By Robert Kalfus
After Hamas attacked Israel villages on October, 2023, murdering more than 1,200 people, and seizing 251 as hostages, Yonkers Barber Slava Shushakova took down the mezuzah on the door of his Yonkers Avenue barbershop, fearing that he too be targeted. Despite removing the obviously Jewish symbol, Mr. Shushakova was viciously attacked on August 29th, by one of his customers, who grabbed the barber’s own scissors, stabbed him repeatedly in his hand and arm, yelling anti-Semitic words and saying he was going to kill him.
Since that day the perpetrator has been in Westchester County jail and the crime is being prosecuted as a hate crime. Because of the injuries to his dominant right hand, Mr. Shushakova, a sole practitioner managing his barber shop, has not been able to work. Chabad of Yonkers Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz said that “Because Slava was stabbed because he was a Jew, he now realized just the opposite. Let me now run away from Judaism, let me come very strong back to it.” Mr. Shushakova was adamant that the mezuzah be reinstalled before he would consider returning to work.
With the help of Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz, today he reinstalled the mezuzah, an especially beautiful one presented by Dr. Avi Savetsky, the plastic surgeon who addressed the physical injuries.
“Since October 7th, there have been lots violent hate crimes against Jews,” said Dr. Savetsky. “He is one of several whom I have taken care of. Slava left his native country due to anti-Semitism. He came here for a better life, something that my great uncle, who was a Holocaust survivor, said ‘How much as you try to run away from your Judaism, you can’t run away from it. The important lesson today that you are teaching my kids is a very important lesson: to really embrace your Judaism and to not hide.
Said Dr. Savetsky’s wife, Lizzy Savetsky, “A lot of people think that the mezuzah is a symbol to protect us for the outside world. But the reason we have the mezuzah is to remind us of who we are. Unfortunately you had a very vicious and brutal reminder of who you are. My prayer for you in this coming year,” (the Jewish New Year starting on Wednesday night, October 2nd) is that with hanging this mezuzah that you should only be reminded of who you are as a Jew in a beautiful way and never in a negative, violent way, ever again.”
The mezuzah is attached about a third from the top of the right side as one enters, and a special blessing is said. Rabbi Hurwitz also blew the shofar, the ram’s horn, and helped Slava and others put on tefillin on their arm and forehead.
Speaking and joining the installation of the new mezuzah were Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy, Westchester Jewish Council members Pam Goldstein and Michael Scheffler, Westchester 10th District Legislator Judah J. Holstein, former Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick and his wife Dr. Beth Schorr Lesnick, Dr. Ira Savetsky, his wife Lizzy and their four children, and former New Rochelle Firefighter Norman Hauptman.
