During the time of communist rule in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, a courageous grandmother arranged to have her grandson, Felix, circumcised in secret, while his parents were at work. This week the son of that child— Yevgeny —chose to carry on his grandmother’s wish, of seeing her descendants carry out this important mitzvah.
Yevgeny, a 60-year-old member of his local Jewish community, underwent a Brit Milah, and took a Jewish name, Chaim. Rabbi Levi Kaminetzky who accompanied Yevgeny—now Chaim—through the process, recounted the history leading up to the event:
“It all began in 1937, at the height of the communist regime in the Soviet Union. In the city of Zhytomyr in central Ukraine, a baby boy named Felix was born. In those days, performing a Brit Milah was a dangerous act that could result in imprisonment or exile, and Felix’s parents were deeply afraid to carry out the mitzvah.”
“However, Felix’s grandmother held firm to her principles and refused to surrender to fear. She declared: “I will not have a grandson who is not circumcised—I must ensure he has a brit.” One day, taking advantage of the parents’ absence at work, she secretly invited a mohel to her home. Felix, then just one month old, was brought into the covenant of Abraham in complete secrecy.”
“The price for this brave act soon followed. Word of the clandestine brit spread, and the communist authorities responded harshly: Felix’s parents were immediately dismissed from their jobs—a severe economic and social punishment in that era.”
“About 20 years ago, Felix himself told me this story with great emotion,” Rabbi Kaminetzky added. “He knew that his grandmother had shown extraordinary self-sacrifice, risking everything to continue the Jewish chain of generations. He shared how, for many years, his parents were unable to find good employment because of what had happened. The cost was very heavy.”
This week, Felix’s son, Yevgeny, decided that his moment had arrived. Despite his age, he approached Rabbi Kaminetzky and asked to complete what had begun in that small apartment in Zhytomyr in 1937.
“To witness a man of 60 undergo this ceremony is deeply stirring,” said Rabbi Kaminetzky. “Yevgeny, now Chaim, shows us all that it is never too late. The determination of that grandmother carried on, waiting for the right moment to reemerge in her grandson. This is the strongest answer to those who tried to erase Jewish identity—we are still here, proud of our heritage and our people.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, as the words “and he shall be called in Israel: Chaim,” were proclaimed, emotion filled the room where members of the local Jewish community were gathered. Chaim had completed not only a personal journey, but also a historical one:
“Today I feel whole,” Chaim said. “I carry the name Chaim with pride, in memory of my heroic grandmother and my father, Felix.”
“This is a victory of the Jewish spirit over any passing ideology,” Rabbi Kaminetzky concluded. “A victory of generations over those who tried to erase Judaism.”
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