Sydney Community Unites

JWire

Over 700 members of the community, from 17 Chabad associated organisations, packed the Sydney Yeshiva Centre last night participating in an evening of music, dance, videos and motivation to commemorate the 16th Yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Gimmel Tammuz is a significant day in the Chabad calendar. On that date in 1927, the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson was released from a Russian prison where he was jailed for the crime of spreading Yiddishkeit. On Gimmel Tammuz 1994, his son-in-law and successor Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson passed away and last night Gimmel Tammuz was celebrated at the Farbrengen which finished at 3 a.m.

Keynote speaker, U.K.-based Rabbi Shmuel Lew told the audience how he had been inspired by his many meetings with the late Rebbe’s inspiration he uses daily in the motivational aspect of his work. One of the Rebbe’s special emissaries, Rabbi Lew was sent on many missions by the Rebbe to many countries as far afield as Greenland. He has made London his home where Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the U.K. became one of his many disciples.

In his message to the audience Rabbi Lew said that he had learned from the Rebbe that people should maximise their potential and focus only on the positive. He said that the Rebbe had taught him “good leaders create good followers but great leaders create leaders.”

Rabbi Eli Feldman, one of the event’s organisers, told J-Wire: “We are fortunate to have Rabbi Lew with us tonight. He is held in the highest esteem by Chabad throughout the world.”

A video was shown outlining the history of the Chabad movement paralleling it with the late Rebbe’s life. But the evening’s highlight was the infectious music without words which brought the audience to its feet as they chanted and danced in a strong expression of the passion they feel for the memory of their late spiritual leader.

A letter written by the Rebbe was read by Rabbi Yossi Braun, spiritual leader of the Tzemach Tzedek Community founded in 2003 by Benny Amzalak who broke away from the Yeshiva Centre following political differences.

Last night the two organisations were reunited. Amzalak told J-Wire: “This will mark the start of many joint functions between us.”