By COLlive reporter
On October 24, 2017 the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held an emergency hearing and ruled in favor of Agudas Chasidei Chabad of United States.
It was part of Chabad’s long-running legal claims against Russia to recover the Schneerson archive and library, seized by the Nazis and held illegally by Russia.
The Court’s ruling on October 24 enabled Chabad to secure the return of one its sacred volumes today.
The emergency hearing was held after Chabad learned that one of its stolen volumes, a volume of the Babylonian Talmud used by the Fourth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel Schneerson, was to be sold on October 31, 2017 at a public auction in Jerusalem.
Chabad was represented by Steven Lieberman, Robert Parker, Jennifer Nock, and Dan McCallum of Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C., and Nathan Lewin and Alyza Lewin of Lewin & Lewin, LLP.
Attorneys for Chabad filed an Emergency Motion for Issuance of a Letter of Request for International Judicial Assistance directed to the Kedem auction house.
The court set a hearing for the morning of October 24, 2017, at which Lieberman and Nat Lewin argued on behalf of Chabad in the case of Agudas Chasidei Chabad of United States v. Russian Federation, et al., No. 05-cv-1548.
Senior U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth granted Chabad’s request at the conclusion of Lieberman’s argument, noting that he hoped “the authorities in Israel will cooperate with this Court’s request and that the plaintiff are able to obtain prompt information that will lead us to further development this week.”
Following the hearing, Chabad informed the auction house of the court’s ruling and demanded that the auction house remove Chabad’s volume from its auction. Late on Thursday, October 26, 2017, the auction house agreed.
Subsequently, on October 30, 2017 in accordance with the court’s ruling in this case, the volume was transferred to the United States Embassy in Israel, where U.S. Ambassador David Friedman met with Chabad’s Rabbi Yosef Aharonov and attorney Nat Lewin and inspected the book.
Official arrangements are now being made for the book to be transferred to the United States, where — after more than a century of separation — it will rejoin the Agudas Chassidei Chabad Library in Brooklyn, New York.
The court stated that “in light of the action of the unanimous Senate and the Russian ambassador’s response” — referring to a February 2017 letter signed by all 100 US Senators to President Putin demanding the return of Chabad’s texts — the United States “needs to reassess” its position and provide the Court with a statement on “their current views” on “how to best get the Court’s order[s] satisfied.”
Attorney Steven Lieberman said he was “very pleased with the decision and the prompt action by the Court. Most importantly, the Court’s action led to a significant breakthrough that allowed Chabad to secure the return of a stolen volume in this case.”
When the rebetzin was asked who did the library belong to. She answered my father and the seforim belong to the chasidim
Number 17 here. Thanks for answering. I did not know that the Rebbe’s calls for a return of sefarim extended to these as well. I suppose that ends the debate there. Thanks for showing me my pragmatism was misplaced in this instance.
Great question, but simple answer. The Rebbe, the leader of Chabad-Lubavitch, that owns the Seforim, reiterated many times over that the Seforim belong here in the Rebbe’s library at tbe rightful place place. Simple, period. Even years ago when there was an opportunity to have the Seforim released for a certain amount of money, there were others with the same approach as yours that were trying to “convince” the Rebbe to agree to it as all the monies were there and ready to go. The Rebbe said NO!, because paying for something that belongs to you just creates the question… Read more »
FOR YEARS THE REBBE CRIED THAT THESE SEFORIM COME BACK !
THIS IS PART OF THE REBBES LIFE!!!!!!!
I am glad they were able to get back the Talmud. I just want to ask why must we persist in the battle with the Russian government. I understand we would rather have the seforim in 770 but chassidim to have access to the sefarim in Russia. Maybe chassidim there can make copies? I am lead to believe that Chabad in Russia can look at the sefarim, it is only the gov’t that doesn’t wish to let them out of the country. With access we can still learn them. Why waste time and money going up against Putin? Just leave… Read more »
Friedman is a great guy, but he had nothing to do with this story and was not one of the tools through whom Hashem acted. Hashem’s tools here were Lamberth and whichever Israeli judge granted his request. Friedman was merely the address to which the gemara was delivered when everything was over.
didan dehaSFORIM notsach
lets all of us get back to learning which is really what 5 teves is about
דידן נצח
מזל טוב.
Absolutely right
But there is bechira chofshi
Kudos to Trump and Friedman for succeeding in G-D’s Plan
Appreciation and Thanks never goes amiss
Sad that your religiosity stand in the way of such recognition
Yasher koach Cohen and special thanks to The Cunins who know how to get things done and Rochel Imeinu😆🙆👍👍👍
Great victory should lead to
More victory!
Thank you all involved.
Correction: Hashem once again saved the day through one of His tools…
Have a nice day!
Stop commenting and start dancing
Didan notsach
And what about the rest of the Seforim?
How did kedem auction house get a hold of this??
because that’s where they belong!
iyh the rest should follow speedily!
Trump appointed Friedman. Trump once again saves the day!
Thank you President Trump!
May the rest follow suit bimhero biyomeinu.