An evening marking the ninth Yartzeit of Mrs. Gita Gansburg took place at the Machon L’Yahadus dormitory this past motzei Shabbos.
The event, held in Mrs. Gansburg’s home of 38 years, had a number of highlights.
The program started with Tehillim – the Rebbe’s chapter and for Eretz Yisroel, and was opened by Rabbi Shloma Majeski. Rabbi Majeski, principal of Machon L’Yahadus, worked closely with Mrs. Gansburg for over three decades. He spoke of the current situation in Israel and around the world, and tied it in to lessons that we can learn from Mrs. Gansburg’s life.
Two of Mrs. Gansburg’s spiritual daughters then spoke. Adina Adry shared that Mrs. Gansburg’s wisdom still guides her in setting the tone in her home. Dana Pestun, an accomplished violinist shared Mrs. Gansburg’s breadth of areas of expertise including her meticulous knowledge of niggunim. Dana then played a little-known “lullabye” niggun that Mrs. Gansburg had taught her. Mrs. Gansburg’s daughter Nechama Chanin who attended the event recalled her grandmother Rivka, wife of the renown chasid Reb Refoel Nachman Kahn, singing that lullabye to her as a child.
A pre-recorded message was shown from Mrs. Gansburg’s grandson Rabbi (Major) Shlomo Goldfarb. The rabbi of Kfar Vradim and beloved teacher in seminaries in Tsfat is currently with the 146 Armoured Division stationed on the Northern Border with Lebanon.
Chana Nemni, a teacher at Machon L’Yahadus who assisted Mrs. Gansburg for a year and was dorm mother for three years after her passing, then spoke. She recalled that when she and her husband Rabbi Mordechai Nemni and children lived in the dorm, two of her brothers-in-law got engaged. The mothers of both kallahs, when they entered the dorm to meet and say “mazal tov,” shared that they had lived in the dorm under Mrs. Gansburg.
Mrs. Yehudis Cohen, assistant principal at Machon L’Yahadus chaired the event. She read excerpts from two letters the Gansburgs received from the Rebbe. One of the letters, regarding the Gansburg’s shlichus in the small, remote Israeli town of Taanach contained the words, “I do not see a point in a service (avoda) based solely on obedience, but if it can be based on service out of joy and good heartedness particularly then it is proper that it should be in Taanach.” Like the soldier that she was, Mrs. Gansburg thereafter infused everything with joy and good heartedness.
Mrs. Cohen closed the evening with an announcement about the $360,000 Campaign that Machon L’Yahadus is currently in the middle of. To donate do so here: raisethon.com/machonly
Mrs. Basya Gold together with the students and dorm shluchos – under the direction of dorm mother Mrs. Shterna Rodal – set up the the Melave Malka in a most befitting manner.
Machon L’Yahadus is under the auspices of NCFJE. For information about their upcoming 12 Winter Program for college age students or full-time yeshiva program visit womensyeshiva.org.
