The Border — Breslov Chassidim Imprisoned for Months Without Tefillin

And regarding the border — it is terrifying. And all the fellowship from Poland were in Lublin for Rosh Hashana — except for R' Berish from Lodz. And Zisha [R' Zisha — a Breslov companion who attempted to cross the border] traveled out already on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz — and they seized him and held him in prison for several months — Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkos — and he did not lay tefillin [a devastating detail: R' Zisha was imprisoned throughout the Days of Awe and could not perform the most basic daily commandment], etc., etc. And now R' Berish is already back in Lodz, and Zisha is still in prison. And I have been here with the afterman [אפטר — an agent or go-between who facilitates border crossing] for already approximately two weeks — asking him to travel with me to the border. And he absolutely refuses — only he yearns for Eretz Yisrael.