THE CITY OF KEIDAN: An Historical Memoir by Boruch Chaim (Alter) Cassel

After the unfortunate events involving the false messiah Shabbetai Zevi, a number of charlatans from Zevi's movement began hustling money in Poland, particularly in Podolia. Their behavior was shamefully deceitful; their real intention was to lead pious Talmudic Jews astray into the study of the Zohar. They strove to undermine the Talmud,

Kabala was a Jewish brand of mysticism, developed in the 16th and 17th centuries, one of whose principal works was a book called the Zohar.

the life-force of Jewish life in Poland, and to replace it with the Zohar and the mystical Kabala.

One of the missionaries sent out by Zevi's movement was Moshe Meir Kamenker, from Moravia. He visited many Jewish communities in Poland, collecting funds and spreading the word, in a disguised manner, that the followers of Shabbetai Zevi rather than the adherents of the Talmud were the true believers. Some other missionaries were Yeshaia Chasid and Leybele Prosnitz

Eventually it became understood what these missionaries were up to and the spiritual damage they were creating. In 1725 they were excommunicated by Rabbi Yecheskael Katzenelenbogen, chief rabbi of the three largest communal groups in Altona, Vandsbek and Hamburg. This venerable rabbi and his chief aide, Rabbi Moshe Mages, protected Talmudic Judaism from the spread of Kabalism.

At that time the chief rabbi of the Keidan area was Rabbi Dovid Katzenelenbogen. In Brisk, one of the significant cities in Lithuania, the chief rabbi was Abraham Katzenelenbogen, a son of the rabbi of Keidan. The three generations of Katzenelenbogens stood careful watch against the dangers of Kabalism, and made great efforts to enforce the precept of the elder, Yecheskael Katzenelenbogen, that "no one should study the Kabala before the age of 40."

In 1727 the rabbi of Brisk, Abraham Katzenelenbogen, came to Vilna to visit his wealthy father-in-law, Yosele Elias Etkes. In those days Vilna was enthralled with a wonder-child who was the son of a great scholar, the rabbi of Vilna, Shlomo Zalman. When Abraham examined the six-year-old genius in bible and Talmud he was overwhelmed by the child's profundity. He suggested to Shlomo Zalman that the boy should accompany him back to Keidan to study with Abraham's father, Rabbi Dovid Katzenelenbogen. At the time Shlomo Zalman was financially impoverished and gladly agreed to the arrangement.

In Keidan the child so utterly impressed his teacher

Rabbi Elijah of Vilna, (1720-1797), better known as the Vilna Gaon was universally acknowleged as the outstanding rabbinical authority of Lithuanian Judaism in the 18th century.

that Dovid Katzenelenbogen then devoted all his energies to his young pupil. The name of the boy was Elijah, and when he grew up he was known as the famous Vilna Gaon. Dovid Katzenelenbogen's influence on his pupil, in particular his attitudes about Kabalism, later became evident in the Vilna Gaon's dealings with Zalman Schneurson and the disciples of Hassidism.

Elijah married the daughter of a prosperous resident of Keidan, Yehuda. The Vilna Gaon said of his wife Chana that her acts of charity and compassion were as innumerable as the stars in the heavens. After Chana's death, the Gaon had inscribed on her tombstone in Hebrew:

Here lies Chana
She died the 5th day of Kislev 1783 and left
No one behind who could fill her place.
There is no way to sing her praises

The Vilna Gaon had seven famous students. One was from Keidan, his brother-in-law Zalman, who left his home in Keidan to study with him in Vilna.

The Vilna Gaon died in 1798. The Jewish community in Keidan felt orphaned with his death, because of their spiritual and familial affinity with him. Of course, the same was true for the Jews of Vilna. Keidan and Vilna remained fortresses of misnagdes, [the movement of resistance against Hassidism,] and no Hassid gained entrance to those cities.

The Radzivills were politically closer to Germany than to Poland, through their ties with the rulers of Brandenburg. Hence commerce with Germany was always very important in Keidan, especially for Jewish traders. When the Hanseatic League - the union of German port cities - came into existence, the Neviasha River and its sailing vessels developed ties with Koenigsburg, Danzig and even Hamburg. Prosperity for Jewish traders benefited Jewish artisans as well, and Keidan became the wealthiest community in Zamut.

Day-to-day Jewish life was basically the same in Keidan as in other Jewish communities in Lithuania. The greatest role was played by the elected officials. As the saying went, Torah was the best merchandise to deal in. The head of the Bes Din, the rabbinical court in Keidan, was always a person of the highest eminence. The seminary and the elementary schools were packed with students, and men studied in the synagogues day and night. The atmosphere was bulging with Torah and piety.

The khevra kadisha, or burial society, was always among the most prestigious organizations in a traditional Ashkenazic Jewish community, whose members usually included the richest and most respected town elders. Keidan's khevra kadisha had its own shul in the main synagogue court area, with a small, fenced in garden with cherry trees.

The kahal [the official Jewish community council] governed the living and the khevra kadisha [volunteer burial society] governed the dead in Keidan and the surrounding villages.

A quite precise pictures of daily life can be drawn from the journals of the official community, the burial society and the artisans' guilds. In the Hebrew month of Kislev [generally November or December in the secular calendar] the annual banquet of the burial society took place. There is a record of expenditures of the society for the banquet in 1683:

"4 chickens - 28 groshen; 4 geese - 20 groshen; a wagonload of wood - 10 groshen; 1 turkey - 35 groshen; 10 eggs - 4 groshen; 4 smaller chickens - 12 groshen; 1 barrel of beer - 6 groshen."

It was an honor to become a member of the burial society. Only members were admitted to the banquet. A new member was expected to give a banquet for the officers of the society and to pay in a few guilden as a membership fee.

The Talmud study group was the most prestigious society in town. Its commencement ceremony, when the cycle of studies was completed, was one of the most festive events. Other groups, large and small, held banquets regularly. These banquets often featured dramatic performances such as a "pantomime," a "robber dance," enactments of the binding of Isaac or the selling of Joseph.

The kahal was responsible for collecting the head-tax paid to the government for every Jew. It was also responsible for collecting funds for Jewish community needs. This community organization was busy with many such activities, since Keidan served as the center for a number of surrounding towns. The "Journal of the Province of Lithuania" describes a regulation issued by the Jewish council of Slutzk in 1791 placing all villages on the Keidan side of the Nieman river - including Slobodka, which is near Kovno - in the Keidan area. This affiliation was for all official Jewish community affairs, except for head-taxes which they, like Kovno, would continue paying to the Grodno community.

In 1792 the king of Poland, Stanislaw August, established Keidan as a crown city with special privileges, including greater independence from the nobility for its citizens. The city was also granted a new crest: Eagle wings on a background of gold and blue stripes, with an eagle's foot grasping in its claw a horseshoe with three red crosses below and above flying angels with wings and laurel wreaths. This was the last gift that Poland ever bestowed on Keidan.

The political situation in Poland was very precarious, with the result that the Catholics, whose power was growing stronger in Keidan, could not devote themselves completely to their intended purpose of persecuting Jews. The first partition of Poland occurred in 1772, followed shortly by another partition, and finally the third in 1795, in which Lithuania and Zamut were turned over to Russia.

At first the partition seemed to have no affect on Keidan. The Russian population in Keidan did not increase. In fact, in 1795 the Russian Orthodox monastary was forced to close, because there were too few Russians to support it. Some time after 1784, the Keidan Jewish community decided to build its great synagogue and study hall. The architecture of the synagogue was simple. The women's section was on the second story over the anteroom, with artistically grated windows facing east.

When the synagogue was completed, the finest craftsmen were hired to carve the Torah's ark and to decorate the vault and ceiling of the synagogue. The ark, which occupied almost a third of the east wall, reached from floor to ceiling and was covered with artfully carved and gilded flowers, animals and birds. One of the ark's columns contained a glass-enclosed perpetual calendar, inscribed on parchment, dedicated to a notable who was instrumental in building the edifice, namely Avrohom Abli Bimhorar Yehoshua of the family Rom.¹⁰ The date of completion of the building was 1807.

There was a large sundial with Hebrew letters over the stone gate leading to the synagogue courtyard, where weddings were held. To the right of the anteroom was the council room, where the community leaders conducted their affairs. Nearby was a punishment lockup cell.

In 1807, 397 Jews died within several months in a severe cholera epidemic, according to a burial society journal. Of course, proportionate numbers of non-Jews also died.

Russia had begun to introduce some typically Russian "reforms" for the Jews of Lithuania. The first major blow came in 1804. Tsar Alexander I ordered Jews out of the small rural villages, and Keidan was inundated with many impoverished, hard-to-employ villagers.

There was a large increase in the number of saloon keepers, small storekeepers and especially gardeners and orchard keepers. These would rent orchards or small plots near Keidan to plant vegetables over the summers. The local fruits and vegetables, especially turnips, were well-known and widely marketed throughout Zamut.

"In those days when the 14th [rabbi] sat in our synagogue, along with our elders and scholars, we beheld the beauty of our sanctuary and study house and we responded, saying, let us thank God, the foundation of foundations, the force behind all works, who makes successful starts and finishes; and the spirit moved the people to praise the Lord, and the work was accepted and approved. And there was one young man of high qualities and great virtues, who wished to perform a service for many generations. After he had studied the art of building thoroughly he became an architect, and he laid out the sanctuaries for men and women, the holy arks for the Torah, the processional aisles and the splendid windows. His strong hand was guided by his faith, and the work was done quickly though not in haste, with all the bricks and other materials prepared properly. The work proceeded in order, year after year, and he built it with his heart for his beloved God, for the glory of his people and for Torah, with his own money he took care of the holy ark and its magnificent ornaments which he arranged in the right order, and he produced a great art which was long praised, and he has earned a name which will be remembered for many generations. He will be remembered for his honesty and pious scruples. He is one of our own people, a man of good will and a good friend to the rabbi, a leader who has served his community well.
He is the wise and good man Reb Yehoshua, of the family Rom. May God remember him for his good deed, his generosity, his sacred works and for the new study house and synagogue. May God bless his house and cause it to be fruitful and multiply. May He be generous to His people Israel. The building was finished in the year Ashreynu [5567, or 1807], according to our calendar."

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