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56-576: Vichna Eisen was born in Slonim , Russian Empire , around 1913. Her parents, Ephraim Yehoshua Eisen and Merreh Gittel Lubchansky, daughter of Rabbi Chaim Leib Lubchansky, the Rav of Baronovitch , both died before her eleventh birthday. She and her brother Dovid were raised by their aunt and uncle, Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov Lubchansky , mashgiach ruchani of the Baranovitch yeshiva , who were childless. Vichna applied to

112-527: A Ben Torah; for an aspiring Talmid Chacham ; for a life consecrated to Torah . There would be no willingness to forgo material comfort for the sake of Talmud Torah : "There would be no Kollelim in America!" Similarly, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum , the Satmar Rebbe , said that his school, Bais Ruchel, would not have succeeded without the graduates of Bais Yaakov, who served as its first teachers. The Rebbe also sent

168-523: A condition for the shidduch (match), his family insisted that the couple live in America. At that time, the American lifestyle was perceived as detrimental to families wishing to live according to Torah values. Vichna's uncle privately thought that she should refuse to leave Europe, but advised her to consult with the Brisker Rav. The Rav assured her, "With Rav Boruch, you can go wherever he wants". The couple

224-468: A connection between their American students and the founder of Bais Yaakov, Sarah Schenirer, by speaking often about their mentor and her lessons. Kaplan herself recalled Schenirer at every Rosh Chodesh assembly. Before she made any decision for her school, Kaplan asked herself, "What would Sarah Schenirer say to this?" In 1958 the Kaplans opened a Boro Park branch of Bais Yaakov, which eventually superseded

280-458: A dozen of mini-bus routes. Taxi services are widely available. Slonim is on the railway line between Baranavichy and Vaukavysk . Slonim has also a theatre and a museum of regional studies, as well as a medical school. There is a new recreation area development in north-east Slonim called Enka. The main sports are: running, gymnastics, football and ice hockey. The telecommunication guyed mast, 350 metres (1,150 ft) tall, for FM-/TV-broadcasting

336-474: A message to Rabbi Boruch Kaplan "thanking him for making it easier for his boys to find suitable shidduchim (marriage partners)". Slonim Slonim ( Belarusian : Слонім ; Russian : Слоним ; Lithuanian : Slanimas ; Latvian : Sloņima ; Polish : Słonim ; Yiddish : סלאָנים ) is a town in Grodno Region , in western Belarus . It serves as the administrative center of Slonim District . It

392-584: A military commander is told to deliver goods on the first of the month, but only to record this delivery in writing on the second of the month (seemingly because writing was considered a forbidden melakha ). In the Second Temple period, too, Rosh Chodesh was considered a day of rest according to some sources. In the Talmudic period, one passage considered Rosh Chodesh to be a day on which work ceased ( bittul ); another passage suggests that work ceased ( bittul ) but

448-483: A scholarship from the school. Lauded for her "superb intelligence, phenomenal memory, and unblemished character", she epitomized what Schenirer was trying to achieve in a Bais Yaakov student and became Schenirer's closest disciple and confidante. After completing the two-year course of study, she was sent to Brisk , Poland , where she served as the sole religious studies teacher at the Bais Yaakov school in that city for

504-408: A school of music and a school of ballet, and a printing house. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was dismantled in a series of three "partitions" in the second half of the 18th century and divided among its neighbours, Prussia , Habsburg Austria and Russian Empire which took the largest portion of the territory. Slonim was in the area annexed by Russia in 1795. Administratively it was part of

560-553: A time of recognition by the Hebrews: Blow the horn on the new moon, on the full moon for our feast day. In the Bible, Rosh Chodesh is often referred to simply as "Chodesh", as the Hebrew word "chodesh" can mean both "month" and "new month". Judaism uses a lunisolar calendar , so Rosh Chodesh is celebrated in connection with the date of the new moon . Originally, the date of Rosh Chodesh

616-439: Is a weekly newspaper with a circulation over 5,000 copies. It is published every Wednesday, and contains local and regional news, sections on sport, culture and lifestyle, and local advertising. It is currently 40 pages, plus an additional weekly 8-page supplement called Otdushina (Отдушина), focusing on youth, culture and religious affairs. The newspaper is written in both Russian and Belarusian . An earlier Gazeta Slonimskaya

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672-587: Is added to commemorate the Rosh Chodesh sacrifices in the Temple . Its middle blessing begins "Roshei Chadashim". After the service, many recite Psalm 104. If Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbat , the regular Torah reading is supplemented with a reading of Numbers 28:9-15. The German custom is to sing the Half Kaddish preceding Maftir to a special tune. In most months (if it does not coincide with another special Haftarah),

728-498: Is added to the Ritzeh (or "Avodah") blessing of the Amidah . In the morning service "half Hallel " ( Psalms 113–118, with two paragraphs omitted) is recited (except on Rosh Chodesh Tevet, which is during Chanukkah, when the full Hallel is recited). The Torah is read , specifically Numbers 28:1–15 which includes the sacrifices of Rosh Chodesh. An additional prayer service, called Mussaf ,

784-558: Is also considered by some to be an official one), the name of the city originates from the Slavic word zaslona (a screen ), implying that the city once functioned as an outpost at the southern border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . Another version, proposed by Jazep Stabroŭski, states that "Slonim" derives from 'Užslenimas', which in Lithuanian means "beyond the valley". The earliest record

840-413: Is located at Novaya Strazha ( 53°03′53″N 25°28′31″E  /  53.06472°N 25.47528°E  / 53.06472; 25.47528 ). Northeast of Slonim, there is a CHAYKA -transmitter. 53°05′N 25°19′E  /  53.083°N 25.317°E  / 53.083; 25.317 Rosh Chodesh In Judaism , Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh ( ראש חודש ‎; trans . Beginning of

896-498: Is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa rivers, 143 km (89 mi) southeast of Grodno . As of 2024, it has a population of 48,907. Slonim has been known by several versions of its name as spoken by speakers of various languages: Сло́нім ( Belarusian ), Słonim ( Polish ), Сло́ним ( Russian ). Slonim was first mentioned by scribes in chronicles in 1252 as Uslonim and in 1255 as Vslonim . According to one account (which

952-513: Is of a wooden fort on the left bank of the Shchara river in the 11th century, although there may have been earlier settlement. The area was disputed between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kievan Rus' in early history and it changed hands several times. In 1040, the Kievans won control of the area after a battle but lost Slonim to the Lithuanians in 1103. The Ruthenians retook the area early in

1008-622: Is often a particular interest in the Shekinah , considered by the kabbalah to be a feminine aspect of God. These groups engage in a wide variety of activities that center around issues important to Jewish women, depending on the preference of the group's members. Many Rosh Chodesh groups explore spirituality, religious education, ritual, health issues, music, chanting, art, and/or cooking. Some groups also choose to educate young Jewish women in their community about sexuality, self-image, and other women's mental and physical health issues. Miriam's cup (for

1064-535: Is read if it does not coincide with another special Haftarah. Kiddush Levanah is recited soon after Rosh Chodesh, although most communities wait until three or seven days after the Molad (the time of the "birth" of the new moon). It is common to wait until Saturday night to recite Kiddush Levanah. Many have a custom to eat a special meal in honor of Rosh Chodesh, as recommended by the Shulchan Aruch . This gives one

1120-471: Is recorded in the Shulchan Aruch , but does not seem to be commonly practised in modern times. Yet for much of early Jewish history, Rosh Chodesh was observed much more seriously. In some Biblical sources, Rosh Hodesh is described as a day when business is not conducted and which seems to have been devoted to worship and feasting. This is corroborated by an inscription from the Arad ostraca (c. 600 BCE) in which

1176-525: Is the Slonim artistic goods factory, a worsted factory and “Textilschik”, a paperboard factory, motor- and car-repair plants, a dry non-fat milk factory and meat processing plant. There are also flax preprocessing, feed mill and woodworking enterprises in the town. The 11th Guards Mechanized Brigade , withdrawn from Germany in 1992, is stationed in the town. Slonim's biggest newspaper is the independent Gazeta Slonimskaya (Газета Слонімская). Founded in 1997, it

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1232-763: The Byelorussian SSR . Two years later, Germany invaded the Soviets ( Operation Barbarossa ) and Slonim was captured. The Słonim Jews were herded into the Słonim Ghetto set up at the Na Wyspie neighbourhood across the bridge on the Szczara River. Soon thereafter, 70% of Slonim's Jews had been killed by the Einsatzgruppen , including 9,000 on 14 November 1941. The second mass murder of 8,000 Jews took place in 1942. In 1944, on

1288-660: The Holocaust , the Kaplans applied for thousands of student visas for war refugees. Despite the skepticism of United States immigration officials, who could not believe that one institution could support so many refugees, the Kaplans rescued more European Jewish girls than any other American institution. Still active as dean of the Bais Yaakov Teachers Seminary, Kaplan died on August 20, 1986 (15 Av 5746). Her daughter, Rebbetzin Frumie Kirzner, succeeded her as dean of

1344-637: The Lis coat of arms of Sapieha. Also thanks to Lew Sapieha, from 1631 to 1685 the city flourished as the seat of the Lithuanian diet . The wars had damaged Slonim, but in the 18th century, a local landowner, count Ogiński , encouraged the recovery of the area; a canal was dug to connect the Shchara with the Dnieper river, now known as the Oginski Canal . Ogiński also built a greater complex, combining an opera theater,

1400-552: The Polish–Lithuanian union was transformed into a single state and Słonim became an important regional centre within the newly established Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . Administratively it was part of the Nowogródek Voivodeship . Thanks to the efforts of nobleman, statesman and Słonim starost Lew Sapieha , King Sigismund III Vasa renewed the town rights of Słonim and granted the city coat of arms, which included

1456-720: The Słonim Ghetto with 10,000 Jews massacred in 1942 alone. The 10 small synagogues around the Great Synagogue called Stiblach did not survive. In 1939, the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union resulted in the invasion of Poland by the two powers and its division between them. Slonim was in the area designated by the Pact to fall within the Soviet sphere of influence. The Soviets placed that area within

1512-733: The 13th century but were expelled by a Tatar invasion in 1241 and the town was pillaged. When, later in the year, the Tatars withdrew, Slonim became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania once again, in personal union with the Kingdom of Poland after the Union of Krewo of 1385. In 1532 King Sigismund I of Poland granted Slonim town rights . In 1558, King Sigismund II Augustus , in a privilege issued in Wilno (now Vilnius), established two two-week fairs . In 1569,

1568-424: The 4th century CE, this became impossible and instead a fixed calendar of 29- and 30-day months (see Hebrew calendar for details) was instituted by Hillel II . At the end of a 29-day month, Rosh Chodesh is celebrated for one day, on the first day of the new month. At the end of a 30-day month, Rosh Chodesh is celebrated for two days - the 30th day of the previous month, and the first day of the new month. Despite

1624-521: The Bais Yaakov Teachers Seminary in Kraków at the age of 16. Her application was rejected because she lacked a government-recognized high school diploma; her uncle had not allowed her to attend the non-religious gymnasium school. She wrote to Sarah Schenirer and was accepted to the seminary after taking private lessons to earn her diploma. Since the Lubchanskys could not afford to pay tuition, she also received

1680-543: The Bais Yaakov Teachers Seminary. Rabbi Boruch Kaplan died on April 7, 1996 (18 Nisan 5756). Rabbi Aharon Kotler , rosh yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha (the Lakewood Yeshiva), credited the Kaplans and their Bais Yaakov for ensuring the growth of Torah in America. Kotler said: If not for Rav Boruch and Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan who started large scale Bais Yaakov on these shores, there would be no true appreciation for

1736-526: The Duchy in 1503. In the late 19th century, Slonim's Jewish population had risen to more than 10,000. The Slonimer Hasidic dynasty came from there. Michael and Ephraim Marks (of Marks & Spencer ) were born in Slonim. The wealthiest family in Slonim before World War II were the Rabinowicz brothers, Vigdor and Yossel. Their parents were Dov-Ber and Rivka Rochel (née Kancepolski). After World War I, they entered

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1792-532: The L ORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: "This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you." In the Book of Numbers , God speaks of the celebration of the new moon to Moses: And on your joyous occasions—your fixed festivals and new moon days—you shall sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being. In Psalm 81:4 , both new and full moon are mentioned as

1848-523: The Month ; lit . Head of the Month ) is a minor holiday observed at the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar , marked by the birth of a new moon . Rosh Chodesh is observed for either one or two days, depending on whether the previous month contained 29 or 30 days. The Book of Exodus establishes the new moon of Nisan , which is the first month of Aviv , as the beginning of the Hebrew calendar : And

1904-566: The Slonim Governorate until 1797, Vilna Governorate until 1801 and Grodno Governorate until World War I . In 1897 it was the fourth largest city of the governorate after the leading cities of Białystok , Grodno and Brześć . Russian control lasted until 1915, when the German army captured the town. After the First World War , the Slonim area was disputed between the Soviet Union and

1960-543: The Williamsburg location. The school continued to expand into elementary, high school and seminary programs. All other Bais Yaakov schools that later opened in America and Israel trace their history to Kaplan's original school, through the teachers Kaplan sent to staff them and the advice she gave to found them. The fiftieth yahrtzeit gathering for Schenirer in Madison Square Garden in 1985, which Kaplan organized,

2016-590: The activities from which they must refrain: spinning, weaving, and sewing—the skills that women contributed to the building of the Mishkan ( Tabernacle ). The Shulchan Aruch writes that "Those women whose custom is not to do work on [Rosh Chodesh] have a good custom". The midrash Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer gives a historical explanation for this practice: Aaron argued with himself, saying: "If I say to Israel, 'Give ye to me gold and silver,' they will bring it immediately; but behold I will say to them, 'Give ye to me

2072-419: The city center was replaced with a new monument of Lew Sapieha . The population of Slonim fluctuated, influenced by local prosperity and wars {1883, 21,110; 1897 15,893}. Jewish settlement in Slonim appears to have started in 1388, following encouragement from the Lithuanian authorities. They were credited with the development of local commerce in the 15th century, nonetheless, they were temporarily expelled by

2128-430: The earrings of your wives and of your sons,' and forthwith the matter will fail," as it is said, "And Aaron said to them, 'Break off the golden rings.'" The women heard (this), but they were unwilling to give their earrings to their husbands; but they said to them: "Ye desire to make a graven image of a molten image without any power in it to deliver." The Holy One, blessed be He, gave the women their reward in this world and

2184-468: The existence of a fixed calendar, Rosh Chodesh is still announced in synagogues on the preceding Shabbat (called Shabbat Mevarchim — The Shabbat of Blessing [the new month]). The announcement is made after the reading of the sefer Torah , before returning it to the Torah ark . The name of the new month, and the day of the week on which it falls, is given during the prayer. Some communities customarily precede

2240-605: The forestry business together with Yaakov Milikowski, and were known as the Rabmils. They escaped the Nazi atrocities by flying to Mandatory Palestine . Slonim's importance derives from the river, which is navigable and joins the Oginski canal, connecting the Niemen with the Dnieper . Slonim has varied food, consumer, and engineering industries. Corn, tar, and especially timber are exported. There

2296-670: The girls were encouraged to take their education to the next level and become teachers in the Bais Yaakov movement. Bais Yaakov also inspired Jewish girls with the willingness to marry young men dedicated to full-time kollel study, which would necessitate a lower standard of living than that commonly accepted in America. Kaplan hired many graduates of the Kraków seminary to teach in the first Bais Yaakov high school. These included Rebbetzins Chava Pincus, Basya Bender, Chava Wachtfogel, Rivka Springer, Chana Rottenberg, Rochel Cizner, Shifra Yudasin, Batsheva Hutner, and Leah Goldstein. These teachers forged

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2352-584: The insistence of Joseph Stalin in Yalta the Soviet Union retained possession of the eastern parts of pre-war Poland including Słonim, as agreed between the Allies . The Polish population was forcibly resettled to new post-war Polish boundaries before the end of 1946. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , Slonim became part of an independent state of Belarus . In 2019 a Soviet-era statue of Vladimir Lenin in

2408-655: The newly recreated state of Poland . The town suffered badly in the Polish-Soviet war of 1920 . It was ceded by the Bolsheviks to Poland in the 1921 Peace of Riga and became a part of Nowogródek Voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic . Slonim was one of the many towns in Poland that had a significant Jewish population. The imposing Great Synagogue, built in 1642, survived the destruction and brutal Nazi liquidation of

2464-607: The next five years. Her teaching skills were noticed by Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik , the Brisker Rav, who praised her ability to imbue students with Torah knowledge and fear of Heaven. In 1936 she was introduced to Rabbi Boruch Kaplan, an American student who, through the efforts of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Herman , had studied at the Chevron Yeshiva, Mir , Kaminetz, and Brisk yeshivas. After they met, Kaplan returned to America during Hanukkah 1936 and they corresponded by mail. As

2520-656: The opportunity to recite the Ya'a'le Ve-Yavo in Birkat Hamazon. Some Hasidic Jews sing Psalm 104 during this meal. Jews nowadays generally treat Rosh Chodesh as barely different from any other weekday (except for expansion of the prayer service). The Torah does not prohibit work ( melacha ) on Rosh Chodesh, and the Talmud states that work is permitted on Rosh Chodesh. The Jerusalem Talmud states that women refrain from work on Rosh Hodesh, but only by custom as opposed to law. This custom

2576-411: The prayer by an announcement of the exact date and time of the new moon, referred to as the molad , or "birth". Rosh Chodesh Tishrei (which is also Rosh Hashanah ) is never announced, although according to the fixed Jewish calendar, it is the determining factor for all of the postponements (Dehioth) which determine when each Rosh Chodesh is actually observed. On Rosh Chodesh, the prayer Yaaleh V'Yavo

2632-408: The prophet Miriam ) originated in the 1980s in a Boston Rosh Chodesh group; it was invented by Stephanie Loo, who filled it with mayim hayim (living waters) and used it in a feminist ceremony of guided meditation . Some seders (including the original Women's Seder, but not limited to women-only seders) now set Miriam's cup as well as the traditional cup for the prophet Elijah, sometimes accompanied by

2688-572: The regular Haftarah is replaced by a special Rosh Chodesh Haftarah. The Mussaf prayer is also modified when Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbat. The central benediction is replaced with an alternative version ( Ata Yatzarta ) that mentions both the Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh. If Rosh Chodesh falls on a Sunday and not on the Sabbath, the special Haftarah of Mahar Chodesh ("Tomorrow is the New Moon", I Samuel 20:18-42)

2744-528: The school with seven students around her dining-room table in Williamsburg in 1938. Two of her first students were the daughters of Rabbi Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz of Mesivta Torah Vodaas , who told her, "Take my daughters and build a seminary around them". The Mendlowitz girls brought five friends, and classes began. The school outgrew Kaplan's home and occupied several rented locations before settling into its own building at 143 South 8th Street in Williamsburg. In 1944 it became an all-day high school. A dormitory

2800-517: The world to come. What reward did He give them in this world? That they should observe the new moons more stringently than the men, and what reward will He give them in the world to come? They are destined to be renewed like the new moons, as it is said: "Who satisfieth thy years with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle." In modern times, female-centered Rosh Chodesh observances vary from group to group, but many are centered on small gatherings of women, called Rosh Chodesh groups. There

2856-541: Was attended by thousands of students of Bais Yaakov schools established in Hasidic , yeshivish , and Modern Orthodox communities with staff members drawn from the Bais Yaakov Teachers Seminary. Seven thousand girls converged on the sixtieth yahrtzeit gathering at the Brooklyn Armory in Williamsburg in 1995. During World War II, when the Bais Yaakov movement in Poland was decimated by the murder of teachers and students in

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2912-572: Was confirmed on the testimony of witnesses observing the new moon, a procedure known as kiddush hachodesh (sanctification of the month). After the Sanhedrin declared Rosh Chodesh for either a full (30-day) or defective (29-day) month, news of it would then be communicated throughout Israel and the diaspora. This system was dependent on the functioning of the Sanhedrin to declare the month, and to communicate this month to far-flung Jewish communities. In

2968-564: Was engaged by mail in 1936 and married on August 8, 1937, eleven days after Vichna arrived in New York City. They had nine sons and four daughters. Before leaving Poland, Vichna received permission from Rabbi Yehuda Leib Orlean, head of the central Bais Yaakov office, to open a Bais Yaakov school in New York. While Bais Yaakov elementary schools did exist in New York at that time, hers was the first religious high school for Jewish girls. She started

3024-599: Was not forbidden ( assur ). To explain the current acceptance of working on Rosh Chodesh, Shaagat Aryeh proposed that there indeed was a general prohibition on Rosh Chodesh work while the Temple stood, as the mussaf sacrifice was offered on behalf of the entire people, and a general principle exists that a person may not work on a day when their sacrifice is offered. According to the Talmud , women do not engage in work on Rosh Chodesh. Rashi , in commenting on this passage, delineates

3080-603: Was opened for out-of-town American students, students from Canada, and European refugees. At that point, Rabbi Boruch Kaplan, a successful maggid shiur at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, left his position to become school administrator. The Kaplans also opened a summer learning camp at Engel's Farm in Connecticut, in the tradition of the summer camps Schenirer had run in Poland. Unlike today's Bais Yaakov students, Kaplan's early high-school students were not all from religious homes. Concepts like tzeniut (modesty) had to be taught with warmth and sensitivity. Besides general and Torah studies,

3136-433: Was originally published in 1938 and 1939, at that time in Polish . Another local newspaper is Slonimski Vesnik . Being a state owned newspaper, it is run and censored by local authorities. Slonimski Vesnik is published three times a week and has a circulation of around 3,000 copies. Slonim has road-links with Baranovichi, Ivatsevichi, Ruzhany , Volkovysk, and Lida. There are around a dozen bus routes in Slonim and half

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