From the state and county levels of government, tributes poured in to commemorate the 124th anniversary of the March 29 (11 Nissan) birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, obm. Many Chabad shluchim flocked to the Ohel in Queens on Sunday to offer their prayers at the Rebbe’s gravesite.
In Dutchess County (just north of New York City), an area with two Chabad houses, County Executive Sue Serino (D – Hyde Park, Poughkeepsie) issued a signed proclamation honoring the Rebbe’s birthday with Rabbi Zalman Sandhaus, director of the Hopewell Junction-based Pardess Center for Jewish Life and Rabbi Hanoch Hecht, director of both the Rhinebeck Jewish Center and Chabad of Dutchess County.
“Elected officials, from my opinion, are there to better the community. It shows that they care for education. Their job is to serve the people and provide resources and better opportunities for the people through education and moral values,” Sandhaus told The Jewish Press. “Purposeful lives are on the forefront of creating a better next generation. And the signing of the proclamation is focused on that. It’s not so much about Chabad. It’s specifically about the Rebbe and fulfilling the Rebbe’s vision. Teaching children. They’re here for a reason. They’re here for a purpose. They should instill moral values and G-dly values and not just academic study.”
Sandhaus also said it is not just about memorizing facts and figures but how parents and professionals need to bring up children through more than a secular education.
“For me it seems like it’s another opportunity for them to be involved in pushing proper education. From my perspective, our purpose is to get the awareness of it and push the Rebbe’s agenda. In society today, many schools are pushing more for academic achievements, not so much for moral accomplishments. As you can see in the world today, there’s so many great athletes and so many great celebrities who unfortunately don’t live a proper moral life.”
The Hecht family has been close to the Schneerson family for more than 70 years.
“My grandfather, Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht, knew the Rebbe early in the 1940s and stayed with him. When he became the Rebbe, he became his official translator and… secretary of the Rebbe. We had a very, very special and close relationship. The Rebbe gave him certain secrets in private and private missions for him to do on behalf of the Rebbe,” Rabbi Hecht recalled to The Jewish Press.
For the milestone of the Rebbe’s 125th birthday celebration, a larger event is being planned centered on education.
“Next year, we’re going to plan a big one countywide. You know, maybe we’ll get some of the school kids to come and participate, etc.,” Rabbi Hecht said.
On the state level, Assemblyman David Weprin (D – Hollis, Queens) along with Rabbi Velvl Butman led a cavalcade of elected officials at a reception. The only media outlet at the event was The Jewish Press.
“My father and my uncle were very good friends of Rabbi Shmuel Butman, who is Velvl’s father, who we lost about two years ago. He was the rabbi on behalf of the Rebbe and the Lubavitcher Movement, lighting the largest menorah on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan every year. He’s been doing this for probably over 40 years. 48 years. 1977, that’s over 40 years, maybe over 50 years. Almost 50 years,” Weprin said at the reception. “We are doing a resolution here to proclaim 124 days of education in the state of New York in memory of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, obm, and he actually now has a street on President Street named after him. I was fortunate to be at the street naming that we had a couple of years ago.”
Rabbi Velvl Butman was introduced as the director of the Chabad of Westchester County for the opening prayer in the state Assembly. He also gave the opening prayer before the Senate session the following day on behalf of the Lubavitch Youth Organization. The rabbi wears many hats. At the legislative reception, no fewer than two dozen lawmakers heard how important education is to maintaining good moral values.
“Education is not just a buzzword. Education is the value of the stock in the future. If we don’t invest today, there is no tomorrow.”
As has been the case for the past few decades, the infamous metal tzedakah box made an appearance at the reception in both houses of the legislature and the Governor’s office.
“The reason why I’m holding a charity box here is: The Rebbe asked that every time we get together, the Mishna in Pirkei Avos teaches us that the world stands on three things: Torah knowledge and learning; Avodas Hashem/prayer; and good deeds,” Rabbi Butman explained. “It’s important to raise the next generation to know that it’s not only because of the policemen that we have to behave but, more importantly, because of somebody upstairs who’s watching you. We appreciate and we realize what that means because Pesach, Passover, is primarily an evening that’s dedicated to children. It’s all about the children. In other words, our sages, 2,000 years ago, when they instituted the Seder, understood: if you want a future, invest today because if you don’t put in the time into the child today, don’t complain later when they grow up to be criminals.”
In attendance at the reception were: Senator John Liu (D – Flushing, Queens) and Senator Sam Sutton (D – Brooklyn). Besides Weprin, from the state Assembly were Kalman Yeger (D – East Midwood, Brooklyn), Simcha Eichenstein (D – Borough Park, Brooklyn), Alec Brook-Krasny (R – Seagate, Brooklyn), Michael Novakov (R – Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn), Sam Berger (D – Kew Garden Hills, Queens), Eddie Gibbs (D – The Bronx), Ari Brown (R – Cedarhurst, Nassau County), Dan Norber (R – Great Neck, Nassau County), Noah Burroughs (D – Hempstead, Nassau County), Aron Wieder (D – Spring Valley, Rockland County), Nader Sayegh (D – Yonkers, Westchester County), Alex Bores (D – Upper East Side, Manhattan), Paula Kay (D – Monticello, Sullivan County) and Chris Eachus (D – Newburgh, Orange County). Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, the government relations director for Agudath Israel as well as Rabbi Yisroel Rubin, director of the Capital District Chabad and Rosh Yeshiva of the Albany-based Maimonides Hebrew Day School were in attendance. Rank-and-file lawmakers as well as Silber and Rubin had a chance to express their love and appreciation of the Rebbe.
“Right before Pesach, we can’t help but think, when we say, what’s this invocation about? Why is this invocation different from all other invocations of the whole year?0 For many years, Rabbi Velvl’s father was a very dedicated soldier of the Rebbe,” Rabbi Yisroel Rubin said. “He was here every year, even when things were hard and difficult. He was always here to develop and create this reception for the Rebbe and this reception of the Rebbe is something that is not just for an individual, it’s for the whole Jewish community, for the whole community in general, Jewish or not.”
In the spirit of the proclamations highlighting 124 days of education in New York state in recognition of what would have been the Rebbe’s 124th birthday, Rabbi Silber connected the two points in his remarks.
“Our biggest issue here, as everyone knows, is education. We fight every day here for a proper share of education funding for yeshivas and right now, nonpublic schools. We have a very close relationship with the Chabad community. We work very closely with them in Crown Heights and other areas,” Silber said. “It’s an honor to be here and we should keep coming, we should keep fighting, and we should keep going for Jewish causes. Yasher Koach. We should be ad bias Moshiach.”
From the Senate rostrum, Rabbi Butman offered inspiring words of encouragement when he delivered the opening prayer for the session. He said, in part:
“Grant us, the members of the New York State Assembly and Senate, to enact laws and the awareness of your divine providence recognizing that in establishing just laws they are fulfilling your will.
“Bless the members of the New York State Senate with good health, clarity of mind, wisdom, compassion and good fellowship. May they always recognize that by establishing just laws, they are fulfilling your will.
“Bless us to be successful leaders to serve and to strengthen our New York communities.
“Almighty G-d, we dedicate this prayer today in honor of the Rebbe and his birthday on the 124th anniversary and the 85th anniversary of his miraculous escape from Nazi Europe, arriving in New York with his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of blessed memory.
“Grant us the wisdom of leadership to ensure that every child is loved unconditionally and educated with morality, faith and respect for all humanity.
“As it is written on our currency, In G-d We Trust, reminding us that there is an eye that sees and an ear that hears.
“The Rebbe asks to publicize the prophecy that Moshiach is on the way and Moshiach is ready to come now. We all have to do more acts of goodness and kindness as Maimonides said that every good deed can tip the global scale for the good.
Then Rabbi Butman displayed his silver pushka to inspire legislators to give tzedakah, as this is not a fundraiser or he would ask for more, as his father was famous for saying.
“If I may take just a moment. My father, Rabbi Shmuel Butman, of blessed memory, passed away about 18 months ago. He would come here once as director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization. The Rebbe asked him to take a dollar bill and put it into the charity box to inspire us all that money is not only meant to take but to give and to share. As the dollar bill reads, In G-d We Trust and there is an eye that sees,” Rabbi Butman told lawmakers as he started the donations by putting his own dollar bill in the tzedakah box.
Next year, the 125th birthday, instead of proclamations, a Joint Legislative Resolution, a law, will be crafted by Weprin’s office. Joint legislative resolutions can only be drafted for certain milestone occasions.
All photos by Marc Gronich unless otherwise stated.