The Wandering Jew

Avi Osterman *

By Hershel Lieber

Aweek before Pesach 1991, a special guest arrived and stayed with us for almost three months. Our guest was only ten years old, and he arrived from Poland. No, he wasn’t Polish; he was actually an Israeli boy with a strange story.

Let me start from the beginning. In February of that year I went alone to Poland for a week to teach at the Lauder Winter Retreat. Our children were still young, so Pesi stayed home with them. My week was jam-packed with lectures and activities for adults and children which introduced Yiddishkeit to Polish Jews who were largely ignorant of their heritage. On my way home, I spent a day in Warsaw. While I was in the Nozyk Shul talking to some of the local Yidden, I noticed a family consisting of a father, mother, two boys and a little girl. When I approached them, I realized that they were Israelis. The parents spoke Yiddish, and I asked them if they came as tourists and if their families came from Poland. The father, Menachem, told me that although his background was Polish, the family

*Name changed Avi during Chol Hamoed Pesach on top of the World Trade Center

came as refugees from Israel.

I had no idea what he was talking about. It didn’t take too long for him to unburden himself to me. In a very angry tone, he told me that he had owned a fruit kiosk in a small Israeli town in the Galil which burned down accidently. He had no insurance and the government would not give him any compensation for his loss. After seeing that he was not getting anywhere with the government, he resolved to leave Israel and make his way back to Poland; they had just arrived a few hours ago. When I asked him what he planned to do in Poland, he had no answer but he was so angry at Israel that he vowed that his family would not return. The family was evidently religious since both he and the boys wore yarmulkes. I explained to him that even if he finds work in Poland, this will not compensate for the loss of Jewish education that his children would endure. He said it didn’t matter; he was still adamant that he would not return to Israel.

I walked away from the family and approached Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz, who was the chief rabbi of Poland. We spoke about a suggestion of employing both parents at the Menora Kosher Restaurant that just opened near the shul. The rabbi also had an idea of renting a small, run-down apartment which was available nearby for the family. This would alleviate their situation somewhat. The younger son and his little sister would also not miss out too much if they forwent a few months of schooling. Our hope was that in a few months they would realize their mistake and would consider returning to Israel. The only problem that remained was their nine-year-old

Avi in the Nozyk shul with Moshe Shapiro

son Avi, who would lose months of a Torah education and would go crazy from so much empty time on his hands.

It was then and there that I approached Menachem and made him “ani meshamem” which means “I’m bored stiff,” which implied that we all had to cater to him and relieve his boredom. All in all, though, he was a good kid but sometimes gave us a run for the money. We treated him

We knew each other less than an hour and yet he was willing to entrust his son to my care.

an offer. I proposed that he send Avi to New York where he would stay with my family and I would put him into a yeshiva. To my surprise, Menachem readily agreed! We knew each other less than an hour, and yet he was willing to entrust his son to my care. During the next few weeks Menachem arranged a visa for his son and, with the financial help of Rabbi Joskowicz, bought him an airline ticket to New York. On March 22, a week before Pesach, Avi Osterman arrived at our home.

Having Avi with us for three months had its challenges. In the beginning, there were many times that he cried and was homesick for his family. Although in general he got along with our son Mechel, there were times that they fought. We knew that Mechel, who was only one year younger than Avi, felt that Avi was overshadowing him and that Mechel was not getting our full attention. To some extent, this was true. Avi, as a true Israeli, had lots of self-confidence and had no problem in strongly expressing his opinion. His favorite line was lovingly as a member of our family, took him on all Chol Hamoed trips, and he joined us for Shavuos at our bungalow colony. On occasion, we sent him to some of my friends for a Shabbos to get to meet other families and break the monotony of being in one place. We also introduced him to a neighbor’s son who was also an Israeli, and they often played together. After Yom Tov, I made arrangements with Yeshivas Toras Emes, which was only two blocks away from my home, to take him in until the summer. Rabbi Respler, the principal, and all his rabbeim and teachers were impressed with Avi’s level of intelligence and how quickly he picked up his lessons. Avi knew a fair amount of English when he came, which made his participation in the classroom a lot easier. He went to school readily and progressed very well in his studies. He even won a small Shas in a learning contest that his class held. His success in the yeshiva was very helpful in relieving his anxiety about being away from his parents. Yet, as young as he was, he was concerned

Avi, Mechel, and I receiving a dollar from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, z”tl

Avi, left, with Mechel Avi with Rabbi Respler and rebbeim at Toras Emes

for his parents’ welfare. I remember taking Avi and Mechel to see and get a dollar from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt” l. When the Rebbe handed him the dollar, Avi asked for a bracha that his parents should have a good parnassa and be able to return to Israel. I saw the twinkle in the Rebbe’s eyes and his approving smile as he offered Avi that bracha and an extra dollar for his father.

After the school year ended, Avi returned to his parents in Poland. His father was not successful in holding down a job, and his mother could not work full time due to the young children who were at home. Our next hope was that the Osterman family would join the Lauder Summer Retreat and that the parents would work in the camp’s kitchen. I was planning to be there for three weeks out of that six-week program. Pesi did not join me but I took along Mechel. Also joining me for most of time was my dear friend Chanoch Lubling. Without going into detail, Menachem was not able to apply himself in that position, but the family remained at the retreat for the entire period. Mechel and Avi reconnected but they also made separate friends which kept them occupied. Although the summer was relaxing and enjoyable, in the back of my mind, I kept worrying about the coming year. Will the family remain in Poland? Will they find work? Will Avi be coming back with me to New York? Is there any way we can get the whole family to return to Israel?

A week after we arrived, I found out about the rededication of a section of the Lublin cemetery which was taking place in two days. Since there would be many rabbis there, I felt that we should send Menachem and Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis. his family to Lublin where he could plead for help. I asked Chanoch to accompany them and speak on their behalf. At the same time, Yossi Billig, a well-known philanthropist from New York, had arrived in Warsaw. Rabbi Joskowicz mentioned to him that he was leaving to Lublin for the rededication of the beis olam and invited him to join the ceremony. I was not there and did not witness what transpired, but the stage was set and all the actors were in place. The script was written, and the performance began. Chanoch arrived with the Osterman family as Rabbis Joskowicz and Besser were talking to Yossi Billig. Yossi Billig then stepped up to the plate, and offered Menachem $10,000 to help him return with his family to Israel and restart their lives. The details of this plan are not important now, but within a few weeks, the family returned to Israel and set up home in Bnei Brak. The children registered in yeshivos, and life was beginning to return to normal. I cannot say that everything went smoothly – there were many hills and valleys, a lot of ups and downs – but running away from Israel as refugees was not part of this pattern. While I kept up communications with the Ostermans for a while, I eventually lost the connection. In the beginning, I had heard that Avi was doing fantastically in yeshiva. As the years passed by, I lost all contact and didn’t even know in which yeshiva he was in. On one occasion, I went to Bnei Brak to try to find Avi without even knowing for sure the name of the yeshiva he was in. I had known that he was in a yeshiva for mitziyonim but was not sure if that was the name of the place. I walked around trying to locate it and was directed to a building that once had the name “Yeshivas Hamitziyonim.” I spoke to a number of people there, but nobody knew Avi. Then an older man directed me to the former rosh yeshiva who happened to be in the building. When I told him who I was looking for, his face lit up and he began reciting a litany of praises about Avi. He also told me that he was married and was learning in a Kollel. Since the time was bein hasedorim, he picked up the phone and called Avi’s home. The phone reunion that we had was very emotional, but I was disappointed not to meet him in person. Meeting him finally took place many years later, when I came to Israel for my grandson’s chasuna in Bnei Brak. At the chasuna I had the opportunity to meet Avi and his lovely wife. They both heartily thanked me and Pesi for the profound experience that Avi had when he stayed by us. For us, the zechus was a special bracha that Hashem granted us that we cherish to this very day. Avi Osterman with me in Bnei Brak in 2012