History repeats itself? Last Saturday 110 years passed from the eruption of the Russo-Japanese war (February 8, 1904), the war that marked the beginning of the revolutions in Russia and the downfall of the Tsar. Two lithographic illustrations which have recently arrived at Kedem Auction House in Jerusalem allow a special peek at a less known aspect of the war: the draft of Chareidi Jews into the Russian army and their losses.
Approximately 30,000 Jews that lived in the Russian empire participated in the Russo-Japanese war. Russia’s defeat in the war as well as the heavy losses incurred to its army left a real scar in the midst of the empire’s Jewish population which followed the development of the war in the daily Jewish newspapers of that time. These two rare illustrations were made by the artist C. Laskov and printed in Vilna during the war. The illustrations will be offered for auction in Kedem Auction House in Jerusalem on Feb. 26.
The title of the first illustration (in Russian): A Reservist Soldier Leaves for War. The illustration portrays a Chareidi Jewish soldier leaving his family after he receives a draft order (the draft officer stands behind the soldier with the order in his hand). In the illustration, the whole family can be seen sorrowfully bidding the soldier goodbye. His wife covers her face and weeps; his father blesses him with the priestly blessing. One of his sisters hugs him and the other hands him his tefilin.
The second illustration named The Young Widow portrays the moment that the family is informed of the death of the soldier. In the picture, you can see a military officer holding a letter in his hand. He places his second hand on the shoulder of the soldier’s mother who hides her face in her hands. The soldier’s wife and sisters are crying. The design of the family’s home is almost identical to the previous illustration with a few small changes. In this illustration, next to Herzl’s portrait hang a portrait of the soldier and a map of the Far East. The prayer book which was open on the lectern is now closed. Above the illustration is a Russian inscription: The Young Widow. Under that is another inscription, A Friend Brings a Letter from the Hospital with the News that the Soldier has Died.The illustration portrays the inside of the home which shows us the design of Jewish homes at that time. Hanging on the wall are portraits of famous Jewish figures: Theodore Herzl, Moshe Montefiore and the Malbim (a Bible commentator). Lining one wall are shelves of books (with Hebrew letters drawn on the bindings). A prayer book and two candlesticks occupy the surface of the lectern next to the shelves. A prayer shawl lies on a table in the corner of the room and a Chanukah Menorah is hanging on the wall.
Collectors are showing a lot of interest in these illustrations, especially on the backdrop of the recent public upheaval regarding the draft of chareidi young men into the army. Meron Eren, owner of Kedem Auction House, one of the largest auction houses in the world in the area of Judaica explains the reason the Jewish soldier in the illustrations is bearded and wears a fur hat (shtreimal). Apparently, many of the inducted Jews at the time of the Russo-Japanese war were Gerrer chassidim.
This fact is mentioned in the book Hassidic Tales written by Rabbi Shlomo Yossef Zevin: “During the last year that the Gerrer Rebbe was living… the Russo-Japanese war broke out and thousands of young men of draft age amongst his Hassidim were sent to the battlefields in the Far East. The Rebbe blessed his Hassidim before they left for the long journey and his fear for the safety of these soldiers was great. All the time that his Hassidim were at the front, he never slept in his bed but would sleep on the floor with only his bedclothes spread beneath his body which were soaking wet with the tears he poured over Jewish sorrows.
“Also his Hassidim were faithful and would write the rebbe from the front, from inside the bunkers Torah novellae relating all the happenings in their letters.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo: Kedem Auction House)
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