we did not have a Megillat Esther, but it was still possible to tell the story of the Megillah—and so I did. I recounted the decree of annihilation that hung over the Jews in King Achashverosh’s kingdom, and the miraculous salvation that occurred.
“Among those present was a prisoner named Isaac, an older man who had suffered greatly during his imprisonment. At one point, he lost his composure at my stirring account and, in a fit of anger, demanded I be silenced. ‘Who cares about these tales you’re telling of events that happened two thousand years ago, while the Jewish people are suffering so much in the present?’ he burst out. ‘Millions of our brethren were annihilated by the Germans, and now Stalin is about to destroy the Jews of Russia as well.’
“At that time, the notorious ‘Doctors Plot’ was underway—a vile plot fabricated against a group of senior Jewish doctors, falsely accused of conspiring to poison government leaders. It was known that Stalin, following their conviction, planned to send millions of Jews to the most remote cities in frozen Siberia.
G-d Will Help
“The prisoner remained agitated. ‘In a few days, the doctors will be hung in Red Square,’ he added. ‘The trains for deporting the Jews are already ready. Some Jews will be sent to Vorukhoyansk, where winter temperatures reach sixty to seventy degrees below zero. Others will go to Khabarovsk...’
I looked at him and said, ‘that is true, the situation is severe, but do not hasten to write off the Jewish people. Even the evil Haman once issued a decree to annihilate the Jews, and he failed. G-d will help—just wait and see.’
Isaac answered back, ‘how will He help, how?! Stalin has already planned everything. He is not “Haman”...’ The prisoner began to argue that all of Stalin’s plans had succeeded.
‘Even if all his plans have succeeded, I am confident that when it comes to the Jews, he will not succeed,’ I replied with assurance.
‘On what exactly do you rely?’ the prisoner demanded, dismissively.
‘On the verse, “behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps,”’ I answered, adding, ‘do not forget that Stalin is after all only flesh and blood.’
Prisoner Isaac shook his head with a smile. ‘Seventy-three and strong as steel!’ he exclaimed.
‘Even flesh and blood cannot know what will happen to him in half an hour,’ I replied. And with that, the argument ended. As I said, this was on Purim night.
The next morning, I was told that Isaac was looking for me. When I found him, he lowered his eyes slightly. ‘You were right last night,’ he said.
‘What did I say last night?’ I asked, trying to understand his point.
‘I mean what you said—that no one knows what will happen in half an hour... A prisoner who arrived here yesterday told us that last night Stalin suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and lost the ability to speak.’
In the following days, Stalin endured a prolonged and painful decline, and four days after Purim, on the 18th of Adar (March 5th, 1953), news of his death was announced. The death of the cruel tyrant ended the ‘Doctors Plot’ and the deportation plan he had prepared for the Jews of his country.”
