Israeli documentary remembers Jerusalem’s saintly Reb Aryeh

by Gil Zohar

Chicago Jewish Star, May 8

, 2009

Non-partisan neutrality and selflessness are values that have gone out o

f fashion incontemporary Israel. Filmmaker Moshe Alafi’s hour-longdocumentary One ofthe Lamed Vav - Reb Aryeh Levin describes an angelicfigure in Jerusalem during the final years of Ottoman rule, the British Mandate and the earlyyears of the state whose life was the personification of those today obscure qualities.Alafi’s film documents the compelling story of Aryeh Levin (1885-1969), Judaism's MahatmaGandhi - a saintly rabbi who stood up to the might of the British Empire in Palestine armedonly with love and non-violence. Though the subject of Simcha Raz’s 1976 biography ATzaddik In Our Time, Rabbi Levin is largely forgotten today. It is hoped this film will helpcorrect this injustice, even as it subtly critiques that selfishness has become a core valuein the modern world.The title One of the Lamed Vav refers to the widely-held mystical concept in the Talmud(Tractates Sanhedrin 97b and Sukkah 45b) that there are 36 hidden tzadikim (righteouspeople) in the world but for whose merit all life would come to an end. The two Hebrewletters for 36 are lamed, which has the numerical value of 30, and vav, which is six. Hence,these 36 are referred to in Hebrew as the Lamed-Vav Tzadikim.Universally known as Reb Aryeh, the Czarist Russia-born Levin was an Orthodox rabbi anddisciple of Abraham Isaac ha-Cohen Kook (1865–1935) – whom theBritish appointed asChief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Palestine. Reb Aryeh was known as the “Tzadik of Jerusalem” forhis untiring work on behalf of the poor and thesick.More poignant though was his second title, the "Father of Prisoners", forhis visits to members of the Jewish underground (and common criminals) incarceratedby the British in Jerusalem’s Central Prison. Beginning in 1927 Rabbi Levin began visitingpolitical prisoners, i.e. those members of the Haganah, and later the Palmach, Irgun and Lehiarrested for possessing guns or who otherwise ran afoul of His Majesty’s Government inPalestine by seeking statehood.In 1931 the British requested that Chief Rabbi Kook appoint a prison chaplain who wouldvisit the captives in Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Kook turned to Reb Levin, who was workingas the principal at the Etz Chaim Talmud Torah on Jaffa Road. Levin accepted the positionon the condition that he would not receive any compensation from the British. Itwas the first of his many acts of passive resistance that made him a beloved figure in pre-state Israel.Alafi takes viewers into the Russian Compound jail during the brutal years of the Britishoccupation. (Today the site is preserved as the Underground Prisoners Museum.)

Through the film’s interviews with now elderly freedom fighters and Reb Aryeh’sgrandchildren, and cinematic recreations, viewers join the Father ofthe Prisoners;for the next 17 years without fail, Levin trekked every Saturday morning and holiday from hishouse in Nachlaot to the Russian Compound, wherethe main Jerusalem prison was located.There he prayed with the inmates, sat and talked with each one, acted as an emissarybetween them and their families, and inspired them with his belief that there was a higherauthority than King George.Remarkably the rabbi never tried to force his religious values; at most he gave the prisonersa Book of Psalms to read. The inmates were captivated by his warmth and sincerity,and the respect with which he treated them. At one point, Arab prisoners became jealous of their Jewish cellmates, for their mufti’s visits were aloof and cold.As the film lovingly recreates, Rav Aryeh would take each inmate’s hand and cup it inside hisown. Slowly he would rub and squeeze the prisoner’s hand as he sat and talked with him.His eyes radiated love, as he spoke simple words of encouragement.Those visits made an indelible impression on the inmates. One of themserving a life term turned to a fellow prisoner and asked him “What time is it?” He answeredhim: “What does it matter to you? You are here for life; months, days, hours - time makes nodifference.” The former answered, “Yes, but I am counting towards Reb Aryeh's visit. OnSunday to Tuesday we say to ourselves Reb Aryeh was just here two days ago, and onWednesday and Thursday Reb Aryeh will be here in just two days.”Alafi documents how Reb Levin risked prison himself by carrying forbidden messages – which had been secreted inside the prison’s Torah cabinet. As well, he violated curfew lawsto walk to the Central Prison. Once he aided and abetted an escaped prisoner by having hisdaughter walk with the man as if the two were a married couple.The most heartbreaking situation Rabbi Levin encounteredwas the predicament of the Prisoners of Zion condemned to death. Reb Aryeh made everyeffort to appeal the sentences and reduce the punishment. Once he even threw himself infront of the High Commissioner’s limousine in order to present his petition to him. Concerningthose heroes he could not save from execution, including Dov Gruner, Moshe Barzani andMeir Feinstein, Reb Aryeh declared: “None of us has any idea how high is the spiritualrank of these martyrs.”In the end, the British never succeeded in hanging any Jewish prisoners in Jerusalem. In aheavily armed convoy Gruner was transferred to the notorious Acre Prison where he washanged on April 19, 1947 together with fellow Irgun fighters Yehiel Dresner, MordechaiAlkahi and Eleazar Kashani. Four days later, Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barazani,respectively combatants of the Irgun and Lehi, cheated the noose in Jerusalem's CentralPrison by blowing themselves up with a grenade that had been smuggled into the jail insidea basket of oranges.At Passover 1955, 1,500 former Prisoners of Zion gathered to celebrate Reb Aryeh’s 70th