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Remembering The Rebbe
At Lubavitcher Banquet

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their support of older adults
and wishes you
a happy, healthy and
sweet year, 5772

Ronelle Grier

Contributing Writer

S

Nancy giegel Heinrich

President

Carol Rosenberg
Director, Ja. Pound on

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Chief Executive Officer

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September 22 2011

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248-743-1234

erving as the first
Lubavitch emissary in Asia
was not something Rabbi
Marvin Tokayer had planned on
doing with his life, for a number of
reasons. Despite having been sta-
tioned in Japan as a chaplain for the
U.S. Air Force, he spoke no Japanese;
he was not Lubavitch, and he was
An Evening of
engaged to a young Israeli woman
Vision
who did not relish the thought of
& Inspiration
living in such a faraway place.
CHABAD
LUBAVITCH
But the request had come from
OF MICHIGAN
the late Rebbe Menachem Mendel
Schneerson, the revered leader of
the Lubavitch movement, and the
Rebbe was a hard man to refuse.
Referring to the movement as
the "Jewish Peace Corps:' he told
Tokayer about several Jews who had
turned to Eastern religions to fulfill Rabbi Marvin Tokayer
their spiritual needs and urged the
young rabbi to accept this opportunity. religion, he also had a way of making
"The Rebbe told me to 'bring our
whomever he was with feel like the
most important person in the world.
children home'," Tokayer said.
Tokayer's special relationship with
"Those sparkling blue eyes looked
right through me," said Tokayer. "He
Schneerson was the topic of his key-
knew me more than I knew myself. I
note presentation, "My Encounter
with the Rebbe," at the annual com-
was naked before him. For those pre-
cious minutes, he looked me square
munity banquet commemorating
in the eye like he had nothing else to
the 17th yahrtzeit of Schneerson
think about. [It was] beyond words."
earlier this summer at the Shul-
Chabad Lubavitch, Jack and Miriam
After a welcome from Rabbi Kasriel
Shenkman Building, West Bloomfield.
Shemtov of the Shul, Rabbi Daniel
Moscowitz of Chicago talked about
Tokayer told the audience of more
moving from "oy to joy" by following
than 400 people about his time with
the Rebbe's teachings about find-
Schneerson and the impact it had on
his life and his family. He and his new
ing the common soul that all human
beings share.
wife went to Japan in 1968, planning
Other speakers included Rabbi
to stay about two years.
Aryah Kaltmann of Columbus, Ohio,
Their visit lasted 20 years, during
who recognized Rabbi Beryl Shemtov
which time they raised four children.
Tokyo had fewer than 1,000 Jews when of Lubavitch Cheder in Oak Park
they arrived; many were from Siberia,
as "the first shliach [emissary] in
America and my personal mentor,"
Russia, Europe and Iraq. His congre-
and Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice
gation spanned India, Thailand, Hong
chairman of the Lubavitch World
Kong, Singapore and Korea.
Headquarters in New York.
"I went for two years on a leave of
"I thought the event was very inspi-
absence and forgot to come home,"
said Tokayer. "It opened my eyes to the rational and very educational," said
Jerry Beale of West Bloomfield. "It
entire world:'
gave us a tremendous understanding
Now a resident of Great Neck, N.Y.,
of the Rebbe; the energy he had was
Tokayer still travels frequently to Asia
unbelievable."
and India to conduct tours and visit
Musical entertainment was provid-
friends and former congregants. He is
ed by internationally known Chassidic
no longer a member of the Lubavitch
singer Benny Friedman, whose con-
movement, but he maintains that
cert, "Pen of the Soul," included video
his encounters with Schneerson left
and live vocal renditions of several
an indelible impression. Not only
poignant a cappella melodies.
was Schneerson well versed in top-
"It was very moving," said Paula
ics ranging from philosophy, science
Stone of Farmington Hills. 17
and mathematics to archeology and

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