By COLlive reporter
Photos by Zevi Dantzinger / News 24
Antwerp’s Orthodox Jewish community Machsike Hadas has inaugurated a new spiritual leader, Rabbi Aaron Schiff, filling a post that was vacant for five years.
Rabbi Schiff, a Belz chossid who led the Alexander shul in the Belgian city, was welcomed by thousands at a ceremony on Sunday.
Among the wishes, published in the inaugural journal, were two congratulatory letters from Chabad rabbis in Israel and the United States.
“We wish you much success,” wrote the members of Vaad Rabbonei Lubavitch – Rabbi Dovid Schochet of Toronto, Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky and Rabbi Zushe Winner of Brooklyn, Rabbi Leibel Schapiro of Miami and Rabbi Yosef Shusterman of California.
The journal also included a review of the major shuls and organizations in the city, among them Chabad House of Antwerp, directed by Rabbi Shabtai Slavaticki.
A record of Lubavitch Chassidim in Antwerp dates back to the end of the Holocaust when names like Rabbi Shmuel Meir Silverstein and the late Chassidim Rabbi Nissan Nemenov, Rabbi Yehuda Chitrik and Rabbi Saadya Liberow settled in.
In 1973 a Chabad shul, operating only on Shabbos and yomtov, was established by Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Holtzman. Rabbi Slavaticki and his family were sent by the Rebbe to spread Torah and Chassidus in the city in 1977.
Chabad House of Antwerp at its current location on Brialmontlei 48 was inaugurated in 1984, which expanded next door in 2000 with a Yeshiva and smicha program. Another property for a building was recently purchased.
In addition to Machsike Hadas, Antwerp has a second religious council (kehillh) called Shomre Hadass, primarily oriented toward the Modern Orthodox community and led by Chief Rabbi David Moshe Lieberman, a Chabad chossid.
not true hollande is also a kehillo were everybody is friend of everybody. chabad satmer belz litaim aguda.
Antwerp is the only place in the world where ALL the Chassidim, misnagdim and modern othodox, live,work together ,go to shimches from itsh other
Shabtai Slavatitsky,the Shliach, give’s every shabbes afternoon in the summer a shiur for women on pirkayi ovois,and you will not belive the crowd ,where you will found only perheps 8 lubavitche in the mongst of 250 ladies, (in the older days Rav Saadia Liberow was giving a Tanya Shiur for laides on sunday ,and emongs the 30 laides present only 4 where Lubavitsh)
no this is the osten shul, van de nest belongs to the other kehile Shomre hadass and Rabbi Lieberman
Rabbi Schiff’s Election was Like Rabbi Schwai’s (and Rabbi Heller – in 1984) Election with a Yes or No vote, and no other candidate.
just goes to show that all those complaints about Rabbi Schwai’s Elections were nothing more then disgruntled individuals looking for problems.
but eventually the Zabl”o paskend that the “Gantz Yidishe Velt” hold elections this way. and that Rabbi Schwai is Rov!
antwerp was five years without a rov…
nice warm comunity in antwerp!!
where is it? in van de nestlei?
this was posted to make CH residents jealous
Now contrast this to CH oy vay!!
Such magnificence and splendour, majestic holiness, rich in tradition… C’est magnifique! Look how Chabad’s character is personified in different lands around the globe! Go Rabbi Schiff. GO GO!!