The 28th of Sivan (2) - Safe Arrival in the US

00:01 The in continuation to the earlier installment where we discussed the twenty-eighth of Sivan, the event of the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin's arrival in the United States. We continue now with installment number two. On the twelfth of Tammuz, in nineteen twenty-seven, the previous Rebbe was finally permitted to return from his exile in Kostroma. After the harrowing prison experience in which the previous Rebbe was jailed, interrogated, and even threatened with death, it became obvious that Russia was no longer a safe home for the previous Rebbe. In order for his work to continue, he must leave. Through intense diplomatic efforts, especially on the part of Reb Mordechai Dubin, who also worked in the Latvian Parliament and was a Hasid of the previous Rebbe, the Russian government reluctantly allowed the previous Rebbe with his immediate family to emigrate to Riga, Latvia. After their initial refusal, they also allowed the Rebbe, the previous Rebbe's future son-in-law, to leave Russia as well. While the previous Rebbe made plans to leave immediately after Sukkot, the Rebbe, his son-in-law, did not travel to Riga with him. Uncertain as to when he would ever see his parents again, the Rebbe returned to Yekatirinoslav to spend Tishrei with his family. A week later, on the following Thursday, the Rebbe bade his father farewell. Together with his mother, who was permitted to accompany him only until the Russian border, he began the long journey that took him to Riga, where he joined the previous Rebbe and his family. For various reasons, mainly because of a lack

02:20 of funds, the chasuna, the wedding, did not take place immediately when the Rebbe arrived in Riga. It was decided that the Rebbe would temporarily settle in Germany. Arrangements were made for room and board for the Rebbe, allowing him to continue his learning undisturbed. A year and six weeks later, on Yud Dalet Kislev, the fourteenth of Kislev, in November of nineteen twenty-eight, the chasuna of the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin took place in Warsaw. They returned to Berlin shortly afterwards. Occasionally, they would travel to Berlin to visit the previous Rebbe and his household. In the early thirties, the Nazi Party began to gain power with acts of antisemitism becoming increasingly rampant. In Nisan of nineteen thirty-three, the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin hurriedly left Germany. The Rebbe left in a hurry behind his furnishings, et cetera. They arrived in Paris, France a few days before Pesach. In France, the Rebbe delivered chiyurim and involved himself with some communal activities. The Jewish community of Paris recognized the Rebbe's scholarship. However, they respected his wish for privacy and was thankful for what the Rebbe contributed on his own initiative. This allowed him to continue his learning uninterrupted. The tranquil life the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin found in France did not last. Six years later, in September of nineteen thirty-nine, Poland fell to the Germans. The previous Rebbe, who had moved from Riga to Otwock in September of nineteen thirty-two, was now trapped inside Poland. I-immediately, the Rebbe became involved and spearheaded the campaign to save the previous Rebbe. He was

04:46 in constant contact with Agudas Chasidei Chabad in America and gave them all the relevant information needed to procure visas from the State Department, allowing the previous Rebbe to come to the United States. In America, meanwhile, Agudas Chasidei Chabad decided that the Rebbe's presence was needed in the States to effectively ensure the previous Rebbe's escape from the Germans. They applied for a visa for the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin. Knowing that the American government was reluctant to allow immigrants to settle without being assured of their ability to make an income, they stated that the Rebbe received an engineering degree. The Rebbe will thus be able to seek employment as soon as he arrives in the United States and will not be a burden to the country. They also forwarded a copy of the affidavit from Mayor B. Harten to the Rebbe, promising to financially support the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin until he finds a position. Agudas Chasidei Chabad knew that the visa application process was normally a long and arduous one, often taking up to six months. Using what influence they had at the time in Washington, they put pressure on the government to hasten the procedure. Meanwhile, the Rebbe applied for a visa from the American Consulate in Paris. Three months later, their efforts on behalf of the previous Rebbe were fruitful. At the request of the State Department, the previous Rebbe was escorted by the Germans out of Poland into then neutral Latvia. At that point, the United States also agreed to allow the previous

06:56 Rebbe and his immediate family and circle to apply for special visas on the basis that the family was an important part of Jewish tradition in Europe that should be preserved. Included in the group were the previous Rebbe's wife, Rebbetzin Nechama Dina; his mother, the Rebbetzin Sterma Sara, and her nurse; his son-in-law, the Rashag, Reb Shmarye Grary and his family; his secretaries, Rabbi Chadikoff and Rabbi Dr. Mendel. Included in the list of the family members who would be granted these special visas was the Rebbe, who was noted as being the editor of a scholarly journal, as well as an extraordinary thinker who would contribute to Jewish philosophy. We will Im Yirtze Hashem continue in the next installment.