Rabbi Aryeh Levin
Cell #29 served as the shul on Shabbat and holidays. Once the everyday articles had been cleared out, all of the Jewish prisoners congregated here to pray with the late Rabbi Aryeh Levin. The elderly Rabbi frequented this room every Shabbat on a regular basis to pray with the prisoners and lend them an ear, offer them reassurance, words of comfort and strength, and relay regards from the inmates to their loved ones outside the prison walls. For over 20 years, without seeking any prizes, on days of sweltering heat and days of frost, he never abandoned his "dear sons" who even nicknamed him "The Prisoners' Father." Rabbi Aryeh Levin was also popular among the prison authorities, and on several occasions the prisoners were granted leniencies thanks to his efforts. When Rabbi Levin would run Shabbat services at the prison, many of the prisoners would come just to get out of work detail, and would show up smoking cigarretes (a desecration of Shabbat.) Rabbi Levin would calmly ignore the breach of Halachah and greet anyone and everyone. | |
