This post is a translation of one of the key documents from the archive. To feel the bitter flavor of the actual story. It took me a while to reclaim my story, only to find out it was forged too. In the case of Moshe1, there wasn’t even a story, he was utterly erased.
Cast of Characters:
Fedor Ivanovich Meller-Zakomelsky, AKA Barron Friedrich Möller Governor of Mohilev: Федор Иванович Меллер-Закомельский - belonged to a Russified German family with many significant public figures and generals. He is the author of this letter/document.
His father, Baron Ivan Ivanovich and came from the Meller family of “the German nation of the Lutheran law.”
Stanisław Bohusz Siestrzeńcewicz, Archbishop of Belarus
The document is addressed to Богушу-Сестренцевичу Stanisław Bohusz Siestrzeńcewicz.
Stanisław Bohusz Siestrzeńcewicz
Stanisław Bohusz Siestrzeńcewicz was born in Zanki, Troki Province (now Svislach District). His father was a Calvinist and his mother was a Catholic. Stanisław studied at Calvinist School in Sluzk, and later at the University of Frankfurt. After traveling through Europe, he visited Amsterdam and London, and served in the Prussian Infantry and the Lithuanian Cavalry. In 1761, he retired with the rank of captain.
[Aharon Kotler was from Svislach. I would point out that this man grew up in the heart of Lita, where Jews were often more than 50% of a town’s population.]
He then worked as a tutor for the Radziwiłł family, at which point he converted to Catholicism (accepted his mother faife).
In 1762, Siestrzeńcewicz developed a course of theology in Warsaw. In 1763, he received holy orders. He served as rector in Gomel and Bobruisk and later, a canon in Vilnius. On 2 July 1773, he was appointed Titular Bishop of Mallus. On 3 October 1773, Monsignor Gyultsen, representing the Bishop of Smolensk, officially consecrated him as a bishop. After that, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Vilnius, for the territory that was ceded to Russia. In early December 1773, Catherine II announced the creation of a Belarusian Catholic diocese with headquarters in Mogilev and Siestrzeńcewicz's appointment as Belarusian bishop.
It’s highly ironic that a Calvinist with a Polish name became a catholic bishop of Belarus. A Calvinist Reform kid with a Jewish nose who became a catholic, there must be many demons in that soul, as uncle Freud would say. We should also point out that the unusual subject of the story is the catholic conversion of the Jewish Prince. The Archbishop, being a Catholic convert himself, might have been extra zealous. He was also a “BT”, so it was a matter of self validation…
House of Stanisław Bohusz Siestrzeńcewicz in Mohilev.
Prince Golitsyn, Alexander Nikolaevich - Minister of Spiritual Affairs and Public Education
Prince Golitsyn, Alexander Nikolaevich. Portrait by K. P. Bryullov, 1840
The confidant of Alexander I, who until the end of his life cherished his “proximity and advice”. Golisyns were a major aristocratic clan, perhaps second in land ownership or title to the Tsars.
House of Prince Golitsyn. Fontanka, 20. Leningrad. Looking at the chimneys, there are about 14 fire places. That’s a lot for a man without family, only servants.
I can’t think of one Russian royal, besides Peter the Great, who wasn’t a “nepo baby” degenerate, not fit for the job. Eventually, it got so bad that the communist revolution swept away the monarchy and destroyed Chabad as a “collateral damage”.
How fortunate that Alter Rebbe didn’t live to see his mizinek imprisoned. Inevitably, I wonder what would Alter Rebbe say if he can anticipate only 130 years ahead of his death? It’s hard to live (or die) through devastation, but it’s even harder to imagine…
I will insert some of David Assaf’s interpretation in the text of the letter for clarity. Assaf has done advanced (not prefect) work in decoding. He is the first to draw attention to the subject. Let’s begin.
Governor of Mohilev Meller-Zakomelskyto Archbishop Siestrzeńcewicz
The letter is dated 25th of August 1820, and received by the Archdiocese on September 1st. They were both in Mohilev then.
Jewish Rabbi Berka [Mitteler Rebbe] and his brother Abram Shneyers came to me with a complaint [the heart of the letter is the story being told by the Governor paraphrasing the two brothers2]. Apartment in Лепельский уезд-Lepelsky district [part of Vitebsk Governorship] in the town of Ula. Artillery Lieutenant Colonel Puzanov was angry at their brother, Moshe Zalmanovich Shneyer because he (Puzanov) was moved from his apartment. He (Puzanov) knew that Movsha was mentally ill for many years. So on July 1st he invited Moshe for a tea. He got Moshe drunk with hard liquor. Then he wrote in Moshe’s name a letter that Moshe wanted to convert and become a Roman Catholic.
[David Assaf: In those days, when members of the armed forces were billeted in the homes of local residents—occasionally to the residents’ liking (and for handsome pay), but mostly not to their liking—Puzanov apparently lived in a stone house belonging to Moshe’s wife’s family [her father was a Rov in town]. Asked by the family to move from the stone house to a less comfortable wooden one, in the same courtyard, this officer sought, so Moshe’s brothers claimed, to exact revenge. Taking advantage of Shifra’s [Moshe’s wife] absence (as she was probably responsible for keeping an eye on her husband).]
He then sent Moshe under military guard to priest Sedlovsky. And even though Sedlovsky knew that Moshe was crazy, he immediately shaved his beard and peyos.
The Governor of Vitebsk was subsequently informed by the Vitebsk Kagal (Kehilla) about medical testimony on Moshe’s mental illness. This information was in turn given to the Lepelsky District Governor by the practicing doctor Girsha. Moshe then was released back to the Jews, where he resided with his brothers in the Mohilev Governorship, Babinovitsky District, the village of Lubavichi.
[Lubavich was in Mohilev Governorship, Ula was in Vitebsk Governorship. So the Mitteler Rebbe appealed to Mohilev Governor but used a medical commission and doctor from the Lepel/Vitebsk Governorship.]
As we are worried about bad consequence, we attached a certified copy from Vitebsk medical and also from the doctor in Lepel. The brothers request a guardianship of Moshe. After I examined the documents about Moshe’s mental illness and found them satisfactory, I [the Governor of Mohilev] on the11th of August, released Moshe to his brothers, Rabbi Berka and Abram custody.
Soon afterward, I received a letter from the Vitebsk governor. He informed me that your eminence [Archbishop Siestrzeńcewicz] received a letter from [Catholic] Dean in Polozk, Sushinsky where he asks that Movsha Shneyer be immediately freed from the Jews and placed in one of the Roman Catholic monasteries in the Polozk region. The Governor saw the medical testimony about Moshe’s mental illness, and he assumed that the officer Puzanov didn’t know about Moshe’s mental illness. He informed Lepel lower court and Catholic court/kloyz плебанїи in Ula and other spiritual “leaders”, that indeed Moshe, because of his health as a crazy person can’t be converted.
On demand of Ule catholic court/kloyz an officer Rylevich from Lepel reported that Moshe was taken to Benshenkovichi to priest Zranizky. Where Moshe previously expressed a desire to covert. Moshe spoke incoherently. Therefore, and based on medical testimony that indeed Moshe was crazy, I [the Governor of Mohilev] transferred him to the family custody in Lubavichi.
[The Mittleler Rebbe was savvy to understand the gravity of the situation and immediately called for medical “expertise”. We don’t understand schizophrenia in 2025, what did they know in 1820, two centuries ago? But they probably knew that schizophrenics have bad days and good days. They can go from psychosis to almost normal unexpectedly.
The Catholic Church was still powerful in Belarus because they traditionally represented upper-class Polish Szlachta who still owned the land. So they asked “who said Moshe was meshugener” and demanded “medical tests” to prove that Moshe was of “sound mind”. A benign real estate conflict transformed into a catastrophic calamity. Since the dispute involved a minor Jewish prince, it is safe to assume a fair amount of lobbing. It immediately escalated to the Minister, who was the Tsar’s confidante.]
Upon your [Archbishop] request to provide a testimony from the local medical office, perhaps Moshe will be in sound mind and will be capable and willing to convert. Upon the demand of the Archbishop, I ordered to bring Moshe to Mohilev.
[What flows now are three days of “tests” in Mohilev on 18th, 19th and 20th of August 1820]
18th of August, I transferred Moshe from Lubavitch to Mogilev medical office, to determine if Moshe is of sound mind.
August 19th, in the presence of Roman Catholic clergy and police officer, the test was documented.
August 20th, In the presence of Dobrovolsky, we tested Moshe Shneyer. Dobrovolsky testified that after the two days of tests, it was determined that Moshe Shneyer wasn’t in sound mind. So a third test in the presence of religious authority Dobrovolsky and police officer Popov was called for.
Dobrovolsky [he represents the priests] expressed his opinion that you need to separate Moshe from his relatives, place him in a Костёл (Catholic Church), surrounded by spiritual clergy and do another test in six weeks or six months. The test to judge his mental state въ какомъ онъ разсудкѣ. To remove Moshe from his relatives as their constant supervision because of their ties to him can cause a person to lose his mind or to decide to remain Jewish [not sure, end of this paragraph].
24th of August. I [the Governor of Mohilev] received a letter from the governor of Vitebsk. [the issue escalates.]
He informed me about the letter from the Minister of Spiritual Affairs and Public Education [Prince Golitsyn, Alexander Nikolaevich]. He said that special attention should be paid to the case. The minister asks that Moshe should be placed in one of the monasteries in Mohilev and not to send him back to a Vitebsk monastery because the medical commission in Vitebsk that initially determined that Moshe was crazy is a “suspect”. Report everything to the Minister. Even though Dobrovolsky expressed an opinion that Moshe should be removed from the Jews at least for six weeks or six months, but even Dobrovolsky wrote in his testimony that during the tests Moshe responded to some oral questions and in writing coherently. Which proves that Moshe is “not always crazy”.
[Moshe was talented with languages and definitely knew Russian. The Russian language is wonderfully rich, there are different shades and names to what in English is reduced to uncomfortable and rude “crazy”.]
Nevertheless, he Dobrovolsky considered Moshe “not normal”, so was the conclusion of Mohilev medical, similar to Vitebsk medical, there are reports of the seizures. And I witnessed personally and for these reasons, respecting the benevolent intention of our government. And the claim the Moshe himself wanted to convert should not be the reason to separate Moshe from his relatives. And this is not in agreement with our Christian values. And could bring the displeasure of the Tsar and not according to the state law. So I decided against sending this Jew to the catholic monastery, as was suggested by Dobrovolsky. I decided to leave Moshe in the custody of his relatives. And I communicated this to the Minister. Your eminence, I hereby advise you of this with all the respect. Your servant Meller-Zakomelsky.
To be continued… maybe.
A Hostage for 33 Years!
Shifra, Moshe’s wife, her husband a hostage, decided that she had enough of mother Russia and packed to Eretz Yisroel with Moshe’s children. This would be 23 years after the “conversion”.3
David Assaf: “There is another verifiable fact in Moshe's biography, one not directly related to Moshe himself. In 1843, his family (his wife, children, sons-in-law, and their offspring) emigrated from Russia to Palestine (first to Hebron and later to Jerusalem).”
From the fertile banks of Ula and Dvina rivers to the dry and threatening hills of Gush Etzion. Poor Moshe was still alive then, he died ten years after Shifra and his children left for Israel in 1853 when he was 69 years old, a prisoner kidnapped in an asylum. A hostage for 33 years hidden in an unmarked grave.
The original manuscript, decoded by Vasily Kogalovsky and hosted on alter-rebbe.org
Ваше Высокопреосвящество Милостивый государь. Еврейскїй рабинъ Берка и братъ его Абрамъ Шнееры, вошли ко мнѣ съ прозьбою, въ коей изложили жалобу: что квартирующїй витебской губернїи Лепѣльскаго уѣзда въ мѣстечкѣ Улѣ г. артиллерїи подполковникъ Пузановъ имѣя къ брату ихъ Мовшѣ Залмановичу Шнееру негодованїе за перемѣщенїе его изъ занятой имъ самимъ безъ оттвода въ его домѣ квартиры, при совѣршенномъ знанїи, что Мовша отъ многихъ лѣтъ страждетъ сумашествїемъ, сего года јюля 1го числа самъ лично просилъ его Мовшу къ себѣ на чай, гдѣ напоивъ крепкимъ напиткомъ, и составивъ отъ имени его бумагу о немеренїи и желанїи принять римско-католическую вѣру, отослалъ его подъ кара- уломъ въ тамошнїю клебанїю къ ксензу Седловскому, которой хотя такъже зналъ о его сумашествїи, однако неотлагая времѣни, велѣлъ обрить бороду и пейсы; чтто по донесенїю о семъ г. витебскому гражданскому губернатору отъ витебскаго еврей- скаго кагала съ представленїемъ о сумашествїи Мовши отъ витебской врачебной управы свидѣтельства, предписаллъ онъ г. губернаторъ лепельскому земскому исправнику а сей освидѣтельствовавъ вольно практи- кующимъ медикомъ гм Гиршою, отдалъ евреямъ для доставленїя къ нимъ братьямъ его; что посему онъ у нихъ и находиться Могилевской губернїи Бабиновиц- кого уѣзда въ мѣстечкѣ Любавичахъ. Опасаясь затѣмъ чрезъ подобные отъ кого либо поступки худыхъ въ послѣдствїи, съ представлѣнїемъ свидѣтельствъ въ копїю за скрепою и подлинныхъ, какъ то: отъ Витебской вра- чебной управы, вольно практикующаго медика и Лепель- скаго земскаго исправника, просили къ охранѣнїю сумашедшаго ихъ брата Мовшу снабдить ихъ откры- тымъ предписанїемъ._ По разсмотрѣнїи тѣхъ свидѣ- тельствъ и по признанїи ихъ удостовѣрительными о сумашествїи Мовши Шнеера, я 11го числа сѣго ав- густа выдалъ имъ рабину Беркѣ и Абраму Шнеерамъ открытое предписанїе на имя городскихъ и земскихъ полицїи Могилевской губернїи, объ оказыванїи ему Мов- шѣ въ потрѣбныхъ случаяхъ пособїе и охраненїя отъ притесненїи всякаго рода, по требованїямъ и въступа- тельству его братьевъ Берки и Абрама, коимъ онъ на попеченїе отданъ._ вскорѣ послѣ сѣго полу- чилъ я отношенїе отъ г. витебскаго гражданскаго гу- бернатора, въ коемъ мѣжду протчаго изъяснилъ, что ваше высокопреосвященство, по доносу къ Вамъ полоцка го декана Сущинскаго, просилъ чтобы сей рабинъ |Мовша Шнееръ | былъ немедленно освобожденъ изъ рукъ евреевъ и помѣщенъ въ которомъ либо изъ полоцкихъ римско-католическихъ монастырей. Но какъ онъ г. губернаторъ видѣвъ преждѣ изъ свидѣтельства вра- чебной управы о лишенїи ума того еврея и полагая что г. подполковникъ Пузановъ не былъ извѣстенъ о томъ, предписывалъ лепѣльскому нижнему зем- скому суду о объявленїи ульянской плебанїи насто- ятелю и другому духовенству, что буде дѣйстви- тельно онъ Мовша въ такомъ положенїи своего здо- ровья, то безумного обращать въ христіянскую вѣру не слѣдуетъ, и лѣпельскїй земскїй исправникъ Рылле- вичъ рапортовалъ, что Мовша по вытребованїи изъ плебанїи ульянской былъ привѣзенъ въ мѣстечко Бешен ковичи и врученъ ксензу декану Зраницкому, гдѣ Мов- ша, преждѣ объявивши желанїе креститься, гово- рылъ противно и разнообразно, и потому какъ пры знанный ими исправникомъ, ксензомъ Зраницкимъ и вольнопрактикующимъ медикомъ, дѣйствитель но сумашелшимъ, отдалъ для излѣченїя подъ роспи- ску родственникамъ; то просилъ мѣня, по нахожденїю его въ Любавичахъ, приказать освидѣтельствовать его чрезъ здѣшнею врачебную управу, и буде окажеться въ здравомъ разсудкѣ и желающимъ принять креще- нїе, прислать его туда для выполненїя требованїя вашего Высокопреосвященства. По доставленїи изъ Любавичъ въ Могилевъ Мовшу Шнеера, я предложилъ Могилевской врачебной управѣ, 18го августа, освидѣ- тельствовать его въ присудствїи своемъ, въ здравомъ ли разсудкѣ онъ Мовша находится, и что окажется представить мнѣ о томъ особое за подписанїемъ членовъ Управы свидѣтельство. Потомъ я за благо призналъ, произвѣсти таковое свидѣтельство въ присудствїи управы при депутатѣ со стороны духовной, о коман- дированїи котораго отнесся въ римско-католичес- кую консисторїю, 19го августа, и при здѣшнемъ г. полицмейстерѣ, о чемъ ему тогдажъ предписано; а управѣ о томъ дано знать съ тѣмъ, чтобъ свидѣтельство уже за общимъ подписанїемъ было ко мнѣ представлено Въследствїе чего врачебная управа отъ 20го августа пред ставляя свидѣтельство и при немъ особое мнѣнїе ду- ховнаго депутата каноника Добровольскаго, доноситъ, что управа чинивъ двудневное въ присудствїи своемъ изпытанїе Мовшѣ Шнееру, по коему о признанномъ отъступленїи его отъ здраваго разсудка постанов- лено уже было донесть мнѣ, какъ въслѣдъ перваго получено вторичное мое предложенїе; и потому управа чинила третіе испытанїе при духовномъ депутатѣ каноникѣ Добровольскомъ и при г. полиц мейстерѣ надворнымъ совѣтникѣ Поповѣ, и объ оказавшемся по изслѣдованїю о причинахъ, соста- вила вышеупомянутое свидѣтельство; во время же таковаго освидѣтельствованїя Шнеера г. ка- ноникъ Добровольскїй представилъ свое мнѣнїе, что бы Мовшу отделить отъ родственниковъ его въ ко стельной домъ и тамъ одними духовными особа- ми дѣлать дальнейшее испытанїе чрезъ шесть недель или шесть мѣсяцовъ,_ и хотя въ общемъ. присудствїи о семъ произходила трактацїя1, а напо- слѣдокъ по изслѣдованїи причинъ сего настояще утвер- дить и привѣсти въ дѣйство почли ненужнымъ, во пер- выхъ чтобъ дѣлать дальнейшее изпытанїе не предпи- сано, а велѣно только освидѣтельствовать въ какомъ онъ разсудкѣ,_ во вторихъ естли удалить Шнеера отъ родственниковъ имѣвшихъ за нимъ по связи род- ства неусыпной надзоръ можетъ прїйти въ вящее замѣшательство врасудкѣ и учинить сѣбѣ или кому другому вредъ вънезапнымъ какимъ либо своимъ безрасуд- нымъ дѣйствїемъ; а потому мѣжду многими чинимы- ми ему Мовшѣ испытанїями нащетъ религїи утвер- ждаеться оставаться въ еврейской вѣрѣ. А 24го сѣго ав- густа получилъ я отъ витебскаго гражданскаго гу- бернатора другое отношенїе, которымъ, по получен- ному имъ отъ министра духовныхъ дѣлъ и народного про- свѣщенїя предписанїю, чтобы на дѣло сїе обращено было особенное вниманїе, просить меня, естьли Шнееръ бу- детъ отысканъ, по освидѣтельствованїю окажется здоровымъ и желающимъ окреститься, то не отсы- лая его въ витебскъ помѣстить въ которомъ либо изъ монастырей въ Могилевѣ или въ губернїи Могилевской такъ какъ на тамошнѣю врачебную управу и ксенза декана признавшихъ его сумашедшимъ наводиться подозренїе, и о всемъ что окажется до- несть г. министру духовныхъ дѣлъ и народнаго про- свѣщенїя. Хотя г. каноникъ Добровольскїй и подалъ особое мненїе, предлагая, чтобы еврея Мовшу Шнеера устра нить отъ евреевъ въ духовное вѣдомство, по крайней мѣрѣ на шесть нѣдѣль на испытанїе, но какъ онъ же самъ въ семъ своемъ мнѣнїи написалъ, что во время освидѣтель- ствованїя при всемъ своемъ помѣшательствѣ, на нѣко- торыя запросы письменные и словесные, отвечалъ съ разсуд- комъ, что и доказываетъ, что онъ не всегда помѣшанного ума,_ слѣдовательно самъ же призналъ его Мовшу по- мѣшаннымъ въ умѣ; – да и врачебная управа моги- левская |: сходно съ витебскою :| въ свидѣтельствѣ за общимъ подписанїемъ съ могилевскимъ полицмейстеромъ, по объясненїи подробно всехъ въ немъ признаковъ и при- падковъ болѣзненныхъ, и въ рапортѣ своемъ ко мнѣ при знала и удостовѣрила дѣйствительно имѣющимъ отступленїе отъ здраваго разсудка; сверъ того я и самъ, кромѣ общего слыху, лично замѣтилъ тѣ пѣрь въ немъ помѣщательство ума; то по симъ причинамъ, и по уваженїямъ къ благимъ намѣре- нїямъ правительства, которое отъкрыло путь и дало въсемъ совершенную всякому свободу, дабы и ногда подъ предлогомъ якобы самъ собою Мовша Шнееръ объявилъ желанїе креститься въ като- лическую вѣру, не стѣснить его и не отторгать отъ его родственниковъ,_и поступкомъ такимъ несообразнымъ ни съ общими правилами христіян- ской вѣры насилїя не терпящей, ни съ государственными законами всякой подговороъ и обольщеніе строго на- казующими, не навлечь на себя замѣчанїя отъ вышняго начальства и гнева монаршаго,_ я не ре- шился отослать сего еврея въ римско-католическую духовную консисторїю для опредѣленїя ему мѣста къ предполагаемому каноникомъ Добровольскимъ испыта нїю по видимому больше соблазна нежели пользы обеща- ющему,_ а оставилъ на попеченїи родственниковъ его, обязанныхъ самою природою охранять его настоящемъ болѣзненномъ его положенїи, что все съ присоединенїемъ оригинальныхъ свидѣтельствъ Могилевской врачебной упра вы и мнѣнїя каноника Добровольскаго предалъ я на благоуваженїе г. министру духовныхъ дѣлъ и народ наго просвѣщенія. О чемъ Ваше Высокопреосвященство честь имѣю увѣдомить. Съ истиннымъ почтенїемъ и преданностїю имѣю честь быть Милостивый государь Вашего Высокопреосвященства покорный слуга г. Федоръ Меллеръ-Закомельскій № 470. 25 августа 1820 Могилевъ
It should be noted that Mitteler Rebbe had an interest in presenting his brother as crazy as possible. And making the “narrative” as crazy as possible. It seems genuine, but a skepticism can’t be discounted, we're dealing with Chabad after all. But I have the feeling he didn’t need to exaggerate much.
Who knows, but perhaps Shifra felt a certain relief when Moshe was imprisoned because nothing destroys life as much as the care and proximity of a meshugener.
