by Boris Zubry
Was all that necessary? What did this Hasidic appearance mean? Was it a fashion statement of some bizarre sort? You looked like a clown, and you spoke of the things no one could understand. Was it meant to spark some interest in the modern Soviet Jews that never went to a synagogue and often did not know where one was? No, Aaron’s Russian was not good, but they did not speak neither Yiddish nor Hebrew. English was neither a common language. Were they Jews at all? What kind? They claimed to be, and they suffered for that. They really did. Did he? None of them, but the very old people, really believed in God. They kept saying that religion was not that important, but the blood, the ethnicity, the heritage was. How could that be? The Hasidic teachings stated that religion was the driving force. The religion did not drive those people. What did he miss? What did they miss? The Rabbi could not be wrong, so, those people are. Yet, there are so many of them, and they do not see that. He must work harder and be more patient. Who said it would be easy. No, it has to be hard to produce the results.
All that was a little confusing, but Aaron trusted the Rabbis. They studied sacred books and knew that better. He did not make any friends there but was ready to do it again, and again. Aaron was arrested on the second trip to the Soviet Union and escorted out of the country. No, the Soviets did not do anything to him, but could. The Soviet law was on their side. He was lucky not to be imprisoned that was common at the time. Yet, Aaron felt like something was protecting him in the Soviet Union, and he thought that was God. Someone told him later that people he gave the books also were arrested, and imprisoned, but he doubted that. He was spreading the word of god, and that should not be punishable, even in the Soviet Union. Why would it be? How little did he know? He was so naïve, and the entire operation was so dangerous. It was not in America. Almost all people who encountered the Jewish emissaries were punished in one way or another, and the prison sentences varied. Aaron’s beliefs had very little to do with the rest of the world and mainly, the Soviet Union. The world had its own opinion and lived on its own schedule. It was not the world of the Chabad, but what it always was only much later.
Aaron Cohen strongly believed that God and his Messiah, Rabbi Schneerson, would always protect the faithful and he, Aaron, was the one – the faithful, the righteous, in all its glory. Every time the question of Jewish pride, faith, decency, honor, and the freedom were facing the doubters, Aaron was ready to fight regardless of the odds. And, he fought at the tables of his parents, in-laws, and the friends, in kosher restaurants, and the offices of the IRS. He would fight in the White House, but no one ever invited him there. He had his own battlefields where the fight could mean something. Even the Jews in the IRS offices called him the meshuga (crazy) Hasid, but they liked and respected him. Many laughed at him, and some listened to him. Often, they thought he made sense. He was not loved, but he was popular, and his accounting business was bumming. The Hasidim of Williamsburg trusted Aaron Cohen, CPA with money matters as they believed the Rabbi with the spiritual stuff. Aaron, even with his slight stature, commanded the confidence and respect of people as a giant, and he was a giant when it came to money and honesty. He knew it all and, if he did not understand something, he would genuinely study it and get the answer. He thought that the right way. When he worked for you, he really worked, and for you. Aaron also was sincere, and that was so rare. Who was really sincere in modern society? It was rare in any community, and not only in the religious ones. It was just rare in the rarest possible way. It was rare even in this community where honesty was one of the founding blocks of the credence. Hasidic… It should stand for everything good and decent. Yet, Aaron was pure and honest, and no one ever doubted that.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman was the most prominent Aaron’s ancestry on the father’s mother’s side. His grandfather used to say that it was why the Cohens never had any money but not even once was short of good thoughts. All members of the extended family tree on that side of Aaron’s ancestry were known and present down to the sixteenth century. There were many of them and so many generations. Then, the Inquisition. In the sixteenth century, it was getting complicated somewhat. That was a confusing century in many parts of the world. It was not just the time of the lost people, but the lost records as well. The Jews were trying to survive misleading the enemies; thus, hiding some, if not most, of the information. So many pieces were missing, and so many parts did not fit. Knowledge, documents, and the facts were not there any longer, and all the present Cohens had was only guesses and just some ideas. One could not eat the ideas and facts… One could not drink the guesses. It could be too hard to swallow. One could not make the borsht (the beet soup) out of nothing. One could make gornisht (nothing) out of nothing, and that’s precisely what they had. Just the bits, and pieces, and no substance… Who could know the history of the Jewish family for certain? It was so long ago and often, so far away. Witnesses did not survive, and, again, who knows what they witnessed. Was it less than what they told or much, much more? That’s the story of the Jewish people, and the Cohens did not differ much from the mainstream. Not in any typical way that one may notice. Every Jewish family at one time or another had experienced and suffered more or less the same injustice and the level of tragedy. So had some other nations but to a somewhat lesser degree.
What was there to be so different about. A Jew is a Jew is a Jew, and that was it. That was the beauty of it. Farshteyt (Yiddish-understand)? This family was like a typical cell of the living organism called – the nation of Jews. Just one of them. Yes, it was a nation, and for about thirty-five hundred years already. Some say it was for much longer. Some say it was for fifty-five hundred or so. Such a long time. Does it really make any difference? Could anyone remember anything from back then and there? It was there back then, and it is here now, stronger than ever. Do you see that? It was like the Phoenix rising from the ashes of its predecessor. The more it was hurt, the more powerful it would rise. Yes, that’s the story of the Jewish nation, in a nutshell, and the nutshell is at least thirty-five hundred years old but most likely more. Fifty-five hundred or even more. No matter what kind of twists and turns affected the nation, the Cohen family was touched in precisely the same way. Almost every Jewish family could act as a cross-section and an indicator of the Jewish turmoil projected to that specific area and the time, and then, you move to another place, and anything could happen there. That’s the bulk of it.
The level of income did not really matter. At one time or another, someone was always better off than the others, and then, the luck would move on, and you change places. All you could do, in rare cases, is to buy a little time and, all that extra time could do is to prolong the agony. The real escape from the adversity was never in the cards. Nothing was a clear cut. You were chosen. Remember? If the Jewish disaster struck, all of the Jews had to donate to the losses. That was the most important rule for the Jewish tragedy, and the favors, deviations or the exemptions were not offered nor tolerated. Only the lucky ones would be in the wrong place when the newly created catastrophe stormed through. But, it did not mean that these lucky ones had escaped the consequences, and the catastrophe will let them go. All it meant that the misfortune would get them later and maybe hit somewhat harder, like a slap on the wrist. Who could really tell what misfortune had in store for a family of Jews? It could be anything or much more. In Jewish life, trouble was the only permanent thing you could always rely on. Just wait long enough, and it will come.
On his mother’s side, somewhere in the eighteenth century, someone met someone else, a man or a woman, who was a Bukharan Jew. Maybe a Khazar? Maybe. What other Jews were there at the time? Well, in the distant past. He/she probably was a nice person, but what do we know of the Khazars? This is what we know, and one would not fill too many books with it. The Khazars came from the Medieval Kingdom of Khazaria, 652 – 1016. We know that over a thousand years ago or so, the far east of Europe (Eastern Russia now) was ruled by the Jewish Kings that presided over the copious tribes, including their own tribe - the
Turkic Khazars. Interesting is not it. Did anyone say, Slaves? Who were they, the Khazars? Where did they come from? That is what we still need to find out, but we have some ideas. We know some, and we do not know even more. Was that the lost Jewish tribe mentioned in the Torah and so many other places? How could one misplace the whole tribe without a trace? Maybe this is the trace, the missing link? Maybe they were wandering around the Black Sea for a few hundred years and then, arrived in Khazaria? Maybe they were living there for a while before the area became known as Khazaria? There are legends in the Jewish, Russian, and the Eastern folklore. There are many legends and colorful folklore. In short, they were known and well. The Russian warlords were fighting the Jewish Khazars, laughing at them, and taking them lightly, but losing one battle after another. There is no record of Russian winnings, yet it was going on for centuries. Maybe those incidents were on a somewhat smaller scale? The border skirmishes… Who attacked whom and when did it happen? What were the Russians back then? What happened to the Slaves? Who was fighting whom and who was the winner in the end? There was a historical, but not very conclusive material available from the digs and researches, but we still rely on guesses and speculations. Records are so incomplete, scares and possibly modified. By whom? By whoever was writing the history at the time. The history was twisted and twisted again, and again, and again, and came out the way we know it now. Sometimes it sounds way too strange and even questionable, but do we know it any better? So, we have to take it the way it is and just keep digging.
In many cases, guesses and speculations were more reliable than investigations. Still, we keep digging for facts, and that fascinates us more and more. The thrill of searching, searching for truth, if possible. The look in the past, the adventure of the pursuit, and the excitement of the find. We know it makes the difference, and this was important for us and for those who briefly crossed our paths before us. They were a part of us in so many ways. Would we be us if not for them? They have existed, and we were connected, maybe more than we think. They gave us a piece of us, and that is why they were remembered. We came from them, our ancestry.
After the conversion to Judaism (or maybe they were Jews, to begin with, and that is likely), the Khazar people had employed the Jewish names, and customs. Or, they had it all ready? They spoke and wrote in Hebrew or its variations - jargons, were circumcised as all Semites did have synagogues, and the Rabbis studied and cherished Torah and the Talmud. So, did they convert, or that was the heritage? One could easily change the religion, but the heritage… How do you do that? How do you become someone else to the core? How do you change the customs, the traditions, the likes, and dislikes, the way you live? I doubt if you can do it at all. They observed all Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, Passover, Counting the Omer, Shavuot, Sukkoth, Purim, and the Sabbath, and the rest of them as well. They enjoyed the Jewish music and food. They were very Jewish Jews. At the time, Khazars were an advanced civilization, and one of the most tolerant societies of the medieval period. It could be the well-missed best part of the medieval period we don’t know much about.
We know that Khazaria welcomed and willingly hosted the merchants and the craftsmen from all over Asia and Europe. It was a desirable destination, and everyone wanted to trade with the Khazars. That was a good trade. The Khazars were skilled in science, medicine, crafts, art, architecture, agriculture, weaponry, and war. Khazaria was a prospering place. This kingdom was a jewel amid slowly developing, somewhat backward Muslim kingdoms. It was rich, strong, and powerful, and it definitely influenced the development of the society in that region. And, everyone wanted to conquer it, but not to destroy. The Khazars were too precious to be killed or just enslaved. That was not a good policy, and the conquerors of the time had realized it fast. They were brutal but never stupid. Even the bloodiest butchers of the time understood that the Khazars had to be incorporated into any other society, almost willingly, to survive, and to satisfy the newly emerging powers. And, new powers were emerging rapidly and always with a bang. That was the time of permanent turbulence. Something was brewing somewhere all the time. So, what happened to the Khazars? Could that be Islam? Another big accomplishment of the false prophet? Possible, but unlikely. For hundreds of years, Khazars had the monotheistic, one-god, religion already, and Islam was only making its way in, but it did not carry anything new for the Jews. Actually, Islam was offering less, and it was more mystical thus, not as much desirable. Islam could not compete with them, not yet.
Could that be the Mongols and the Tatars? The timing was right. Could the Khazars become the Mongols or the Tatars? When did it happen? How? Did they integrate completely with one of those cultures or both? Were both cultures so flexible to allow for that? Was that how the Mongols and the Tatars were able to rule the known world for five hundred years? Was that the secret of such a bloody success? Then, they paved the way for the Ottoman Empire and another bloody success. It could very well be, but we do not know that for sure. Anything was possible if God was willing. Boruch Hashem! (Hebrew: Praised be God!). Allahu Akbar! (Arabic: Allah is the Greatest!). Mirtseshem! (Hebrew: God willing.). Inshallah! (Arabic: God willing.).
So, they (Aaron’s lovely ancestors) met somewhere somehow, and suddenly, became bashert (betrothed). History does not elaborate on this subject much. For all we know, it happened, and that’s the fact. Naturally, their parents arranged for that. How else it could have been done? But, there was love somewhere amid things. However, he or she (whoever was the Bukharan Jew or the Khazar, or any kind of a foreigner) was quite a catch if the other side went through this kind of problems. After all, where was that Bukhara, and how did one find the Jews in there? They all were a lookalike, and they all were dressed alike, and they didn’t speak good Yiddish. Any Yiddish? Oi, Vai! (Dear me!). So, what was good of them? The Jews in there did not look like Jews at all to any Jew outside Bukhara. That was a strange place; a foreign place. And, what did the Jews do over there? Go figure, and what would you know? And, what would you find out? Bubkes (small, useless, and worthless things), if nothing else. What else could it be? God forbids. It could be much worse. He could marry a Shiksa (a none Jewish female), and she could marry a ganef (a thief). Then what? Umglik – disaster. This was better, maybe. So, it was done and accepted, but that’s the kind of mishpocha (the extended family, including the in-laws) one may get marrying outside the own shtetl. Let me tell you: keep your adventures and the logical conclusions within the shtetl boundaries. It is much safer and more predictable but, if you were so adventurous, such a lady man, and a grossier potz (big prick), at least stay within your gubernia. Be smart; it pays. Troubles do not grow on trees, but more problems could arise from the ones you planted already.
So, at one time, the Aaron mother’s side went astray, outside of any conservative boundaries and that produced a wild beast from no one knows where, as an ancestor. A new saga just started. A wild one… What a story. What a tale. What an adventure that may take you a thousand years back, a time before time in terms of the Williamsburg Jewish population, and that’s the center of the world. Was it good, or was it bad? Well, it all depends on how you look at it. Maybe it was not that bad. No matter how you slice it, but Aaron was the result of that experiment. Can you change what happened so long ago? Do you want to change it? Do we really need it? The change? It was not too bad so far. So, what’s the problem? Women start crying, and men take to a drink when they hear a bubbe meise (an old woman tale) like that, and that happens often. Well, no matter what but that was the story, and that’s how we know it. The newlyweds did not move out the beautiful and so familiar Mogilev Gubernia. They stayed there with the family and the friends, and the pain of the Russians and the Byelorussians being in charge and ordering them around. Oi, gevald! (Oh, help). What a tsuris (Yiddish – trouble, aggravation).
The Russian Tsar! The Russian nobles! Even that must have been better than whatever they had in the wild, wild East of Bukhara. How far was it from the shtetl of Lubavichi? Mogile
v Gubernia? Was not that the Muslim reign by then, and that did not promise much. Still, often, Muslims were better than the Russians. Go figure or stay and try to survive. You better stay and don’t go anywhere. It is safer that way, and you may use some safety. The Muslims mit (with) the angry characters, mit the dark constitution, mit the horses, mit the swords, mit constant running around, mit no one knows where, mit the harems, and mit the deserts and the sand. Harems – that’s nice, but could not be good for your soul, and did they eat kosher? The angry characters? Well, the harems were not too bad of an idea, but you cannot have one without another. It's either the Muslims mit the swords and mit the harems or no Muslims mit the pain and the aggravation, and mit no harems for your delights. It was too appalling to pass, but we must sacrifice the most intimate desires to stay pure, and whole. Yes, we must, and that is not easy at all. God is demanding that, and we must obey. God is one! And he is in charge.
