R' Shlomo Carlebach ztz'l - Shachris in Leningrad

From the author: "Thanks to Mr. Stuart Wax who organized Reb Shlomo's trip to Russia, we have many hours of high-quality video footage from this tour. If you would like to be part of sponsoring a documentary based on this journey, email us at info@carlebachlegacy.com"

In Leningrad, on this Thursday morning of Sept. 21, 1989, Shlomo arranged for people to be called up to the Torah. People came up with their Russian names, and on the spot, Shlomo would suggest a Jewish name. For some, this was the first time in their lives that they ever heard a Torah reading, and tears rolled down from their eyes. Joel Segal, a San Francisco attorney who joined the tour, exclaimed: “It was amazing… I've never seen such joy and enthusiasm in my entire life.

As the women’s section in the upstairs balcony was crowded, Shlomo asked for the women to come downstairs and sit behind a makeshift mechitza of chairs. Thus you can see the women here at the end of this video coming to kiss the Torah.

At the concert in Leningrad, Reb Shlomo asked the crowd, whom do you think is on this stage? It is not only the band you see here, but all our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He exhorted his listeners to go out and proudly say hello to everyone on the street. Let all know that we are Jewish. On Motzei Shabbat, September 23, 1989, Shlomo and the band organized an after-midnight Selichot program at the Leningrad Railroad Station.