Valley Pays Tribute to the Rebbe

Chabad of the Valley paid tribute to the Lubavitcher Rebbe at the annual Gimmel Tammuz Farbrengen which was held Sunday night, July 10th. Once again, many hundreds from the greater Valley and Los Angeles Jewish community turned out to participate in an evening of meaning and inspiration.

The night opened with a video presentation about the year of Hakhel and how it was observed in the Holy Temple, along with a message from the Rebbe imploring us to create Hakhel gatherings in modern times. Rabbi Mordechai Einbinder set the tone of the evening describing the Rebbe’s leadership with his opening words, “Following the holocaust that brought us to the brink of extinction, there rose up a giant to change the destiny of the Jewish people bringing us to the very precipice of redemption.”

Rabbi Ari Herzog led the recitation of a chapter of Tehilim and then introduced a video of the late Eli Weisel sharing his thoughts on the profound impact the Rebbe had on his life.

As the large crowd enjoyed a sumptuous dinner, Rabbi Mayer Greene introduced a never before seen video interview with Senator Joseph Lieberman.

The former U. S. vice presidential candidate detailed his many personal encounters with the Rebbe as well his deep admiration for the tremendous accomplishments of Chabad and the Rebbe’s Shluchim, singling out the enormous success of Rabbi Yehoshua Binyomin Gordon z”l and his establishment of 26 centers in the S. Fernando Valley.

Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie, author of the recently published “The Secret of Chabad” began his keynote address with powerful words, “The Rebbe brought about a revolution in the Jewish world…He transformed Jewish life…He transformed our lives!” Rabbi Eliezrie inspired and entertained the crowd with his moving stories and humorous anecdotes.

The counselors of the Finder Family Camp Gan Israel ran an exciting children’s Hakhel rally and dinner which took place simultaneously in the adjacent Blauner Youth Center.

The success of this beautiful evening came about thanks to the hard work and careful planning of its organizers, including Rabbi Yochanon Baitelman, Rabbi Yanky Kahn, Yochanon Gordon and Rabbi Yehoshua Einbinder. The event was a project of The Menachem Institute and funded by a grant from Gary and Rochelle Finder and Family.