MOSCOW — Russia has rejected a U.S. court ruling to turn over a Jewish library to a Hasidic group in New York.
A U.S. judge last week ruled against the Russian government for its refusal to return thousands of manuscripts that once belonged to a Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi. The library was seized by Red Army in Nazi Germany as war booty.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said late Wednesday that the ruling is a “rude violation” of international law.
It said the library was nationalized because its owner, Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, had no heirs. Schneersohn was forced to leave Russia in 1927.
The ministry said the library is available for scientific study and worship.
Chabad-Lubavich said it feared some manuscripts were headed to the black market.
The Rebbe’s instructions were not only about protecting jewish lives. You can’t bully the Russians – the whole world now sees what the Rebbe was saying for years. When the powers that be tried tooting their horns about getting russia out of the neighboring countries Russia stuck it to them all by invading and causing imense damage to one of its neighbors….
The oly way to get anything from the Russians is to work with them in a way that doesn’t make them seem vulnerable in any way.
Nu.
rabbi cunin a groishen yasher koach for fighting the rebbes battle this surley one of the last battles of golus left!!!
8 shluchim have been kicked out of Russia in the past 3 years and some with big moisdos etc,
time for a rethink on policy….
Well duhhhh….the russians didnt care?
If i am correct……… When the Rebbe said not to hold public campaigns against the Russians was when it was a communist country and the Yidden were stuck there and the Rebbe was worried about their lives. hardly the case today.
I’d like to hear your genius suggestion for how to get the sforim…
Yup, Continue going down the same route of making noise and antagonizing the Russians. I find it mind-boggling that after the Rebbe spoke so clearly about not doing things this way, people are still thinking along these lines. Your genius suggestion will only push the seforim further back and endanger the shluchim in the FSU
Actually as Nat Lewin has said, once Russia rejects it they could asked the US court to fine Russia every day they do not enforce the judges verdict. Russia has many US assets and bank accounts that will end up costing Russia big time!
Russia
There is at least one option left, although it may prove fruitless. Aguch can sue for enforcement in a Russian court and hope that the Russian court recognizes the US ruling and gives it force. The likelihood of that? Who knows …
Thanks rabbi Cunin.
My understanding is that the Rebbe always stressed that in order to achieve desirable results with the Russians, one must never embarrass them in public for they will always protect their pride first and foremost.
Where they got the idea to go down this route with lawsuits and preventing Rabbi Lazar from testifying before congress re. the repeal of Jackson-Vanick, I don’t know.
It will take a very long time to undo the damage of these actions. May this be a lesson for the future.
who would have guessed?
His heirs are his chassidim. This was already settled on Hei Teves???????