[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 14, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: June 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
IN MEMORY OF RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON
Mr. MOYNIHAN. Madam President, Jews throughout the world are in
mourning today for Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the charismatic
Lubavitcher rebbe who was buried next to his venerable predecessor and
father-in-law, Rabbi Joseph Schneerson, yesterday afternoon in New York
City.
Much has been said and written about the rebbe's remarkable
contributions, particularly by the tens of thousands of us who were
privileged to meet with him during his more than 40 years of leadership
of the Lubavitch Chassidic movement. Each of us has our own memories of
this special man. One of my lasting memories is of my last visit with
the rebbe, in the spring of 1990, when I brought him a gift from the
Jewish community of Morocco. We spoke at the time about the small
Jewish community of Morocco, and about the connection between this body
and the Lubavitch movement, a bond that has its roots in the
relationship between the Rabbi's predecessor and one of this century's
towering Senatorial figures, the late William Borah of Idaho.
Some Members of the Senate may not be familiar with the role that
Senator Borah played in securing the release of Rabbi Joseph Schneerson
from a Soviet prison and the emigration of his entire immediate family,
including the current rebbe, from Stalin's Russia. The intervention of
Senator William Borah of Idaho on behalf of this beleaguered Chassidic
family stands as a noble example of courageous moral leadership. All of
us in public life would do well to ponder Senator Borah's oft-repeated
explanation as to his ``motive'' in leading an international campaign
to save an apparently obscure religious leader in a faraway land: ``I
like to do things that get me votes in the next election in Idaho but
every so often I do something that assures me of votes in that final
election will we will all have to stand for someday.''
I thought of Senator Borah in January 1990 when I visited Morocco in
my capacity as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's
Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.
When I met with the Jewish leaders of Morocco and toured several of
their synagogues and civic centers I discovered two pictures in every
building--His Majesty King Hassan II and the Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
This should not surprise anyone who is familiar with the rebbe's
historic role in supporting Jewish education and Jewish continuity
throughout the world. The Members of the Senate are familiar with
Lubavitcher activities in their own States but Lubavitch is also deeply
involved in over 100 nations around the globe--including many where it
is the only official Jewish presence and the only source of Jewish
educational and religious training. And, some day, hopefully soon, the
full story will be told of Lubavitch's heroic role in keeping Judaism
alive in lands of cruel tyranny where teaching the Bible is a crime and
uttering a public prayer is rewarded with a prison sentence.
For over 40 years these remarkable activities--the publicized and the
clandestine; the Chanukah lamp lighting on television and the
underground matzah baking under the noses of Communist secret police,
the young women giving out Sabbath candles on Fifth Avenue, and the
Yeshiva schools in Arab lands--have been directed and inspired by Rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
At the end of my meeting with the Moroccan Jewish leadership they
gave me one of their most precious possessions, a rare Hebrew
prayerbook, one of the first ever printed in their country. They had
one request: to give this heirloom to the Lubavitcher rebbe as a token
of their appreciation for ``caring about us when almost everyone else
had forgotten.''
When I visited the rebbe and gave him the prayerbook he kissed it
gently and told me that ``they are very kind, but how can I not care
about them.''
For 44 eventful years he cared. He taught and inspired several
generations of Jews on all continents while helping to write a major
chapter in contemporary Jewish history. New Yorkers of all faiths are
proud that the rebbe lived among us for all these years. He will be
missed. I ask that I may place in the Record a brief biography of Rabbi
Schneerson and a description of his career prepared by the Lubavitch
Youth Organization. I am sure that the entire Senate joins me in
marking the passing of this exceptional spiritual leader who lived his
life with an eye on that ``final election'' which Senator Borah alluded
to.
The Rebbe
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson,
world leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch Movement, has been
described as one of the most respected Jewish personalities
of our time. To his hundreds of thousands of Chassidim and
numerous followers and admirers around the world, he is ``the
Rebbe,'' today's most dominant figure in Judaism and largely
responsible for stirring the conscience and spiritual
awakening of world Jewry.
From his office at Lubavitch World Headquarters in New
York, the Rebbe generates a constant flow of optimism,
strength and instruction that unites and inspires world
Jewry. Indeed, many of the Rebbe's innovations are so deeply
ingrained in Jewish life today that they often are no longer
identified as Lubavitch in origin.
early years
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson is seventh in the dynastic
lineage of Lubavitcher leaders. The Chabad-Lubavitch Movement
was founded in the 18th century by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of
Liadi (1745-1812), author of the basic work of Chabad
philosophy--Tanya, and the Schulchan Aruch--the Code of
Jewish Law.
The Rebbe was born in 1902, on the 11th day of Nissan, in
Nikolaev, Russia. He is the son of the renowned Kabbalist and
Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, and
Rebbetzin Chana, an aristocratic woman from a prestigious
Rabbinic family. He is also the great-grandson of the third
Lubavitcher Rebbe, and his namesake, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of
Lubavitch. At the age of five he moved with his parents to
the Ukrainian city of Yekatrinislav, now Dnepropetrovsk,
where his father was appointed Chief Rabbi.
From early childhood the Rebbe displayed a prodigious
mental acuity and soon had to leave the cheder because he was
so far ahead of his classmates. His father engaged private
tutors for him, and after that, taught him himself. By the
time he reached his Bar Mitzvah, the Rebbe was considered an
illuy, a Torah prodigy. He spent the rest of his teen years
immersed in the study of Torah.
The Rebbe met the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Usaf
Yitzchak Schneersohn, in 1923, in Rostov, Russia. In 1929
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, married the second daughter
of Rabbi Usaf Yitzchak Schneersohn, the late Rebbetzin Chaya
Moussia, in Warsaw.
He later studied in the University of Berlin and then at
the Sorbonne in Paris. It was there that his formidable
knowledge of mathematics and the sciences began to blossom.
arrival in u.s.a.
In 1941 he emigrated to the United States. His father-in-
law, who arrived in the United States a year earlier,
appointed him to head his newly founded organizations: Merkos
L'inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Lubavitch
movement; Machne Israel, the movement's social service
organization; and Kehot Publication Society, the Lubavitch
publishing department.
Shortly thereafter the future Rebbe began writing his
scholarly notations to various Chassidic and Kabbalistic
treaties, as well as a wide range of response on Torah
subjects. With publication of these works his genius was soon
recognized by Jewish scholars the world over.
leadership
After the passing of Rabbi Usaf Yitzchak Schneersohn, on
the 10th Shevat, in 1950, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson,
ascended to the leadership of the flourishing movement.
Labavitch institutions and activities soon took on new
dimensions. The outreaching philosophy of Chabad-Labavitch,
based on the biblical: ``and you shall spread forth to the
West and East and to the North and to the South'' (Genesis
28:14) was immediately translated into action as Chabad-
Lubavitch Centers were opened in dozens of cities across the
United States.
Motivated by a profound love for the Jewish people, the
Rebbe launched an unprecedented program to reach every Jew.
His shluchim--the Lubavitch emissaries--were charged with
establishing Chabad-Lubavitch centers in every corner of the
world. These dedicated men and women reflect the commitment
of Lubavitch to the entire Jewish people. With open minds and
open hearts, they respond to the needs of their respective
communities through religious, educational and social-service
programs. It is no wonder that, for many communities, Chabad-
Lubavitch has become the central address for Yiddishkeit.
one thousand points of light
During the Rebbe's four decades of inspired leadership
Lubavitch has become the world's largest Jewish outreach
organization, maintaining centers in almost every Jewish
community on the globe.
Today, some one thousand Chabad-Lubavitch institutions span
dozens of countries on six continents, and those countries
and communities that have no Chabad-Lubavitch institution in
place are visited and cared for by the closest existing
facility.
These educational and social-service institutions serve a
variety of functions for the entire spectrum of Jews,
regardless of background or affiliation. Indeed the programs
geared to humanitarian endeavors reach out beyond the Jewish
community to all mankind.
In the United States alone, more than 180 centers serve
every state in the Union.
In Israel, the ``Chabadniks'' are particularly endeared to
all. Their programs reach all segments of the community, and
enjoy the respect of the population, regardless of
affiliation. From the soldier stationed at the isolated army
post to the farmer on the kubbutz--all have come to admire
the personal attention given to him by Rebbe through his
emissaries.
Kfar Chabad, near Tel Aviv, is one of several Lubavitch
cities in Israel, and serves as the Lubavitch headquarters
there. Its unique educational institutions and outreach
facilities have become a lifeline of spirituality for tens of
thousands of Israeli citizens.
It was in Russia that Chabad-Lubavitch was born more than
200 years ago, and since nurtured there by its Rebbes in each
generation.
The heroic efforts of Chabad-Lubavitch in maintaining
Judaism there under the most difficult conditions before and
especially after the Bolshevik revolution are legion, and
have yet to be told.
Those knowledgeable as to the maintenance of Judaism in the
Soviet Union during the past century know that Lubavitch and
its Rebbes played a major role in keeping the fires of
Judaism aglow under the most oppressive and excruciating
circumstances conceivable.
Now that perestroika has arrived, the work continues
publicly. The Rebbe has established more than twenty
institutions for Jewish learning. Dozens of emissaries have
taken up residence there, and as soon as developments will
allow, Jewish institutions under the aegis of Lubavitch will
begin to mushroom throughout the U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe.
In other countries, Lubavitch institutions have been
established in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, England, France, Holland, Hong
Kong, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, Scotland,
Soviet Union, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia,
Uruguay, Venezuela and West Germany.
These institutions monitor the pulse of Jewish life in
their respective communities, and contribute to their
spiritual vitality and stability. Directors report regularly
to Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York, so that the
Rebbe is constantly aware of what is happening in Jewish
communal life around the world.
Under the Rebbe's guidance, the Lubavitch publishing house,
Kehot Publication Society, has become the largest Jewish
publishing house in the world. It publishes and distributes
millions of books, pamphlets, cassettes and educational
materials in Hebrew, Yiddish, English, Russian, Spanish,
French, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Farsi, Dutch, and
German.
The central library and archive center of Agudas Chassidei
Chabad-Lubavitch, at Lubavitch World Headquarters, is one of
the world's most precious repositories of Jewish books and
literature, containing a collection of rare books and
manuscripts.
reversing the tide
The Rebbe has often been heard saying that ``we dare not
rest until every Jewish child receives a Jewish education.''
The Jewish day-school system, of which Lubavitch was the
pioneering force, has displaced across a wide spectrum the
once-prevalent ideology that Jewish education was a kind of
dutiful appendage to the real business of acquiring a secular
education. Jewish day schools have since been accepted and
fashionable. This, as well as some of the outreach programs
of Chabad-Lubavitch have served as a guide for others to
emulate.
The Rebbe has continually emphasized the need to reach out
to alienated youth and young adults to bring them back to
their Jewish roots. He has seen to the establishing of
special educational facilities for them.
From full-time yeshivas for Jewish men and women with
little or no background in Torah study to literally tens of
thousands of classes at Chabad-Lubavitch centers and
synagogues around the world--the Rebbe has been, and
continues to be, the vital life-force behind an outreach
process that has affected the entire spectrum of Jewish life.
His widespread Mitzvah and festival campaigns, have ignited
in the masses a flame of devotion and commitment to Judaism,
and has created a virtual spiritual revolution among those
previously alienated from Judaism.
The Lubavitch Mitzvah-Mobiles, of the ``Jewish Tanks to
combat assimilation,'' as the Rebbe refers to them, have
become a familiar sight on the streets and by-ways of urban
and suburban communities around the world. Offering
``Mitzvahs on the spot for people on the go,'' these
``tanks'' encourage their visitors to participate in a
Mitzvah, and prompt them to come closer to their precious
Jewish heritage.
From Melbourne to London, Casablanca to Los Angeles,
through the many Lubavitch schools, youth centers,
institutions, agencies and activities established and
maintained through the Rebbe's efforts, countless Jews have
found their way home.
CONCERN FOR ALL
There is a story told about the Rebbe's early life that
seems to be almost symbolic of much that was to follow. When
he was nine years old, the young Menachem Mendei, dived into
the Black Sea to save the life of another boy who had fallen
from the deck of a moored ship. That sense of other lives in
danger, seems to dominate his conscience. Jews ``drowning,''
and no one hearing their cries for help; Jewish children
deprived of Jewish education; Jews on campus, in isolated
communities, under repressive regimes--all in need of help.
The Rebbe continually strives, ceaselessly and untiringly,
to reach out to all Jews. He moves and motivates all those
whom he reaches to take part in this task to reach out to
others, to help them, to educate them and bring them
together.
REVOLUTIONARY THINKER
The Rebbe is a systematic and conceptual thinker on the
highest level. His unique analytical style of thought has
resulted in a monumental contribution to Jewish scholarship.
His brilliant approach to the understanding of the classic
Biblical commentary of Rashi, for example, has revolutionized
Bible study.
More than 125 volumes of his talks, writings,
correspondence and response have been published to date.
For all this scholarship, he consistently exhorts that
intellectual understanding must bring to action and good
deeds.
LETTERS AND CORRESPONDENCE
The Grot Caddish series, a chronological collection of the
Rebbe's correspondence and response, is now in the midst of
publication. Volume 16 has just been published, and brings
the total of letters published to more than 6,000, written up
to the winter of 1958. The series contains only his
correspondence in Hebrew and Yiddish; his prolific
correspondence in English is now being prepared for
publication.
The writings in the Grot Caddish series shed some light on
the Rebbe's genius and the success of Lubavitch under his
leadership. His correspondents include Rabbinic scholars and
statesmen, homemakers and educators, chief rabbis and Bar/Bat
Mitzvah youngsters, scientists and laborers, communal leaders
and laymen, men and women from all walks of life.
The breathtaking sweep of topics covered in these letters
encompasses every sphere of interest, and every field of
human endeavor. They range from mysticism, Talmud and
Classidic philosophy, to science and world events, from
guidance in personal matters to advice in education and
social and communal affairs.
It is a veritable treasure chest of profound Rabbinic,
Talmudic, Kabbalistic and Chassidic teachings, exuding
encouragement, inspiration and direction, reflecting the
Rebbe's remarkable insight into human nature.
It is perhaps the case that his fame as a leader and
innovator of widespread mitzvah campaigns and communal
projects is a result of his originality as a thinker, and his
ability to unite the conceptual with the pragmatic.
Essentially, with the Rebbe these two facets are one--the
comprehensiveness of his thought and action are part of
the same drive: the unity of Torah, the unity of the
Jewish people, the unity of mankind in fulfilling the
ultimate purpose of creation.
FARBRENGEN
A ``Farbrengen,'' Chassidic gathering at which the Rebbe
speaks publicly, is an unforgettable experience.
The Rebbe speaks extemporaneously, usually for hours,
without referring to any notes, on a wide range of subject
matter, from profound Talmudic and Chassidic teachings, to
matters affecting the quality of Jewish life, to events of
vital national and international concern. The Rebbe teaches,
guides and elevates.
During the brief intermissions in the Rebbe's talks the
thousands in attendance join in Chassidic signing, and raise
their cups in greetings of ``L'Chayim'' to the Rebbe.
Amidst the thousands of Chassidim in attendance at a
Farbrengen at Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York, one
can find people from literally all walks of life, young and
old, communal leaders and plain folk, rich and poor.
When the Rebbe speaks on weekdays his talk is transmitted
live via satellite to Chabad-Lubavitch centers and to cable
TV stations across North America and parts of South America,
and often to Israel, Europe, Africa and Australia, bringing
the Rebbe's message into millions of Jewish and non-Jewish
homes.
A special telephone hookup system also relays the Rebbe's
talk live to Lubavitch Centers around the world.
A simultaneous English translation of his talk in Yiddish
is provided for the television audience. Those personally
attending the Farbrengen can use wireless receivers providing
simultaneous translations in English, Hebrew, Spanish, French
and other languages as well.
The Rebbe's Farbrengen has been described as a ``unique
blend of intellectual profundity and joyous celebration; an
uplifting experience that enlightens and motivates.''
PILLAR OF LIGHT
Those who consult or visit the Rebbe for the first time--
usually do so because of his reputation as a man of
encompassing vision. They tend to emerge somewhat unnerved,
taken by surprise. They might expect, the conventional type
of leader, imposing his presence by the force of his
personality. What they find is difficult to define. The
Rebbe, despite the enormous complexity of his involvements
and concerns, is totally and humbly engaged with the person
he is speaking to. It is as if nothing else exists.
Every Sunday morning, huge crowds of men, women and
children gather at Lubavitch World Headquarters and patiently
wait their turn to meet the Rebbe face-to-face, whereupon
they receive his blessing. The Rebbe gives each individual a
crisp, new dollar bill to be given to a charity of their
choice.
This custom attracts people from all walks of life who
sometimes travel thousands of miles just for this momentary,
yet profoundly special, unforgettable encounter.
UNIVERSAL MESSAGE
Responding to the demands of the time, the Rebbe has
reached out beyond the Jewish community with a universal
message to all peoples of the world.
The Rebbe has consistently called for greater awareness of
the crucial importance of education of all mankind, stressing
that the goal of education is not only to provide a child
with information, but more essentially to develop a child's
character, together with his intellectual ability, with
emphasis or moral, spiritual and ethical values. Only as a
result of such education will individuals recognize the need
to abide by fundamental human rights and societal
obligations.
The Rebbe has continuously maintained that modern, secular
man has an enduring need for moral values and religious
philosophy by which to live.
He often speaks of the obligation of all humankind to
adhere, and live by, the ``Seven Noahide Commandment''--the
universal code of Biblical morality and ethics, given go all
at Sinai. This, the Rebbe insists, is of the utmost necessity
to bring sanity and stability to a perplexed world.
____________________