By COLlive reporter
Rabbi Sholom Ber Levine, Director of the Library of Agudas Chasidei Chabad in Brooklyn, NY, and on the team to retrieve the Schneerson Archive, said the latest move by the Russian government was predictable.
“Every time the pressure on the Russian government was intensified to return the books, the government immediately replied that they intend to open a museum,” he said.
500 from a collection of 4,425 books belonging to Chabad were transferred Thursday to Moscow’s Jewish museum, with the rest said to be moved there by the end of the year.
In a press conference Thursday, in the presence of Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar and local Shluchim, President Vladimir Putin said he hopes the transfer “will put an end to this problem once and for all.”
It remains unclear whether the move will defuse the diplomatic and legal tug-of-war that started even before the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and has weighed on bilateral ties between Moscow and Washington.
Moscow reacted angrily when a U.S. judge ruled in January that Russia should pay $50,000 a day in fines for failure to return the books.
THE REBBE PREDICTED IT
In a public letter Thursday, Rabbi Levine said the case is far from over and that the Rebbe has predicted such a move and tried to prevent it in the past.
He is one of the four representatives appointed by the Rebbe to handle the case. (The others are Rabbi Shlomo Cunin of California, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Aharonov of Israel and Moscow Rabbi Yitzchak Kogan who is supporting Putin’s move).
Levine said that in Sivan 5751 (1991), Moscow Shlucha Devora Rochel Kogan wrote to the Rebbe about the plan to open a local Chabad library (not related to the case).
The Rebbe replied (as printed in the book Avodas Hakodesh): “Opening a new library of Chabad now in Russia can raise a claim by the opponents that taking out Chabad books from Russia now – the opposite is more fitting.”
Rabbi Levine explained that a presence of a local Chabad library can give the government the excuse of transferring the books there “and not returning them to Chabad’s center” in Brooklyn.
The museum in Moscow, where the books will be held, was founded by Rabbi Lazar and was personally supported by Putin. Rabbi Alexander Boroda, Chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia is said to be the museum’s director (although there is no mention of this on the museum’s website).
Rabbi Levine added that the option to have the Schneerson Archive given on loan to the Chabad library in Brooklyn was raised in 1991 and was outright rejected by the Rebbe. “It is completely unfounded as the books belong to Chabad and should be returned to it,” the Rebbe said at the time.
“JUST A STEP”
The U.S. based Agudas Chasidie Chabad declined to comment on the matter and told COLlive that Thursday’s statement that was sent to the press by the Lewin & Lewin law firm was not made on their behalf.
Menachem Cohen, editor of our sister-site COL.org.il and the Kfar Chabad magazine, has flown down to Moscow for the press conference among other Israeli journalists by Lazar’s Ohr Avner Foundation.
Cohen said he has spoken to a key leader in the Chabad operation in Russia who told him that they see Putin’s solution only as a “step” in the case, and not the final settlement.
“The books were in captivity and this is a very happy development,” said the person who asked to remain unnamed because of the sensitivity of the issue in Russia.
The person stated that “the step by President Putin brings the books closer to their natural place, exactly as the Rebbe wanted. President Putin did not rule out the fact that the books will be returned to the Aguch Library” in New York.
Past and current quotes by President Putin suggested the opposite. Putin said the return would be “impossible” because it risks opening “a Pandora’s box,” creating a precedent for surrendering ownership of state property, Bloomberg News reported in February.
they were not moved to chabad of moskow they were moved to the russian moscow library.
And that’s the exact reason why the Rebbe appointed him for this Nobel-divine mission, to get back what rightfully belongs to us…!!!
One of the reasons the Russians don’t want to give back the sforim is that every day thee are sforim being sold on the black market.
This can be checked with any sforim socher
They are afraid to show that there are 100’s of sforim missing
So one thing now is for sure that a stop has to be made for that!!! And by moving them to Chabad of Moscow that will prevented.
This is the bishora rabbi lazar was talking about, at least let’s keep the sforim safe!!
Not C”V THAT THIS IS THE FINAL HOME!!
Rav Levine is a tzadik whose every fiber of his being is dedicated to the Rebbe and he is miser nefesh to meticulously record the facts as they were. He is a ne’eman and the Rebbe trusted him totally. So if he says that the Rebbe did not approve, then we are to still demand the return to aguch!
Knowing how R’ S.B. Levine lied about the 760 Eastern Parkway house (most details in his letter was simply not true!) just to further his own agenda…I wonder how true everything he writes here is?
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=23760&st=&pgnum=438&hilite=
Rabbi levin, what abouth this maane?
Where do high positioned men in Lubavitch get the gaul to demote – put on back burner – issues which were front line top priorities of the Rebbe? To replace these and promote parev nice popular support gaining issues into the limelight? The Rebbe’s Milchomes Hashem to bring Moshiach was and remains to storm the world to receive Moshiach and the battle of Shleimus Haaretz – saving millions of Jewish People in Eretz HaKodesh from imminent danger. Genuine chassidim will promote this and stand with the Rebbe fearlessly. Others will seek to line their pockets and promote their own positions.… Read more »
There hundreds of Lubavich families living AND DOING THE REBBES WORK in Russia.
It is very very easy, for anyone with any title, to say what others should or should not do.
In the words of Hillary Clinton “What difference does it make”?
But it may make a BIG difference to the hundreds of Lubavich families living in Russia.
I would strongly caution anyone in supporting this dangerous & scandalous plan, as we know from past some very strong Leshonos’ the Rebbe used regarding his library…Bottom line is the Russians have yet to come clean regarding all their monstrosities against Jews over the years, and this is just them getting a good laugh at us, one more time..Wake up and smell the coffee!!!
COLlive.com, thanks for the interesting article.
Wow … at least something is transpiring.
‘BeEsrat HaShem’ all the Crown Heights residents will be privileged to read/or see these books and manuscripts.