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Rabbi YY Jacobson - Rabbi YY Jacobson Chanukah 5780 Day #2: What Gorbachev Told One Grateful Russian Jew

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Author: Rabbi YY Jacobson
Categories: Religion Psychology
Tags: religion, psychology
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 10:04 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Make your life an "autograph" of goodness by regularly lifting someone else's spirits, as the transcript frames it: "once a day, once a week, once a month." The talk uses a story about Sonia Tamarkan, a Soviet-born Jewish woman whose gratitude toward Mikhail Gorbachev led to his memorable reply, "Your life is my autograph," which the speaker then applies to Jewish survival and to everyday kindness.

Key Points

  • Sonia Tamarkan, who grew up under the Soviet communist regime and immigrated to the United States in 1989, met Gorbachev at a 2008 Liberty Medal ceremony in Philadelphia.
  • She asked Gorbachev for his autograph to remember her gratitude for the freedom her family gained.
  • Gorbachev replied, "Your life is my autograph," which the speaker presents as an answer to the question "where is God?"
  • The speaker contrasts Soviet-era suppression of Judaism, including Stalin and the Gulag killing an estimated 30 to 50 million people, with more than 200 public menorahs lit in the former Soviet Union during Hanukkah.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: Once a day, once a week, or once a month, do something that kindles hope, inspiration, love, and clarity in someone whose "sun has set," so that your life becomes someone else's autograph of kindness.
  • The speaker frames the action as lighting a heart or kindling a flame in another person's spirit, not as a specific ritual or product.
  • The transcript notes the Soviet-era figure of 30 to 50 million deaths attributed to Stalin and the Gulag, as stated by the speaker.
  • The menorah in Red Square near the Kremlin is cited as an example of Jewish public life returning in Russia.
  • The story is presented as a personal account the speaker says Sonia shared with him, so its details rest on her telling.

Bottom Line

Your lasting legacy can come from small, regular acts of kindness that give someone hope, the speaker suggests, much as the Jewish people's survival is presented as God's own "autograph."