Monthly Archives: March 2011

Long, but not as long as yesterday.

R' Mendel Greenbaum's children took time out of their busy schedules to witness his interview. At times, it was very emotional as his wife (their mother) just passed away a few months ago.

R’ Mendel Greenbaum – probably one of the most famous stories of the Rebbe happened with him. He was drafted to the US army in the early 50s. At a private audience with the Rebbe, he expressed his concerns about how he was quite worried about how that would affect his religious observance.

The Rebbe told him some Hebrew words (a classical Jewish saying) “Yerida L’tzorech Aliya! (a descent for a subsequent ascent)” He didn’t really understand. The Rebbe got up and stood behind his chair. He told him “if i try to jump over my chair, it will not work. I am too close. If i take a few steps back then i can easily fling myself over! Same is true in your case. Sometimes we have to take a few steps back in life in order to move forward with even more energy.”

After his 2 hr interview, two of his children then shared their impressions, memories and encounters with the Rebbe that they had!

We then took off to Rabbi Pinchus Weberman for his second interview! The first was conducted a few months ago, and he has so much to share, we may even need a third round. Some highlight were, the correspondence that he had with the Rebbe about the city Eruv, the building of a local Mikvah, and the Rebbe’s deep insight into the security of the USA.

Rabbi Roth reviewing from a booklet that he published with all these letters.

We had a few hours left until Mincha, so Rabbi Yaakov Roth from Miami Beach came to the Shul and described his life history and his relationship with the Rebbe. After his Yeshiva studies, he felt that he could be a good teacher, and asked the Rebbe if he should enter the field. The answer came back with a strong positive!

Throughout his career, he merited to have many, many, many letters from the Rebbe to his class! He describes how he was so amazed that – despite his tremendous responsibilities – the Rebbe took such interest into the dealings of second graders, and his letters would reflect the fact that he really did read the notes and school projects that they would send!

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Rabbi Shmuel Levine, the principal of the largest Jewish Day School in South Florida, talks about his own yechidusen with the Rebbe.

Yesterday was our longest day yet! We started the day at 7 am heading out to Boca Raton for ‘Open Mic Day’ and got back at about 11:30 at night. Thank you Rabbi Moishe Denburg for being so gracious to give us your Chabad House!

In total, we interviewed eight (8) people throughout the day. The day was coordinated perfectly thanks to our researcher Eliyahu Benhiyoun, who made sure someone came in throughout the day. Only once did someone have to wait her turn to tell her story with the Rebbe.

A quick rundown is as follows:

9:30 am, Mrs. Esther Glouberstein.
She told us about the Rebbe’s brocha that saved her triplets. One of them had a 5% chance of living, another had a 10% chance to live and the third had a 50-50 chance. Still at the hospital, her mother disappeared and only returned a week  later telling them that she had gone to New York and had a yechidus with the Rebbe where she requested a brocha for her newborn grandsons. The rest is history.

The pair of Tefillin Mr. Eckstein received from the Rebbe.

11:15 am
We had 15 minutes to spare before Mr. Dennis Eckstein came, so we ran across the street to Publix (grocery store) to buy some fruit and vegetables for breakfast.

11:30 am with Mr. Dennis Eckstein.
Dennis was very emotional as he showed us the Tefillin that the Rebbe bought for him and insisted that he pay for it. He said that few minute visit with the Rebbe changed his life from being ‘3-Day a year Jew’ to a Jew that doesn’t miss going to Shabbos davening!

1:00 pm, Rabbi Israel Drazin.
Rabbi Israel Drazin, the head chaplain of the US army reserve and two-star general, told us about his brief encounter with the Rebbe when the Rebbe told him to use his stature in the army to influence non-Jews as well about the 7 Noahide Laws. He did so preaching to chaplains of all different religions all over the world! This interview took about an hour and a half.

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Today we started our day at the Shuster residence interviewing both Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Shuster.We started a bit late, because Yankee Teitelbaum’s (our cameraman) flight got a bit delayed on his way back to Florida.

Mendy Alevsky and Dr. Shuster in the middle of an interview.

Dr. Shuster was a plastic surgeon who the Rebbe told that his job was to fix people on the outside and his wife’s job was to fix people in the inside. He spoke about his wonderful relationship with the Rebbe throughout the years.

Once Dr. Shuster was in New York staying at the Gansburg residence on President Street and he wanted to give the Rebbe and Rebbetzin a gift. So he went to the Rebbe’s house across the street and knocked on the door and an elderly lady answered. She introduced herself as the Rebbetzin’s cousin and housekeeper and took Shuster inside and talked to him for close to 30 minutes. Shuster went on to tell her that he has this beautiful secluded home in Miami and that he thinks the Rebbe and Rebbetzin should take a vacation at their house. The elderly lady turned to him and said “The Rebbe and the Rebbetzin don’t take vacations…”

When coming back to the Gansburg’s house, he retold his encounter at the Rebbe’s home saying that he met the Rebbetzin’s cousin and housekeeper and to his surprise Gansburg told him that there is no relative of the Rebbetzin or housekeeper living in the Rebbe’s home and that it was the Rebbetzin! Shuster couldn’t believe it!

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Our third day of interviews in Miami went BH very well. We interviewed Rabbi Shapiro, Rabbi Korf (both for the second time!) and Rabbi Itche Meir Teitelbaum.

Mendy Alevsky scanning Rabbi Shapiro's address book he took to Russia. The whole book was written in codes!

We set up the interview for Rabbi Shapiro the night before so we could start the interview the first thing in the morning at 8:30 am.

Our first interview with Rabbi Shapiro a few years ago lasted 3-4 hours when we ran out of time. As we were packing up, Rabbi Shapiro realized that he forgot to talk about his two visits to Russia in the 1980s. So we made sure to meet with him on our trip to capture these priceless stories of the Rebbe’s shluchim working underground to help the Jews in Russia.

Among the many things he spoke about, Rabbi Shapiro talked in length about the different meetings and shiurim he gave on these trips. He also spoke about his pocket address book that he took with him that were all written in codes! For example, Fort Lauderdale meant Leningrad and Miami meant Moscow. So when the Russian authorities looked at his address book, they thought it was his personal contacts from home in the US.

Rabbi Korf, head shliach in Florida, talking about the practical advice the Rebbe gave him on Shlichus.

Our next interview was with Rabbi Korf. While sitting with Rabbi Korf for a while to do a pre-interview to prepare him what to talk about while on camera, Yankee Teitelbaum took the oppurtunity to interview his uncle Rabbi itche Meir Teitelbaum about his experiences with the Rebbe.

Rabbi Korf spoke about practical advise the Rebbe gave him for his Shlichus in Florida. One thing that he discussed was when Rabbi Korf wanted to open up a cheder, the Rebbe advised him to have secular studies as well to reach out to a bigger crowd.

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Today started at the home of Reb Fishel Katz. The interview started at 10 am and was supposed to go until 3pm. It was an unbelievable interview! He didn’t stop talking! By hashgacha protis, our next interviewee, Dr. Lazarsen called to say that he needed to postpone the interview and BH, we got to stay at the Katz’s for another 2 hours.

Reb Fishel Katz retelling his many horaos he got from the Rebbe on his trips to the Far East and Africa.

As a young man, the Rebbe encouraged Reb Fishel to go into business and after some years, he opened up his own business in the gem industry. He used to travel to the Far East and Africa and got many, many fascinating direct horaos from the Rebbe.

One particular time, the Rebbe told him to look out for the Chong Jews of the Far East. The Rebbe told him to translate two Jewish books into Chinese, which he did translating My Prayer and The Ten Commandments (a small booklet).

He also did business in Africa and he told the Rebbe that he wanted to print Tanyas in Africa. The Rebbe liked the idea and told him to take the actual printing plates with him. Thinking that he could just take the negatives and make plates in Africa, he was met with great technical issues and that’s when he realized what the Rebbe was saying…Needless to say, the next time, he schlepped the actual plates with him to print the Tanyas.

Afterward, we went off to the home of Dr. Lazarsen in North Miami Beach. We started the interview at 6pm and had to stop in the middle for supper. We continued afterward for another few hours!

Yankee Teitelbaum, our cameraman in Florida, taking a break during an interview.

About eight months before Dr. Lazarsen and Mrs. Lazarsen (nee Wolner) got engaged, Mrs. Lazarsen wrote a letter to the Rebbe telling the Rebbe that her father had MS. The Rebbe replied in a letter that he should check his Mezuzos and Tefilin. Her father didn’t have Tefillin, so they bought him a pair.

Before Dr. Lazarsen’s wedding, he and his future wife went into yechidus with his father in law. The Rebbe quickly gave brochos to the bride and groom and then turned to Dr. Lazarsen’s father-in-law saying “Mr. Wolner, I received your letter, did you get my reply letter?”

Mr. Wolner replied “Yes. I put on Tefillin every day”.

Then they started talking about his condition for about ten minutes. Dr. Lazarsen described how taken back he was listening to the conversation. They sounded like doctors talking about the condition! Mr. Wolner would describe a symptom, and the Rebbe would comment. Sometimes the Rebbe would say “Oh that could be attributed to this, and this could be attributed to that.”

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We just finished our first day of interviewing in Miami.

We started our day at the home of Mendy Fellig, who graciously hosted his mother’s interview.

Mrs. Miriam Fellig. "Its so hard to describe who the Rebbe was and what he really meant to me!"

She spoke very nicely, and with much love about the Rebbe.

She was a holocaust survivor with no family and she was so overwhelmed with the Rebe’s love when she first met him, that she asked him to adopt her! And the Rebbe agreed! And that began a beautiful relationship. She would always complain about life to the Rebbe very candidly, and the Rebbe would give her much attention and practical advice.

After that, we went to the Mayberg home. They were one of the first Baalei Tshuva here in FL. They really spearheaded much of the stuff here. The Rebbe was always mekarev him whenever he saw him.

One story that comes to mind is that after they were blessed with two girls and a good few years of not having children, they would ask the Rebbe for a brocha for a boy.
The Rebbe never addressed it until one time when Mrs. Mayberg was in yechidus alone, she came out of the yechidus with much excitement. The Rebbe said “the time is now, your husband should have a kohen to duchen with him in the Beis Hamikdosh.” A year later – to the day (!) – their son was born.

That’s all for now. Got to go to sleep for tomorrow is another day of interviews. Click ‘more’ for pictures.

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The My Encounter interview team is now in South Florida conducting interviews. Follow their progress of their trip and help them save interviews like these! Watch highlights of five recent interviews they conducted just before their trip to Miami.

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After a long day of travelling and tons of phone calls and last second logistics, we (the members of the My Encounter interview team) are finally settled in N. Miami Beach, in the spacious home of Rabbi and Mrs. Efraim Brody. Their hospitality is truly legendary.

Check back daily, for updates of our 2-week interview trip!

Yesterday was a day of interviews here in NY.

Mr. Mark Stein. I think passionate is a good description. And so positive!

First we sat with Mr. Mark Stein, one of the members of Anash in Johannesburg, SA. He merited to have Yechidus 3 times. The first time was in 1980, and the 2nd and 3rd time were at the Machne Yisroel Development fund annual meetings.

His connection with the Rebbe is very deep and personal, and he described how the Rebbe’s brochos still continue to bless him in his daily life and in his successful businesses. He gave a great insight into what the Development Fund was for, and what it meant to him as a partner.

We were interrupted by a helicopter hovering almost directly overhead for at least 15 minutes. The microphones are so sensitive that we couldn’t continue. After we investigated, we found that there was a large fire burning just a couple houses away!

One interesting comment the Rebbe made was regarding his business of importing Kosher wine from America. “You must be careful who handles the wine” as there are complicated Jewish laws that could potentially render the wine non-kosher, just by the people who handle it.

Mrs. Riva Zlotnick is 91 yrs old. She was born in Prozoroki, Poland in 1920, and fled to Russia during the war. She had cousins who were living in Alma-Ata who tracked her down and invited her to come stay with them. They were the Rabinovitch family who were very close with R’ Levik nd Rebbetzin Chana – the Rebbe’s parents.

Sharp as a razor, Mrs. Riva Zlotnick was a great interview.

By the time she came, R’ Levik had already passed away from the hardships he endured at the hands of the Communist government, and they were doing their best to take care of Rebbetzin Chana. She joined the family effort, and would often run errands and help out R’ Chana. They developed a very close relationship.

Apparently, the Rebbe would send his mother packages with valuable items, so she could sell them and live off of the money. Riva remembers that the packages were shipped to Japan then Samarkand, and then shipped to Alma-Ata. She vividly recalls one package with stockings, which was a very valuable commodity in that part of Russia. She went to the market, sold the wares for a solid profit, and brought the money back to Rebbetzin Chana.

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