Rabbi Moshe Nisselevitch, of blessed memory, was born on the second day of Rosh haShanna 1923 in Kremenchug in the Ukraine.
In the early 1950's R' Moshe founded the Chamah Organization, acronym for "Chaburas M'zakei HaRabbim" with the purpose of preserving Judaism and providing economic assistance for Jews in Russia. In those years this goal was completely outrageous, but R' Moshe managed to get some of the others excited. He infused that first meeting with an air of mystery. It's members were invited to a secret location and it's fundraising was also done clandestinely.
R' Moshe was summoned several times to the interrogation offices of the KGB because of his activities which was highly punishable – a slow death of hunger and cold at a forced labor camp in remote Siberia.After twenty five years of having been denied access to leaving the Soviet Union, Rabbi Nisselevitch managed to leave together with his pregnant wife and three children.
R' Moshe was ambitious. He dreamed of working with large numbers of people and quickly. Together with his comrades they began enlisting Russian immigrant children in suitable schools. At a certain point, there was a large demand for schools but not enough places for the children to which R' Nisselevitch founded schools throughout the country! Once running smoothly, Chamah left the schools in the hands of the local administrations and went back to the usual activities. Along with starting these schools, preparations began to build the Chamah Center in Kiryat Malachi. With the start of Perestroika in the Soviet Union, Chamah also got back to working in Russia.
Despite his stature and age, R' Moshe conducted himself in a friendly manner with everyone showering his blessings on all.
In December, R' Moshe had a heart attack and upon examining him, the doctors discovered that he had cancer. He passed away the night of "Small Purim" and is buried on Mount Olives, Jerusalem.
R' Moshe's loss is keenly felt. The consolation is the legacy he left us of helping our needy fellow Jews.
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