By the Grace of G-d Isru-Chag, 24th of Tishrei, 5738Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

I am in receipt of your letter . . . in which you ask as to how much the Chabad movement has succeeded in counteracting the work of the various freak movements that alienate Jews from Yiddishkeit, etc.

Needless to say, to save Jews from such perils is not the exclusive duty of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, or any particular Jewish group, but it is the duty of every Jew who is concerned about Jewish survival. However, I can assure you that by doing this work with the proper approach of true sincerity and affection, while at the same time showing a living example of what Jewish commitment to Yiddishkeit means, has proven highly successful.

Moreover, even those who, for one reason or another, are not in a position to undertake direct action to counteract the dangerous influences of which you speak in your letter can, nevertheless, do a great deal by the very fact of showing a living and shining example of Yiddishkeit. People do not live in a vacuum, and one is bound to have an influence on others in the environment.

Needless to say, there is always room for advancement in all matters of goodness and holiness, Torah and Mitzvoth, which are infinite, being derived from the infinite.

I need hardly add that the purpose of this letter is not just to sermonize, but simply to encourage you and those on whom you can have an influence, to strengthen your own commitment to Yiddishkeit in the daily life, which is something that does not depend on others, and is assured of Hatzlacha, provided there is a firm will and determination. And considering that all Jews constitute one organism, one body, where a benefit to any part of it is a benefit to the whole, every additional effort in matters of Yiddishkeit, Torah and Mitzvoth, on your part, and by others, is bound to strengthen indirectly the general wellbeing of the Jewish people as a whole, in addition to the direct influence that such daily conduct has on all around.

With blessing,