By COLive reporter
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir paid a visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel at the Old Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, New York, on Friday.
Ben Gvir, known for his strong stance against terrorism and as one of the leading right-wing politicians in Israel, first wrote a personal note “pan” at the Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch Center.
He then lit a candle and entered the Rebbe’s Ohel, accompanied Rabbi Danny Cohen of Chabad of Hebron.
Ben Gvir said he was greatly moved by the past 24 hours spent with Chabad Chasidim in Crown Heights and at the Ohel.
“I am honored to be here at the Rebbe’s Ohel, and the last 24 hours with Chabad, visiting 770 and the Rebbe’s library, was very moving. It was incredible joining the large gathering at 770 of so many people who love the land of Israel, the people of Israel and the Torah,” he told COLlive.com.
Ben Gvir visited the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, on Thursday as part of a visit to the United States.
The office of Ben Gvir, chairman of the right-wing Otzma Yehudit (“Jewish Power”) party, said the purpose of the visit is to strengthen ties between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora and to learn from U.S. law enforcement practices.
He began the 8-day visit in Florida, spoke at Yale University in Connecticut on Wednesday, and is now in New York, where he has several stops in Crown Heights and Boro Park.
In Crown Heights, Ben Gvir first visited the main shul of 770 Eastern Parkway, where he davened at the aron kodesh. He was accompanied by Rabbi Danny Cohen of Chabad of Hebron and was warmly welcomed by Yeshiva students, many of whom are Israeli.
Ben Gvir also visited the Rebbe’s Library adjacent to 770 and was shown rare and holy artifacts and books by the librarians and authors, Rabbi Berel Levine and Rabbi Elie Matusof.
Ben Gvir also spoke at two Crown Heights events and later returned to 770 to speak at the Siyum HaRambam ceremony at the Main Shul. The event was independently organized and not affiliated with Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters.
During his visit in Crown Heights, pro-Palestinian protestors gathered on Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue in the heart of the Jewish community. Counter protests by the Jewish residents led to arrests by the NYPD.
Video footage showed the anti-Israel protestors in heated exchanges with local residents who asked them to protest from a distance and not block entrance to the main shul.
Ben Gvir is expected to spend Shabbos in the Five Towns on Long Island, speaking at the Irving Place Minyan in Woodmere.
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