THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, Septem ber 12, 1958-36 MR. and MRS. WILLIAM KELLER & FAMILY Militant Misnagdiin Beware! Chabad Has Finally Arrived in Detroit went as far as ex-communicating all persons connected with the sect. After the Gaon's death, the differences between the Hassi- dim and the Misnagdim grew ever more bitter. Judaism would have been ir- revocably split were it not for Shneor-Zalman, who closed the gap between the two sects and made it possible for them to live in harmony. Shneer-Zalman was a student of the Maggid, a disciple of the Besht. Shneor- Zalman was well-educated and thoroughly grounded in the Tal- mud. He was also brought up in the Hassidic tradition. Through him was concluded an uneasy peace, for he took a middle-of-the-road policy, and his followers were known as members of Chabad, the intel- lectual Hassidism. The leadership of Chabad con- tinued on through a succession of Lubavitcher Rebbes, until today, when the movement is based at 770 Eastern Parkway, in New York, the home and headquarters of the present Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Me- nachem Shneerson. The movement came to New York in 1940, with the present Rebbe's predecessor and soon became firmly entrenched in this country, attracting thou- sands of followers. With the present Rebbe, the movement has once again spread to all cor- ners of the world. Representa- tives are sent to remote places, to big cities and small villages to "Proselytize" in winning Jews to Judaism. Detroit has been left pretty much alone. There were a few followers of the Rebbe and the Chabad ideology in town, but no organized program. That changed with the arrival here of Rabbi Beryl Shemtov. Rabbi Shemtov is 25 years old and an American resident for eight years. He grew up in Mos- cow, learning the Torah from teachers who were set to flee out the back door, should there be a knock on the front. Hebrew teachers were severely punished by the Soviet regime, and while most organized religious groups fled, the Lubavitcher Rebbe re- mained to continue his work there, and as was mentioned in a previous Jewish News arti- cle, he was jailed and con- demned to be shot. Through worldwide protests his release was obtained, and the date on which he was freed is still cele- brated as a holiday by his fol- lowers. While all religious activity ai was punished, there was espe- cially severe treatment for mem- bers of the Chabad, or "Shneer- son's Gang" as they were called. The Soviets considered them incorrigible. Shemtov's father was sent to Siberia for his religious activi- ties. He now is a Lubavitcher representative in London, and nobody is saying how he got from Siberia to Britain. Shem- tov himself will not say how it was that he was able to leave the Soviet Union. People are still using the same method he used, so he was understandably reluctant to say just what that method is. From Russia, Shemtov trav- eled through Poland, Austria, I Great Britain, finally coming to r this country in 1951. Two years ago he was in Is- rael for a month, along with nine other Lubavitcher repre- sentatives, to hearten a com- munity in which five children were killed by Fedayeen while davening Maariv in school. The is school was a Lubavitcher voca- tional school, one of many main- tained by the Chabad. Seven months ago, Rabbi Shemtov was married, and he and his wife Basya were sent to Detroit by the Rebbe to estab- lish a foothold here. Among his By NORMAN LEBOW "Chabad" has arrived in De- troit. Of 17617 Santa Rosa It comes in the person of Extend Best Wishes to Their Rabbi Beryl Shemtov. Relatives and Friends What is Chabad and who is For a Joyous New Year Rabbi Shemtov? Chabad is made up of the in- ■1■•■ ■ ■ ■ ■ itial letters of the Hebrew 1 "Chochmah, Binah, Da'as" (wis- I MR. and MRS. understanding and knowl- iSAMUEL J. ROSSEN1 dom, edge). It is the name given to & Family the following of the Lubavitcher i Of 18460 I Rebbe. The history of Chabad San Juan goes back to the 18th century Wish Their Relatives and and Rabbi Shneer-Zalman. Friends A Happy New Year European Jewry was torn asunder by a new movement i••■•■••••■•••■••••w■•0%.../ that was sweeping the Jewish masses. It was Hassidism, Holiday Best Wishes founded by the Baal Shem Tov FRANK'S (abbreviated to "Besh"). It had as its basis a rejection of the STADIUM scholasticism of the period's rabbis. It taught that love of SERVICE God and joy in being his crea- 1715 Michigan ture was above all else. It fos- WO 4-7763 tered mysticism. Opponents of Hassidism charged that Hassidim were re- gret and were foisting ignor- SAUL & BEN ance on the masses, rather than KOSHER MEAT MARKET educating them. The opponents Wish All Their of Hassidism were known as Customers and Friends Misnagdim. A Happy and Prosperous Hassidism was a potent force New Year and would almost surely have 12733 W. 7 MILE RD. become the dominant force of WE DELIVER UN 2-9010 Orthodox Jewry had not several other events taken place. One was the rise to prominence of New Year Greetings the Wilna Gaon, whose own re- FINE-GOLD forms in the conventional Juda- FURRIERS ism of the day no doubt brought Better Ficrs for Less back many persons who other- Coats - Jackets - Capes wise might have been Hassidim. Mode Up in the Latest Styles And he was so deeply respected Cleaning & Storage and admired for his wisdom, 2667 W. Grand Blvd. that his strongly expressed oppo- Bet. Henry Ford Hospital sition to Hassidism was a dam- & 12th St. aging blow. The fight against TR. 2-0637 Hassidism was so bitter that it •111-11.111 IS •• •114•11.1.1•111•11 04111•10 0.111•11.11 11. Ol i 711•11,0.1M-0-11•1111..11111111, 0-111•1111.0.111•0 ■■4■■0-■■ 0-0.0 41114 BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR 11:112r1 r1:11: ;13 stV g,i May the New Year 5719 Bring Peace and Happiness to All Mankind Heartiest Greetings for a HAPPY NEW YEAR to the Jewish Communities Throughout Michigan FOOD FAIR MARKETS other activities, he distributes most of the 350 separate publi- cations put out by the •Merkaz Linyone Chinuch, a Lubavitcher publishing group. The Lubavitcher representa- tives sent out by the Rebbe are a disciplined regiment, brought under the Rebbe's wishes by a self - imposed discipline of re- spect, devotion and love. For Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Shemtov will go back to New York, as do a thousand other disciples scattered across the world. There, they will "Farb. reng" with the Rebbe and wel- come the New Year together with their spiritual leader. New Year Greetings EAGLE MOVING CO. For Moving and Storage 2308 Fenkell UN 3-6068 Our Sincerest Wishes for a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR to Jewish Communities in Michigan, Israel and throughout the world PINSKER PROGRESSIVE AID SOCIETY SAM ROSENBERG, President DAVE WIENER, Vice President Wappy new gear Ben S. Sidlow Agency Insurance For Every Need 18911 James Couzens Highway UNiversity 2-8200 Ben S. Sidlow — Hubert J. Sidlow Franklin I. Sidlow ktilD ?OW; 41 .11h115 1 t3M1/4 [ .. , The Lord hath comforted Zion; He hath comforted all her waste places, And hath made her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness shall be found therein, Thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. —Isaiah 51:3 We greet our relatives and friends on the New Year 5719 with warmest wishes for happiness. Our prayers are that the New Year should bring joy to all Israel and that mankind should be blessed with peace, prosperity and the comforts of life. We especially greet our friends in Mizrachi, the Bar-Ilan University Committee, the Israel Bond Organization, the Allied Jewish Campaign and the Jewish Welfare Federa- tion and all our Fellow-Zionists. A Happy New Year to All STOLLMAN FAMILY