Baruch Dayan, the truth teller: In France, Rabbi Eliezer Nislevitz, zt"l, a Chabad emissary in France and head of the 'Or Shneur' institutions in Aubervilliers, passed away suddenly today (Tuesday).
Born in the communist Soviet Union to his father, a man of devotion, Rabbi Moshe Nislevitz, zt"l, one of the leaders of the Chabad underground behind the 'Iron Curtain'.
While still a young man, he was one of the activists of the "Mezchi HaRavim Group," which devotedly worked to spread Judaism under the rule of the KGB.
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In 1971, the entire family received a permit to leave Russia and immigrated to the Holy Land.
The late Zt"l entered the Chabad Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva, and after marrying his wife, Mrs. Chaya née Clemenson, he went on the Rebbe's mission to France, and joined the educational team of the 'Or Shneur' institutions.
He is survived by his children: Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, Rabbi Tzemach Menachem Mendel, Rabbi Yekutiel Dov Ber, Rabbi Aryeh Zvi, Rabbi Israel Shimon Peretz Yehuda, Uziel, Chaim, Yechiel Nissim, Mrs. Zlata Levin, Mrs. Mushka Tevel, Mrs. Hinda Esther Teichtel and many descendants.
His brother:
Rabbi Chaim Nislevitch - Chabad emissary at Armon Hanatziv in Jerusalem.
Rabbi David Nislevitz - Chabad emissary in the Har Yona neighborhood in Upper Nazareth.
Rabbi Shalom Dober Nislevitz - one of the influential figures in the Chabad community in Safed.
Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Nislevitz - Director of the 'Chama' organization, Nachalat Har Chabad.
About three and a half months ago, the late Ztz"l spent Shabbat in the city of Beitar Illit. After the Musaf prayer near the Ark, he sat alongside the elders of the Ohev Yisrael congregation for a Hasidic gathering.
Impressions from that meeting were published on the Chabad-COL website:
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""I look around here, the city of Torah and Hasidism, everywhere there are yeshivas, synagogues, Torah and Hasidism at the head of every street, many Hasidic communities. Do you know who were the only ones who survived the most difficult years in Russia? Only Chabad Hasidism!""
And he continued the story: "In 1971, our family immigrated from Russia. The first thing Father did was buy tickets for the whole family and we traveled to the Rebbe. The group of Hasidim who immigrated at that time received great affection and special treatment from the Rebbe.
The Rebbe sent the group on a special mission: to meet with the rabbi Moshe Feinstein, zt"l, who was one of the greatest poskim of his generation, in order to "talk to him about learning." This was the mission. Rabbi Feinstein zt"l maintained an extensive Torah correspondence with the Rebbe and supported the Rebbe's Torah struggles.
Rabbi Feinstein was very impressed that a group of pious and wholesome Hasidim stood before him, after all they had gone through in the Valley of Lamentation, and was most impressed to hear them in "Limmud." The one who "argued" with Rabbi Feinstein about Halacha in a special way was Rabbi Yaakov Notik, may God have mercy on him. Rabbi Feinstein himself came "from there" from that country, and knew exactly the meaning of dedication, to remain pious and wholesome Jews, who were arguing with him about Halacha shortly after arriving from Russia!
He asked the followers: 'Is it possible? How did you hold out?''
In the group was the renowned Hasidic man of devotion, Rabbi Mot'el Kozliner, who answered the question: 'And if we had a choice?...''
It turns out that Rabbi Feinstein, zt"l, was amazed by the spontaneous answer, no less than by the halacha discussion...""
Rabbi Eliezer Nislevitch recalls another incident that illustrates the preservation of the gechalat in those days:
""A group of Hasidim are sitting in a synagogue in Moscow, and they are having a meeting. It tells about his daughter's stubbornness not to go to school at the 'Shkala' (government school), it tells about the difficulties of earning a living and how he is unable to find a job because of observing Shabbat, etc. etc. In a corner of the synagogue, a Jew is sitting, studying pages of Gemara carefully. During the time they are having a meeting, he is studying another page of Gemara, and another page of Gemara. The hours pass and so he has reached 8 pages of Gemara!
He approached the congregation, a sort of questioner-proveer: 'While you were sitting here and talking about all sorts of unspecified matters, I managed to learn eight pages of Gemara!''
After they had sprinkled him with a little 'cheer', Minya Wabia, one of the Hasidim attending the gathering, answered him: 'His honor will tell him the truth, what is troubling you these days?' The man answered him: 'I have a daughter who is studying at the university. She met a Gentile boyfriend, and there is already talk of marriage. All our pleas and cries were of no avail...''
The Hasidic answered him: "Do you see all those sitting here in the gathering? They sit here and talk in the gathering. But no one has even a hawa amina at home, so that the daughter might think of marrying a Gentile..."'
