The Reason for 770’s Red Phone

By Yehudis Bluming
Shlucha- Durham /Chapel Hill NC

As a young child, I was always intrigued by the stories I heard about the “The Red Phone.”

I knew somewhere hidden in the White House and across the Atlantic, in the Deep caverns of the Kremlin, there existed a hotline; a communications system designed to decrease tensions and prevent accidental nuclear war. It provided direct contact between the leaders of the United States and Russia.

Rumor has it, that the first time it was used was right after the Six Day War began, as Russia was on the edge and deciding whether to get involved in the Middle Eastern war.

Just a few days ago, I had the pleasure and honor of bringing my children into modest headquarters of WLCC in 770, Chabad’s nostalgic communications center. The Rebbe once remarked about this space “only good things come out of this room.”

My family was enthralled to enter this nerve center. We learned that, at first WLCC started with only 30 phone lines, black phones hanging on the wall, eventually 420 lines were installed, thus reaching 600 locations around the world. These were the portals through which Chassidim from all over were able to listen live to the Rebbe’s Farbrengens .It was from this holy room that Kol Gadol- The tremendous voice of Sinai the Rebbe’s holy words were being translated and transmitted to Jews worldwide.

R’ Hackner recalls: “It was a wonderful sight to behold. All of the phone switches would be lit and flipped, it glowed like it was Chanukah all year round… and you just knew that from this little room, such a powerful message was going out to the entire world.”

And yet, my kids eyes were fixated on the elusive Red Phone amongst the many black ones. What is it doing in WLCC? Was some secret hotline for which we were meant to find the code?

Finally, at the end of the tour, our guide explained to us the purpose of the mysterious Red Phone.

Back in the day, in order to connect to the live broadcast, each location would call in, and their line would be connected to the Farbrengen. Yet, what happened if in middle of the call your line got dropped or disconnected? Each phone line would remain open in WLCC, effectively making it impossible to dial back in and it couldn’t be reconnected, as the line was still in conversation.

Hard to imagine today with all the new technology we have, yet then inventive young men of WLCC, working with technology that was in its infantile years, designated one special line, the Red phone, a master line!

Whenever there was an interruption, you called the red phone, and then they would quickly reconnect your line . The Red line was never busy or interrupted and always available thus allowing your phone line to reconnect once again!

Like a bolt of lightning, its struck me… this was far from an ordinary phone and its role was timeless.

We are standing a few days before Gimmel Tammuz, a day that we reconnect and renew our ongoing Hiskashrus with the Rebbe.

All of us in our lives try to keep our lines open and connected to the Rebbe. As a child I had the honor of growing up in Crown Heights, receiving dollars and kuntreisim from the Rebbe’s holy hand. Today I BH raise a family of my own, with children the same age I was the year of Gimmel Tamuz.

To be honest, the years have taken their toll and it has been over 25 years since we last heard a Sicha, in person or on broadcast. Over two decades have passed since Gimmel Tammuz, and as the Rebbe writes “summers pass by and winters come and go… The warmth and flame of Hiskashrus seems to wane”.

Some of our commitments to carrying out the Rebbe’s passionate campaigns may have weakened… Spending personal time doing his Mivtzoyim… Learning the Rebbe’s Sichos… Keeping the Daily Shiurim… Living with the faith that we are the generation who will witness the Geulah. True then it was easier to remain strongly connected, that was our crystal clear identity. Yet today the lines are filled with static, the haze and the noise seems to break it up and it is often so difficult to get inspired once again.

What are we left with, as Chassidim, to reignite this flame, to re-kindle our passion and devotion so that our connection remains once again strong and secure?

There in the room of WLCC communication center, I have found the answer: The Red Phone, a phone that can never be disconnected. This exclusive line is never interrupted, the connection is always available. Even when a Chossid turns away momentarily, when his personal hiskashrus has waned, and seems to have sputtered out, he can always reconnect via the “Red Phone”.

There is a part of our Neshama that remains devoted and connected with the Rebbe, with his Horaos, his teachings, his demands and his expectations…. With his never ending encouragement to seek more and be more – and to DO more.
As the Rebbe wrote to a young Chossid “once that connection has been etched into your conscience, cemented into your identity… it remains forever there…”

The Hayom Yom of Gimmel Tammuz reminds us of the power of a Yiddishe Krechtz.
How a groan arising from spiritual distress pulls one out of the depths of evil and places him on a firm footing in the realm of good.

The cry of Gimmel Tammuz from the Rebbe is pleading for me to connect to his red phone line, to redial to that warm line of connection that the Rebbe has for us and we have for him. May we be zoche that this Gimel Tammuz we be reunited with our Rebbe bguf in Yerushalayim,