0002 - Firefighters in 770

00:03 The two buildings next to 770, 784 and 788, before they were bought by Lubavitch, by Merkaz, there were two apartment buildings where people lived. So downstairs you had the big shul which was built in Tov Shechaf Alef, and then you had the two buildings next to it. Then in the middle of the chof, or the end of the chof, Merkaz bought it, Lubavitch bought those two buildings with a plan to expand the shul and the offices, etc., etc. But people still lived there. And slowly the tenants moved out until finally they all moved out. So I remember one of the times right after they bought the building, not long after they bought the building, people still lived there. Some moved out already, some still lived there. So downstairs in the basement there was a fire, and the fire engines came. And this is basically Merkaz, it belonged to Merkaz, the building was Merkaz's building. So I remember we were standing outside, but then we walked into the 770, into the hallway there, and the Rebbe walked out. Now I don't remember if the Rebbe walked out because he was on his way home, or he walked out because he heard the sirens. So he walked out, but he walked out into the hallway and he saw some bochrim standing there. And he asked, where is Rabbi Chadakov? And I remember the one that was actually talking to the Rebbe was Rabbi Saul Shmotkin, he was a bocher then. So, and Rabbi Chadakov's office was, we

01:17 all know, towards, by the end of the hall. So the Rebbe himself started walking towards the Rabbi Chadakov's office, but Rabbi Chadakov had come out already, so he came over here to the hallway where in front of 770, in front of the elevator. And the Rebbe starts telling him, I just remember a few words, the Rebbe spoke for a few moments, but I remember just a few words the Rebbe said like with a very shtarke tone. He said that there was gebrochen a fire, um mit aruz gerufen die pazharnikes. I remember the Rebbe used the word pazharnikes. In Russian, pazharnikes means the firefighters. Um die pazharnikes, what they do is when they come in, they brechen the vent and they klappen. So the Rebbe was concerned not really so much about the fire, it seems, but he was concerned about what the firefighters do. They break the wall. And it's America's money, we got to see to do something about it. And he told this to Rabbi Chadakov, and I don't know what happened in the end. A kaponim, they went there. I don't know who exactly went, and then I don't know if the Rebbe went back into his room or the Rebbe went out. I'm sure that maybe some other people who were there would remember the conversation even more, but these are the words that I remember. Mit aruz gerufen pazharnikes, und sie brechen die vent. Then the Rebbe was like very concerned about it because it belonged to Merkaz, it belonged

02:31 to Lubavitch. And then they took care of it, and I don't know exactly what happened in the end.