In 1951 my father, Rabbi Moshe Greenberg, was twenty years old and a prisoner in a Soviet labor camp in Siberia. That Yom Kippur, he faithfully prayed all the day’s prayers. All, that is, except for Kol Nidrei.
39 Comments Posted
What a terrific article written with real sincerity by Rabbi Greenberg of Ohio.
Rabbi Greenberg and www.chabad.org should be congratulated for such inspirational articles especially during this Yamim Noraim period.
Let's hope we live up to the wish and daven with an emes Kol Nidrei and the other Tefillot on Yom Kippur.
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I have had the great zechus (merit) of spending a Shabbos meal by Rabbi Moshe Greenberg and family, in Bnei Brak.
So I can personally attest that this man is the true definition of "A light on to the nations". Especially the Jewish nation.
And he has taken that "light" and passed it down to his *17* children, each who are amazing in there own right.
May that inspirational light continue to spread to the whole of the Jewish people. And may we all merit a happy and peaceful new year.
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What an inspiring story. We read the story to our students in school.
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We thank rabbi greenberg a lot, not just for his article, but for his nice words that we have the mreit to hear. may you have a good and sweet year!
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the story of Mr. Greenberg struggeling to keep his connaction to important prieres , touched my Heart . and i thought to myself - How simbolistic , it is , that the missing prier was kol nidrei , which the meening of it's name in Hebrew is - All the important promissess we made , asa in a contract with the All-mighty . . .
Mr. Greenberg REALLY , didn't need " Kol Nidrei " , because he realy new and felt the importance of the connaction to his jewis people , and to stay tuned to the important friquency , the Holly prayers of yom kipur , invites to our life .
I read the story with tears .
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I was excited to read the article about your incredible father. As a professional handwriting analyst and speaker for chabad, I can personally attest to the amazing strength of character, persistence, humility and energy as revealed in his handwriting during what could only be considered endurance beyond belief. This year my Yom Kippur prayers will take on a new meaning.
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The rabbi stated: "This Yom Kippur, as I lead the services at the Chabad Jewish Center of Solon, Ohio, I will have with me the copy of my father's machzor, with the Kol Nidrei prayer still missing."
I wonder if his father's longing was for his son to leave the Land of Isreal for the fleshpots.
Is this the fulfillment of his dream form the labor camp?
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Having attended the services that Rabbi Greenberg has led this year, I can assure you that the Rabbi aint sitting in no 'fleshspots'.
As a young Israeli boy with no money or English skills, Rabbi Greenberg sacrificed the pleasures of living in a Jewish Community, a paying job and many more frills, for the sake of strengthening the Jewish people with tears, sweat and blood.
15 years later, could you say that you have given more of yourself for the Jewish people?
Or have you reserved the job as self proclaimed "guardian of the Population of the Holy Land" as your contribution to our society.
I truly admire your care, but please learn more about our real needs first -- we have enough critics, we need more doers.
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This machzor brought tears to my eyes. May we merit to pray on Yom Kippur with the dedication, awe, and love that it represents. What a testimony to the power of the human spirit when it is connected to G-d.
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Thank you so much for sharing with us the story of "My father's Machzor" and even providing a picture.
It is really an inspiring and living example for all of us.
A very sweet year to all.
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This shows why we're the choosen people. Judaism will never die.
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I am still very interested why R. Greenberg left Israel! How could he leave the country where all yearn to be? How could he build a community in a place where there is no other Jews have a synagogue to go to? Why not send them all to Israel, encourage them to make Aliyah! Do not open schools! Come home! Bring your services here! There is plenty of work for you to do in my community!
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The sad fact is that there are more Jews living outside of Israel than in the Jewish homeland. And their numbers are shrinking. No, they're not moving to Israel -- they're disappearing. In America, more than half intermarry. In South America and Eastern Europe, the percentage is more like 80 or even 90 percent. More Jews have been lost in the last two generations to intermarriage and assimilation than were slaughtered by Hitler. "Why not send them all to Israel," you say. "Encourage them to make Aliyah!" Well, who are you going to encourage to make aliyah? A Jew who doesn't know that he or she is Jewish? A Jew to whom being Jewish means absolutely nothing? Go ahead, convince them.
If 100,000 Jews picked themselves up tomorrow and moved to Israel, that would be great. But do you know what would be an even greater salvation for the Jewish people? If 100,000 Israeli Jews -- aware, knowledgeable and committed Jews like Rabbi Greenberg and yourself -- picked themselves up tomorrow and moved to Perth, Australia, Bogota, Columbia, Solon, Ohio -- and a thousand other diaspora communities, and dedicated their lives to reach out to Jews and help them become more aware, knowledgeable and committed in their Jewishness. Encourage them to go to Israel? By all means. But you stay right there until every last one has gone.
I don't know Rabbi Greenberg personally, nor am I familiar with the circumstances of his life and what made him decide to settle in Solon. So I cannot speak for him. But this I can say: we'd all be better off if there were more like him.
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After having read your comment - and what a comment! - I then happened to glance down where it says " Posted By, " etc. And according to the info there, you're living in Jerusalem, instead of in " Perth, Australia, Bogota, Columbia, Solon, Ohio. " After having shared your thoughts with other readers, it would seem to me that you should have told us why YOU are in Jerusalem. That's the only thing I would like to know, now that I've read this particular post.
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Your story was so meaningfull thankyou
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Thank you for sharing the story of your father on Kol Nidre in 1951, in a stalin labor camp.
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The Machzor story by Rabbi Greenberg is a wonderful, inspiring story. Unfortunately, our ancestors had to go through such incredible difficulties and overcame death threats and other unbelievably cruel circumstances.
I wish you and all your family and all am Israel a happy healthy wonderful peaceful new year and many more to come.
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Jews need to learn to be Jews wherever they are; Cuernavaca, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Solon, Chicago, Atlanta.
I say teach a Jew to fish and he'll be a stronger Jew. Teach a Jew to be a Jew and he'll be a Jew the rest of his life.
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I loved this story as it brought back stories my father told us as kids.
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I read it and thought of my great grandmother and great aunt who came from Russia to England. I would like to trace my jewish roots and imagine what they were going through. I was brought up singing the psalms in a church of England and have yearned all my life for my jewish roots. Thank you for your story. I really wanted to hear the music and words of Kol Nidre, so I shall keep searching
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I read it with entire delight. It was so poetic and beautiful and I want to thank you from all my heart, for publishing it. It enlightens fortcoming Rosh ha Shana. Shana tova to all the readers! A gut siße naie Jur!!!
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My daughter and her family are ...and a while ago we had the blessing of being at our grandson's barmitzva and what a blessing it was... I sat with the men and my wife sat with the women with my grandson's face between us as he read from the Torah, in Hebrew, from the story of the blessings of the sons. What a wonderful time we had .Blessiings
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Wow! My respects to you and your family. I'm not jewish, but i love Israel. Your story touched my heart. G-d bless your father and family.
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What a wonderful, beautiful story!
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I am of the opinion that people trapped in those camps did not have any need to recite over Kol Nidrei as they did not do any sins or any wrong things to any other people. Instead His Father did such a grat thing that he copied Machzor and let it hear to all who were in Camp.
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Put this scan online for all of us to see and to show our children.
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I wish you would have also mentioned how your honored father did not put anything hot to his mouth all the time he was enslaved in camp..... how he was so diligent with upholding all stringicies of the Jewish heritage living in the
Russian "utopia"
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Gave me chills. I grew up in NY and am a Christian. As a child, my family was taken in by some Jewish friends, with whom we lived for about 1 year. That year made a deep impression on me and helped shape me as the woman I am today. Later on we lived in a German neighborhood where some people supported Hitler, others held him in disdain and still others (not Jews) had escaped the prison camps and were branded. I heard horror stories. What I did learn however, was that relationship with the Creator of all, prayer and other observances were key in ones life and need to be celebrated in Community. I keep coming back to sites like these to renew my own faith whose roots are deep in Judaism. Uncle Joe and Aunt Rebecca and now son Ray have passed on. Carol remains. We are in touch. I continue to learn much from the Jewish commnity and hope you will allow me to continue to do so through sites like these. Thank you!
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There is wonderful, and there is, Wonderful.
This IS.
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I can identify with your father and the other Jews needing to connect on Yom Kippur, but not having the prayers at hand. I am Catholic and appreciate your story very much. Blessings!
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thank you for the story of your father. What risks he took to obtain that machzor. Wonderful story that should be told in every house of worship- not just synagogues- all houses of worship. Everyone should realize the risks we take just to remain Jews.
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it's a very touching story ...
it's sometime so hard to practice the religion but in the same time we are so proud to be jewish..
Shana tova
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Rabbi Greenberg had 17 children. To me, this means that he and his wife had to continue making sacrifices to maintain such a large family. I wonder if other families can do this.
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This story was as intended, UPLIFTING.
Thank you. Have a Yom Kippur full of love.
I have heard the Kol Nidrei recited, and had
the words translated. BEAUTIFUL.
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Thank you for your beautiful story. I lost my Father 4 months ago, and i will never forget how much important was Kol Nidrè for him too.
I wish that all of us will be good enough to follow the example of our parents.
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What a wonderful story of faith in difficult difficult times!
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