<b>By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and <a href=http://www.hasidicarchives.com target=”_blank”>Hasidic Archives</a></b>
Rabbi Dov Yehuda and Sarah Schochet emigrated from Basel, Switzerland, to Toronto with their young son, Immanuel, in the early 1950s.
Toronto didn’t have an established yeshiva at the time, so the Schochets turned to Immanuel’s uncle, Rabbi Mordechai Aizik Hodakov, the Rebbe’s chief aide, for advice about where their son should study.
“If you would like to send him to the school here, I will look after him,” Rabbi Hodakov said.
In 1952, Immanuel Schochet arrived in Brooklyn to study at the United Lubavitch Yeshivah in Brooklyn. One week, he decided to greet the Rebbe outside of 770 Eastern Parkway, the main Lubavitch synagogue, before the Friday night services.
As an “out-of-towner,” he did not realize that Chabad Chassidim kept a respectful distance from their Rebbe and would never dream of taking such a liberty.
The Rebbe did not seem to share their reticence, however. He returned Immanuel’s greeting and preceded him into the synagogue.
As Immanuel approached the stairs to the sanctuary, he saw that someone was holding the door open, waiting for him to enter—it was the Rebbe.
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The article says they were leaving Basel Switzerland, but the caption of the photo says they were coming from The Hague, Netherlands. Please clarify.
After WWII they went from Basel to The Hague. Later (1951/52) they went to Toronto
Interesting story – I guess it runs in the family, because when one of Rabbi Schochet’s nephews was a young boy and his family visited the Rebbe (in about 5745 or 6), the boy was determined that he would greet the Rebbe. His family was standing and waiting as the Rebbe exited His Room to go to mincha, and the little boy boldly stepped forward and put out his hand to “give sholom”. The Rebbe walked past, then turned around, and with a broad smile on His Holy Countenance, He shook the little boy’s hand.
Wow. So special!!!