By COLlive reporter
Leib Naomovsky, a computer programmer in St. Petersburg, has in recent years reconnected with his Jewish heritage with the help of the Chabad Shluchim in the Russian city.
To show his appreciation, he gave one of them a shechita knife.
But it was not a standard sharp blade used for slaughtering animals. This knife, he told them, was used by his great-grandfather, R’ Shlomo Chaim Kita’in.
Not much is known about this Chabad chossid who lived in Peterburg and passed away in the year 5688.
His ancestors are said to be shochtim in Lubavitch for many generations and that his great-grandfather was a shochet for the Alter Rebbe.
R’ Shlomo Chaim himself was the shochet the Frierdiker Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn trusted.
Naomovsky, who is also an amateur poet, remembers his mother on her death bed telling him and his brother their family’s chronicles.
“When I was young, I wasn’t interested in my family’s history. Now, when I am very interested, there is no one left to tell me,” he said.
The knife changes hands after Naomovsky and Shliach Rabbi Dani Ash paid a visit to the local Jewish cemetery where the great grandfather is buried.
“I think it’s important that people know there was a person who was the shochet of the 6th Rebbe of Lubavitch and his name was Shlomo Chaim Kita’in,” he said.
Isn’t a kosher shechita knife. Its assur to have the handle overlap the blade on a shechita knife.
it would seem the matzeivah is for more then one person… R. SCK passed away in 1928 and was likely born well well before 1916
the person mentioned on the stone was naimovsky. and naimovsky did live from ’16 – ’92
His mayzevah says he was born in 1916? He would have been 24 when the frierdiker rebbe left Europe. This doesn’t make sense. This is probably some one else’s grave. Although it does say he lived in lubavitch which also doesn’t make sense since most all the Jews were gone not long after he was born.
inspiring
reb shlomo chaim is mentioned many times in the friediker rebbes sichos and reshimos. he was also a shoichet in lubavitch (not just for the frierdiker rebbe) as you can tell by what is written on his matzevah,