A Zionist Sermon from Ukraine from 1920 in Honor of Israel’s 76th Birthday

Responsa in a Moment

Volume 18, Number 4

May 2024

A Zionist Sermon from Ukraine from 1920
in Honor of Israel’s 76th Birthday
edited by Rabbi David Golinkin

I. The History of the Manuscript

My grandfather, Rabbi Mordechai Ya’akov Golinkin z”l (1884-1974), was born in Kherson, Ukraine and studied in Yeshivot in Lomzhe, Tiktin and Lida. He served as Chief Rabbi and Av Bet Din in Zhitomir, Ukraine starting in 1913, where he founded the Tiferet Bahurim organization for youth and lobbied the authorities on behalf of the Jewish community. After the February Revolution of 1917, he founded the Ahdut organization together with Rabbis Yehuda Leib Zirelson in Kishinev and Shlomo Aronson in Kyiv. During the Petliura Pogroms (see below), Rabbi Golinkin fled with his wife Chaya Freida and their four children — including my father Noah z”l — to Vilna. There he was very active in Mizrahi but was also a regular visitor to the home of Rabbi Hayyim Ozer Grodzinski, one of the founders of Agudat Yisrael. After serving as rabbi in Dokshitz and Ruzhani, he served as Chief Rabbi and Av Bet Din in Danzig during the turbulent years of 1936-1939.

My father managed to immigrate to the U.S. in 1938 as a rabbinical student at Yeshiva University and to bring his parents to the U.S. in May 1939. On October 6, 1943, three days before Yom Kippur, my grandfather demonstrated in Washington along with 400 Orthodox rabbis in order to save the Jews of Europe. This was the only demonstration in Washington in order to save the Jews of Europe during the entire Holocaust period. After the Holocaust, my grandfather served as Av Bet Din of the Rabbinical Council of the State of Massachusetts. In 1968-1969, that same court became well-known across the U.S. after it ruled that a Jew who owned thousands of apartments in Boston must renovate his apartments for the benefit of his black tenants. (1)

In December 2023, I brought back to Israel a large Hebrew book (12.5 x 8.5 inches) that belonged to my grandfather, a manuscript with a beautiful title page: Pinkas (Minute Book) from the Talmud Torah Society Kameny Brod. Kameny Brod was a shtetl about 100 km from Zhitomir founded in 1862. In 1897, the Jewish community numbering 1,147 people made up 65% of the town’s residents. On July 10, 1919, 250 Jewish men were murdered in a pogrom carried out by the Ukrainian army (see below). In 1939, there were 857 Jews in Kameny Brod, 37% of the population. The Nazis entered the city in July 1941 and almost all of the city’s Jews were shot to death outside the city in August 1941.(2) In other words, it’s possible that the Pinkas we inherited from our grandfather is one of the only physical remnants of the Jews of Kameny Brod.

The Pinkas begins in 1894 and ends in 1913 and includes the “Regulations of the Society” and signatures of its members during the period in question. When I gave the Pinkas to be scanned by Dr. Yochai Ben-Ghedalia, Director of the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, in Jerusalem in January 2024, he discovered in the middle of the empty pages in the Pinkas a sermon by a certain rabbi in Zhitomir from Rosh Hashanah 5681/1920. Since paper was apparently a precious commodity, the rabbi/preacher wrote the sermon on both sides of a blank page in the middle of the Pinkas. Dr. Ben-Ghedalia suggested to me that it might be a sermon by my late grandfather, but I discovered that the handwriting was different from my grandfather’s. Somehow, the Pinkas ended up in my grandfather’s library and here this beautiful sermon came into my possession 103 years after it was written.  Indeed, after copying the manuscript during a long plane ride in February 2024, I decided that I must publish this sermon even though we will probably never know the author’s name.

II. The Historical Background of the Sermon

The sermon mentions “the troubles, decrees and pogroms, may God save us, that we went through.” The preacher is referring to the “Petliura Pogroms,” the widespread pogroms against the Jews in Ukraine between 1917-1921. During the Russian Civil War, there were over 1,200 separate pogroms, in which between 50,000 and 200,000 Jews were murdered. Tens of thousands were tortured and raped and hundreds of thousands were injured, lost relatives and fled the country. The pogroms are known as the “Petliura Pogroms” because Symon Petliura was the head of the Ukrainian Directorate from February 1919 and most of the murderers were Ukrainian soldiers who supported him. It is not clear if he actually led the pogroms or just turned a blind eye to the pogromists. (3)

For example, two months before the sermon discussed here, Prof. Israel Friedlaender and Rabbi Bernard Cantor were murdered in July 1920 near the town of Yarmolintsy, Ukraine, while they were bringing money from the JDC to be distributed to the Jews of Ukraine.(4)

In October 1920, a month after the sermon discussed here, 11 pogroms took place in the Kiev region and 7 pogroms in the Volhynia region.

Finally, my father, Rabbi Noah Golinkin z”l, who was born in Zhitomir at the end of 1913, told us one of his first memories from when he was probably seven years old. He heard gunshots in their courtyard in Zhitomir, of Jews being murdered by the pogromists. His family fled to a town called Lishtin or Lischin, where they hid in a dark room and were told not to cough or sneeze lest they be murdered by the pogromists. They then fled to the town of Zvil and finally reached Vilna in Lithuania. (5)

And here on September 13, 1920, in the middle of this inferno, the author of the sermon below did not know what to say to his congregation in Zhitomir before the Shofar-blowing on Rosh Hashanah. Then his eye alighted on Monday’s “Psalm for the Day” since the first day of Rosh Hashanah fell that year on Monday. Then, on the spot, he composed a Zionist sermon based on the words of Psalm 48. He told his congregation: There is nothing to fear! If the vision of Psalm 48 and of the Prophets is now being fulfilled in Jerusalem and the Land of Israel, then there is hope and a future for the Jewish People!

Below is an edited translation of the sermon. I have added sources in brackets as well as some notes. In the original, the preacher underlined all the verses from Psalm 48; they appear here in bold. In the original, most of the sermon was written as one long paragraph; I have divided it into shorter paragraphs in order to make it easier to read. Finally, it’s worth noting the fine Hebrew style of the preacher. He was well-versed in both the Bible and the literature of the Haskalah.

III. The Sermon

What I preached on Rosh Hashanah 5681 (1920) in Zhitomir before the blowing of the Shofar, while I sat dumfounded and desolate [cf. Ezra 9:3] at the sight of the troubles, decrees and pogroms, may God save us, that we went through. And my spirit fell in my heart, and I did not find comfort for my soul, because the wars and pogroms depressed my soul. And behold the worshipers in the Bet Midrash urged me to preach before them, as is my custom every year, before the blowing of the Shofar, and I stood desolate for some moments and I did not know how to open my mouth since I had no words. And behold my eyes alighted upon the open Mahzor in front of me and the Psalm for the Day gazed back at me, Psalm 48, for that year the first day of Rosh Hashanah fell on Monday. And my spirit was revived and I stood up and said:

My brothers and my people, do not become depressed and do not fear the difficult Attribute of Justice that is stretched out over us because “the Lord is great and much acclaimed” [Psalms 48:2], the Attribute of Mercy hovers over us to a great extent even now during the riots, pogroms and wars.(6) And if you ask me, my brothers, where is the Attribute of Mercy when we saw with our eyes all the troubles and tribulations written in the Tokheikhah [= Deut. 28] stretched out over us in their entirety — I must answer you: turn your eyes to the east and see through the fog and see what is happening “in the city of our God, His holy mountain” and you will understand that I am right, for with your own eyes you will see and admit that “Mount Zion” [verse 3] which was “hidden” [he is reading tzafun instead of tzafon, north] for about 1,850 years, in some lonely corner and no one feared anymore that it would be shaken from the dust of its lowliness, and here it is now rising from the “remote hiddenness,” from that desolate corner and becoming “the city of the great king,” the capital city not just for the Land of Israel but “fair crested, the joy of all the earth,” for world culture will reign supreme there.(7) 

And from this you will understand that “God is in her palaces” [verse 4], that the hand of Divine Providence did this. And in this “[God] had made Himself known as a haven,” the strength of the minimal [Hebrew unclear] Providence has shown His wonders. And if you ask me: what is the sign that what is being done now in the Land of Israel has such a great value and that it has many results for the revival of our people and for fulfilling the destiny of the Prophets? Then I will show you clearly, look my brothers and see “behold the kings” [verse 5] whom we knew before, such as Nicholas [=Tsar Nicholas] who reigned over one sixth of the Earth and [Kaiser] Wilhelm who was [the] “hammer of all the land” [Jeremiah 50:23] and the King of Austria, the  oldest of the kings, the king of China and the Sultan of Turkey and the Shah of Iran, where are they “the shakers of the Earth” [cf. Isaiah 14:16] and the rulers of the world?

Will you not admit that these kings “joined […] together” and passed from the stage of the world, and can you understand this spectacle, and here you are not paying attention to this spectacle, and it’s a normal thing in your eyes, but your neighbors “they saw” [verse 6], saw better than you did, they  understood that this is extraordinary, “yes, they were stunned” and furthermore, “they were terrified, they panicked” until they “were seized with trembling” [verse 7]. Do you know why they were terrified like this? Because they understand that “there”, in those revolutions “like a woman in the throes of labor” – they are the throes of labor and not just regular trauma and surely “a child has been born to us, a son has been given us” [Isaiah 9:5; a reference to the Messiah] and “Israel is saved by God, salvation everlasting” [ibid., 45:17], and the “gale from the east will wreck the ships of Tarshish” [verse 8], the spirit of Israel whose dwelling place is in the east will wreck the ships of Tarshish that surrounded it and besieged it from all sides.

And behold you, my brothers and my people, aren’t we “as we have heard” [verse 9] from the mouth of our Prophets and Elders and ancestors “so we have seen” that the bridge built from the scrolls of our book prevailed over the iron bridges built by our neighbors, and who will doubt it now when he looks at what is happening “in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God,” because it will not be done by human hands, but “God will protect it” and not a temporary salvation like in the days of Cyrus, but “forever, Selah!” For this reason, “we imagine God your mercy” [verse 10] now that we are “in the midst of your Temple” because “like your name Elohim” [God; verse 11] which indicates strength, (8) “so is Your praise.” And behold we are seeing in reality that “to the ends of the earth your right hand is filled with beneficence.” And if we delve into this and consider it, then without a doubt, we will agree that “let Mount Zion rejoice, and let the daughters of Judah exult because of Your judgments” [verse 12] because “the judgments of the Lord are true, righteous altogether” [Psalms 19:10].

And to you, my brothers and friends, I will proclaim “walk around Zion, circle it, count its towers” [verse 13], because every single tower being built there has a special value. And please don’t make light of what you see there, for even though the buildings being built there are few, even so “take note of its ramparts” [verse 14] of Divine Providence and “ascend,” give great value to its “palaces,” which are being built within it, for you must know, that the deeds now being done before your eyes are unusual phenomena. And you must know that you are the generation that has been privileged to see the wonders of Creation and of Divine Providence, and you have seen the fulfillment of the verse “as in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders” [cf. Micah 7:15]. And all this He showed you “that you may tell it to the last generation” [verse 14], to your children after you.

And you, my brothers and my people, must observe and prepare for the situation, and know that God will indeed test you if you can pass the test, if not. Remember and do not forget, “for this is Elohim” [God; verse 15], the Attribute of Justice stretched out over the entire world, He is “our God” our Attribute of Justice in particular, (9) and this practice is “forever,” not from today and yesterday. And for this we must labor and make an effort that “He will lead us evermore” and that the excellent salvation will lead us to a lofty purpose that will be more exalted and sublime than all the deaths and sacrifices we have suffered during the days of our Exile, as it is written “I  give thanks to you, O Lord; although You were angry at me, Your wrath has turned back and You comfort me” [cf. Isaiah 12:1]

IV. Concluding remarks

On October 7, 2023, the towns and settlements around Gaza experienced a terrible pogrom from which we have not yet recovered — some 1200 innocent people were murdered, 250 taken hostage, a difficult war is raging on many fronts and 132 hostages are still being held in Gaza by a ruthless enemy. However, this sermon from 1920 gives us a different perspective. Between 50,000 and 200,000 Jews were murdered in the Petliura pogroms in Ukraine. They could not protect themselves and the government certainly did not try to protect them. The preacher of our sermon encouraged his congregation with the help of Psalm 48 which began to be fulfilled in his day, when there were only 62,000 people living in Jerusalem of whom only 33,000 were Jewish.

Now, in the 76th year of the State of Israel, we have a strong state and a strong people and a strong army and there are 950,000 residents in Jerusalem and 9,900,000 residents in the State of Israel. If that rabbi was inspired by Zionism in 1920, how much the more so should we be inspired! True, we are in a difficult and complicated situation, but with God’s help and thanks to the IDF and the Jewish/Zionist spirit we will overcome every obstacle. Am Yisrael Hai! 

 Notes

1. Regarding my grandfather Rabbi Mordechai Ya’akov Golinkin z”l, see my book Responsa in a Moment, V, Jerusalem, 2021, pp. 364-380; David Golinkin in: Encyclopaedia Judaica, second edition, 2007, Vol. 7, p. 740; Rafael Medoff and David Golinkin, The Student Struggle Against the Holocaust, Jerusalem, 2010, pp. 97-102, 121-123.
2. See:

https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kamennyy_Brod/
https://collections.yadvashem.org/en/untold-stories/community/14622303-Kamenny-Brod
https://iajgscemetery.org/eastern-europe/ukraine/kamenniy-brod

My thanks to Prof. Shaul Stampfer who referred me to these websites.

3. See Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, 10, p. 336, s.v. Ukraine; Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol. 13, cols. 340-341, s.v. Petlyura, Simon; Wikipedia, s.v. Symon Petliura.
4. “Who Murdered Professor Israel Friedlaender and Rabbi Bernard Cantor: the Truth Rediscovered”, American Jewish Archives Journal 55/1 (2003), pp. 63-114; David Golinkin, “A Eulogy for Professor Israel Friedlaender z”l (1876-1920),” Insight Israel: The View from Schechter, Jerusalem, 2003, pp. 149-153 and idem, “An Outline of the Character and Public Activities of Prof. Israel Friedlaender” (Hebrew; forthcoming in Pe’amim).
5. Regarding my father Rabbi Noah Golinkin z”l, see Responsa in a Moment (above, note 1); David Golinkin, Insight Israel: The View from Schechter, Jerusalem, 2003, pp. 157-167; idem, in Rafael Medoff and David Golinkin, The Student Struggle Against the Holocaust, Jerusalem, 2009, p. 123 as well as pp. 121-127; Rafael Medoff in Encyclopaedia Judaica, second edition, Vol. 7, pp. 740-741.
6. According to Sages, the four-letter name of God — Y, H, V, H — symbolizes the Attribute of Mercy, while the name Elohim symbolizes the Attribute of Justice. See E.E. Urbach, Hazal: Pirkei Emunot Vede’ot, second edition, Jerusalem, 1971, p. 399; Solomon Schechter, Aspects of Rabbinic Theology, New York, 1909, pp. 35-36.
7. There is a play on words here. In Psalm 48, it says tzafon which means north, but he explains it to mean tzafun which is hidden. Regarding “global culture” I do not know what he means and perhaps it’s a reference to the laying the cornerstone of the Hebrew University that took place on July 24, 1918. I thank Prof. Doron Bar for helping me clarify this issue and for supplying us with the picture of that ceremony.
8. He is interpreting that the word “Elohim” is connected to the word איל which means strength in Biblical Hebrew – see Psalms 88:5.
9. See above, note 6.

Images:

Laying the cornerstone of The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, July 24, 1918. Library of Congress, American Colony Photo Department, Matson Collection, Prints & Photography Division
A panorama of the old and new cities of Jerusalem, Shlomo Ruder March 2024, (pikiwiki – wikicommons) 

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