Irina Vagner, 63, Paragon of Faith and Maternal Concern

Irina Vagner, 63, was known for spreading Jewish awareness and warmth under adverse conditions in the Soviet Union, in Israel, and then again as a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary in post-Communist Russia, leaving behind a legacy of self-sacrifice and love. She passed away suddenly on Oct. 18.

Vagner was born in Moscow in 1951 to Iosef and Tetyana (Toybe) Vishnivetsky, ardent Communists who lived a secular lifestyle divorced from the Jewish observances of their ancestors.

When she was 15, she met a boy named Vladimir Vagner, who came from a traditional Jewish home, where holidays were celebrated and traditions quietly observed. He was among the few young people to attend services at the city’s Choral Synagogue.

Under the influence of Vladimir—who preferred to go by his Jewish name, Zev—she adopted a religious lifestyle to the best of her ability, as the two of them observed traditional Judaism as much as they were able to under the circumstances.

In Moscow, Zev had received guidance from Grand Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel of Machnovka, who had been exiled by the Soviets for his continued efforts on behalf of Judaism. Before he departed to Israel, he advised the young man to attach himself to the local Chabad Chassidim, as they would be able to teach him and help him live a Jewish lifestyle.

Zev and Irina became close to Rabbi Schneur Pinsky, a Chabad Chassid who had also spent many years in the gulag (Russian labor camps) for his “counterrevolutionary activities.” The couple also learned Torah and received guidance on practical Judaism from Pinsky’s son, Rabbi Yehuda Pinsky.

In 1970, when they were both 19, the two married under a chuppah—a rarity in the Soviet Union in those times.

Life Outside of Russia

Almost immediately, they applied for—and were promptly denied—permission to leave the Soviet Union. As they bided their time, Irina studied biology, and Zev learned economics. During that time, their daughter Miriam was born.

At one point, a delegation from the U.N Human Rights Commission visited Moscow to assess the situation of Jews trapped behind the Iron Curtain. Conveniently, Zev was placed in a mental institution by Russian authorities for the duration of their visit.

In 1976, the couple was finally granted permission to emigrate to Israel.

Zev’s first trip was to New York, where he visited the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem. M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. In a meeting that lasted for a long time, the Rebbe debriefed Zev about the situation of Russian Jewry, and blessed him to find success in teaching Torah and Judaism to Russian émigrés in Israel.

Settling in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem, Zev founded a kollel, where Russian-speaking Jews learned Torah. He also published Russian-language books on Judaism under the auspices of Shamir, a social and religious organization the Rebbe had founded in 1971 under the chairmanship of Professor Herman Branover. Over time, Shamir would print more than 2 million books.

Putting her training in biology to good use, Irina worked in a fertility clinic, where all procedures were carried out according to halachah, Jewish law.

In addition to caring for her growing family, she opened up her home to thousands of Russian Jews. Many of them felt isolated and disoriented in a new land completely cut off from their families back in the U.S.S.R.

All were welcomed at her oversized table for a warm plate of food, a listening ear and some sound maternal advice.

At the shiva, a visitor commented that it was as if there was no front door on the Vagner home; everyone felt comfortable coming and going. Irina also suggested countless matches, helping dozens of couples come together and build families.

And Life Back in Russia

In 1988, Zev traveled to Russia on behalf of the Shamir organization. In 1989, he took his three older children to visit the Rebbe for the High Holidays. While there, the Rebbe blessed him with success for outreach to Jews in the U.S.S.R.

The family immediately made arrangements to relocate to Moscow, settling near the Marina Roscha synagogue. Once again, Irina’s table expanded to welcome the students studying in the Chabad yeshivah that was located in the synagogue, and she made sure that the boys well-cared-for. The children attended the Chabad-run Jewish school, then the only one in the entire U.S.S.R.

Eventually, Zev expanded the scope of his work beyond Moscow. At the Rebbe’s behest, he printed editions of Tanya, the seminal book of Chabad philosophy, in many cities throughout the former Soviet Union. Among many publications, he published the Russian Jewish Encyclopedia.

As their children grew up and married, many took positions as Chabad emissaries as well—three of them in Russia.

Zev began to serve as traveling rabbi for many cities in Central Russia that were without one of their own. Once such place was Tula—a city with 5,000 Jewish people situated 200 kilometers south of Moscow. He visited them once a month, guiding them as they built a synagogue of their own.

In celebration of the Vagners’ 60th birthdays (they were born two months apart) in 2011, the Tula Jewish community dedicated a new Torah scroll. However, it was not a mere gift; it was an incentive to get the couple to move to Tula permanently.

Despite Irina’s failing health and the usual difficulties associated with moving to a new city with little Jewish infrastructure, the Vagners relocated to Tula, where they breathed life into communal activities there. As always, Irina was said to be a model of kindness, concern and rock-solid faith.

She passed away in her sleep on Oct. 18, on Shabbat morning, in Tula. Hundreds attended funerals held there, in Moscow and in Jerusalem, as her body made its way to Israel for burial.

In addition to her husband, she was survived by her children: Miriam Sheiner (Beitar Ilit, Israel); Rabbi Aaron Wagner (Irkutsk, Russia); Binyomin Leib Wagner (Krasnoyarsk, Russia); Rachel Paradny (Jerusalem); Levi Yitzchok Vagner (Kfar Chabad); Nataniela Nechama Neimark (Perm, Russia); Yehudit Brachah Vagner; and many grandchildren.