Rebbetzin’s Caretaker Initially Didn’t Know Who the Rebbe Was

By COLlive reporter

Among those privileged to experience the presence of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin from close by was Mrs. Faye Brown, a woman who worked in their home and witnessed firsthand the respect and humility that the Rebbe and Rebbetzin exhibited at all times.

Today, on Yud Alef Nissan, a Lubavitcher met Faye on Kingston Avenue, and he asked her, “Do you know why today is special?” Without hesitation, she replied, “Of course. It’s my Rebbe’s birthday!”

What followed was a touching recollection of her time in the Rebbe and Rebbetzin’s home—moments that offer rare insight into the atmosphere behind the closed doors of one of the most revered Jewish leaders of the 20th century.

She recalled often watching through the window of their home on President Street, eagerly awaiting the Rebbe’s return from 770 Eastern Parkway. The moment he entered their home, the entire atmosphere changed, she related. “The love that I saw there,” she said, “was amazing. It was a warmth I feel should exist in every home.”

Faye remarked that during the period of time that she worked in the Rebbe’s home, as she walked through the neighborhood, she noticed something striking: in nearly every shop and home, there were pictures of a big Rabbi, whom she soon began to recognize was the Rebbe himself. One evening, as the Rebbe walked through the door, she mustered the courage to ask, “Rabbi, are you the same Rabbi I see in all those pictures everywhere?”

The Rebbe gave her a small smile and continued into his room without responding, Faye relates. A few moments later, the Rebbetzin came to her and said, “Mrs. Faye, my husband wants to speak with you.” Nervous, she entered the Rebbe’s study, unsure of what she might have done wrong. But the Rebbe simply smiled and said, “I just want to tell you that you are very observant.”

In that gentle response, Mrs. Faye witnessed something profound. The Rebbe—one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the century—was extremely humble, but took the time to answer her question. Indeed, he affirmed her for noticing, for caring. “He wanted to give me an answer,” she said, “but he didn’t want to say, ‘Yes, that’s me.’ He was so humble,” Faye says.

This, she explained, is the model of leadership that the Rebbe embodied. You can be the greatest Rabbi in the world, she said, “but what matters is how you make every person feel. He never took credit for himself.”

As the conversation ended, Mrs. Faye asked to send a message to the community: “A happy Pesach to everyone.”