Arrest
Files Of The Rebbe MH”M’s Father Returned
In
a ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, the
President of Kazakhstan, Norsultan Nazerbayev, gave Chabad
Chassidim a copy of the files pertaining to the imprisonment and
subsequent exile of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, father of the
Rebbe MH”M.
The
ceremony took place at a special meeting of the committee of
presidents of American Jewish organizations with the president of
Kazakhstan. The President of the committee, Mr. Ronald Lauder, and
the acting Vice President, Mr. Malcolm Hoenlein, spoke warmly
about the president and noted his excellent relationship with the
Jews of his country.
The
president of Kazakhstan spoke about the legendary R’ Levi
Yitzchok. “In these documents we see how much he suffered, how
much the communists tortured him for no crime at all. The truth is
that he was victorious. His legacy is eternal, through the
work of his oldest son, who has brought his legacy to all corners
of the world.”
The
president went on to talk about the work of the Chabad shluchim
in his country, led by Chief Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen. One by one,
he enumerated all the mosdos the Rebbe’s shluchim
have founded in recent years.
Then
Rabbi Cohen awarded the president with a Medal of Peace and
Fellowship on behalf of the United Jewish Communities of
Kazakhstan. This presentation was unanimously decided by all
participants of the first meeting of the United Jewish
Communities, which took place in Alma Ata on Chanuka, as a token
of their appreciation for his work on behalf of the Jewish
communities.
At the
end of the ceremony, the president answered questions from those
present, who were happy to hear him talk about the openness in his
country as well as the excellent relationship he has with the
Jewish communities.
The grand
finale was when the president gave the thick file of documents,
containing over 700 pages, to representatives of Agudas Chassidei
Chabad of the C.I.S., Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Aharonov and Rabbi
Shalom Dov Ber Levin. They thanked the president for the help his
office extends in rebuilding the Jewish communities in Kazakhstan,
especially for the help he gives to the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Cohen.
The president also was given a beautiful picture of R’ Levi
Yitzchok.
In 5751,
a large part of the file had been given to representatives of
SHAMIR who gave it to the Rebbe MH”M. Much of it was published
in the series of books called Toldos Levi Yitzchok, which
details his life and work. The newly received file contains
additional documents, presently undergoing editing for publishing.
One of
the important documents recently received is R’ Levi
Yitzchok’s death certificate, which was given to Beis
Moshiach to be publicized for the first time.
R’
Levi Yitzchok’s Death Certificate
Surname:
Schneerson / First Name: Levik / Father’s Name:
Zalmanowitz [his father’s name was Baruch Shneur
Zalman] / Sex: Male / Religion: Jewish / Died: August 8,
1944 / Cause of Death: Liver Cancer / Age: 73 [his
actual age was 66, but the official documents said
otherwise] / City: Alma Ata / Street: Seventh row, first
apartment / Source of livelihood: supported by his son
who is at the front / Documents attesting to his death:
medical testimony, based on document #385.
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