By COLlive reporter
As a large crowd was welcomed to the 6th annual Yud Tes Kislev event for Anglos at the prestigious David Citadel in Jerusalem, it was apparent that the event by Chabad of Talbiya- Mamilla was established as a fixture in the Jerusalem calendar in the same way as the lighting of the Chanukia in Mamilla.
President Reuven Rivlin sent a very warm and complimentary tribute to Rabbi Eli and Chanie Canterman, shluchim to Talbiya/Mimilla and to shluchim around the globe.
The acknowledgment, read by Mr. Arthur Fogel, was met with great applause. The President also made reference to his father, whom the Rebbe encouraged to print the books and writings of Reb Elya Yosef Rivlin, Patriarch of the Rivlin family who lived in Chevron.
Yud Tes Kislev celebrates the release of the Alter Rebbe, Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi from incarceration in Russia. No date could have been more appropriate upon which to print the Sefer he authored – The Tanya.
Guests vied to have the privilege to press the magic button that set the printing in motion. The hall buzzed with excitement. The event was MC’d by Daniel Beider with his unbridled sense of humor. The evening was dedicated in loving memory of Edna-Esther Bas Eliyahu Cohen Z”L, whose first Yaartzeit was 19th of Kislev, 5779.
Chazan Dovid Caytak gave a rousing performance of Niggunei Chabad, together with junior singer, Chaim Zippel. They were accompanied by noted musicians Shmuel Allouche (flutist), Avia Greenberg (pianist) and Yitzchak Attias (percussionist) whose music was emotional and stirring. They concluded with the famous niggun of the Alter Rebbe as an introduction to Rabbi Nissen Mangel’s talk.
No one could have been better suited as the guest speaker that night, than Rabbi Nissen Mangel, noted scholar, author and who in fact was one of the first to translate the Tanya into English. Rabbi Mangel, at the age of 11 , was deported to Auschwitz and survived its horrors, including two selections by Dr. Mengele (may his name be obliterated).
In a heartrending manner, Rabbi Mangel described his suffering and experiences, including the infamous Death March. Very appropriately, the evening was titled – “Mind Over Matter”.
Rabbi Mangel connected his survival to his total Emmuna in Hashem and shared how chassidus helped him cope with the trauma of the Holocaust. His emphasis on Divine Providence was incredible. He also shared powerful themes in Chassidic thought, through parables. Rabbi Mangel’s narrative was a true inspiration for everyone who had the opportunity to hear him speak.
As one student commented, “I woke up today feeling ready to turn darkness into light. Time to learn more Tanya and reveal the piece of G-D in every single Jew.”
Chabad of Talbiya thanked its kind sponsors of the Tanya printing – the Brodshandel, Cohn, Fogel, Friedman, Grabski, Lapidus, and Perkal families of Jerusalem.
Such a beautiful voice!