Editing Soviet Union (section)

== Suppression of Religion ==

==== Laws Against Religion ====
The Communists advocated atheism, meaning a belief that there is no higher reality (Heaven forbid), and therefore with the revolution, the Communist regime began imposing restrictions on all religions, especially Judaism.

Among the laws designed to harm the observance of Jewish mitzvot were:

* Prohibition against providing Jewish education to more than three children together, alongside mandatory education in government schools. This prohibition was intended to prevent Jewish education for children.
* Prohibition against closing factories on Shabbat, which resulted in Shabbat observers losing their livelihoods, making it impossible for them to work in regular workplaces. Exceptions were private businesses managed from home.
* Many synagogues and mikvaot were closed by the authorities, and kosher slaughter was prohibited.

During that period, the "Iron Curtain" was imposed (prohibition of entry and exit), which turned the Soviet Union into one large prison and prevented any possibility of leaving the country.

==== KGB and Yevsektsia ====
The G.P.U. (the secret police of Russia) established the Yevsektsia (Jewish Department), composed of Jews who had strayed from the path and tried in every way to persecute religious institutions. They sealed mikvaot, locked synagogues, and spied on all religious institutions in order to arrest the Chassidim who operated religious services. Those who were arrested were sentenced to many years of exile in Siberia with hard labor, and those considered more "dangerous" were executed. The situation worsened when Stalin came to power after Lenin's death in 5684 (1924) and began harsh tyranny against all his opponents.

==== Underground Yeshivot ====
The Rebbe Rayatz sent shluchim to every possible place to open underground "chadarim" with Jewish education. He also warned all Soviet Jews not to send their children to government schools ("shkoles") due to the enormous spiritual danger, despite the risk of severe imprisonment and exile imposed by the authorities on those who broke the law. He also opened a network of underground yeshivot in many cities throughout the Soviet Union.

==== Arrest of the Rebbe Rayatz ====
The Rebbe Rayatz was arrested on 15 Sivan 5687 (1927) and sentenced to death. After a diplomatic campaign, the sentence was commuted to three years of exile in Kostroma. Eventually, he was released on 12 Tammuz. This ultimately led to his expulsion from Russia at the beginning of 5688 (1928).

On his first day in Riga, the Rebbe Rayatz established a committee to help Russian Jews from outside by sending money, food, and means for observing Judaism. Within Russia, several Chassidim were appointed to manage the network of underground Talmud Torahs and Tomchei Tmimim yeshivot. The Chassidim would receive valuable items through various emissaries, which they sold on the black market to earn money for operating the underground network of yeshivot and chadarim. He also worked to organize shipments of matzot for Pesach and the four species for Sukkot.

==== Waves of Arrests ====
During the 5690s (1930s), the secret police carried out waves of arrests in which many Chassidim throughout the Soviet Union were detained:

In 5690 (1930), a wave of arrests in Leningrad. In 5695 (1935), the NKVD conducted a wave of arrests in Moscow and Rostov of key figures involved in spreading Judaism. All were sentenced to three years of exile in Kazakhstan. Most survived the exile except for R' Yaakov of Skalik, whose whereabouts were lost.

During the following years (5695-5699/1935-1939), there were many waves of arrests.

The wave of arrests in 5698 (1938) took place in Leningrad, where about twenty-five Chassidim were arrested in one night, later called "the night of the ten martyrs of the kingdom." Twelve of them were executed, and all the rest were sent to Siberia for many years. The families of the murdered did not know the fate of their loved ones for a long time because they were told that they too had been exiled, and only years later were they told the bitter truth. On 9 Nissan 5699 (1939), Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, the Rebbe's father, was arrested. As a result of the arrests, many Chassidim were forced to flee from the authorities and go underground.