Meron Claims Another Victim as Shlomo Rotenberg, 22, who was to be married next week Killed in Car Accident on his Way Back from Meron

 

We must ask ourselves whether R' Shimon ben Yochai really wants us there!

The man killed in a Monday car accident on Route 90 has been identified as Shlomo Rotenberg, a 22-year-old who was to be married next week.

Rotenberg's wedding had been scheduled for next Wednesday and was to be held in the Heichalei Malchut hall in Bnei Brak.

According to his friends, he traveled to Meron on Monday to pray at the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), ahead of his wedding. The accident occurred as he was traveling back home.

In the accident, which occurred on Route 90 near Al-Auja in the Jericho area, a truck rammed into Rotenberg's vehicle. Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics declared Rotenberg's death at the scene and provided medical treatment to the truck driver, who had suffered light injuries.

Rotenberg's body was extracted from his vehicle by firefighters from the Samaria Regional Station. Fireman officer Yossi Dahari, who was the shift manager, said: "When we arrived at the scene of the incident, we discovered a very difficult scene - that of a road accident between a private vehicle and a truck, in which the private vehicle was ripped apart from the force of the impact, and it's driver was in his seat and no longer looked human."

"Medical forces declared the vehicle's driver dead. Afterwards, we began difficult and complex extraction operations...in order to extract the dead man's body with a maximum of care and sensitivity for corpse."

Magen David Adom paradmedics Roman Belman and Daniel Mossai said: "We saw that there had been a very serious accident between a private car and a truck. The car was completely crushed, and a man in his 30s was trapped in it. We conducted medical examinations but he had no signs of life and we declared his death at the scene. The truck driver was treated at the scene and evacuated to Emek Medical Center in light condition."

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Despite concerns, flag march will go ahead as planned

 

by Yoav Limor

Within the first 48 hours of its inception, Naftali Bennett's new government is facing its first security-diplomatic test. The so-called flag march set to take place Tuesday evening in Jerusalem has the potential to spark a possible escalation in the south and as a result – a political crisis.

Despite this, and perhaps because of it, new Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev decision to approve the parade was the correct choice. The Bennett government doesn't want to begin its tenure by caving to a Hamas ultimatum. Doing so would put it in an uncomfortable position, as the perception would be one of weakness both externally and internally.

Across the board, therefore, the professional opinion was that the march must go ahead. However, similar to last week – when the march was postponed due to recommendations from these very officials – the decision was made to hold the march but to alter its route to minimize friction with the city's Palestinian population. Hence the parade will not pass through Damascus Gate; the marchers will be allowed to dance and celebrate in the plaza outside the Old City and then walk along the outer walls toward Jaffa Gate, enter the Old City from there, and then make their way to the Western Wall.

This is a reasonable route, which on one hand takes into account the right to freedom of movement and the need to express Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, and on the other hand the security needs and desire to avoid a provocation that could instigate violent riots in Jerusalem and beyond. It will allow Israel to claim it did not bow to ultimatums and threats, while the Palestinians will be able to say they "prevented harm to Al-Aqsa."

Naturally, the march will require the attention of the defense establishment. While the police will secure the marchers with extra units, the IDF and Shin Bet will look to the south in anticipation of a possible response from Hamas. The previous flag march, on Jerusalem Day, was disrupted by missile fire at the city, which led to Operation Guardian of the Walls. This time, the belief is that Hamas is deterred and won't act in such a brazen manner; and that if it does react – and defense officials disagree whether Hamas will respond with words only or with action – it will opt for something relatively minor in scope, such as launching incendiary balloons or a single rocket (which will likely be fired by some recalcitrant group), to ingrain the idea of its connection to Jerusalem.

Israel has already declared it will view any action of this sort as a gross violation of the ceasefire and will respond harshly. The response threshold approved by the outgoing government, following sweeping recommendations from defense officials, is to henceforth respond disproportionately to any act of aggression from Gaza to establish and maintain strong deterrence against Hamas.

This outline could be put to the test on Tuesday evening, although it's reasonable to assume that decision-makers in both Israel and Gaza don't want matters to escalate to the point of a broad conflagration. The sides are supposed to begin long-term ceasefire talks soon, but the gaps are considerable and the Israeli demand to condition any progress on resolving the matter of its captive fallen soldiers and living civilians does not portend imminent progress. This will most likely result in growing aggravation in Gaza (also due to the blockage of Qatari cash), which Hamas could soon express by seeking to raise tensions, in a controlled manner, in the south.

This will obligate Israel, at some point, to "go crazy" on Gaza. This will be one of the new government's first challenges, which it should only seek to tackle after discussions and defining a clear strategy and at the time of its choosing (not when Hamas decides). Israel, therefore, needs to get through the event as peaceably as possible and move forward, fully aware that the next test on the Gaza front is already just around the corner.

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JEWISH COMMUNISTS GANG UP ON ISRAEL AT CCNY

 

The union representing CUNY professors has passed a one-sided resolution rebuking Israel for recent attacks on Palestinians — adding that it may support the movement to boycott and divest from the Jewish state. 

The Professional Staff Congress’ resolution conspicuously omits any mention of Hamas launching rockets into residential areas of Israel during last month’s confrontations between the warring sides. Instead, the resolution says, “PSC-CUNY condemns the massacre of Palestinians by the Israeli state’’ — while decrying Israel’s “expansionism and violent incursions into occupied territories.” PSC-CUNY “cannot be silent about the continued subjection of Palestinians to the state-supported displacement, occupation, and use of lethal force by Israel,’’ the missive says. 

It adds that the Palestinian struggle for “self determination” is akin to the struggles of “indigenous people and people of color in the United States” and blacks in apartheid South Africa. 

The statement drew outrage within and outside the City University of New York. Jeff Wiesenfeld, who served as a CUNY governing-board trustee from 1999 to 2013, told The Post, “I resolve to condemn the racist, anti-Semitic and academically useless PSC of CUNY, which serves only to poison the minds of future leaders inside and outside the classroom and thus further degrade a CUNY degree to its former state of complete devaluation.”

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The Blue State Exodus: How Americans fled cities in New York and California for Republican states of Arizona, Idaho and the Sun Belt

 

The pandemic saw people leave Democratic blue states in droves and head towards sunnier climes in the red states of the south to escape the strict lockdowns and spiraling crime.

A migration report from moving company North American Moving Services found those living in the states of New York, California, Illinois, New Jersey and Maryland headed for Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Idaho. 

Four of the top seven states people were fleeing were located in the Northeast where the pandemic stuck first.

The company say Phoenix, Houston and Dallas were the top three cities welcoming new residents while New York City, Anaheim and San Diego in California saw the highest numbers of people leave.

The move away from the likes of New York was driven, in part, by an increased fear of living in densely populated cities amid the pandemic. 

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Ilhan Omar Latest Anti-Semitic Retweet!

 

Omar retweets video by anti-Israel group investigated by FBI for possible terrorism ties https://t.co/Nq6lW4Pk86

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 13, 2021

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The "Clinton Curse" Claims another Victim ...

I know what you’re thinking. pic.twitter.com/02wTnW0rfp

— 🇺🇸Lionel🇺🇸 (@LionelMedia) June 14, 2021

 

Reporter Who Broke Story Of 2016 Bill Clinton-Loretta Lynch Secret Tarmac Meeting Found Dead Of Apparent Suicidehttps://t.co/si6tnFT17Y

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 13, 2021

The Alabama TV reporter who died of an apparent suicide at the weekend revealed a year ago that he and his family had received death threats after he broke news of the secret 2016 tarmac meeting between Bill Clinton and then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Christopher Sign, 45, was found dead in his home in Hoover, just outside Birmingham, on Saturday. 

Police are investigating the father-of-three's death as a suicide but have not released any further information. 

Sign was the first to report on President Clinton's meeting with Lynch back in 2016 on her private jet at Phoenix airport amid the ongoing investigation into whether Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while Secretary of State was illegal. 

Days after the meeting, the FBI chose not to bring criminal charges against Hillary. 

Sign revealed in an interview with Fox News back in February last year that he and his family received death threats and his credit cards were hacked in the aftermath.

Sign was the first to report on President Clinton's meeting with Lynch back in 2016 on her private jet at Phoenix airport amid the ongoing investigation into whether Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while Secretary of State was illegal. 

Days after the meeting, the FBI chose not to bring criminal charges against Hillary. 

Sign revealed in an interview with Fox News back in February last year that he and his family received death threats and his credit cards were hacked in the aftermath.

 'My family received significant death threats shortly after breaking this story,' Sign said in the interview to promote his book, titled 'Secret on the Tarmac', about the meeting. 

Sign said he and his wife Laura had prepared their three young children in case something happened by giving them 'secret code words', adding that 'they know what to do'. 

'That's why I came back to... Birmingham because when I was enduring the death threats it was my former Alabama football family - my teammates, my coaches - who circled around me.' 

The story that led to the death threats had alleged that Clinton and Lynch met on her private jet to speak about the email investigation into Hillary amid the 2016 election campaign. 

Clinton and Lynch later claimed it was an impromptu friendly chat. 

'We knew something had occurred that was a bit unusual. It was a planned meeting. It was not a coincidence,' Sign said in an interview about the meeting. 

Donald Trump tweeted at the time his story broke: 'Does anybody really believe that Bill Clinton and the U.S.A.G. talked only about 'grandkids' and golf for 37 minutes in plane on tarmac?'

After news of the meeting broke, Lynch was required to outline what happened to then Justice Department Inspector Michael Horowitz and to lawmakers behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. 

+8

Police are investigating the father-of-three's death as a suicide but have not released any further information. Sign is survived by his wife and their three young boys 

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Obligation to wear masks indoors abolished as of Today in Israel

 

The Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levi, has signed an order that officially abolishes the obligation to wear masks indoors.

Starting Tuesday, it will be mandatory to wear masks only in the following cases: unvaccinated guests and workers in welfare institutions, in health institutions for prolonged hospitalization and institutions for the elderly, people in isolation who are on the way to the place of isolation and people on flights.

The Ministry of Education has announced that students, teaching staff and education staff will also be exempt from wearing masks in closed buildings, including classrooms and teachers' rooms.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that the removal of the coronavirus restrictions in the will be postponed for a month.

"We will have built up a very considerable wall of immunity around the whole of the population, and at that stage, on the basis of the evidence that I can see now, I’m confident that we will be able to go forward with the ... full opening," he told a news conference.

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Dov Lipman ousted from World Confederation of United Zionists

 The World Confederation of United Zionists, one of several groupings within the World Zionist Organization, let go of its secretary-general, American-born Rabbi Dov Lipman, citing his dispute with two women who say he sexually harassed them.

Haaretz, which first broke the story of the harassment allegations, reported Monday that the confederation’s chairman, David Yaari, notified the World Zionist Organization of Lipman’s departure last month after the allegations were made public.

“Given the grave allegations against former MK Dov Lipman, it was decided to part ways in order to focus on CUZ’s vital work within the global Zionist forum,” Yarri told Haaretz in a statement.

Lipman, who is from the Washington, D.C., area, is a former Knesset member from the Yesh Atid party.

He denied to Haaretz that he had been fired, saying he had left of his own accord to devote more time to helping new immigrants to Israel settle and assimilate, the work he is best known for.

Lipman has denied the harassment allegations, which first arose on a private Facebook page. He has sued the two women making the accusations, and they have countersued.

The two women, like Lipman, are members of the Modern Orthodox community in Beit Shemesh, a city near Jerusalem. They said the harassment occurred when they and Lipman were part of a movement to push back against haredi Orthodox harassment of Modern Orthodox women and girls in the city over modesty and other perceived religious infractions.

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Benjamin Netanyahu blasts Biden on his way out of office

Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday blasted President Biden’s policy approach to Iran in a “scorched earth” final address to the parliament — comparing the US return to the Iran nuclear deal to President Franklin Roosevelt declining to bomb the train tracks to Auschwitz when he had the opportunity. 

In his last Knesset address as prime minister, a defiant Netanyahu spoke for more than half an hour, declaring that he would no longer keep his foreign policy disagreements with the Biden administration “behind closed doors.”

“The new US administration requested that I save our disagreements on the Iran nuclear deal for behind closed doors, and not share them publicly,” Netanyahu said Sunday, according to the Times of Israel. “I told them I won’t act that way.” 

“In 1944, at the height of the Holocaust, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt refused to bomb the railway leading to the extermination camps, and refused to bomb the gas chambers, which could have saved millions of our people. We hoped for others to save us, and they didn’t come. In the face of the threat of extermination, we were helpless,” he went on.

“Our voice was not heard among the nations. We had neither a state or an army. But today we do have a voice. We do have a state, and we do have defensive power.”

The prime minister was ousted Sunday, when the parliament voted to install a new government after Netanyahu in March failed to form a government after elections. Naftali Bennett, who is reportedly opposed to the Iran deal, will serve two years as prime minister, and will be replaced in 2023 by centrist Yair Lapid, according to the agreement. 

Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister since 2009, accused the new coalition taking over of not being ready and able to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

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‘Even North Korea is not this nuts’: Defector slams ‘woke’ Columbia University

 

A North Korean defector said she viewed the US as country of free thought and free speech – until she went to college here.

Yeonmi Park attended Columbia University and was immediately struck by what she viewed anti-Western sentiment in the classroom and a focus on political correctness that had her thinking “even North Korea isn’t this nuts.”

“I expected that I was paying this fortune, all this time and energy, to learn how to think. But they are forcing you to think the way they want you to think,” Park told Fox News. “I realized, wow, this is insane. I thought America was different but I saw so many similarities to what I saw in North Korea that I started worrying.”

The 27-year-old told The Post that she could’t believe she would be asked to do “this much censoring of myself” at a university in the United States. 

“I literally crossed the Gobi Desert to be free and I realized I’m not free, America’s not free,” she said.   

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World Leaders Laugh at Biden's Gaffe at G-7

Biden's really going to appreciate that repeated arm in the face 'shut up' gesture. Watch with the sound off.

 

Boris Johnson insists to Joe Biden that he already introduced the president of South Africa to a G7 meeting.

Read the latest from the G7 here: https://t.co/LLt2KjJhOE pic.twitter.com/mjwKvbvDo6

— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 13, 2021

President Biden embarrassed himself at the G-7 summit when he tried to correct British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for not introducing “the president of South Africa” — even though Johnson already did so by name.

The blooper — one of several Biden made amid the series of meetings with world leaders — prompted laughter at his expense at the start of a roundtable discussion in Cornwall, England.

The awkward incident took place on Saturday, according to Sky News, which posted a video clip and a transcript online.

After mentioning how the visiting dignitaries had brought “some pretty spectacular weather with them,” Johnson introduced Indian President Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

At that point, Biden — seated between Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron — interjected.

“And the president of South Africa,” Biden, 78, said while pointing across the table.

Apparently taken aback, Johnson said, “And, and, and the president of South Africa…as I said early on.”

“Oh, he did?” Biden said, looking befuddled as his words trailed off.

“I did…I certainly did,” Johnson said.

Those around the table then began laughing and Macron turned to Ramaphosa.

“You get a mention twice, Cyril,” he said.

On Friday, The Jewish Voice also posted a video clip of Biden being asked a question by a reporter who shouted, “How are your meetings going in Cornwall, Mr. President?” as he walked across a patio.

Biden stopped and said, “I beg your pardon?” then answered, “Very well,” after the reporter repeated the question.

The interaction prompted First Lady Jill Biden to scold her husband, saying “Joe! Come on!” as she waved him over amid laughs from onlookers.

Jill Biden then took the president’s hand and led him away.

And a Sunday news conference at Cornwall Airport Newquay was marked by several Biden gaffes, including repeated references to the international COVAX vaccine-distribution program as “COVID” — which the White House corrected, using brackets, in its official transcript of the event.

Biden also mixed up Syria and Libya three times during the news conference, including when he said, “I’m hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in, for example, in Libya,” Fox News reported.

And during a Q&A session with reporters, Biden admitted that “I’m going to get in trouble with staff” if he strayed from instructions that directed him to give the first question to Jonathan Lemire of The Associated Press, a frequent guest on liberal cable news network MSNBC.

“Now, why don’t I take some of your questions? And I’m told, Jonathan, I’m supposed to talk — recognize you first,” Biden said.

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Putin Likens Russian Crackdown To Arresting Capitol Rioters

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is to meet President Joe Biden at a summit Wednesday, has suggested that the hundreds of people arrested for rioting at the U.S. Capitol are being subjected to “persecution for political opinions.”

Putin is likely to come under strong criticism from Biden at their meeting in Geneva for moves against his political opponents in Russia, particularly the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the detention of thousands of demonstrators protesting his arrest, and the outlawing of Navalny’s organizations as extremist.

“You are presenting it as dissent and intolerance toward dissent in Russia. We view it completely differently,” he said in an interview with NBC News broadcast Monday. He then pointed to the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington when protesters barged into the Capitol to try to halt the count of electoral votes to certify Biden’s election victory over Donald Trump.

“Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress? … They came there with political demands,” he said.

Although the protests that erupted across Russia after Navalny’s arrest in January were unsanctioned, demonstrators were largely peaceful and did not enter government buildings or cause significant property damage, unlike the Capitol riot.

Putin also reiterated denials that the Kremlin was behind last year’s poisoning of Navalny with a nerve agent that nearly killed him.

“We don’t have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody,” Putin said.

“Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman?” Putin said, referring to Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through a window that led to the House floor.

Putin also sharply dismissed allegations that Russia is carrying out cyberattacks against the United States as baseless.

“Where is the evidence? Where is proof? It’s becoming farcical,” Putin said. “We have been accused of all kinds of things — election interference, cyberattacks and so on and so forth — and not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof, just unfounded accusations.”

In April, the United States announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and new sanctions connected to the so-called SolarWinds cyberattack in which several U.S. government branches experienced data breaches. U.S. officials blamed the Russian foreign intelligence service.

In May, Microsoft officials said the foreign intelligence service appeared to be linked to an attack on a company providing services to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

At the summit, Biden also is expected to raise the case of two Americans imprisoned in Russia: Paul Whelan, who was convicted of espionage, and Trevor Reed, convicted of assaulting police while drunk. U.S. officials say both were convicted in biased trials on flimsy evidence.

Putin said of Reed, a 29-year-old former Marine: “He’s just a drunk and a troublemaker.”

Putin brushed off one possible source of tension in the upcoming summit: Biden’s claim that he once told Putin he considered the Russian leader soulless.

“I do not remember this particular part of our conversations,” Putin said.

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1st Day Of New Gov’t: Benny Gantz Submits Meron Inquiry Proposal

 

On the first day of the new Bennett-Lapid government on Monday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz submitted a proposal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the Meron disaster.

The proposal is identical to the proposal Gantz submitted to the previous government.

The new government’s coalition agreements called for a proposal for a state inquiry to be presented and approved at its very first meeting.

“This is a moral and ethical obligation for the families but no less important, it is a matter of an obligation to investigate [the disaster] and prevent such tragic incidents in the future,” the proposal stated.

The estimated cost of managing and operating a commission of inquiry is about NIS 5 million a year.

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Zip Codes With Frum Communities Are Lowest Vaccinated Rates In NYC; Monsey Lowest In Entire State

 

Zip codes with strong Orthodox Jewish populations are among the lowest vaccinated rates in New York.

NY Governor Cuomo announced on Monday that seven zip codes are the lowest rates are in NYC:

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is the lowest in NYC with a 32.7% vaccination rate.

Ocean Hill and Far Rockaway, Queens, both have a 33.4% rate.

Canarsie, Brooklyn, has a 34.3% rate, Crown Heights 35.3%, and Brownsville and Borough Park are both at 35.8%.

The lowest vaccinated rate in the entire New York State is in Monsey, coming in with a 17.8% rate.

Other Hudson Valley municipalities among the 25 fewest vaccinated in New York include Monroe at 29.3 percent and Spring Valley at 29.3 percent.

In a Monday afternoon tweet, Cuomo wrote “We are just 0.1% away from our goal of 70% of adult New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose. When we hit 70%, most remaining COVID restrictions will be lifted. We are so close—help us get there sooner by getting vaccinated!”

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She wept loudly, “how could I abandon my People?”

This appeared in last week's TorahTidbits

by Judah Mischel

It was 1946 and R’ Chaim Tzvi Schwartz, a young survivor and Munkatcher chasid who had lost his family in the war, was in search of direction and chizuk. He went to meet with Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak, the Frierdiker (Previous) Lubavitcher Rebbe in NewYork. The Frierdiker Rebbe blessed him and referred R’ Chaim Tzvi to his dynamic son-in-law and future successor, Reb Men- achem Mendel Schneerson. The meeting with the Rebbe’s son-in-law led him on an unexpected personal and professional path, as Reb Menachem Mendel suggested that he move to Brazil to serve the Jewish refugees settling there: “You will play a role in strengthening Jewish identity and encouraging mitzvah observance in Brazil.”

R’ Chaim Tzvi accepted the shlichus and embarked on a lifelong mission to assist in rebuilding Yiddishkeit for a community of survivors in Brazil, founding a school, shul and community service organizations. A year after the passing of the Frierdiker Rebbe in 1950, Reb Menachem Mendel assumed leadership of the Lubavitchmovement and became Rebbe. From time to time, Rabbi Schwartz would seek the Rebbe’s advice on various communal issues, and over the years they maintained an infrequent but warm contact. Though he was filled with gratitude for the Rebbe’s advice and was an avid admirer — even carrying a small photo of the Rebbe in his wallet — R’ Chaim Tzvi did not identify as a Lubavitcher, and it would be many years until he fully appreciated the Rebbe’s vision and reach.

R’ Chaim Tzvi once related an incident to Rabbi Aaron Dov Halperin, the founder and long-time editor of Kfar Chabad maga- zine. A Brazilian Jewish family had reached out to him concerning their oldest daugh- ter who had fallen in love and become engaged to a gentile. The parents had tried everything to dissuade her, but to no avail, and in desperation turned to R’ Chaim Tzvi, the local rabbi.

“I took the address from her parents and went to meet her that evening. While visibly annoyed to learn of my mission, she was well mannered and respectful; we ended up speaking for several hours. The conversation was heated but polite; she didn’t show much interest in Jewish tradition, and she remained dead set on marrying her fiance. I didn’t feel like I had made much progress. For several days after that, I racked my brain, trying to think of what might possibly be done to prevent the intermarriage. Finally I decided to take a chance and call the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

“I picked up the phone, rang Rabbi Hodakov, the Rebbe’s secretary, related the details of the entire affair, and requested the Rebbe’s advice on how to proceed. I expressed my gratitude and hung up. Moments later, my phone rang. It was Rabbi Hodakov: ‘The Rebbe says to go back to the young woman and tell her that there is a Jew in Brooklyn who cannot sleep at night because she intends to marry a non-Jew.’

“Confused about the meaning of Rabbi Hodakov’s remark, I stammered, ‘Wait... What? Who? Which Jew cannot sleep?’ I then heard the Rebbe’s own voice speak- ing: ‘Tell her that his name is Mendel Schneerson.’

“After gingerly returning the receiver to its cradle, I was even more confused than before. Perhaps the Rebbe misunderstood how adamant the bride-to-be was. Maybe he didn’t fully grasp her indifference to Jewish tradition. Could I actually follow through with such a strange course of action? On the other hand... how could I not?

“Early the next morning, I was at her door. Before I could even say hello, she began snapping at me: ‘Listen, I was cour- teous and heard you out as a man of faith and out of respect to my parents. But how I choose to live my life is my business. I am getting married this weekend, and that is final. Please stop bothering me and leave me alone!’

“I took a deep breath, braced myself. ‘I’m so sorry... I just need to say one more thing. There is a Jew in Brooklyn who cannot sleep at night because you intend to marry a non-Jew.’

“As she was preparing to slam the door on my face, she stopped abruptly. ‘What did you say? What are you talking about? Who is this Jew?’

“Swallowing, I managed to squeeze the words out of my mouth: ‘There is a tzadik in Brooklyn, New York, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe. His name is RebbeMenachem Mendel Schneerson... He is known to be personally concerned about the material and spiritual wellbeing of every Jew, and agonizes over every soul that is lost to its People... He asked me to come here again today to tell you that he can’t sleep....’”

Visibly shaken, the young woman asked, “What does he look like? Maybe you have a picture of him?” After years of counter-in- tuitively carrying a small black and white photo of the Rebbe in his wallet, R’ Chaim Tzvi swiftly removed it and handed it over. With one glance at the Rebbe’s likeness, her face turned pale. “It’s him!” she whispered,

and began to weep.
“All week long this man has been appearing in my dreams! His piercing stare is unmistakable... Every night I wake up startled seeing his eyes filled with tears. I told myself that the dream came from ‘cold feet’, or that I was just over-reacting to my parents’ pressure and conjuring up an image of a Jewish sage... In my entire life I have never seen or met this man, nor even heard his name. But those eyes...

“I don’t know what he wants from me! And I don’t know the first thing about being Jewish... but...,” she wept loudly, “how could I abandon my People?”

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