"During the Excavation, We Realized There Was Something": Rabbi Moshe Tahler Unveils the Discovery of the Original Tombstone in Berdychiv"

The attendees at the holy site in the town of Berdychiv held their breath as, beneath piles of sand and stones, historical remnants of the original stone marker of the Advocate of Israel, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdychiv, began to emerge. "The feeling at that time was of immense privilege and great happiness," describes Rabbi Moshe Tahler, one of those present, about the emotional moments. Speaking from his home in Ukraine, Rabbi Tahler, the town's rabbi and a Chabad emissary, shares, "This immense excitement has stayed with me from then until now."

The excitement that enveloped the old tent quickly turned into a global sensation, with the Jewish world learning of the unveiling of the precise location of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's marker, which had been hidden beneath piles of stones and sand for many years. "We waited a bit with the exposure," he recounts. "We worked to clean the area thoroughly, and then allowed ourselves to reveal the images of the original tombstone around the world."

(Courtesy of Rabbi Tahler Institutions, Berdychiv)

A History of Concealment

In Ukraine's fifth largest district, Zhytomyr, lies the town of Berdychiv. In this small Ukrainian town rests the grave of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdychiv, one of the prominent leaders of the Chassidic movement. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was a student of the Maggid of Mezritch, who succeeded the Baal Shem Tov, who founded the Chassidic movement. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak is considered one of the greatest students of the Maggid and is known as the 'Advocate of Israel' because he always endeavored to defend the people of Israel.

"In the ancient town, whose very mention can evoke tremors of awe and excitement among Jews worldwide, much was astir with the outbreak of World War II," says Rabbi Tahler. "At that time, the Nazis began systematically eradicating every Jewish symbol across their conquered territories. Among the prominent targets destroyed by the Nazis were the graves of the tzaddikim scattered throughout Europe.

"Upon the war's outbreak, the Jews of the area sought to ensure the grave in Berdychiv would not share the fate of other graves across the continent. Therefore, a group of Jews arrived at the location, and in a special and secret operation, the marker and its surroundings were covered in dirt. Even the Nazis, may their name be blotted out, could not reach the grave of the greatest advocate for the Jewish people, though desolation and neglect remained for many years during the Soviet regime."

The story of the hidden grave continued even years later, after the fall of the communist regime. The first Jews who arrived with the fall of the Iron Curtain hurried to restore the grave. They reconstructed the site, erecting the marker that all who came to pray at the holy site in recent decades leaned upon.

However, after the site was renovated by Rabbi Tahler and those involved in the work, and the precise location of the grave was discovered, the sad fact was revealed: Pilgrims who visited the grave for decades accidentally walked over Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's grave, which was beneath them, close to the marker placed there.

The site until today (Courtesy of Rabbi Tahler Institutions, Berdychiv)

What led you to start renovating the site, especially now?

"The coronavirus pandemic that has swept the world in recent months suddenly halted the mass pilgrimage to the grave and left the grave site deserted," Rabbi Tahler recounts. "The crowds who come year-round to the grave of the tzaddik have secluded themselves in their homes recently, fearing infection from the virus. Even those few who wanted to come discovered that countries around the world, including Ukraine, closed their borders one by one, which emptied the small town and the grave therein, prompting us to take the opportunity to renovate the place."

The official goal of the renovation was to build an underfloor heating system to warm the tent over the grave against the bone-chilling cold dominating Ukraine's winter months, but another equally important goal was to finally determine where the grave truly lies. "We wanted to discover the truth," he says.

Does that mean you knew the marker wasn't in the right place?

"There have been claims for years that the marker placed about forty years ago over Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's grave isn't in the right place," he responds. "These suspicions led to two assumed sites 'suspected' of being the precise burial spot: one inside the tent and the other outside it. Therefore, anyone who wanted to stand close to the grave had to toggle between the two places.

"Besides," he adds, "the presence of the grave with no other surrounding graves was suspicious because, according to past descriptions from those who came to pray, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's grave was described as a beautiful structure at the center of the tent, with several graves of family and students buried beside him, which did not align with the current reality at the site in recent years."

How could you excavate the site without damaging the graves?

"What we actually did was remove the construction waste placed beneath the concrete floor, which was originally piled up to prevent the anticipated damage to the grave by the Nazis, may their names be erased," Rabbi Tahler explains. "We certainly did not damage any graves; the work was entirely supervised."

Those involved in the work report that all activities at the site were overseen and instructed by rabbis. Besides Rabbi Moshe Tahler, the town's rabbi, the rabbinical supervisors include the 'Berdychiv Cemetery Committee' rabbis, among them Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, Shlita, Rabbi of Zhytomyr, and Rabbi Yitzchok Glebshtein, CEO of Chevra Kadisha Prushim.

Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, Rabbi of Zhytomyr and Cemetery Preservation Committee member, overseeing workers during grave discovery (Courtesy of Rabbi Tahler Institutions, Berdychiv)

For the pressing question, can you now definitively determine that the discovered grave is indeed that of the tzaddik?

"Indeed, aside from discovering the graves of his sons beside the tzaddik's grave, as visitors noted before it was covered, there are other historical indicators suggesting the discovered grave is Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's. For example, prayer invocations described the grave as beautiful, and the foundation walls of the tent were noted as being 5x5 meters.

"Additionally, we found remnants of a chandelier and copper candlestick holders, as well as inscriptions in Hebrew from individuals who prayed at the monument, recording their names for blessings and salvation. Such inscriptions were also found on the monument walls," he notes.

After uncovering the grave, what are the future plans?

"Our goal is, first and foremost, to preserve as much as we can. We already see that parts of the old tent walls have not been preserved, so we will need to reconstruct them. We will try our best to leave the preserved parts as they are and not touch them."

The Non-Jews of the Area Believe in the Grave's Power

Rabbi Tahler has lived in Berdychiv for the past twenty years, arriving there after being offered the position of a Chabad emissary and the town's rabbi. Since then, it has been history. "They ask me if I love the place," he says, "I answer that I love what I do." Indeed, despite forming an impression of the town from afar, Berdychiv hosts a relatively large community of about five hundred Jews, for whom Rabbi Tahler serves as rabbi and guide, carrying out extensive and challenging activities.

However, within a town like Berdychiv, the local families are only a small part of the activities carried out by the Chabad emissary and local rabbi. "Every year, around one hundred thousand people visit the town," says Rabbi Tahler, "and we need to provide them with a suitable place for prayer and other religious needs. Our activities certainly extend beyond Berdychiv's jurisdiction."

As expected of a Ukrainian cemetery, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's grave is not the only grave of a great Jewish figure in the area. Not far from the monument of the Defender of Israel lies the grave of Rabbi Dahn Radwill, son of Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotshov, one of the prominent figures in the Chassidic movement.

The bridge Rabbi Tahler built from the other side to avoid stepping on graves (Courtesy of Rabbi Tahler Institutions, Berdychiv)

As part of his activities, Rabbi Tahler also cares for Rabbi Dahn Radwill's grave, alongside Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's and other graves in the area. In recent years, Rabbi Tahler has advanced clearing projects at the local cemetery, during which many ancient graves were discovered and preserved despite time's ravages. The grave clearing and surrounding activities aim mainly to prevent Berdychiv's municipality's plan to build various infrastructures over the cemetery site, intending to transform it into the region's industrial center.

He answers that Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's grave has long become a focal point, even for local non-Jews. "It isn't only Jews who come to the site. Many non-Jews in the area firmly believe in the tzaddik's merit. Public validation came when the mayor noted that severe natural events that struck Ukraine bypassed Berdychiv, attributing it to the power of the buried tzaddik. Once, he commented that the town owes a debt to the Jewish nation, noting that the grave prevents Berdychiv from being just another insignificant Ukrainian town."

Rabbi Tahler concludes by sharing that he tries to visit Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's grave almost daily. "While most Jews worldwide cannot come to the site and seek the tzaddik's blessings, I feel it is my sacred mission to be there and pray daily for all of Israel."