Sitting Shiva Across Continents

By COLlive reporter
Photos by COLlive & Hassidout.org

Hundreds in France and across the Atlantic in the United States mourned this week the passing of Rebbetzin Bassie Azimov OBM, the matriarch of the Parisian Lubavitch community.

Long lines stood outside on Rue des Vinaigriers in Paris’ 10th District waiting to comfort Head Shliach Rabbi Shmuel Azimov and his three children Rabbi Mendel Azimov, Mrs. Esther Marasov and Rabbi Levi Azimov.

Among them were Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar, Chief Rabbi of France Gilles Bernheim, Rabbi Mordechai Rottenberg of the Rue Pavee shul in the Pletzl; Yossi Ben-Shachar with a delegation of the Israeli Embassy.

Rebbetzin Azimov, one of the driving forces behind Paris’ Jewish rebirth in the second half of the 20th century, was more than a spiritual leader for thousands of French Jewish women and girls.

“I came there and got in line not to be inconsiderate,” said her nephew, Rabbi Yossie Shemtov, Head Shliach of Tucson, who flew in this week.

“Someone recognized me and offered to take me in. ‘He’s Bassie’s nephew,’ he called out to people around me. One of them replied, ‘He lost an aunt. We lost a mother’.”

During the Shiva days stories and tales were shared about “Bassie,” as she was simply and lovingly called without the honorary Rebbetzin or Madam titles.

As a young girl in Crown Heights, she merited to have rare acess to Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson OBM and to be personally guided by her.

One story told of her was when the Rebbetzin once advised her to visit the large Javits Convention Center in New York City without a given reason. A Paris resident said he saw similarities with the Beth Chaya Mushka education complex she helped build.

Similar stories were shared where her siblings sat Shiva. Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, Head Shliach of Philadelphia and Chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, spoke with pride how his sister assisted with publishing the Likutei Sichos.

As a young single girl, Rebbetzin Azimov spent hours in an apartment near 770 Eastern Parkway working with her father on the editing and the publishing of the Rebbe’s weekly sichos, leading to a 39 volume series.

Rabbi Shemtov received visitors such as Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch; Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, Rosh Yeshiva of Oholei Torah in Crown Heights; Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky and many rabbonim and shluchim in person and over the phone.

He will be traveling to France on Motzoei Shabbos, joining his brother Rabbi Israel Shemtov of Crown Heights who is already in Paris. Head Shliach of Michigan Rabbi Berel Shemtov is sitting Shiva in his home in Oak Park and Mrs. Fradel Sudak is sitting in her home in Stamford Hill, London.