Influential members of the Jewish community in Charlotte, North Carolina, demanded a complete overhaul in the administration of the city’s Chabad School. The Rebbe’s shliach, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Groner, was worried that one of his most important projects was about to collapse. However, in the middle of the night, two letters arrived by fax sent by persons unknown…
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry
Rabbi Yosef GronerOn Shabbos Parshas Emor, Erev Lag B’Omer, the Chabad community in the Holy City of Tzfas hosted hundreds of Lubavitcher Chassidim from all over Eretz Yisroel. The atmosphere on that Shabbos was magical and uplifting. The central “Heichal Levi Yitzchak” Synagogue was filled to capacity with guests from sectors across the religious spectrum, many of who took advantage of the opportunity to visit family members living in the capital of the Galilee. Shabbos served as a preparation for their pilgrimage to Mt. Miron on Motzaei Shabbos.
Among the guests staying with the community was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Groner, shliach of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, mashgiach and mashpia in Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Kiryat Gat. As the son of the Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner, who spent decades in the service of the nasi, it was only natural that at the start of the Shabbos farbrengen, the gabbaim asked him to speak first.
At the conclusion of his d’var Torah, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Groner asked if he could share with those assembled a story he heard from his twin brother. We heard the story again in greater detail from the shliach himself, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Groner. We bring it here for you now.
AN ATTEMPT TO TAKE OVER THE CHABAD SCHOOL
“One of the most important projects we started during the years of our shlichus was the establishment of a Jewish school,” said Rabbi Groner. “We invested much effort into this initiative. We knew that this would be one of the best ways to revitalize a Jewish community that was largely affiliated with Reform and Conservative organizations. With G-d’s help and the Rebbe’s brachos, the school quickly achieved numerous educational successes, acquiring a sterling reputation that reached far and wide. Children from every sector in the local Jewish community learned in the school.
“One day, one of the Jewish community’s most prominent benefactors came to our office with a very unsettling proposal. Since our brand of Orthodox Jewry represented a minority position among Charlotte’s Jews, it was inconceivable that the city’s only Jewish school would be run according to our guidelines. He was prepared to make a sizable financial investment in exchange for the right to buy a portion of the school facility, thereby giving outside Jewish organizations a foothold in the administration of its educational programs. It was quite clear that if Reform organizations would be allowed to enter the picture, they would control the choice of educational material, including the hiring of faculty and staff members who did not operate in the spirit of Chassidic philosophy.
“We felt as if our whole world was coming apart. We had invested considerable time, effort, and money in the school project, and now someone was trying to undermine everything we had done. The leaders of the two other ‘movements’ had joined this patron in requesting a meeting where they would present their arguments. We were obligated to provide a logical counterargument in reply, while taking care not to enter into a heated dispute with the opposing side. We were quite aware that we didn’t have the power to wage an ideological war over this, nor did we wish to do so. When the school was founded, the Rebbe set an ironclad principle: everything must be done in an atmosphere of complete unity.
“When did the Rebbe establish this principle? In the early days of our shlichus in North Carolina, we wanted to open a Chabad school, but the Reform community was still operating its own school in Charlotte. When we asked the Rebbe whether we could begin the process, he categorically refused on the grounds that it would create an internal dispute within the local Jewish community. Several years later, in 5747, when the Reform school finally closed, we took the opportunity to ask the Rebbe again if it was now possible to open a Chabad school. This time, the Rebbe said that we should consult with the mazkirus.
“The authoritative figure among the Rebbe’s secretaries, particularly in matters of education, was Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Chadakov, of blessed memory. When I posed the question to him, he replied that the Rebbe had already spoken with him on the matter and gave his conditional consent to establish a Chabad school. The condition was that its entire foundation must be with total unity, while making no compromises in matters of Yiddishkait.
“Immediately after receiving the Rebbe’s bracha and consent, we invested all our strength and energy into this project. This included the assistance of some major financial backers and other benevolent Jewish souls who saw eye-to-eye with us about the importance of creating this school. We were determined that this would not only be a place to teach children about Jewish values, it would also provide a level of academic excellence in all areas of study. No one would have an excuse to question the institution’s quality education. As the years passed, the successes continued to mount. Most of our students came from Jewish families who were not part of the Orthodox community.
“Now you could understand how concerned we were, as after so many years of toil and effort – an ambush lay in wait for us.”
A BRACHA FROM THE REBBE – VIA FAX
“On the night before the meeting, my wife and I discussed the matter at hand. I shared my concerns with her, particularly in light of the spiritual darkness we were now facing. If this had happened before Gimmel Tammuz, we would have written a letter to the Rebbe and received a bracha and clear advice on how to act. However, times were different now and very confusing…
“The following morning, I came to the Chabad House to daven Shacharis. Before going upstairs to begin my prayers, I went into my office and noticed that the fax machine had printed out several transmissions. As I looked at them, I was stunned to see one page containing two long letters sent from the Rebbe. They were correspondences printed in the Igros Kodesh. I glanced at them briefly, but due to the shortness of time, I left to go daven. When I came back to my office, I started reading the letters in greater depth. One letter was addressed to then-Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Kadish Luz, sent during the week of Slichos 5724, in which he thanked him for his visit to Kfar Chabad (Vol. 23, Letter #8885, pg. 263):
I was pleased to receive news from the people of Kfar Chabad regarding his visit in Kfar Chabad and his impression of the institutions there, in continuation of his normally good attitude towards Chabad. I am certain that he will continue this in the future, and he will increase even more at every opportunity, in accordance with the development of Kfar Chabad and its issues, for there is a general principle that in all matters of good, there must be a continual increase in holiness. This is particularly so since he has unique possibilities according to his status and position, and everything is by Divine Providence.
Leading up to the new year, may it come upon us and all Israel for good and a blessing, I hereby give my blessing to him and his family to be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet new year in material and spiritual matters.
“Later in this lengthy correspondence, the Rebbe thanked Mr. Kadish Luz for sending him his book ‘Avnei Derech’ – in which he writes at length in praise of the advantages to kibbutz life. In great detail, the Rebbe also notes the disadvantages to this system, among them the failure to consider the talents and abilities of the individual. The letter was fascinating, and I casually moved on to the second letter, sent to a school supervisor on the 25th of Elul 5724. As I began reading the letter, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was as if the letter had been written just for me. The Rebbe wrote as follows (Vol. 23, Letter #8884, pg. 262):
I confirm receiving his letter from the 15th of Elul. First and foremost, I wish to express the tremendous satisfaction I received upon seeing in his letter his feelings towards Chabad issues and Chabad schools, etc. Furthermore, and this is also the main thing as stated in his letter, “The spirit and teachings of Chabad are very close to me, and I strive to learn it,” that surely as stated by our Sages, of blessed memory, study leads to action. This is particularly so when we are talking about an educator, even a supervisor of educators, and since “every appointment is from Heaven, from Me,” we understand from this that strengths and opportunities are given to fulfill the task and the appointment with complete success.
May it be G-d’s Will that he should influence in the stated direction also upon those under his supervision, as we have been promised that he who comes to purify – and it is known the emphasis of the Alter Rebbe, Baal HaTanya and Shulchan Aruch, that not only he who comes to purify himself, but even to purify others – they assist him.
To the fundamental question about the school’s administration, he is correct when he writes that above all, the main thing is the benefit to the students and success in their studies and their education. Therefore, the principal must be the most suitable one for the stated position. Furthermore, since this is the derived conclusion, there is surely the possibility to bring this into fruition, as with all matters of our holy Torah, ‘its ways are pleasant ways’ etc. Here too there is the possibility of bringing this into fruition as stated. And as mentioned above, since he is the supervisor, and the matter is entrusted to his care, he should finally find the way to achieve this conclusion for the benefit of the students. May G-d grant him success, and the promise of “he who comes to purify, they assist him’ surely includes this area.
Thus, the hope is strong that finally even those who don’t consider the benefit to students, for whatever reason, will see the truth and they too will thank him that at the moment of decision, he stood firm and paid no heed to their demands.
I would be pleased to hear good news in all the aforementioned.
“I was overwhelmed. In his letter, the Rebbe writes that the potential advantage to the students must be the primary criterion in all matters pertaining to the school’s administration. In all the excitement, I still didn’t know who had sent me these letters or where they had come from.
“I rushed home and told my wife about the amazing letter that had arrived in my office. We sat down to learn it together, as if it had been written specifically for us. In very simple words, the Rebbe had written that there can be no politics or power struggles at the students’ expense, and their educational benefit is the only relevant factor when appointing a principal or other faculty members. The words ‘To the fundamental question about the school’s administration, he is correct when he writes that above all, the main thing is the benefit to the students and success in their studies and their education. Therefore, the principal must be the most suitable for the stated position’ reverberated in our ears all the way to the crucial meeting.
“Equipped with the Rebbe’s letter, we went in for the meeting. The tension in the room was palpable. The proponents for organizational change in the school presented their case first. In the final analysis, each of them was demanding involvement in the important decisions on hiring new faculty members and the like, in accordance with their ideological agendas.
“When they had completed presenting their claims, I took out the letter and translated it word for word. Finally, I turned to the others and asked, ‘Do you agree that the school’s academic standards are at a good level?’ They all said yes.
“‘Do you agree that the learning material and staff are up to par? Does the staff do everything to help the students succeed?’ Here too, they replied in the affirmative. I then proceeded to make my main point: ‘The change you are demanding is totally political in nature, and we don’t engage in politics at the expense of the children. The only thing that needs to concern us when considering modifications to the educational program is the students’ best interests. I am open to the idea of making changes, but not at the expense of the children’s’ academic success.’
“With G-d’s help, my words had the proper effect. They realized their mistake and shelved their proposed changes.
“When I came back from the meeting, I immediately called my father, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner, the Rebbe’s secretary, certain that he had sent me the letters. I told him what had transpired, expecting that he would say that he had sent the fax to give me some encouragement in my struggle to save the school. However, to my surprise, my father said that he had no idea what I was talking about. He had not faxed me any copies of any letters from the Rebbe.
“As I hung up the phone, I was left puzzled and confused. If it wasn’t my father, then who had sent me the letters?
“As I read through the letters again, I came across something that needed some clarification. The longer correspondence was addressed to Knesset Speaker Kadish Luz, who was a descendant of the esteemed Luzinski family. The family patriarch was a Chassid of the Alter Rebbe, a prominent benefactor who resided in Bobruisk, a city in the Mogilev region of Byelorussia, which was also the home of the well-known Chassid, Rabbi Hillel Paritcher. This Luzinski was also privileged to sustain many Chassidim living in the city through his business profits. Regrettably, one of his offspring had immigrated to the United States, where he married a non-Jewish woman and had children of his own. One of these children lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. While he essentially realized that he was not Jewish, he still had deep roots in one of the strongest communities in Jewish history. At one point, he decided to explore his family lineage, and some of his friends had helped him to arrange a meeting with me and hear more about the Luzinski family.
“Shortly after meeting with him, I made a trip to 770 to participate in the International Shluchim Conference, where I met up with Rabbi Sholom Yaakov Chazan, who served with the Otzar HaChassidim editorial board. He told me that he was currently working on the publishing of the twenty-third volume of Igros Kodesh, while I told about my encounter with the Luzinski family member. I asked him to send me a copy of any letter the Rebbe might have sent to someone from this family, if he knew that such a letter existed. He replied that in his work on the new volume of Igros he had come across a letter addressed to Mr. Kadish Luz. To the best of his knowledge, Luz had a connection to this family, and he promised to send me the letter. Yet, days and weeks passed, and the matter was forgotten by both of us.”
DON’T DELAY – DO IT NOW!
“Shortly after the decisive meeting over the future of the Chabad School, I again traveled to 770 and met with Rabbi Chazan. Since the meeting with that member of the Luzinski family was still fresh in my mind, I surmised that Rabbi Chazan had been the one to send me the letters after I had previously asked him to do so. After confirming that he in fact had been the sender, he shared with me what had happened on the night he sent me the fax. He had already gone to bed when he suddenly felt something deep inside urging him, ‘You promised Rabbi Groner that you would send him the letter, but you still haven’t done it.’ He tried to divert his mind from the bizarre message disturbing his slumber, but it was no use. Although he was very tired, he couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Finally, he decided to get out of bed and walk to his office in the Rebbe’s library.
“The letters were all set to go to print, but since he was too exhausted to take the time to separate the Kadish Luz letter from the preceding correspondence to the school supervisor, he simply put the whole page with both letters into the fax machine. Thus, at three o’clock in the morning, he sent the letters to my office. This was at the very moment when I was speaking to my wife about how the Rebbe seemingly couldn’t answer us as he did in the past.
“Only after the letters had been sent, he returned home and immediately fell asleep. As I was speaking with him, he apologized for sending me two letters. However, when I told him about the whole chain of events that followed, he became as stunned and excited as I was. We truly felt how the Rebbe had arranged everything in the most wonderful and amazing fashion.”