A Conversation With Rabbi Igal Haimoff (Part II): The Origins Of The Queens Bukharian Community

RECAP FROM LAST ISSUE: A young Rabbi Haimoff had experienced the Yom Kippur War firsthand with his work in the intelligence unit; he lost many close friends. The nation entered a period of rebirth after the war. There was an explosion of spiritual growth in the immediate aftermath of the war and it seemed as though out of the flames of hell emerged a phoenix stronger and more alive than before. For the young Rabbi Haimoff, life was about to be redefined.

BJL: What did you do after the Yom Kippur War?

Rabbi Haimoff: After the war, I completed my term in the army and was offered many incentives to continue on to a military career. I turned it all down, even though they offered me the “whole world.” I had my share of “exciting” challenges and I decided it was enough. At this point I was the only sibling in Israel. I stayed with my parents though my brothers moved to America.

BJL: How old were you at this point?

Rabbi Haimoff: I was twenty-three years old. I then got married to a new immigrant. It was an extremely funny experience. I didn’t speak a stitch of Russian, and she didn’t speak a word of Hebrew. My grandmother arranged the unusual union and advised me, “You take this one; you will see how you will bless me your entire life.” I accepted her “challenge” and her guidance indeed bore fruit!

BJL: Unbelievable! I can hardly imagine such a match today being successful. What did you do after you got married?

Rabbi Haimoff: We left Israel.

BJL: To be with your family?

Rabbi Haimoff: Yes. But I also felt it was time to go into business. My brothers told me, “come, enter the work field here, we have a place for you,” and I decided to accept. However, after I arrived and sampled 47th Street, I decided it was not for me. It was a great challenge. I learned a lot there but I couldn’t stay. One day I worked with a Hassid and after seeing his work ethic, I asked him “how can you behave this way, with your conspicuous payot (side-curls) and beard?” He responded, “stop giving musar (reproach) already. You are just like my brother.” The Hassid then introduced me to his brother, who was a full-time kollel bochur (Jewish student), and he introduced me to his Satmar yeshiva in Borough Park. I decided to join the yeshiva and met the mashgiah (spiritual advisor). He quickly became aware of my predicament. I am Sephardi and was accustomed to speaking and studying in Modern Hebrew while the other students studied strictly in Yiddish.

However the mashgiah didn’t let that stop him. He found me someone who could speak Modern Hebrew, but we had to learn in a separate room (chuckle). This chavrutah became a lifelong friend and we have been studying together for twenty-five years. I planned to become a dayan (halachic judge) and quickly moved through the rigorous requirements for semiha (rabbinical ordination). I received my semiha from Harav Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, who tested me himself. He signed my certificate twice as an assurance after testing me very thoroughly (soft chuckle). While I was still in yeshiva, just about to complete the program for dayanut, Rav Kubalkin walked into my kollel. He turned his head left and right, and when he saw me, pulled me aside. “What are you doing here? You are going to sit here and learn when your people are suffering in Queens?” he asked me. His question was completely unexpected; I had no idea how to answer him.

BJL: How did he find you? From where did he learn about you?

Rabbi Haimoff: Until today I have no idea how to answer that question. I have no idea from where he knew of me or how he was so knowledgeable of the spiritual status of the newly-arrived Bukharian community. He went to speak to my rebbi, who then called me into his room. “Haimoff,” he said. “You have to go.” I was shocked; I had no idea how to “chew” it. “What about my learning?” I asked. “You will find the time. Go and open up a shul,” he said.

Very soon after that conversation, I was contacted by Rav Chaim Shaul Greineman, a nephew of the Chazon Ish. He told me to book a flight to Israel and meet him. Needless to say, I quickly booked a flight and met with him. He told me that I needed to help the Bukharian-American community, that he was counting on me, and that he would help in every way possible.

BJL: He knew about the episode in your yeshiva? Even though he was in a different country? Sounds like a concerted, international effort.

Rabbi Haimoff: It was. The Ashkenazi Rabbanim were all in contact with each other and knew what was going on in Queens. Somehow they thought of me, found me, and decided to help the community. They understood that if no one would “chap” (grab) these people, they might all be lost tomorrow.

So I opened up a shul. The first shul was in Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, Rabbi Schonfeld’s shul. We had a single classroom there, in 1987 or 1988. When I saw that the shul was getting crowded, I understood it was time to buy our own shul.

BJL: So this is how you came to your current location and really began to expand?

Rabbi Haimoff: Yes, here we bought from a man whose house was on the market (chuckle). The same night I walked over to this man’s neighbor and explained the situation. “I just bought your neighbor’s house and we are making a shul, do you want to sell, too? Yes or no, I can guarantee you that the neighborhood will be nice and noisy from now on.” “Come back tomorrow; I need to speak to my wife,” he answered. When I came back, he agreed to sell. This was in 1990. We agreed to $430,000 for both properties, which, at the time, was an enormous sum of money. I was able to gather $100,000 for the closing as a down payment. When we finally owned the property, we decided it needed major renovations to house the shul. Where would I get the further necessary funds? I went to my family, my brothers. “You have to help me,” I said. My father commanded me to continue, he would support everything that was necessary. “How much do you need for the whole renovation?” he asked. One million dollars was my answer, and his answer was “Ok, go. Go.” He began supplying the checks. I didn’t collect a single dime from anyone else. At that point everything was coming from the family, and we commenced renovations. We were done in six months because there was no contention; all the money came from a single place.

During this time, I resumed my classes in my own basement. We were packed to the brim! At least a hundred people a night attending the classes. There was such a thirst. At this point, people began to move in from faraway places.

BJL: So this was the beginning of the now vibrant Bukharian community in Kew Gardens Hills. What an amazing start. Was anyone else reviving Bukharian Judaism at the time?

Rabbi Haimoff: At this point, no one; I was alone at the task with no help. But this was really the easiest part; just wait. We eventually moved into the shul’s basement as the rest of the facility was being completed. What a time that was… The basement had no heat or air-conditioning and suffered constant leaks. But we had a ball there. People came in freezing, but they came in droves. They all came to shul and packed the space during every single shiur (Torah class). We accomplished so much during that time; it was more than a simple start. The classes were loved by all who came.

We finally moved into the main Shul. It was 1991, Rosh Hashanah. After a single year of operation, we were faced an unparalleled situation. The gates of Communist Russia had collapsed and massive influxes of Bukharian immigrants were moving across the globe. It became clearer by the day that many were making their homes right here in Queens. Masses upon masses of new immigrants and we had no schools! I decided to begin with a camp. Of course, the first class was packed to the brim. I myself drove the children home.

After that summer we began a high school program. The only issue was that in most cases the students didn’t have even a rudimentary Torah education - no Hebrew, hardly any English. A man named Malkiel Yusupov opened up a class to teach them the basics. Afterwards, I personally taught them Mishnayot. Many of the local rabbis with whom you are familiar, they all started here, under my tutelage. We slowly moved to Gemara (Talmud). At this time, my new son-in-law joined us, Rabbi Ben-Haim. He moved forward with advanced classes in Masechet (tractate) Sukkah. More people came, and we needed to expand. The next to join our group was Rabbi Tabibov. He taught the second class. All the while, the community grew and grew.

BJL: That’s remarkable. The whole Bukharian community here now is an outgrowth of those initial efforts.

Rabbi Haimoff: Yes. But there was even more going on behind the scenes. Remember that we are talking about immigrants, all of them new and still acclimating. They could not pay any tuition or related expenses, but I took in their children regardless. I paid the Rebbeim, the teachers. I also had an open account with the grocery stores in the area and told the children and their parents to go and take whatever they needed on the Yeshiva’s account. I paid the stores once a week and this was sufficient.

As time progressed, the community swelled even more. We expanded once again, physically and in terms of social responsibilities as well. The shul really became a full-fledged community center. In time we had an elementary school, high school, and camp running for the community; all the while I was looking for further opportunities to expand. I bought additional property with the intention of opening up a girl’s high school, too. We needed to relocate as the school was being built, so I paid rent at the Utopia Jewish Center to teach the younger girls.  So if you add it up you realize that I was paying astronomical sums of money for the mortgage on the developing property and rent for the girl’s elementary school. Conservatively, I was signing checks monthly for sixty- to seventy-thousand dollars. 

BJL: And at this point it was all still private funding?

Rabbi Haimoff: Completely private. Not a single person came to me to offer help. There was no one saying, “Rabbi Haimoff, maybe we can help you” (soft chuckle). Actually there was a single group that helped, Nechomos Yisroel.

BJL: They are an Ashkenazi organization, correct?

Rabbi Haimoff: Yes, and they felt for their Russian brethren and helped them. One day they took us - me and the young students - to Rav Pam of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath. He looked at the boys and suddenly jumped out of his seat and exclaimed, “How can I sit, I need to stand up for these boys; it’s a miracle - a neis, a neis!” You could see the tears streaming down his face as he said it. He told me, “I’m jealous of you, what you are doing.”

After these students finished their studying and their Kollel, we took them to Israel. The Ashkenazim paid for their tickets and stay.

BJL: So all these young men came into the country without the necessary Hebrew/Jewish education, and now they were receiving semiha? And all this was achieved in your program?

Rabbi Haimoff: Yes, we started with twelve boys and more and more joined. Before all this, I remember how I would go house-to-house, giving newly-arrived Bukharians tefillin sets and mezuzot. I would also roll up my sleeves and kasher (make kosher) their kitchens myself. Before our yeshiva program, there was a real lack of knowledge and observance. Around 2002, we graduated our first class of Rabbanim. We really initiated the whole movement here, including night kollels night seder (classes). Also, I didn’t form a habit of keeping my students near me; I didn’t believe in that. I instead built them up and spread them out to all the different growing communities, as they were needed. People asked me how I could invest so much effort and send away my students, but time demonstrated the wisdom in that choice. We needed to help the community and quietly we did so. We continue to do so.

BJL: What an amazing story. Do you have a final message for our readers? What would you like them to take away from your truly unique journey?

Rabbi Haimoff: The message is that if one man can do all this, just imagine what all of your readers can accomplish together. No one can say, “I’m not fit for the job.” Just bring one friend to a shiur, help light the spark of Judaism, and watch a torch emerge from the darkness.

By the end of Rabbi Haimoff’s interview, it was clear to me that appearances truly deceive. Who knew that the man I called Rav had such a backstory? A rock seems so simple, until you turn it over and find an entire ecosystem hidden from view. Blessed are the hands that toiled; blessed is the year that bore such fruit. May we all accomplish much this year together.