The Names That Were Swiftly Sent in to the Rebbe

Welcome to our weekly program, The Inside Story of Chabad in America, through the Mindel archives. This program is definitely a continuation from last week - we didn't have time to continue. Let me just review: at the Rebbe's farbrengen he introduced a new campaign. Sunday, [unclear], the Rebbe [unclear]. Monday, [unclear] of the Rebbe called [unclear - Rabbi Chadakov?]'s room to discuss, and then Rabbi Mindel called Rabbi Krinsky. Tuesday, [unclear] wrote a report to the Rebbe, and Rabbi Mindel writes a letter to Rabbi Chadakov that he got a message from the Rebbe through Rabbi Groner, and he wrote a report to the Rebbe. Now I'm going to read what he wrote to Rabbi Chadakov.

This happened after the report. In a memo to Rabbi Chadakov, Rabbi Mindel writes that yesterday, at 1:30 PM, Rabbi Groner called him and said - this is written in Hebrew, I'm just translating into English - that he wants to know what we have done so far in our new mission, and to please report to him before Mincha. Since he couldn't reach Rabbi Mindel directly, he told [someone], so he gave him the message. Rabbi Mindel now writes his answer to Rabbi Groner: how did everyone want this so suddenly - all of a sudden the Rebbe wanted it right away, before he goes [out]. He answers that he would promptly submit a partial report; he could not complete it before, so he faxed over a background of the partial report so Rabbi Groner could give it to the Rebbe before Mincha. At the same time he gave the facts to Rabbi Klein to give to Rabbi Chadakov, if he has any comments or changes, to please notify him.

He writes: number one, as of now, with the help of Hashem, we have fulfilled a good portion of our mission to publicize the Rebbe's instructions on the international project of increased activities. The focus is not only on activities the world over, but clearly with emphasis also on all institutions - whose administration should appoint a committee of three who should keep a watchful eye on all the additions and improvements being done from Chamisha Asar B'Av of this year on. This committee of three being created should be new, not merely a continuation of an existing one. The administration should therefore appoint three members whose job is, as mentioned before, to report to an international committee appointed by the Rebbe shlita - meaning, just as other appointees are doing.

Now, in the summer season, Rabbi Mindel writes, most institutions do not function as they do during the year, and it is also not easy to get in touch with the members of the administrations in a timely fashion. So practically speaking, this is relevant to the beginning of the coming school year, but the appointment of the three should be done, and should be done as soon as possible, and they should notify us. Other things can wait because the school year hasn't started yet, but at least the three people's names could be settled even in the middle of the summer, to get ready for everything that is needed. That's what Rabbi Mindel writes.

It is my suggestion, Rabbi Mindel writes, as it concerns the institutions: perhaps it is advisable to contact them with a communal letter which we will send to each institution individually. And being that we often have visitors coming from cities and communities the world over, we can send these letters with these visitors going back to their respective locations. In it he writes: if this is agreeable to Rabbi Chadakov, perhaps he would consent to compose this communal letter, or at least to list the major points to be included, and Rabbi Mindel will try to compose the letter. And all those who will do the will of the Rebbe will do what is in their hands to do, and disseminate the letter to each institution.

Then he adds a P.S.: if Rabbi Chadakov feels this is a good suggestion, he should surely send a copy of it to the Rebbe, and include an additional partial report. In the meantime, it is advisable to prepare envelopes for the suggested letter to be sent to all our institutions, and perhaps to even have it done this week, so that an answer comes back by next week, in time for Yom Kippur Katan of Elul - as the Rebbe instructed, because they had to do it right away, even though it was the middle of the summer, so they had to get everything ready.

Here we see how the Rebbe is waiting - before he goes [to the Ohel] he is waiting for a report. And later on the Rebbe gave many of the things over to [unclear].

Now, here, they got some reports from some people who sent in - only from a few, not from most of them, because it was in the summer, but they did get some. And here, this is very interesting - there are comments from the Rebbe, which I'm not going to read out now, on who sent in [the names] first, since the Rebbe needed to know the three people's names.

So first was Rabbi Feller from Minnesota - chosen also, I guess, was Rabbi Friedman, and then Rabbi Zeldin Gold [?]. It says [the Rebbe] made a few comments - very interesting how he picked up on Rabbi Feller, which - I'm not sure, it's not important now.

Then there were these from the beginning; later on, what they sent in - the whole packet - came later, but these are the ones on which comments were made. Then: Milwaukee - Rabbi Israel Shmotkin, David Rappaport, [unclear]. Then it says they have Rome - Kaufman, Mordechai Spalter, and Yaakov Levi Litvin. All of these were chosen - this list from Rabbi Marlow; he was asked to please [handle this] - I guess it was given over to Rabbi Marlow, so he showed them, and he went to all the [cities/institutions] and asked them please, we need the three names right away, because the Rebbe is waiting.

So they had - this was Rabbi Lustig who sent it in, I guess [from his community], and also from the beginning was Joseph [?] - they wrote about themselves, that it should be only the three, only temporarily, for a short time, until they maybe choose the other [members] - this had a beautiful comment [from the Rebbe].

There are other places that sent it in. From the beginning, this was from London - the three were Sholom Ber [?], [unclear], [unclear] - it's a different [unclear]. These were sent right away, mamesh. Also from England: Hempstead - Gordon, [unclear - "Bobby Elgon"?], [unclear - "Garmin"?] - I don't know why this is more than three, anyway. However, [unclear - "Gershwin"?], Overlander; Oxford and Brighton was [unclear] Avraham Farrow [?], Sandel Liberman [?]; and in Vienna would be [unclear - "Remain Slovitsky"?], Israel Haikin [?]. From Holland; from Sweden, [unclear]; Schmerling, from Italy, was not in the city - interesting, and there was a comment on that.

In Morocco was Rabbi Raskin. And in France was Azimov, Paris - [unclear], and I can't read his name. In Lyon, in Marseille - [unclear - "Mathis Lapkovsky"?]; and Nice - Pinson. In Springfield was Israel Deren [?], [unclear - "Pepsner"?], Fogelman, Gurkov [?]. And Maryland was [unclear - "Kaplan"?]. Then there was [unclear] from North Carolina - [unclear - "Senderovitz"?]; [unclear - "Weinberg"?] of London; Sperling from Canada - and we have a lot from Canada, they wrote a lot, but that came later, so there's nothing [more] on that here.

And Rabbi Rosenfeld - he spoke about this; he explained the whole thing - maybe he was on the phone for a while, and he explained the whole reason why they wanted this.

From Israel, in the beginning, this was Kramer, and [unclear] a comment; and also the reports by [unclear - "Sagness"?] of Park Slope - he was also one of the first, and got his [unclear] real, but that was later.

Okay, this was [unclear]. There is a letter to Rabbi Chadakov about what Rabbi Groner called to relate - the Rebbe's answer - and that's something we don't have time for today, so I'll have to continue this in the next part of the program - an emergency show next week - and next week will be a continuation. Thank you.