The year was 5711. Chabad was reeling, with the Holocaust in fresh memory, countless chassidim murdered or trapped by the Soviets, and the passing of the Frierdiker Rebbe just a year before. But the Rebbe, who had accepted the leadership of Chabad earlier that year, was looking to the future.
“It would be advisable for you to explore the possibilities of also establishing institutions there (in the Holy Land) that would join the network of educational institutions…called “Oholei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch” after the [Frierdiker] Rebbe, my father-in-law,” the Rebbe wrote to the famed Chabad activist Reb Zushe Wilmovsky, in a letter dated 5 Tammuz, 5711, exactly 74 years ago.
Building a network of schools, especially in Israel of the time, and with Chabad’s financial constraints, seemed utterly impossible. But, when the Rebbe asks, chassidim do. And by the end of that summer, the network, or “Reshet” opened their first Oholei Yosef Yitzchok schools.
The Rebbe was intimately involved in everything that went on at the Reshet during its first few years. Even as it continued to grow and flourish, the Rebbe held it close to his heart, cherishing the educational network that bore the name of his sacred father-in-law, the Frierdiker Rebbe. Every year, on Yud Beis Tammuz, the Rebbe would hold a magbis [appeal] for the Reshet, asking chassidim to donate, and giving incredible brachos to those that did.
As the decades passed, the needs of the general population changed, and with it, the Reshet changed to meet their needs. A new, young and energetic team joined the administration of the Reshet and formed it into a “Ministry of Education” of sorts, with separate schools tracks to meet the needs of each unique demographic – non-religious, traditional, charedi, Chabad – all while adhering to the Rebbe’s vision.
This year, the Reshet is launching a special campaign from Gimmel Tammuz through Yud Beis Tammuz, Ten Days of Connection.
These ten days, bridging two deeply significant dates on the Chabad calendar, are a powerful opportunity to fulfill the Rebbe’s heartfelt request: to connect with him and give back for the boundless love and brachos he has given us.
Surely, the Rebbe will continue to grant his brachos to each and every donor, just as he did ever year during the Yud Beis Tammuz farbrengen.
Donate today, on the very day that Reshet Oholei Yosef Yitzchok was founded!
>> Win 2 tickets to Israel!
To donate, and fulfill the Rebbe’s request: TheRebbesMagbis.com.
Read the entire story of Reb Zushe in his book:
The Partisan