Rav Chaim Stein

Rav Chaim Stein wanted to sing Zemiros on Shabbos.

But, in Communist Russia, if anyone would hear religious songs being sung, the KGB would be notified.

So Rav Chaim came up with an idea.

They sung Zemiros Shabbos by the se’uda- In booming voices, and Freilach, in unison-

In the tune of the USSR anthem.

I heard this story from a grandson of R’ Chaim Stein.

R’ Chaim got a call when that an einekel was niftar. He was 90 years old, he had gone through the war losing family members and now he got this call that his grandson was niftar. After he got the call, he sat down, he could barely stand. He asked a grandson who was in the room to help him stand up. He helped him stand up, and R’ Chaim made the brocha of Dayan Haemes, sat back down, and then he started crying. He held in the crying until after the bracha.

The grandson who told this over said that he thinks what happened here is that R’ Chaim zatzal went through the war,and tragedies fell upon him. He always wanted to reaffirm ol malchus shamayim. Now he’s 90 years old and another tragedy happened he wanted to reaffirm ol malchus shamayim. Once he did that, Now he can start crying.