Batsheva Silberstein

Batsheva Silberstein

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by: sheva finkelstein

Date 2022

Biography

Batsheva Silberstein, daughter of Moshe Zalman and Rishe Kamenetsky, lived in Klimovichi, Belarus. Batsheva lived in the time of the Soviet Jewry and when she was a small child her family moved deep into Russia far from the Kremlin. Even in this location, it was still very hard to keep Mitzvos in public. Bathsheva had a lot of Mesiras Nefesh and would cut her hand on Shabbos so she didn't have to write and she wouldn't eat non Kosher food when she was hospitalized. After WWII the Soviet Union let the Jews immigrate to Israel. The Kamenetskys were one of those families who moved to Israel. There, Batsheva married a man by the name of Shmuel Meir Silberstein and they went to live in Shmuel Meir's hometown of Antwerp. Although Batsheva enjoyed the benefits of Antwerp's large Jewish community, she never forgot the hardships of life for the Jews in the Soviet Union.

History Of Batsheva Silberstein

The Kaminetsky family. Standing: Reuven Kaminetsky, Selda Nemes. Sitting: Batsheva Silberstein, Moshe Zalman Kaminetsky, Genesha Gopin

Batsheva Silberstein

By Sarale Finkelstein

Date 2022

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Interview

Life Of Soviet Jewry

Biography

Family Tree

Personal Reflections

Batsheva Silberstein

Interview

By Sarale Finkelstein

Date 2022

In this interview, my great-grandmother describes how she tried to keep Shabbos even though the Russian government made her go to school on Shabbos. After avoiding school for a while, the government found out and threatened her parents with jail or worse.She cut her hand so that while in school she would not have to write on Shabbos.

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Batsheva Silberstein

The Soviet Union

By Sarale Finkelstein

Date 2022

In 1917 Russia had a revolution against the Czar, and the Communist Party took over. They had a special unit called the Yevsekzia which was set up to Jewish practice. They closed Jewis schools, Shuls and imprisoned Jewish leaders. Conducting a Bris, keeping Shabbos or teaching Torah, could get a person thrown in prison or shot. People were constantly worried of being caught. For example, when my Great Grandmother was a child, by the Shabbos meal, if there was knock on the door, then everyone at the meal would run to a their specific hiding place that they had been given for this situation, and my Great Great Grandmother would quickly pull off the tablecloth and everything on it and hide that as well. She then ran to open the door to see who was there. This whole process took a few seconds, since they had practiced this multiple times. This shows how much self sacrifice a lot of Jews were willing to make, just to keep the Mitzvos.

Canadian Jews outside the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa rally in support of Soviet Jews.

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Batsheva Silberstein

By Sarale Finkelstein

Date 2022

Personal Reflection

My great- grandmother had a lot of self-sacrifice to be Jewish. Now a days we do not need to hide our Jewish identity, but we can still have self- sacrifice and go beyond our comfort zone. My great grandmother also inspires me to always remember that everything that happens is for a reason and part of Hashem’s plan. My great-grandmother went through so much hardship, yet she wasn’t bitter and used her experiences to help others. When something is difficult or hard, I can use that opportunity for growth and turn it into something positive.

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