“My grandfather, Rachamim Babayev, was a rabbi in Samarkand. Teaching Torah was illegal, but he refused to stop. Every day, children came to his house to learn, despite the risks.
One day, the police came and took him.
We never saw him again.
He died in jail, but my grandmother was determined to give him a Jewish burial. So she bribed the guards with two gold bracelets to release his body, ensuring he was laid to rest with dignity and according to our traditions.
Today, I am a rabbi in Tashkent, and my son Baruch is a rabbi in Queens, carrying on my grandfather’s legacy of teaching Torah to our next generation.”
Source: Chaim Danzinger
