Rohr Family Plans a Trip

By COLlive reporter

The Rohr families’ contributions to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, and especially to the Shlichus outreach network, are legendary. Less known is how the connection was initially made.

Only at the banquet of the 5767 Kinus Hashluchim, did the patriarch Sami Rohr reveal what attracted him to Chabad after meeting many Jewish organizations and chassidic group that came to Columbia to collect funds.

One reason, he said in that rare candid speech, was that the Lubavitchers came to spread Yiddishkeit in addition to fundraising.

The second was the Tanya, the central text of Chabad Chassidism written by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), the founder of Chabad.

“When I came to Igeres Hakodesh (chapter) 22, I knew immediately ‘this is my Rebbe’ – a Rebbe who does not claim to have supernatural powers to foresee the future. A Rebbe who cares about the well-being of his chassidim,” Rohr said.

Next month, Rohr’s descendants will be honoring him by traveling together to Haditch, a historic city in the central-east part of Ukraine, where the Alter Rebbe is buried and will be inaugurating a building he donated near the holy gravesite.

Their trip is scheduled for Kislev 19, known as the Rosh Hashana of Chassidus and the day the Alter Rebbe was freed from his imprisonment in czarist Russia. They will be landing in Kiev and will drive to Haditch.

The new building will serve visitors year-round with a spacious shul, 2 study rooms, a library, a mikvah for men and a mikvah for women, a social hall with a large kitchen and offices.

COLlive.com was told that the plan is to add another 2 buildings to the complex that will including some 40 guest rooms for individuals and groups to stay.

Organizing the opening ceremony are R’ Meir Dovid Bergman and R’ Yaakov Halperin, both of Jerusalem and R’ Meir Tzvi Stambler of Kfar Chabad.

Those wanting to attend can contact the producer Michael Caplin of M.C. Productions at [email protected] or call +380-67-565-1789.