By Esty Rapoport
Tes Adar, 1940 marks the day which the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe arrived in America from war torn Europe. It was on that day that the Rebbe established the Lubavitcher Yeshiva, Tomchei Tmimim in America.
One of the Yeshiva’s first students was my grandfather, Rabbi Reuven Rapoport, whose first Yartzeit is Chof Vov Adar.
My grandfather was born on Chof Gimmel Adar 5690 (1930) to R’ Avraham Yitzchak and Hinda Rapoport in Kaminitz-Podolsk, Russia. (Reb Avraham learned in Neville for several years as a young bochur under Reb Yuda Ebber.)
In 1940, at the age of ten, while his family lived in Houston, Texas, Reb Avraham saw an advertisement placed by the Frierdiker Rebbe in the Morgen Journal newspaper, saying that they were looking for bochurim under bar mitzvah to join the yeshiva.
He contacted the Frierdiker Rebbe, and arrangements were made and my grandfather, Reb Reuven was sent by his parents to New York City to learn in the newly established yeshiva, Tomchei Tmimim in Crown Heights.
Upon arriving at Grand Central Station on Asarah B’teves, 1941, he was picked up by Reb. Zalman Posner and taken to the Yeshiva.
At the end of the Rebbe’s first Purim farbrengen 1951, the Rebbe asked that every bochur should pass in front of him. When it was my grandfather’s turn, the Rebbe looked at him and said: “Du Zol Zain Der Aibishter’s A soldat.” And that is how my grandfather lived his life, with those words from the Rebbe.
In 1952 he married his wife Chava Rapoport. Together they raised their seven children, in Brooklyn, New York, and for approximately thirty years served as president of Chabad of Kensington.
In 1982, after receiving a bracha from the Rebbe, my grandfather worked alongside David Mintz at Tofutti for thirty years.
When the Levine from Chabad of Kensington made weddings for Russian couples, Rabbi Rapoprt and his wife would be the unterfirers for them.
He was such a kind and gentle man. He was a giant in his service to Hashem.
May his neshama have an aliya
I Remember him well.
A very soft spoken individual
Who greeted everyone with a friendly smile.
His house was always open to anyone and everyone.
He would listen for hours when people had problems.
He was especially helpful to the Russian yidden you lived nearby.
His neshamah should have many alliyos