By Menachem Cohen, COL reporter
German President Christian Wulff accepted Tuesday the Leo Back Prize from the Central Council of Jews in Germany at a gala dinner in the Jewish Museum Berlin.
The black tie event gathered some of the country’s top political and business leaders, such as Chancellor Angela Merkel who was the guest speaker.
One of the attendants from oversees was U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, who was born in New Jersey to impoverished Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia.
At the dinner, he was approached by Rabbi Yehuda Tiechtel, Director of Chabad Berlin, who had a special request for the 87 year-old who is the oldest serving member of the Senate.
“I’ve heard that he had a special yechidus by the Rebbe and saw a chance to hear about it from him directly,” Tiechtel told COLlive.com.
“The Lubavitch Rebbe saw far off in the distance, what others could not see,” Lautenberg began telling him about the time he was national chair (1975-1977) of the United Jewish Appeal, a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization (today, the Jewish Federations of North America).
“I told the Rebbe that funds need to be raised for the Jewish people in the Soviet Union and save them because their situation is grave. The Rebbe told me, ‘We do need to save Russian Jewry, but on the same account we need to save the young Jews in America.’
“I asked the Rebbe what did he mean. After all, Americans have it all. He said that there is a big danger in America and that is assimilation. He said the UJA should be doing all it can to deal with assimilation.
“The Rebbe continued and said that we must care about the education of a Jewish child in Carolina that he should not assimilate, G-d forbid and he stated again that this should be UJA’s mission.”
According to Tiechtel, Lautenberg paused and than said, “at the time I didn’t agree with the Rebbe. I thought my job was to worry for Jews behind the Iron Curtain. Today, 35 years after that meeting which I will forever remember, I admit that the Rebbe was correct.”
Lautenberg said: “The Rebbe saw the importance of Jewish education and that it was one of our more significant tasks.”
As the two were talking, Germany’s Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schauble walked by and identified Rabbi Tiechtel whom he had visited at the Rohr Chabad Center in Berlin.
“I know the great work of Chabad,” he told the surprised Lautenberg. “I visited there in the past and saw their activities up close.”
What a Kiddush hashem
I believe that the the Rebbe also told the Senator: Mr. Lautenberg, when you wake up tomorrow morning and if you see the same Mr. Lautenberg in the mirror, I will have accomplished nothing.
http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/551695/jewish/5732.htm
here is a link to that yechidus
the yechidus is recorded and available i heard parts of it
it would be nice if someone can post the link
by the way in that yechidus the rebbe mentions that children shoul dbe taught in english (and yes he says to chasidshe children also )
someone please post the link
Better late then never, Imagine if Lautenberg would have listened to the Rebbe and UJA Federation would have supported Jewish Education. How many Jewish Families would have been saved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ITS NEVER TOO LATE PRINT LAUTENBURG REGRET IN ALL THE JEWISH PAPERS AND HOPEFULY UJA WILL WAKE UP AND SUPPORT YESHIVOS.
Aderahbeh, you agree now – you know how to make a storm with a flick of your wrist, – do it NOW!