B. H.8th of Cheshvan, 5736 Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

Your letter reached me with some delay. In it you write about the activities of Chabad vis-a-vis those of the National Council of Young Israel.

Needless to say, I was greatly surprised at the contents of the letter. Though the allegations seemed incredible, I directed my office that they be investigated and the results reported. This is one of the reasons why my acknowledgement and reply to your letter has been delayed.

By now you have also received information direct from the sources, namely the localities mentioned in your letter, and the information has no doubt cleared up your apparent misinformation and misconceptions. There is thus no need for me to go over the same ground.

I would like, however, to take this opportunity to bring to your attention several relevant points.

The Chabad emissaries who are sent to various parts of the country to revitalize Yiddishkeit are generally capable and energetic young men, all of whom — perhaps with very few exceptions — could have obtained easier and better positions elsewhere — better not only in terms of remuneration, but also, and more importantly, in terms of Jewish environment, with less problems about keeping Yiddishkeit with all the hiddurim they are used to and about the chinuch of their children, etc. Nevertheless, they forego all these advantages (material and spiritual) in the hope that they can accomplish something in bringing new life into stagnant and deteriorating states of Yiddishkeit in places where there had been askonim and spiritual leaders, but these had abandoned their flock, removing themselves to larger Jewish centers in order to facilitate their own circumstances Jewishly, or also out of other considerations. Deprived of their leadership and encouragement, those left behind quickly moved away from Yiddishkeit. I am not speaking about askonim and balebattim who do not appreciate the importance of Yiddishkeit, but of such that are well aware of it and aware also that “He who saves a single Jewish life is deemed to have saved a whole world.”¹ Yet, apparently, they had no qualms about deserting the battlefield, leaving those behind to G-d’s own care.

Knowing the National Council of Young Israel and its leadership, it has always been my impression that one of the primary aims and responsibilities of the Young Israel rabbinic and lay leadership was to spread Yiddishkeit and not to leave small communities for larger ones for their own betterment. If in the small town there are problems about cholov Yisrael, pas-akum or even in regard to the number of Shomrei Shabbos — this should be an additional reason why Young Israelites should not abandon the place, but consider it a challenge to make it as nearly desirable as possible. For in our supersonic jet age, the road from giving up Cholov Yisroel to intermarriage, G-d forbid, has been greatly shortened.

Moreover, I had also hoped that the National Council of Young Israel would consistently reinforce their men at the frontiers by sending additional reserves from New York and other large centers to volunteer, at any rate for a few years, in the army of Tzivos haShem, taking their families with them and setting up home in small Jewish communities, with the view of revitalizing Yiddishkeit there by example and precept, with some degree of selflessness, motivated only by the Golden Rule of our Torah, v’ohavto lre’acho komocho.²

I have, of course, inquired as to what Y.I. has been doing in the said direction in the so-called provincial towns and outlying communities, but I am sorry to say that, according to my information, the record leaves much to be desired. I do not wish to put it in stronger terms and let us simply call it an understatement.

In light of all this, it is rather ironic, to say the least, to receive a letter of complaint based on allegations that Chabad is engaged in willfully encroaching upon and undermining Y.I. activities in various places, etc. etc. But since the record has already been set straight, as already mentioned, this is not the purpose of my letter.

As a matter of fact, one of the reasons for my writing this letter in the first place is this: In view of the difficulties and tribulations which our Chabad emissaries experience in their posts, sometimes compounded also by the lack of cooperation and encouragement from local askanim Yirei-shomayim, some of whom even sending their children out of town rather than to a Chabad-founded school, etc., our emissaries rightly ask, why did they have to leave their parents and sviva, etc., to valger sich in some remote place, while local balebattim, who should know better, apparently could not care less for the future of their fellow Jews and their community?

A copy of your letter would hardly restore their confidence. But I would like to hear from you as to what I could reply to the said legitimate complaint of our emissaries.

I am not interested in polemics. But it would be reassuring to hear that the National Council of Young Israel has adopted, or is implementing, a policy of sending urgently some of their forces and the flower of their energetic youths to take up positions in the battlefields for Jewish survival. Time is of the utmost essence, for every moment that the arrival of such reinforcements is delayed could mean an irretrievable loss of Jewish boys and girls, and some adults, too. No further elaboration is necessary.

With blessing,

I do not intend sending copies of my letter to the correspondents listed in your letter, but I leave it to your discretion.