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Чтобы ты остался евреем. Воспоминания.
От редактора. Идея книги возникла в начале девяностых годов прошлого века. В течение четырех лет на исходе каждой субботы велась запись устных рассказов рава Ицхака Зильбера. Затем в готовящейся книге (начиная с "казанского периода") появились вставки: сказали свое слово живые очевидцы. Еще какое-то время информация уточнялась, дополнялась и обрабатывалась. Поэтому даты в стиле "столько-то лет назад" следует относить не к году издания книги, а к моменту записи воспоминаний в промежутке между 1994-1998 годами. Первое издание книги вышло в свет в 2003 году, при жизни автора. Во второе издание книги включены несколько новых рассказов участников событий и внесены поправки, учитывающие, помимо прочего, замечания читателей.
440 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 27, 2011
What Rabbi Herman of All for the Boss was for the Lower East Side in the 30's, Rabbi Zilber was in the post-war Soviet Union, except not only was he facing mass assimilation, it was by government mandate, so he had to engage in all sorts of subterfuge just to practice and teach Torah and mitzvos. Eventually, he was imprisoned for it, but even that didn't stop him; he kept Shabbos and organized Yom Tov celebrations in the Gulag!
As you might well imagine, this book is cover-to-cover inspiration. If there's any flaw in it, it's in the organization. The book was based on interviews, so Rabbi Zilber's narrative is sometimes interrupted with related memories from family and friends. That makes it seem a little choppy at first, but once you understand the people and their relationships, the book is pure chizuk. As I said when I read Voices in the Silence, which is another Soviet memoir, why couldn't someone have given this to me when I was a young and foolish self-proclaimed Communist? But as I also said in that review, would I have listened?
As you might well imagine, this book is cover-to-cover inspiration. If there's any flaw in it, it's in the organization. The book was based on interviews, so Rabbi Zilber's narrative is sometimes interrupted with related memories from family and friends. That makes it seem a little choppy at first, but once you understand the people and their relationships, the book is pure chizuk. As I said when I read Voices in the Silence, which is another Soviet memoir, why couldn't someone have given this to me when I was a young and foolish self-proclaimed Communist? But as I also said in that review, would I have listened?
June 14, 2024
ביוגרפיה שנכתבה על הרב יצחק זילבר, שחי ברוסיה הקומוניסטית, ונלחם להישאר נאמן לעקרונותיו הדתיים והמוסריים בתקופה החשוכה הזו, לרבות בעת שהיה במחנה עבודה.
ספר מעורר השראה ומפעים.
ספר מעורר השראה ומפעים.
December 17, 2020
Great book. For a non-Jewish or secular person with Jewish roots these memoirs provide a great insight into what it takes to be a Jew, an Orthodox Jew in extremely unfriendly circumstances.
April 27, 2026
This is an amazing story of an orthodox jew who in the most strenuous conditions under Stalin and while being imprisoned fought to keep his faith and not let go of even the slightest commandments and to raise his family as orthodoxjews as well.
Not only did he fight for himself but wherever he could help another jew he went far far out his way to do so.
Even after finally immigrating to Israel in the 1970's he still did not rest and constantly tried to bring back other Russian jews to the faith.
The writing style i didn't enjoy as much but it's absolutely worth a read to see how much persecution the jews went through under the USSR and to see the amazing sacrifice jews made to not let it deter them.
Highly recommend!!
Not only did he fight for himself but wherever he could help another jew he went far far out his way to do so.
Even after finally immigrating to Israel in the 1970's he still did not rest and constantly tried to bring back other Russian jews to the faith.
The writing style i didn't enjoy as much but it's absolutely worth a read to see how much persecution the jews went through under the USSR and to see the amazing sacrifice jews made to not let it deter them.
Highly recommend!!
January 26, 2022
Second time reading this book. Wonderful read.
August 21, 2019
One of my favorites! A must
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews