When starting to work on part two of the life of R’ Refael Wilschansky, about his work for the Lubavitch European Office known as the “Lishka,” I came up against a wall, for R’ Refael was a first class keeper of secrets. Upon his passing, he took with him nearly all the secrets. It was only with great effort that I managed to extract a few crumbs about his great work. * About his attendance at the Rebbe’s farbrengen in Paris and the help he provided Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka on her visit there, his multifaceted work at the “Lishka” in France and the continuation of his work in New York, his appointment as “balabus” of Tunisia, and his translation of the Tanya and Talks and Tales into French. * Ultimately, much more is hidden than is known to us.
In the first installment we wrote about R’ Refael Wilschansky’s fascinating life until he left Russia and arrived in Paris. At that point, with the Rebbe Rayatz’s instruction and blessing, he worked for the Lubavitch European Office of Refugee Aid and Resettlement – or the Lishka, as it was referred to.
The Lishka, which was first started in order to help Lubavitcher refugees, was also a sort of extension of the Rebbe’s secretariat in Europe. The Lishka filled the role of Merkos L’Inyanei Chinuch and oversaw the network of emissaries to North African countries, and also filled the role of Kehot and published s’farim and booklets in French about Jewish holidays etc.
R’ Binyamin Gorodetzky, the representative of the Rebbeim in Europe, ran the Lishka, and R’ Wilschansky worked alongside him. R’ Refael was completely devoted to this work and was constantly guided by the Rebbe Rayatz’s letter which said: Increase strength in the holy work in helping settle the refugees, help my friend R’ Binyamin Gorodetzky, and may Hashem grant you success in your work for the benefit of the public and for the sake of this they should be blessed in their personal matters and with nachas from their children, materially and spiritually.
Those who knew him say he was an exceptional baal kabbalas ol (one who bears the yoke of responsibility). He would always say: You do what needs to be done, not what you want. When starting to work on part two of the life of R’ Refael Wilschansky, about his work for the Lishka, I came up against a wall, for R’ Refael was a first-class keeper of secrets. Upon his passing he took with him nearly all the secrets. He did his work far from the spotlight and he did not consider what he did to be that great. He saw himself as a soldier in the Rebbe’s army and if someone tried to praise his work, he was unable to understand what they were marveling about when he was just doing what he had to do.
(Just for example, when he went to console the family of his friend, R’ Heschel Ceitlin, who was with him in jail in Berditchev for the crime of Torah study, the family was discussing the wording on the gravestone. They said they should mention the fact that he was jailed for Torah study. R’ Refael reacted in surprise: Why would you write that? As though being thrown into jail was nothing remarkable since a Jew needs to learn Torah and if he has to go to jail for that, then so be it, and a big deal did not need to be made of it.)
With great effort I managed to extract some details about his great work from the little that was published and from the few tidbits that the family found out over the years.
AT THE REBBE’S FARBRENGEN IN PARIS
R’ Refael was in the first group of Chassidim-refugees who arrived in Paris and he met the future Rebbe when the latter went to see his mother, Rebbetzin Chana a”h. Before the Rebbe returned to New York, the Chassidim made a goodbye farbrengen. The Rebbe farbrenged for hours and at a certain point he began explaining the meaning of the names of everyone present, connecting it with the person’s personality and character traits according to Nigleh and Chassidus. R’ Refael was told the meaning of his name and the connection with his job at the Lishka helping refugees.
THE REBBETZIN’S VISIT
In 5714, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka made a short visit to Europe. The trip was arranged secretly and so despite her spending a few days in a hotel in the center of Paris, most of Anash did not know she was there. R’ Refael was one of the few who knew, for before her visit the Rebbe sent a telegram to the Lishka informing them of her trip and asking that they be of help to her if necessary.
As per the Rebbe’s request, R’ Refael phoned the Rebbetzin and even visited her at the hotel a few times. In compliance with her request, after the passing of the Rebbetzin, R’ Refael told Kfar Chabad magazine about two short conversations with the Rebbetzin:
“One of the main topics she spoke about was her interest in the lives of Anash in Paris at that time. Remember, it was a difficult situation. Most of Anash who had left Russia lived in poverty in Paris. For example, there was a large group who lived in a hotel that was leased by the Joint. About thirty families lived in thirty-six rooms, some of them with many children. They shared kitchen facilities. The Rebbetzin was very concerned about the situation and wanted to hear all the details. Her concern was apparent in her tone and the type of questions she asked, like that of a mother for her children. In addition to her inquiries, she visited the place secretly without anyone knowing about it, at night, so she could personally see how the refugees were living.
“From what she said it was apparent that along with her concern she was very wise. Every question was worded carefully and precisely. With that same cleverness she also avoided whatever she did not want to talk about.
“As I said, this was a central component of the conversation, however, the even greater impression, the impression that demonstrated that this was an extraordinary personality with extraordinary soul powers was formed by something else she said, i.e., the part where she mentioned, as though in passing, life as it was back in Lubavitch proper. It is hard to describe with what yearning she spoke about her grandfather’s home, about the yeshiva, the bachurim, the ovdim, and the atmosphere of the original Lubavitch. The tone of her speech on this subject was something extraordinary and sounded like it came from one of the elder Chassidim who had himself absorbed Torah and avoda in that same wondrous atmosphere.
“That was how it was with Lubavitch in general and in a most extraordinary way when she spoke directly about her father, the Rebbe Rayatz. When, for example, she said that in America there were also Yeshivos Tomchei T’mimim, she used the following expression: A revolution like that could have been accomplished only by a giant like my father.
“About her illustrious husband, the Rebbe, she refrained from speaking. She did this the way she ran the entire conversation, with enormous wisdom and great delicateness. And still, one time she uttered a few very significant words.
“It had to do with the fact that in those few days she had a little free time in which she could relax and do as she wished: ‘I sit here and look out the window and I have a lot of free time. If my husband had free time like this, he would already prepare a siyum on the tractate Bava Basra.’ She added that Pesach was approaching and despite his tremendous workload he managed to find time to prepare a siyum for Erev Pesach.”
The Rebbetzin considered R’ Refael a man who could keep a confidence, who could be relied upon. Before her return trip she had to send a suitcase separately, and since she wanted to preserve the secrecy of the matter she asked R’ Refael to send the suitcase under R’ Berel Junik’s name, the person in charge of household matters at the Rebbe’s house. In R’ Junik’s diary it says that the Rebbe told him: “Wilschansky sent the suitcase in your name so that they would not know it’s for me.”
During the visit, the Rebbetzin gave R’ Refael a dollar and said she received it in New York as shlichus mitzvah money. R’ Refael asked whether the dollar was from the Rebbe, in which case he would exchange it for another, and she smiled broadly and said he could exchange it.
Two years later, in Tishrei 5716, R’ Refael went to the Rebbe and took his son, Shneur Zalman. In a letter from the Rebbe from 10 Cheshvan, the Rebbe writes to R’ Refael’s father, R’ Betzalel, “I enjoyed meeting your son R’ Refael and your grandson who visited here during Sukkos, as you know.”
When the Rebbetzin heard that R’ Refael had come to New York, she asked him to visit her with his son. At the end of the visit, R’ Refael said: May the Rebbe be healthy and derive nachas from us. The Rebbetzin responded with: Our nachas is when we hear that you have nachas!
THE REBBE ASKED FOR A RECORDING OF THE FARBRENGEN
As secretary of the Lishka, R’ Refael wrote detailed reports to the Rebbe about the activities of Anash in Paris. For example, I found in the Igros Kodesh a letter that the Rebbe wrote on 14 Shvat 5716 to a rav in Paris, Rabbi Yehuda Leibush Stern: I was pleased to be informed by … R’ Refael Wilschansky as to the content of the words of inspiration that his honor spoke at the farbrengen on the yom hilula.
The Rebbe also sent a letter to R’ Refael in which he thanks him “for writing in relative detail about the yom hilula and a synopsis of the speeches.” He asked him to send the newspaper reports about the work of Chabad.
In that same letter the Rebbe wrote: Surely you know that there are recording machines now and I think that when you were here you saw them. Anash have lately been recording the farbrengens (apparently referring to public farbrengens – Ed.) and sending one copy here and of course leaving a copy by them to use it on various occasions to rejuvenate the inspiration that was had at the farbrengen. You should inquire as to whether it is possible to find a machine like that in Paris and what the cost would be.
BALABUS OVER TUNISIA
On Sukkos 5731, there was a meeting of UN representatives. Over yom tov the Rebbe said that when the nations gather, Jews also need to gather and add to matters of Torah and mitzvos in order to prevent the nations of the world from making harmful resolutions against the Jews.
On Simchas Torah, during the fourth hakafa, the Rebbe made his own United Nations in which he assigned a representative for every country to be the balabus (one in charge) of that country, according to Torah. R’ Refael was appointed by the Rebbe as balabus over Tunisia, because as a secretary for the Lishka he was connected to the work of Chabad there.
After Simchas Torah, R’ Y. Y. Pinson, son of the shliach in Tunisia, R’ Nissan Pinson, told R’ Refael that every time his father asked permission to leave Tunisia to visit the Rebbe, the government there placed all kinds of obstacles in the way of his getting the necessary travel permits. “Since the Rebbe appointed you as balabus over the country, please issue a p’sak that they need to immediately approve his leaving the country.”
R’ Refael at first tried to modestly demur but he ended up acceding to the request and paskened as the balabus of the country. Indeed, R’ Nissan Pinson received his travel permit without problems.
TALKS AND TALES
IN FRENCH
One of the big projects of the publishing division of the Lishka was the publishing of Talks and Tales in French (Conversation avec les Jeunes). Since R’ Refael wanted the magazine to be written in good French, and because he wanted to keep on top of the translations to make sure they were accurate, he began studying literary French which is quite difficult. R’ Refael was good at languages (in his youth he was already fluent in four languages: Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, and Georgian) and within a short time he had acquired a command of the French language that enabled him to keep tabs on the translations and ascertain that they were faithful to the original.
While the original Talks and Tales were meant for children and young people, he aimed higher and the French edition was on a level that was suitable only for older youth and even older. French intellectuals enjoyed reading the monthly publication and over the years there were many people who began taking an interest in Judaism thanks to reading this fine French publication.
To ensure that every issue was on the highest level, R’ Refael spent hours choosing material to translate. When Di Yiddishe Heim began to be published in New York, he would take articles from there. When the Vaad L’Hafatzos Sichos later began publishing a weekly thought from the Rebbe’s sichos, he was pleased with the explanations that were written on a high level and he sent them to be translated into French.
He was limited to Jewish material written in English because he was unable to find translators good enough to translate material from Hebrew into French. One time, a translator told him he could translate from Hebrew into French, but when he came across the term kal v’chomer in a quote from the Mishna, he mistranslated the piece. Another translator, coming across the Yiddish saying, “small as tal u’matar in a small siddur,” which means it is so tiny like those letters in a small siddur, did not know what they meant and he mistranslated it.
TRANSLATING TANYA
INTO FRENCH
In 5728, the Shaar Ha’Yichud V’Ha’Emuna and Igeres HaT’shuva from the Tanya were published in French translation. Like everything that was published by the Lishka, this project was also R’ Refael’s responsibility. He hired a professional, first-rate translator who could translate into French on a very high academic level.
Although he gave him a Tanya which was already translated into English, he sat with the translator and actually learned each chapter with him to ensure that the translation would be correct and accurate. His sons attest that over the length of the project he invested thousands of hours of work into this translation.
Often, after learning a chapter with the translator, when he got the translation into French he saw that the translator hadn’t quite understood it fully. Since R’ Refael wasn’t proficient enough in academic French to correct the translation himself, he would write an explanation in French to the best of his ability and send it to the translator. The translator would try again to convey the material clearly and fluently and would send it back to be checked, and the cycle would start again.
Naturally, at this rate, a lot of time passed since he had begun working on the Tanya and the translation was still not ready to be published. When R’ Binyamin Gorodetzky had yechidus with the Rebbe, the Rebbe asked him to find out why the printing was delayed. When R’ Refael heard about this, he wrote to the Rebbe that it was delayed because he could not fully rely on the translation into English and translate it directly from there because there were some inaccuracies. So he had no choice but to learn each chapter thoroughly with the translator and it took a lot of time. In a long letter he gave some examples of inaccuracies in the English translation.
When R’ Gorodetzky went into the Rebbe with R’ Refael’s letter, the Rebbe responded that he was aware that the English translation was far from perfect but it was impossible to delay for so long, and it was necessary to progress at greater speed even at the expense of a few inaccuracies.
In 5735, the first volume of Tanya was published in French. When R’ Refael sent the Rebbe the first thirty chapters for approval, the Rebbe instructed him to send them to the publisher immediately and referred once again to his response to the letter written years earlier not to delay due to the desire to be extremely exacting.
JOYOUS DESPITE HARDSHIPS
R’ Refael’s personal life wasn’t easy. A few years after he married Zlata, daughter of the Chassid, R’ Alexander Sender Menkin, on 13 Adar 5714 she passed away, leaving three young orphans. With superhuman strength, R’ Refael was able to balance his devotion to his work at the Lishka and his devotion to his children. He was greatly helped by his in-laws who, despite having suffered the loss of two children, a son (Leib Henech) and a daughter, within a few years, devoted themselves to their orphaned grandchildren.
Despite his difficulties in life, R’ Refael was a happy person who brought joy to others. The children of Anash in Paris remember him as the candy man who always gave them a genuine smile and a candy.
To the adults he was the natural person to turn to for advice. People went to his office at the Lishka to pour out their hearts to him, knowing that he would welcome them graciously and listen to their problems and they would leave having been helped. Although he was one of the younger ones in the Chabad community, everyone respected him. They all admired his good heart and wisdom and knew that if they wanted to consult with someone intelligent, about personal matters too, that he was the one.
His parents, Betzalel and Chaya, lived in distant Australia and since he was immersed in work at the Lishka he could not travel to visit them for many years. In 5732, when his son Yosef Yitzchok was on shlichus in Melbourne, his mother expressed her desire that he visit them. When he had yechidus he asked the Rebbe whether he should leave his work at the Lishka and visit his parents. The Rebbe replied: What should I tell you – not to fulfill a mitzva in the ten commandments?
So R’ Refael ordered a ticket and before he went the Rebbe gave him a special letter to give to the askanim in Australia about chinuch.
CONTINUATION OF HIS WORK IN NEW YORK
He married Chava Friedman at the end of 5732. She had three children (Dena, now married to Yechiel Lebovic of Crown Heights; Chana, now married YY Ceitlin, and Avrohom Simcha, shliach in Coral Springs, Florida). They moved to New York.
Someone remained at the Lishka in Paris to take care of the office work there but the actual running of the office continued to be overseen by R’ Refael in New York. From New York he would edit the various publications that the Lishka put out. When the first computers were brought into Empire Press, he would go there after work hours and sit for hours typing the material for Talks and Tales in French. Then he would send the disc to France where the translators turned it into literary French. Then they sent it back to him for final editing. He would lay it out, print it, and then send the completed product to be distributed in France.
R’ Reuven Matusof, who was sent by the Rebbe to the Lishka in 5742, said that when he arrived, R’ Binyamin Gorodetzky pointed at the telephone and said: Call New York to R’ Wilschansky. He is responsible for your work and he will guide you in exactly what you have to do. Indeed, he was regularly in touch with R’ Refael.
R’ Refael was one of the eminent askanim in Crown Heights. He was appointed as a member of the hanhala of Kupas Rabbeinu and was a member of the hanhala ruchni of Ohr Menachem.
In recent months he became sick and he was hospitalized for long periods. Despite his difficult medical condition he retained his dignity and the doctors and nurses who treated him were amazed by his rare sensitivity to others. For example, when they visited his room one of the nurses asked him to drink, and he said: How can we drink without cups? When she showed him a plastic cup she brought for him, he said: But there aren’t cups for everyone!
R’ Refael passed away on 3 Shvat 5776 and is survived by R’ Shneur Zalman – rosh yeshiva of Tomchei T’mimim in Morristown; R’ Yosef Yitzchok – rosh yeshiva of the Chabad yeshivos in Tzfas and Haifa; R’ Chaim Eliyahu – Crown Heights, and Devorah Reicher of Melbourne.