Students Learn about Natan Sharansky from His Close Friend: Rabbi Lookstein '49

To mark the 40th anniversary of Natan Sharansky’s release from Soviet prison, Upper Schoolers heard an inspiring talk from Principal Emeritus Rabbi Haskel Lookstein ’49, who is close friends with Natan Sharansky. Rabbi Lookstein told students, “I’m best friends with probably the greatest Jewish hero of our generation.” He gave students a crash course on the Refuseniks, the people who wanted to escape the Soviet Union and go to Israel. He even explained the complex Israeli operations to trick the Soviet government into letting Refuseniks leave, as well as describing the Soviet Union’s police state, which he experienced firsthand when he and his wife visited in 1972 and 1975.

Rabbi Lookstein met Sharansky while visiting the Soviet Union. He even gave Sharansky his own tallit and tefillin to keep, and he showed students a picture of Sharansky wearing them. The tallit and tefillin were both taken by the KGB when they arrested him five months later. Rabbi Lookstein explained that Sharansky was the best-known Refusenik: he fought for his own rights, for the rights of the Jewish people, and the rights of non-Jews. As a result of this advocacy and opposition to the Soviet government, he was arrested for treason, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Rabbi Lookstein described how Ramaz had advocated for Sharansky’s liberation, marching and rallying down 5th Avenue and at the UN Plaza. Rabbi Lookstein himself was arrested about three times for protesting in support of Soviet Jews; Associate Head of School Rabbi Josh Lookstein ’88 and Upper School Principal Rabbi Aaron Frank were among the other Ramaz faculty and students who were arrested at Refusenik protests, a proud Ramaz legacy.

Throughout his time in prison and during his release, Sharansky stood up to the guards in big and small ways. Later in life, when he served in ministerial roles in the Israeli government, he twice stepped down from his roles in protest over moral disagreements. Rabbi Lookstein told students, “When you’re kind of powerless in prison and you do little things to still show them who’s boss, that’s heroism. But when you’re a minister high up in the government, and then you resign over principle, that’s an even greater heroism.” Rabbi Lookstein cited the powerful Pirkei Avot message that when there is no principled person, you should be principled. This idea, he said, is what Sharansky embodies, and what is more, “At the end of the day, that’s what Judaism is about.”

He concluded by emphasizing his love and admiration for Natan Sharansky, who he views to be the most principled, ethical, trustworthy person he knows (as well as having a great sense of humor). He even showed students a photograph of Sharansky at the Ramaz Annual Dinner in 2013, a true testament to Ramaz’s longstanding commitment to honoring Sharansky and the values he represents.