The People Who Sent the Rebbe’s Reports

Welcome to our weekly program, The Inside Story of Chabad in America, through the Mindel archives. In order to listen to this program you have to listen to the last two programs, because this is again a hemshech, a continuation of the other programs.

Remember, we spoke last time that on Shabbos the Rebbe spoke; on Sunday he went to the Ohel; on Monday he called in Rabbi Hodakov; on Tuesday Mindel wrote to the Rebbe; on Wednesday Mindel wrote, and also it started to come in — the list of what people decided, what the Rebbe wanted, to divide the International Committee for Increased Activities. In between we'll talk about it soon, but now I'm going to read to you — two years later — for five minutes. This is a letter written by Rabbi Hodakov, and also a letter from Rabbi Mindel, to the International Committee of Increased Activities.

I'm going to read this letter to you, and afterwards we're also going to mention some of the names that the Rebbe saw, and what they were supposed to do, what they did, from the beginning. I mean, I can't read them all — there are thousands of names — but there were, of course, great comments, but b'ezras Hashem in the coming weeks — I'm not sure when — we are going to mention the comments that the Rebbe made on certain names, if you're listening. I don't know when that will be, but today I want to read the letter from Rabbi Hodakov to the Rebbe — a very important letter.

[Opening phrase in Hebrew, unclear] — I am reminding you that exactly two years ago — he wrote in Hebrew, I translated into English — the Rebbe began by calling on me and Rabbi Nissan Mindel and entrusted us with the holy work, to organize among all the Anash the holy work of the project of Increased Activities [unclear Hebrew phrase]. Included here is the report of the Rebbe's talk with us on that day; he asked that they be given a copy — a copy of the Rebbe's talk about this topic during his farbrengen in Elul. Baruch Hashem, we promptly undertook to fulfill this mission with enthusiasm. My son Sholom Ber [?] volunteered to take charge of most of the technical matters, and Baruch Hashem succeeded in this to the utmost.

Our introduction of this project of Increased Activities was well received everywhere, with great joy, among the community leaders as well as the individuals. As is known, we submit to the Rebbe from time to time the reports — the names which I'm going to read — which we received from administrators and from institutions. The many thousands of reports which we received from individuals are still with us. This is the way our work proceeded during the first year from the beginning.

Number five: at that point we should have clarified our obligation to continue as above into the future, and in which manner. But for different and unusual reasons and various distractions, and who knows if some excuse didn't somehow sneak in, our work came to a stop. I feel it wasn't done one hundred percent, even in thought, and certainly not in action. And as we stand today, two years later, again on the special day — the day when the project began — I feel that the difficulties, at any rate, have somehow eased. It appears that it would be enough for us to resume our work if necessary. I therefore am requesting guidance from the Rebbe on this: if yes, what and how.

And that is how he closed the letter. So the Rebbe answered him in Hebrew that this inyan is very important, and especially in Elul more will soon follow. This was Rabbi Hodakov's letter, two years later.

A few days later, Rabbi Mindel wrote to all institutions and Anash in all places: Greeting and blessing. The Rebbe has lately been inspiring us, during the past few farbrengens, to continue our obligation to increase and widen our work in the Increased Activities campaign. We were appointed by the Rebbe to lead this campaign, and have merited a special directive and inspiration from him to infuse our actions with additional vigor, insofar as the activities of our institutions and of individuals.

We therefore turn to all of you — this he wrote to the committee, to the people, to each group, to the people that he chose, the three — to act with energy and strength in this most important and holy campaign, instituted by the Rebbe, a campaign which Baruch Hashem has spread the world over and was received with great enthusiasm and dedication, in a concrete way and with many practical results. So, to expedite things, we attach a copy of the Rebbe's talk with us concerning the matter of the Increased Activities, and the reports to be submitted. With blessing of ksiva vachasima tova.

This is what Rabbi Mindel wrote, then, six days after — this was two years later.

As we mentioned a few programs ago, this is all that the Rebbe ever wanted, I guess, as preparation, and it should all be done starting from the time of the Rebbetzin, when she passed away — all the preparation before Gimmel Tammuz. This is what they ever wanted, and this, as we spoke a few programs ago, never came to be [unclear].

Now I'm going to read some more that was sent to Rabbi Hodakov and Rabbi Mindel, and of course the Rebbe saw it and the Rebbe made comments, which I will not mention today but will mention in the future. These are the reports that were sent in, and if the Rebbe had time to read them, I think we should have time to listen to what he says.

So, here was from Brazil: we chose three people — Aaron Karnovsky [?] — and it said what they decided to do. Also, Rabbi Werner [?] from Muncie sending also. Here, sending — one of the first was the Vaad [?] L'Hafotzas [unclear], from Rabbi Beryl Shemtov [?], according to the directive of the Rebbe, to organize the city of Detroit. So we made three things: we made a machane, a camp, for children, for two weeks, in the beginning of [unclear] — was bad [?]. We also prepared, for free, in the camp — we call it [unclear name of the city] — and also to go and farbreng with the yaldei, the children, in Gan Israel. And the three people were Yitzchok Mann [?], [unclear] Stein, and [unclear] Mayer Kogan.

There we have, from Amherst: [unclear] Dovid Schwartz [?], Zalman Eagle [?] David [?], Pinchas Krikov [?] in Springfield, Reuven [?] David. And they have all these names, and if the Rebbe commented on them, I will let you know another time.

And this is from [unclear place name] — another one, on which Rabbi Hodakov made a note here. And this is also from [unclear] Gang Yisroel [?]. And this is from Tzach in New York, which wrote — signed — and made three people. This is Rabbi Hodakov: eight people divided by three. After speaking to them, they chose three people. However, they wrote: "We want to let the Rebbe know that we chose a Vaad of three women, the way the Rebbe wanted." And the three women are Chaya [?] Kov [?], Yehudis Heller, and Penina Slonim. And she will give the shiur at 770 Wednesday night, and b'ezras Hashem we will continue to do shiurim every Monday and Wednesday; from Thursday night the women will go to mivtzoim [?]. And who signs this? [names unclear], and Rivka.

This is also a list of women, and some of them — the Rebbe hasn't made comments on them yet — so I will mention it also next time.

This is one of the first; I'm only doing people from the first batch. Then here, from Yitzchok, the Rav [?], he's one of the first. And the three were: [unclear] Friedlander, Shimon Zonenfeld, and Yisroel [?]. And he wrote a whole letter here about the activities, what they plan to do. This was also from the ladies.

Now — I don't think we have time for this — but this is a very important report that was sent to Anash [?] in Montreal, sent by a very important group that was elected, to the Rebbe, from the camp. And they wrote what they're going to do: they had a map with every child, and they learned [unclear], and Mordechai Markovitz [?], and counselors: Zev and Alicia Zeiler, counselor Pinson, and [unclear] — and made sure not to speak devarim beteilim, idle words, and they took care of saying Shema before sleeping — [name unclear] was in charge before sleeping — [further names unclear] — and then you have Yitzchok Eisenbach. They wrote what they did, but it's going to take too much time: Elyahu Avrohom, Elyozov Lazar — I'm reading their names because the Rebbe spent time on their names, so we can also spend time on them — [unclear names continue], Yeshayahu Friedman, and also they learned [unclear]. Other names: Yisroel Bernal [?], Rapoport, Markus, Michoel Markus, and they have more here: they learned Mishnayos, and the melamed — there was a melamed named Wenger — he was their melamed. And then they have more names, which I think we're going to leave for another time.

Now, where I want to end off here is like this: later on, the Rebbe called in — after Tishrei he called in a Vaad about this — and I think this was in connection also with that, even though he didn't mention it: the Vaad visited him, and he told them exactly what the Rebbe wants, something like that — he gave them the responsibility.

And they wrote to the Rebbe: after they went in to the Rebbe, there were two meetings. The first was from 12:45 till 2:00. Who was there: Rabbi Hodakov — this was Tes (the ninth of) Marcheshvan, two months later — Mindel, Raskin, Krinsky, Shemtov, and Harrison [?]. And they went over what the Rebbe told them. And they appointed Rabbi Krinsky to make a report of what they heard from the Rebbe, and they also chose someone to be a scribe for a while, for only a short time. Also Rabbi Garelik [?] could write a report.

And then the second meeting was from 4:30 till 6:10, and we have no time today to go into what the Rebbe told them — something very interesting, which maybe we'll leave for next time. So the Rebbe gave them, at least, the beginning: the Rebbe said that this year representatives from more places than usual came here, so he had a lot of nachas. And the Rebbe said here that it should grow even greater, and he had nachas from the development that he saw — how everything grew here, how things grew and developed, which, Baruch Hashem, we will discuss another time. The committee that we wanted — it should be permanent, that he should always be in contact with, not only occasionally.

So we see here, I think, that the Rebbe gave them a serious responsibility.