Zaddik palace reverted to its original purpose

Something unbelievable took place during the first 10 days of November in Sadhora — historical Sadagura — a once colorful commercial town that even had its own mint, and today is a drab suburb of Chernivtsi. Chassids from around the world converged on Sadhora for the opening of the International Center of Chassidism on the premises of the Zaddiks’ residential palace, which stood in disrepair for decades — a victim of Soviet industrialization. They paid tribute at the grave of the miracle-working rabbi and world famous Zaddik — Israel Friedman of Ruzhyn. Among the nearly 370 pilgrims who came from various countries and continents was the direct descendant of the owner of Sadagura Palace — 90-year-old Avraam Yankel Friedman, who is a distant great- grandson of Israel Friedman. Accompanying him was his son, also named Israel. The descendants of the Zaddiks of Sadagura currently reside in Israel.

The Ukrainian Chassids, represented by Chief Rabbi of Northern and Western Ukraine Shlomo Wilhelm, received congratulations on this outstanding event from Ihor Bondarchuk, director of the Department for Religious Matters, Israeli Ambassador Naomi Ben Ami, and local government representatives.

Chassidism as a mystical tradition in contemporary Judaism originated and began to spread within the Jewish community of Galicia, Podillia, and Volhynia in the first half of the 18th century. The name derives from the ancient Greek word “chassid,” meaning “pious, righteous.” As a religious movement, Chassidism stems from earlier mystical schools. The preacher Israel ben Eliezer is believed to be the movement’s founder. He was later given the title of Baal Shem Tov — “Master of the Good Name” — or Besht for short.

Some researchers of Chassidic history believe that the Besht was born in 1700 into a poor family in the Podillian town of Okopy, which lies on the banks of the Dniester River. Other researchers claim that the Besht was born in the 1690s in the small town of Tovste in the Ternopil area. According to other hypotheses, Israel ben Eliezer was born in Bukovyna. In any case, he was orphaned at an early age and was raised by relatives, who enrolled him in a cheder — a religious elementary boys’ school based in a synagogue. With access to the synagogue library, Israel spent his free time and nights reading. He developed a special interest in the Cabbala, a mystical movement whose adepts seek to perceive the “true” hidden meaning of the Torah and other sacred books of Judaism.

As a young man Israel married a daughter of a wealthy Jew from Brody, and his family soon moved to the Carpathian region, settling somewhere halfway between Kuty and Kosiv. According to a Chassidic legend, when Israel turned 36 he heard the divine calling and “opened to the world,” i.e., he became a Baal Shem Tov — the “Master of the Good Name.” In fact, the Besht became an itinerant healer, joining the ranks of the many who were plying this trade in the Ukrainian lands.

By the time the Besht turned 40, he was famous and living in the small town of Medzhybizh in Podillia, where he lived for 20 years until his death. This town became a pilgrimage site, attracting an unending flow of pilgrims from all over Ukraine and even from neighboring countries. They came to the Besht seeking physical and spiritual healing, moral support, and encouragement. Baal Shem did not leave any written works, for he shared his ideas and teachings in the form of oral sermons filled with parables, proverbs, folk stories, and Biblical verses. Everything the Besht said was memorized and then diligently committed to paper by his grateful disciples, many of whom were educated theologians. During the following century, the Besht’s teaching branched out into separate movements and directions. At the turn of the 20th century, the Chassids accounted for nearly one-half of all the Jews in Central and Eastern Europe. Established by the Besht, Chassidism had democratic and even popular origins (also influenced by Ukrainian folk beliefs of the Carpathian region) that defined the priority of direct, happy and even ecstatic perception of the divine essence and prayer. An optimistic and happy mood permeates all Chassidic religious practices. Specific to Chassidism is the tradition of special communal meals, during which it is acceptable to drink vodka, sing, and discuss any issues relating to religion.

The followers of Baal Shem also believed that in a state of religious excitation a person can gain clairvoyant, miraculous, and prophetic powers. It is primarily Zaddiks — the righteous ones — who possess the extraordinary gift of being able to achieve fusion and unity with God. Thanks to this ability, they serve as intermediaries between the people and God Almighty, transmitting divine grace to the people. Such beliefs resulted in the emergence of Zaddik dynasties and the spread of their cult among the Chassids.

An exquisite example of the architecture of Chassidic prayer houses, which were usually called the kloyz, was the luxurious ensemble of the Zaddik residence in Sadhora outside Chernivtsi, which was also known as the residential palace of a miracle-working rabbi (or the great rabbi). This edifice was as well known as its master — Israel Friedman from the town of Ruzhyn, located south of what is now Zhytomyr oblast. Israel Friedman was one of the most colorful personalities of early Chassidism. His friends considered him a sage, passing his effervescent expressions by word of mouth as gems of Chassidic wisdom. His enemies and opponents censured him for his fondness of excessive luxury, which the legendary Baal Shem and his disciples avoided. Legend has it that in his palace in Sadhora Israel dined off exclusively silver and gold tableware while two orchestras performed for him. When he traveled, his coach was harnessed with four horses, and the governor himself could look with envy upon the luxurious carriage of the Zaddik of Sadhora. The tsarist government considered him politically unreliable and even imprisoned him for some time. Owing to this circumstance, he acquired the aureole of a martyr for the faith in the eyes of his fellow believers.

Ordinary people, their creed notwithstanding, considered him the “miracle-working rabbi of Sadagura,” a clairvoyant and a prophet who could predict people’s destinies, a future marriage, a commercial deal, or pinpoint the whereabouts of a missing chicken that had wandered into a neighbor’s garden.

Legends and anecdotal accounts aside, Israel Friedman left a wonderful monument: a luxurious architectural ensemble built with his own money, consisting of the Zaddiks’ family palace and a kloyz-synagogue. The shrine was built in 1842 (with additional elements added in the early 20th century) in the Romantic tradition with Moorish motifs that were typical of the religious architecture of Ukrainian Jews. The synagogue was intended for the local Chassid community. In the latter half of the 20th century this wonderful architectural monument was converted into industrial premises. Its harmonious planning and spatial composition were distorted when factory shops were added to the southern and eastern facades. Most of the interior was lost. The Torah niche, the intermediate cornice, and the arcade of nine grand arcs have been more or less preserved.

During the 20th century the Chassidic communities suffered the same unfortunate fate as other Jewish believers in Ukraine, and in Central and Eastern Europe in general. In the USSR, the Chassids were persecuted during the all-out atheistic campaigns, during which almost all Chassidic shrines were either closed or razed to the ground; kloyzes and Zaddik palaces were mostly converted into commercial facilities. During World War II, Chassids who resided in areas under Nazi occupation became victims of genocide. Surviving Chassids emigrated to the US, Canada, Western Europe, and Israel, which are now home to most of the movement’s followers. The opening ceremony in Sadagura drew Chassids from Israel, Canada, the US, Belgium, and Great Britain.

The Chassids’ cultural identity shows in their appearance, which present-day Sadagura residents could observe in early November. The Chassids are distinguished from other Jews by their specific manner of dress, which is a tribute to historical tradition. Baal Shem followers, mostly men, are usually seen wearing a long black caftan, or topcoat, a black felt or velour hat, or skullcap. The most eye-catching element of dress is, of course, a festive black velvet skullcap with fur trim. Word has it that skullcaps made by famous “kosher” tailors are in the price range of some car models. It is possible to differentiate between the followers of different Chassid “courts” based on the type of skullcap and the cut of trousers. Married Chassidic women shave their heads and wear wigs. Almost everywhere Chassids live in separate neighborhoods or even settlements.

Even though outside of their homes present-day Chassids speak different languages depending on their country of residence, many of them have preserved the language of their ancestors, Yiddish, which was once spoken everywhere in Chernivtsi and which they speak with their families. In religious practice the Chassids use Hebrew, the language of sacred books and Judaism.

The Chassids represent one of the wealthiest religious communities abroad. Among them you will find lawyers and realtors dealing in New York property worth millions, owners of diamond companies in London and Belgium, co-owners of airline companies, and businessmen in large cities of Western Europe, North Africa, Asia, and even Australia.

Thanks to financial support from abroad, a gradual revival of Chassidic communities has started in their historical homeland — Ukraine. A Chassidic center has been operating in Chernivtsi for the past several years.

Regardless of their place of residence, every year Chassids embark on a pilgrimage to their remaining shrines in Ukraine. The major pilgrimage sites are Medzhybizh and Uman, the historical centers of Chassidism. Medzhybizh was sanctified by the 20 years of Baal Shem’s presence, whereas Uman is home to the gravesite of one of the most outstanding followers of the Besht — Rebbe Nakhman of Bratslav, the leader of the Bratslav Chassids, who died and was buried there in 1810. Every year thousands of Chassids, most of them from Bratslav, converge on Uman. Respectable grey-bearded patriarchs with their sons and grandsons, only males, come to pay tribute at the Rebbe’s grave and jointly celebrate Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish New Year, which normally falls in September or early October, according to the Jewish lunar calendar. According to unofficial estimates, this year Uman received some 20,000 pilgrims.

A characteristic feature of Chassidic pilgrims is that they autonomously provide themselves with everything necessary — things that must meet the requirements of ritual purity, i.e., they must be kosher: kosher products to kosher spoons, and even pots and pans. The only thing that Chassids cannot bring with them is kosher dwellings. Therefore, they are forced to make do with what is available locally, i.e., rooms at the few hotels or stay in the hospitable private homes of the local gentiles, i.e., people that do not belong to their faith. The locals’ hospitable treatment of the pilgrims is supported by high housing fees, which during this period soar to $50 per person per day. Multiply this by tens of thousands of pilgrims. Accommodations in Sadagura during the recent Chassid pilgrimage cost 20 euros per person per day.

However, during the last decade and a half the former residence of the Sadagura Zaddiks scared off historical and cultural tourists with its empty, crumbling walls. It was dangerous even to conduct tours, because the rotten ceiling could cave in at any moment. There has never been an official plaque on the walls of this unique monument, which would place it under state protection. The same is true of the several dozen other historic Chernivtsi synagogues whose architecture is no less interesting. It is therefore easy to predict their unfortunate fate given the current pace of city development projects.

I would like to hope that the Center of Chassidism, inaugurated to the sound of Jewish melodies and blessed by the Rebbe of the dynasty of the Zaddik Friedmans of Sadagura himself, will breathe new life into this plundered and destroyed architectural and religious monument.