Large collection of letters by the Rebbe the Rayatz of Lubavitch, bearing his signatures and some additions handwritten by him, most sent to Mr. Elchanan Glazer. Brooklyn, New york, 1944-1950.
35 letters, typewritten on the official stationery of the Rebbe the Rayatz, bearing his own signature. Most are in Yiddish, some in Hebrew and in English. Some of the letters have not been printed. Some bear the Rebbe's full signature, including his last name and several are signed with the letter Yud in Ashurit script, the special signature he used in the last year of his life.
The collection also contains two letters written in the name of the Rebbe the Rayatz on his stationery, signed by his secretary and a telegram sent on behalf of the Rebbe to his Chassidim in honor of Yom HaGeula.
Enclosed: · 5 envelopes with postage stamps sent with some of the letters in the collection, with the official letterhead of the Rebbe the Rayatz. · 4 photographs. Three are photos of the Rebbe and the fourth is a photo of a Chabad event (the Rebbe is not seen in the photo).
Items in the collection:
· Letter of good wishes for a wedding, with blessings for the New Year, with the Rebbe's full signature (including his last name).
· 4 letters of New Year wishes, one with two words in the Rebbe's handwriting.
· 6 letters of blessings related to medical issues, pregnancy and birth. A few words in the Rebbe's handwriting were added to four letters. Three were written in the last year of his life, with the letter Yud of his name Yitzchak in Ashurit script.
· 20 letters on various matters, some regarding assistance to refugees, another about reprinting the responsa of the Tzemach Tzedek, etc. One bears his full signature (including his last name). Most were not printed. Leaves with translations from Yiddish to English are attached to three of the letters.
· Two letters in the name of the Rebbe, signed by his secretary, R. Chaim Liberman.
· Letter in English, with his full signature (including his last name).
· Letter to R. Chanoch Hendel [Havlin] with a request to sell the property owned by the Rebbe the Rayatz in the city of Hebron, and with the proceeds to buy a new building in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. 1944. Unprinted.
· Long letter, 2 pages, in Yiddish, to the Committee for Taharat HaMishpacha in Montevideo, capital city of Uruguay, regarding the construction of a mikveh. 1946. Unprinted.
· Four large photographs, taken on his first visit to the US in 1930. One photo was taken during his visit to the White House and the others were taken on the deck of the ship on his return trip from the US. Another photo is from a Chabad event (without the Rebbe).
R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson of Lubavitch-Chabad (1880-1950) was appointed Rebbe in 1920. In the lifetime of his father, the Rashab, he began his leadership role as his father's close assistant (at the age of 15, he accompanied his father to rabbinic conventions in Russia and in Europe). After his father's death, he served as Rebbe and led Chabad Chassidim who devotedly engaged in Torah activities under the Communist rule. His efforts to maintain Jewish life in Communist Russia landed him in prison several times. His last imprisonment was in 1927 and he was sentenced to death. Due to international pressure, he was released on the 12th of Tamuz (hence, this date is celebrated by Chabad Chassidism as Chag HaGe'ula). After his release, from 1928-1933, he lived in Riga, the capital city of Latvia, and from 1933-1940 in Poland, getting trapped in Warsaw at the outbreak of WWII. Chabad Chassidim in the US feverishly attempted to rescue him from Poland. After involving senior American officials and with the assistance of the head of Intelligence of the German Army, the Rayatz and his family were smuggled from Poland to the US (in Adar Bet 1940). A short while after he immigrated to the US, he purchased the 770 building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY, which became his residence in his later years and headquarters of the worldwide Chabad center. In the US, the Rayatz established the central institutes of Chabad Chassidism - "The center for education", "Machane Yisrael" and the Kehot (Karnei Hod Torah) Publication Society and the center of the Tomchei Temimim Yeshivas.
The Rayatz was a devoted, active leader who was involved in all matters related to the Jewish People and was famous for his love and dedication to all Jews, also famed as an outstanding educator who understood the souls of his students. In his many letters, he deeply discusses various educational issues (see his pamphlet: Rules of education and guidance). Known for his writings with clear concise explanations of deep intangible Kabbalistic and Chassidic concepts. After his passing, he left thousands of manuscripts which were printed in dozens of volumes of his letters, articles and discourses. R. Shloimke of Zvhil who greatly admired the Rayatz, told a close friend that he received a revelation from Heaven that the Rebbe the Rayatz was the tsaddik of his generation. In 1928, in honor of the 12th of Tamuz, the first Chag HaGeula, R. A.Y.H. Kook, Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and of Eretz Israel, published a proclamation in the newpaper Doar Hayom: "…G-d has given us rescuing angel in our generation… the lofty holy tsaddik R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Lubavitch Rebbe, who with amazing self-sacrifice upheld the pillars of the religion and Judaism and lit with the light of Torah and mitzvoth the gloom of that dark country (Russia)…".
48 paper items (containing 35 letters with the signature of the Rebbe the Rayatz) + 4 photographs. Size varies. Overall good condition.