The Denver Jewish news., 1924-02-14
BY d. LEONARD COHEN

past the Statue of Liberty on its way
10 quarantine, paid more than pass
ing notice to the coming to America
II few days ago of Rabbi Raphael
Mordecai Barishansky, the Martyr
rabbi, the famous Russian Jewish
cleric who dared to defy the late Pre-
inier Lenins Soviet Government, the
pious. intrepid, rotund little man who
dared to tell Soviet tribunal of
"justicef that Iewishness and the
Jewish soul would outlive Sovietism as
IL has outlivcd other governments down
it.
Rabbi Barishansky's story is most
interesting one, Il story frnught with
n true hcroism and self effaccment
that amounts TO marytrdom. 1t is not
the story of II fanatically religious old
Jew, but rather the story of an in
tensely Jewish patriot. who was will
ing TO risk his mortal presence on
this sphere to save his people from
extinction and complete absorption in
II land. which through never tolerent
of the Jew, was nevertheless strong
hold of ancient Jewish tradition and
learning Il land where the Jew dem
onstrated to the world his perscver-
nnce against pcryersity and endless
prosecutions, II land where Jews paid
for their Jewishness in bloody pcgroms
and tortures which We're no less ter
ribic than the horrors of the fifteenth
century Inquisitions.
The Soviet Government two years
or more ago ordered that the teaching
Of Hebrew to Jewish children be stop
ped 1t was ordered that the Hebrew
language must no longer be used. for
the reason that Hebrcw-at least this
was their contention-is Zionist propa-
ganda and that Bolshevism, which ad-
mits only Of. iDtcrDatiPpalism, could
not permit n nationalistic ideal such
as Zionism TO he promoted within Its
boundaries.
Rabbi Barshansky not only refused
10 abide by the Soviet dictum but even
initiated against it openly. The fa-
nous rabbi. whose voice had long been
II power in Russia, at least among
Jews. persisted in the use of the moth
cr-tonguc, taught it and melted others
10 follow in the trail which he so
gloriously blazcd. \ little more than
Il year ago he was arrested and tried
for his persistence in refusing to obey
the pronunciamcnto of the powers that
he. The Soviet tribunal of Justice"
were gracious enough to allow him
fifteen minutes to speak in his own
defence The Homler Raw used the
time allotted him for his own defence
10 dcnounce Sovictism and all of its
institutions. delivering n scathins ar
vouring measures of the InternatiOnale.
When his time was up he was told :
You have finished" and the incor-
rigiblc little rabbi rctailiatcd with
what has become Il byword in those
homes where the Jewish soul trag-
ically persists: 1t is not L and Jew
ishness which have finished it Is you.
The Jew and his Jcwishness will out
live even your government as it has
outlivcd all governments down through
the ages" He was sentenced to two
Years in prison.
After several frlitlcss appeals, suf-
ficicnt influence was brought to bear
with the result that he WIS released
after seven months behind Soviet pr's-
on walls. He went to Moscow and oh
tnined citizenship there. with Il view
toward leaving Russia at the first op-
portunity. His numerous requests for
a visa We're repeatedly refused; the
Soviet government WIS fearful of
whut lie might have TO say of its inSti-
tutionS once he reached the outside
world. After six months he was sue
ccssful however, and his arrival in
New York this week followed MS II
matter of course.
Jewish customs, Jewish mannerisms,
Jewish ideals have been held up to
street is among the first to tag after
the aged Jew who darcS Ia venture
into any thoroughfare where they
might he congrcgatcd. Everything that
is tradiiionally Jewish is caricatured
as despicablc and contemptible. says
the rabbi Observance Of the Sabbath
has been forbidden ns has the oh
servancc of all other Jewish holidays.
The Jewish home life. long the corner
broken up; the spirit of the Jew is