The Sichos Said During World War II

By COLlive reporter

The 6th volume of a groundbreaking series translating the Sichos of the Frierdiker Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yizchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch, into English has just been released.

The series, the brainchild of Crown Heights businessman Yossi Malamud, was born after he stumbled on a word in Yiddish he did not know while learning a sichah.

After working with scholars and Yiddish experts, Malamud undertook the task of translating the works of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Sichos into English for all to learn and easily understand.

“All that we know about our Chabad roots, and many of the stories about the Rebbeim, were told to us by the Frierdiker Rebbe in Yiddish,” Malamud told COLlive. “It is critical that these talks are not forgotten by the next generation.”

The first 2 volumes, which include the Previous Rebbe’s historic talks of 5705 (1944-1945) and 5700 (1939-1940) were completed within a year of each other. The next two volumes, from 5701 (1940-1941) and 5702 were released over the next two years.

This new sefer, which is also printed on heavy antique paper stock with black leatherette binding, has now been released, with the Frierdiker Rebbe’s talks from the eventful year of 5703.

The talks in this volume, delivered in that agonizing year, are translated for the first time in this volume.

A special highlight of this volume is a new release: a facsimile of a never-before-published original manuscript of notes written after a Farbrengen with the Frierdiker Rebbe on Shavuos in 1943.

That facsimile is seasoned with corrections and annotations that were liberally inserted in the unmistakable handwriting of the Rebbe, who at the time was seated next to the Rebbe Rayatz.

Other highlights in this volume include the empowering response of the Rebbe Rayatz to the events of his time, at the peak of the Holocaust.

The Frierdiker Rebbe’s response is a bold call to arms, an impassioned plea to his chassidim to go out and challenge their brothers and sisters to ease the birth pangs of Mashiach by resisting the tsunami of assimilation that threatened their very survival as Jews, in the Land of the Free.

This entire series is being translated by Uri Kaploun, and was a special project of Rabbi Yonah Avtzon obm, founder of Sichos in English, and their staff. The newly released volume is the first Sefer they printed after Rabbi Avtzon’s recent untimely passing and includes a special memorial page dedicated him.

The entire project has been underwritten by the Malamud family of Crown Heights, who have been involved in translating Sichos of the Chabad Rabbeim for more than 3 decades.

The series will continue with another two volumes, the talks from the year 5704 is in the final editing phase, and 5699 already begun, Malamud says. While the series began with the year 5700, last year Malamud backtracked to print the year 5698 in honor of his father’s birthday. He plans to also complete the year 5699, so as to complete the set.

The new volume is available in Jewish bookstores and online at SIE.org.