By COLlive reporter
Rabbi Nachman Sudak, Head Shliach of Great Britain who led the growth of Chabad-Lubavitch in United Kingdom and beyond, passed away on Sunday, 17 Sivan 5774.
He was 78.
Born in the Soviet Union to to R’ Pinchas and Chaya Basya Sudak and educated in Israel once his family was able to immigrate, Rabbi Sudak studied at Chabad yeshivos there.
In 1954 he arrived in New York to study at the central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch at 770 Eastern Parkway, which he was privileged to be near the Rebbe and even hold conversations with Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson OBM.
As a bochur, he was of the first to hear the Rebbe’s revolutionary plan to establish a worldwide Chabad outreach network. “The Rebbe spoke at that time that just like there is Merkos Shlichus during the summer, the Rebbe wanted to develop that Shlichus should be for life,” he recalled.
In 1958 (Kislev 5719) he was engaged to Fradel Shemtov, who was running a children’s Cheder that was established by her father, Rabbi Benzion Shemtov, the devoted chossid and legendary activist who was tasked with organizing a Chabad-Lubavitch presence in England.
Not sure who to go on Shlichus and open to any suggestion (even Turkey, at one point), Rabbi Sudak waited until his was finally told by the Rebbe: “The wedding in London, settle in Europe.”
“At that time, it wasn’t like now with Chabad Houses and you know what to do…” he recalled of that period. “Where in Europe? I don’t know. Europe is not a small town.” The Rebbe then chose London and wrote a letter of recommendation to the community there.
“What should I do when I get to London?” Rabbi Sudak asked. The Rebbe raised both of his hands and said, “What should I tell you? There are thousands of things to do… thousands of things!”
And indeed, following the work of his father in law, Rabbi Sudak worked to establish a wide network of institutions and programs including synagogues, schools, campus outreach, women’s organizations, youth programs, camps and publications.
He was joined by dedicated personalities such as the late Rev. Aron Dov Sufrin and Rabbi Faivish Vogel.
In 1959, a building was acquired in Stamford Hill – soon to be augmented and rebuilt. The Lubavitch Junior and Senior Schools for boys and girls were founded. The senior Boys School, opened in 1963, was located in Kingsley Way, Hampstead Garden Suburb. In 1967, when Lag B’Omer fell on a Sunday, more than a thousand children took part in the Parade, from 30 centers around London.
In 1968 there was the official opening of the new building, Lubavitch House. The Rebbe blessed that its children “should continue to forge the golden chain of their ancestral tradition to the point of veritable self-sacrifice for the preservation of the Jewish way of life, the way of the Torah and Mitzvos.”
Shortly after the opening, a new Lubavitch Youth Centre was opened in Manchester, soon followed by the establishment of Lubavitch in Glasgow. Today there are also centers in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Oxford, Radlett, Salford and Sheffield. Within easy reach of the UK is Lubavitch of Dublin, Eire.
Meanwhile, in London itself, apart from Stamford Hill and Hampstead Garden Suburb there are now Lubavitch Centers in Central London, Ealing, Edgware, Golders Green, Hampstead, Hendon, Ilford, Islington, Shoreditch, Southgate and Wimbledon.
Rabbi Sudak was a member of the inner Executives of the Agudas Chassidei Chabad International, the central governing committee of the global Lubavitch movement. He is also on the Executive Board of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and Machne Israel, the educational and social services arms of Chabad-Lubavitch.
He was part of the 10 Shluchim who helped found the Shluchim Office, the global Chabad-Lubavitch resource center, at the suggestion of the Rebbe and efforts of his Chief of Staff Rabbi Mordechai Hodakov.
Queen Elizabeth II included Rabbi Sudak in her New Year’s Honours List of 2001, personally awarding him an OBE, the Order of the British Empire honor, in recognition of the wide-reaching Lubavitch UK activities concerning Youth.
At the ceremony at the Buckingham Palace, Rabbi Sudak gifted the queen with a Mezuzah to have in her Palace to serve as reminder of the ultimate ruler of this world.
Britain’s then Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks extended his congratulations and said it was well deserved. “His contribution, and that of the Lubavitch movement, has been a major factor in the revitalisation of our community, and it is one to which Elaine [Mrs Sacks] and I feel personally indebted.”
His accomplishments and the work of the Shluchim around the commonwealth was later recognized when the Jewish Telegraph newspaper compiled a list of the Top 10 Influential British Rabbis and placed Rabbi Sudak as number 2, after Chief Rabbi Sacks.
In 2010, he spearheaded the opening of Lubavitch Children’s Centre in Stamford Hill, a £1.5 million building which houses a nursery, family services, adult education facilities and the Lubavitch Central Library, stocked with 15,000 books.
Asked in 2003 how he defines teshuva, he told the Jewish Chronicle that he defines teshuvah more as “return” than “repentance,” saying: “It’s when we resolve to go back to G-d.”
He is survived by his wife Mrs. Fradel Sudak, their children Rabbi Leivi Sudak – Edgware, UK; Mrs. Bassie Raskin, wife of London Dayan Levi Raskin; Mrs. Esther Kesselman – Southgate, UK; Mrs. Chanie Alperowitz – Bournemouth, UK; Rabbi Kasriel Sudak – Crown Heights; Rabbi Mendy Sudak, Stanmore, UK; Rabbi Sholom Ber Sudak – Stamford Hill, UK; Rabbi Zalman Sudak – Edgware, UK; Rabbi Bentzi Sudak – London; and grandchildren.
He is survived by his siblings Mrs. Batsheva Schochet, wife of Toronto’s Chabad Rabbi Dovid Schochet and Mrs. Bracha Bogomilsky, wife of Crown Heights Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky.
His brother-in-laws are Rabbi Berel Shemtov, Head Shliach of Michigan; Rabbi Shmuel Azimov, Head Shliach of Paris, France; Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, Head Shliach of Philadelphia and Chairman of Agudas Chabad International; and Rabbi Israel Shemtov of Crown Heights.
The levaya will take place on Monday, 2:00pm from Lubavitch House in Stamford Hill for burial at Adath Yisroel Synagogue & Burial Society in Enfield, England.
Baruch dayan haemes.
Levi I’m sorry for your loss may we only share simchas together.
Moty Scheinfeld
Hamakom yenachem eschem b’soch sh’ar availei tzion v’Yerushalayim. On behalf of the alumna of Yad Ramah B’nos Menachem Seminary of Bournemouth,UK we express our feelings of sorrow for your loss. Just know that the Rebbe MhM wants us to open our eyes and see that geulah is here. You will meet your father obm again speedily now! D.( Verter) Segal
Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe volume 18 page 499.
As a young child, I felt none of these things described here. To me he was simply the zaidy who would let me climb up him, who would tickle my neck and give me wafers and chocolate with a smile that lit up his face. As I grew older I came to sense and appreciate how his every action was done with total dedication to the Rebbe.
Zaidy, keep us strong. Moshiach now!
My mother will be sitting shiva in her home in crown heights. 1382 president st
it was a very emotional levaya.
may we share only simchos .
moshiach now!!
I remember one time when nittel was on a sunday night & instead of cancelling the shiur he just fabrenged with us telling us Rebbe stories.
Lipa Brennan
המקום ינחם אתכם בתך אבלי ציון וירושלים
Sufrin Baltimore
The comments here are read and appreciated. Where possible and comfortable for the commenter, names are also appreciated.
May we all share only simchos and all be true chassidim.
don’t worry: we will never forget you, and i took on a hachlata to make moshiach come quicker…love you so much!
He gave it every week for 40 years, with only a small gap in the few months that he was seriously ill. Although weak since the heart attack, he resumed the shiur and gave one last week
Thank you Rabbi Brenen for sharing.
As a young English bochur coming for tishrei to see the Rebbe for the 1st time, the rebbe told me in yechidus that on my return to London I must learn chassidus every Monday! The Rebbe then went on to tell me that Rabbi Sudak gives a shiur in Chassidus in his home every sunday night & as the shiur continues till after nightfall that can be considered your shiur for Monday! yehi zichro Boruch.
Lipa Brennan
where did the rebbe write this?
a family member
This happened while we were graduating. BDE.
Our wonderful library would never have become the tremendous success that it is today without the support and encouragement of Rabbi Sudak.
i knew just a little rabbi Nahman z”l but i know better Levi Ytshok his son.
Just a few words to tell you that i feel sad and my heart is with you
May your family be comforted among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim.
Rabbi Sudak was the nices man, the kindest man, and just someone to look up to. There’s no other words to say about him. All of us and all of his children will miss him dearly. A Londoner.
Terrible. Moshiach now!
DEAR REBBITZEN FRAIDEL & CHILDREN & MISHPOCHAS.
We here are feeling your loss, with deep shock. We wish you all, gezunt and healthy long years, full of Simchas, and we should share in these Simchas. Amen.
True . U missed out that he was the first to start likutei sichos
bd’e – only good things to come
Boruch dayan emes
The Levaya will be at Lubavitch House at 2:00 pm and at Enfield Bais HaChayim at 3;00 pm
A huge loss to everyone in London & the UK including my shluchim children, & a huge loss to Chabad as a whole. Thank you for these great pictures, they only capture a tiny bit of the esence of this true Chosid of the Rebbe. He will be greatly missed.
lets not forget how reb Nacmen and reb laibel raskin were a major part in having the rebbe be magiah sichos
BH. More than anything, I felt his friendship, he is leaving London like a body without a soul. BORUCH DAYAN HOEMES
BD”E So Sad. His life was saved by Hatzalah at the kinus. I guess Hashem granted him some extra time to finish off some important business. But now he had to return his Neshamah. May he be a mailitz yashar for klal Yisroel.
May his family be comforted among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim.
Rabbi Sudak was our Mesader kedushin over 40 years ago and we feel privileged to have been members of his kehilla ever since. It is a very tragic day for London!
Baruch Dayan Haemes, As I look at the last picture we wish the family
May the work of his Life live on forever
Rabbi sudak was not just an example of, but was “a true chosid” rabbi sudak is someone that has not just changed my life but has created my life. Although you are no longer with us, there is a a part of you that continues to live on in me.
thank you rabbi sudak, it is only cause of the true person you are that today I am a chosid of the rebbe
dear mrs sudak sheyichye
i am so sorry for you loss
may we merit the comming of moshiach speedily in our
time with the rebbe shlita leading us to the geulah
baruch dayan haemes
It’s the end of an era. So sad
Ever since i was a child i looked up to him, a real חסיד יראת שמים למדון שליח מקושר, מוסר נפשו ל ק”כ אדמו”ר זי”ע
The Kinn’s Johannesburg South Africa
I believe that my parents and I guess myself are frum today because of Rabbi Sudak OBM
Baruch Dayan Haemes!
“האברך הוו”ח אי”א נו”נ בעל מדות ורב פעלים נחמן שי’ סודאק, וועלכער האט געטאן דא זייענדיג אין ענליכע ארבעט, און האט געהאט זייער גוטע רעזולטאטען, און לויט ווי איך האב מיט עם גערעט, וואלט געווען גלייך, צוליב פילע טעמים, אז ער זאל אויסניצען זיינע פעהיגקייטען און קענטניש, אין דער ארבעט פון פארשטארקען און פארשפרייטונג פון אידישקייט בכלל און הפצת המעינות בפרט, אין לונדון און אומגעגענד.”
sorry to hear
A giant of a Chosid left this world for Gan Eden.
He will be missed. May HASHEM Treist his Mishpocho, with the coming of the Goel Tzedek ,Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
London’s mourning
Baruch Dayan Emes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sad day for us here in London. A chasidisher yid.
I consider him my spiritual grandfather.
Yossi
ברוך דיין האמת
חסיד פנימי ואמיתי