By COLlive reporter
Thirteen years ago, the Jewish community of Maryland in the vicinity of Washington, DC suffered an agonizing loss. An endeared mentor and educator passed away quite suddenly and countless people felt a personal loss.
Mrs. Chaya Zlata Geisinsky wore many hats, such as Chabad Shlucha, Director of the area’s largest traditional preschools (The Berman Hebrew Academy from which she had thousands of alumni students), Mikvah Director, and counselor to so many who sought her very wise counsel.
She was also involved in many community projects. For her family and classmates, and childhood friends, her passing in the prime of her life (age 49) was utter anguish.
During her Shloshim memorial, an organization was established in her name, to continue her acts of chessed and to eternalize her memory. Each year around the time of her yartzeit on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, a community annual event is held with hundreds in attendance to upkeep her memory and to support Yad Zlata.
In past years, Yad Zlata would proudly present the city’s largest annual Jewish concert. However, this year the committee opted for an evening of inspiration on a powerful subject of Jewish Life to highlight Zlata’s dedication to education, especially given the current climate of morals. The subject chosen was Faith and Trust In G-d.
Once this subject was chosen, it was a no-brainer for her husband Rabbi Bentzion Geisinsky to invite Rabbi Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin to be the inspirational speaker of the evening. As an answer to a prayer, the event was further dignified when the world-famous attorney Nathan Lewin accepted an invitation to be a Guest Speaker. Lewin was intricately involved in the Rubashkin defense and has been a longtime friend of the Geisinskys.
The event was held at the Berman Hebrew Academy. After Mincha and an extensive buffet, guests were invited into the new beautiful Beis Midrash where Rabbi Geisinsky opened with welcoming remarks. His son Rabbi Sender Geisinsky, who together with his wife Nechamie are Shluchim to Bethesda, MD, was the master of ceremonies. Their young son Menachem Mendel (age 14) made a siyum on Maseches Chagiga in honor of his grandmother.
Lewin was the first speaker. With great finesse, he went on to weave a davar Torah from the Parsha into the subject at hand.
Rubashkin spoke about his legal ordeal while running the once-largest kosher slaughterhouse in the USA and how his faith provided him hope until he was pardoned. “He opened the eyes and hearts of all those who filled the Beis Midrash,” according to one participant.
When asked for his overall impression of the evening, Rabbi Bentzion Geisinsky responded, “I don’t think that a single person went home the same person as they arrived.”
This was confirmed by the crowds of people who gathered around Rubashkin after he completed his talk. Perhaps it was because this was the first time in their lives that they had met a Jew with such a deep, true and absolute trust in Hashem.
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