Chabad’s Lawyer Returns to 770

By COLlive reporter

Veteran attorney Nathan Lewin, one of Chabad’s main lawyers in the federal court case over ownership of the Chabad library, visited Lubavitch Headquarters in Brooklyn on entering the 30th anniversary of the case.

Lewin paid a visit to the Agudas Chassidei Chabad Library, adjacent to 770 Eastern Parkway, home to books and manuscripts that were declared by the U.S. Federal Court in 1987 as the property of the movement.

The ruling was based on the idea that a Rebbe is not a private individual but a communal figure synonymous with the body of Chassidim, Chabad.org notes. The Rebbe urged that the occasion be marked with time devoted to study as well as the acquisition of new Torah books.

Later, Lewin visited the Bais Rivkah girls high school and spoke to the students about the history of the case and highlighting important aspects of the case.

Lewin described how the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, the Rebbe’s wife, gave a “magnificent disposition” and told of a document written by the Previous Rebbe which turned out to be key evidence in the case.

He was introduced by Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, Chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad International, who also accompanied the attorney to the Rebbe’s Ohel in Queens.

Later, Lewin returned to Crown Heights to be the guest speaker at the Central Hei Teves Farbrengen organized by Agudas Chassidei Chabad at Campus Chomesh – Beis Rivkah.