It has been two months since the students of the Yeshiva in Cergy, Paris, led by Rabbi Yossi Davidowicz and Rabbi Shmuel Lubecki have been trying to find a way to get to the Rebbe’s Ohel for 11 Nissan: indeed, for more than a year, travel has been prohibited because of health restrictions due to the pandemic.
The United States does not allow the entry of travelers coming from Europe and, after long and meticulous research, a plan emerged and finally resulted in this much desired trip.
Since the Purim seuda, the students have sat at a Farbrengen with Shluchim, and they resolved to give the Rebbe a spiritual gift for his birthday.
On 24 Adar, teachers and students traveled to Serbia and stayed there for two weeks. All the details had been carefully prepared – from the meals to the study papers. There, the students behaved as in Yeshiva thanks to the hospitality of Rabbi Yehoshoua Kaminsky who allowed them to pray and study in his Chabad center.
On Monday, 9 Nissan, they took a direct plane to New York with their Mashpia, Rabbi Shmuel Lubecki: needless to say, the trip took place in a special atmosphere, with great enthusiasm and full of thanks to G-d.
As soon as they arrived in New York, everyone headed to the Ohel to pray and thank the Rebbe that everything had gone according to plan.
With hearts filled with emotion, the students and their teachers then proceeded to a joyful farbrengen that lasted until morning.
Throughout their stay, the students continued and even intensified their study program.
They left directly for Paris on Wednesday evening, after the festivities of 11 Nissan: at the airport, they prayed to Maariv to the tunes of Yom Tov and, spontaneously, began to dance to the tune of the Rebbe’s new Nigoun (Chir Hamaalot Karati Vayaanéni…) in front of all the astonished and moved travelers.
Certainly this 11 Nissan will remain engraved in the hearts of the students, especially after all these calculations and these preparations: this Yeshiva was the only one in the whole world to have deserved to be able to spend the 11 Nissan with the Rebbe.
