Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
In 1950 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, at 48 years old, became the Rebbe, leader of the world wide Chabad-Lubavitch movement. In the footsteps of his predecessors, under the Rebbe's guidance the struggle of the Jewish underground intensified. Not a day would go by when the Rebbe would not struggle for the Jews of Russia.
The Rebbe toiled endlessly for their physical and their spiritual well being. He sent couples, posing as tourists, as clandestine Shluchim, bringing strength and determination to his Russian underground.
The couples would memorize hundreds of names and addresses. Russian border guards were left scratching their heads by Chassidic couples who would travel to Russia for a two-week stay, laden down with Kosher salami and Jewish books and films. The humanitarian aid was used to feed Jews in cities and shtetlach across the land.
The Shluchim smuggled out filmstrips, where Jews would request the Rebbe’s blessings.
The Rebbe would debrief the Shluchim for hours on end, often weeping upon hearing the reports of physical and spiritual persecution.
Perhaps more than anything else, the message the Shluchim brought the Jews of Russia was that someone on the other side of the curtain remembered and cared. Someone would not sleep and would not rest, until they would be freed from their bondage.
In 1989, the shackles began to break open with the fall of communism and Perestroyka.
Immediately, the Rebbe began to dispatch Shluchim to bring Judaism above-ground.
With restriction on religion being officially released, the ashes, glowing for seventy years, finally burst into flame. The warmth of Judaism began to glow for the millions of Jewish men, women and children across Russia who didn’t even know the meaning of the word “Jew”.
Schools, shuls, mikvas and community centers began to spring up. Once again, children were laughing in the hallways of Jewish schools.
An entire Jewish infrastructure has sprung up from the Embers which were kept alive for 70 years.
