Shlomo Shleifer
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Rabbi Shloime Mikhelevich Shleifer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rabbi of the Moscow Choral Synagogue | |
| In office 1943–1957 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | December 23, 1889 Moscow, Russian Empire |
| Died | March 27, 1957 (aged 67) Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | Rabbi |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Denomination | Modern Orthodox |
Shloime Mikhelevich (Solomon Mikhailovich) Shleifer was born on December 23, 1889, in Moscow. His father was the rabbi of Alexandria, a town near Kherson. During the First World War, the Shleifer family moved to Moscow, where Rabbi Shleifer worked as a bookkeeper until 1943. He also served as the secretary of the Choral Synagogue. In 1941, he attempted to register for military service, but was turned down because of his age.
In 1943, Rabbi Shleifer was appointed to lead the Choral Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Moscow. Its previous rabbi, Shmarya Yehuda Leib Medalia had been arrested and executed for alleged disloyalty in 1938. The synagogue, suspected of serving as a meeting place for Zionists, was constantly under NKVD surveillance. A year before Shleifer’s appointment, Rabbi Shmuel Leib Levin was appointed rabbi. Due to his Chabad affiliation, he was viewed as too extreme, and was replaced with Shleifer.[1]
During the Second World War, he lost one son in combat, and actively participated in meetings held by the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, which was set up to represent the Soviet Jewish voice in the war effort. In a 1944 meeting, he declared the war to be a "holy war" to "free the sons of Israel." For that year's Passover, he stood alongside the leading Soviet Jewish scientists, writers, and fighters to note the great effort Soviet Jews were making to ensure victory.
To demonstrate loyalty to the government, he composed a "prayer for peace on earth," and a prayer for the health of Joseph Stalin that were to distributed to synagogues around the country. In 1946, he removed the words "From Zion Shall come forth Torah" from above the synagogue ark, judging them to be too Zionist. He replaced these words with a verse from the Prophets about social justice. He also quoted Lenin and Stalin in his sermons.[2]
