By COLlive reporter
Israel’s popular daily Yedioth Aharonot asked a group of leading Israeli personalities who they would choose as their “Ushpizin” guest in their private Sukkah.
Lev Leviev, the billionaire businessman (#655 on the Forbes world’s richest) and philanthropist (arguably, #1 in Chabad), was among those who sent in their guest list.
And guess what his answer was:
“Zalman Zaklos from the frozen Siberia,
“The Hartman family from Vietnam,
“Osher and Mussie Litzman from Korea,
“The Shluchim in Nepal and Bangkok,
“Rabbi Mendy Chitrik from Turkey, that continues to work with self sacrifice and courage,
“The anonymous activist in the Arab countries, in Tunisia and Casablanca,
“Those from Greece and S. Paulo who host dozens of (IDF) officers and wounded soldiers,
“The Pelman family from the Dominican Republic,
“Rabbi Yakobov from Azerbaijan,
“Rabbi Bentolila from the Congo and Rabbi Wolf from Helsinki,
“The Perman family from Venezuela,
“The Havlin family from Dresden in Germany.
“They are the ones carrying the torch and passing it on to hundreds of Jews. I would ask them, from where do they draw the strength to go to these far countries, at times even a hostile environment, and work to cheer thousands. I would want to add a prayer that this strength should never end.”
Leviev just didn’t specify at which of his homes these guests are invited to: Hampstead in London, Bnei Brak in Israel or Ponte Vedra in Florida…
…or is his photo just superimposed on top of a photo of Chabad of Midtown’s Bryant Park Sukkah…cuz that’s what is most deff the sukkah in the background
He was my husbands Sandik at his bris 🙂
I hope he will send them a special sukkah gift !
I am sure Mr. Leviev would love to invite all the shluchim who have above and beyond mesirus nefesh, more than the ones he mentioned in the ilst, but his sukkah wont hold all of them. My children have been on summer shlichus in THailand, where the shluchim live among people who worship aboda zara, just like the time of Avrohom Avinu, and raise their children there, how about the shluchim in Alaska, China!, and the ilst goes on……….Thank you Rebbe and all your dedicated shluchim. Where would Klal Yisroel be without your self sacrifice.
All these shluchim get to go to a really rich man’s house!
he picked a handful of shluchim who have mesiras nefesh everyday especially rabbi bontlila in congo
and why not us in Crown Heights we are also Shluchim receiving tons of guests all year around so please open your hands to US too… no problem life is expensive all over!!! but nobody think for us resident of crown heights, ousiders think we are millionairs… but we are not and fare away
Lev Leviev is a special man…indeed. But he is even more unique for choosing Shlomo Bentolila who works tirelessly for the benefit of others. Rabbi Bentolila deserves all the credit he can get, he brought the Rebbe to the Congo!!…your brother in Montreal !
What about all the other Shluchim working hard??
As a distant relative and a Lubavitcher myself I can say that this man is truly amazing.
Continue doing the amazing work that you do and making alibis bucharians very very proud. 🙂
kiddush Hashem!!!!
Lev Leviav is such very special man who has given so much of himself to the Rebbe and his Shluchim to further Yiddishkeit. We wish him only the best and continued success.
– Ch resident
Shluchim continue your incredible work giving much nachas ruach to the Rebbe and bringing moshiach closer.
Gut Yom Tov!