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By Shneur Zalman Berger, Beis Moshiach Magazine

A deep friendship prevailed between Lubavitch and Ger (Gura), that spanned many years. It began in the time of the Tzemach Tzedek when there began the first connections between Lubavitch and Kotzker Chassidus from which Gerrer Chassidus evolved. The relationship continued to a greater extent between the Rebbe Rashab and the Admor, the Imrei Emes of Ger, who tended their flocks at the same time. The two Admorim corresponded, met a few times, and also sat at meetings together on matters affecting Russian and Polish Jewry.

THE REBBE TELLS ABOUT THE LUBAVITCH-GER CONNECTION

The Rebbe MH”M told about this relationship after the passing of the Admor, the Beis Yisroel of Ger, the successor of the Imrei Emes, in Adar 5737:

“…There was close ongoing connection between our Rebbeim Nesieinu through the generations with the great disciples and those who perpetuated the path of the Kotzker Rebbe, the Gerrer Admorim in their generations, a bond preserved at all times, including times when travel between Lubavitch and Ger was impeded by troops [wars and revolutions]; especially as we are speaking of great tzaddikim whom divine providence chose as Jewish leaders. Tens of thousands of Jews went by their light… and, as mentioned, this bond was preserved throughout the generations until the Rebbe, my father-in-law, and continues even now.”

The Rebbe said that he wanted to tell two incidents about his personal connection with Ger from earlier times, because everything is by divine providence and contains a lesson in our service of our Maker.

The first story has to do with the trip that the Rebbe, Nasi Doreinu, made to the Imrei Emes to console him over the passing of his son, Rabbi Yitzchok, in 5695:

“When the Gerrer Rebbe was in mourning, I was sent by the Rebbe, my father-in-law, for nichum aveilim on his behalf. Since my approach at the time was to keep to myself, I hadn’t attended any rabbinic conferences and the like. I tried to avoid it and said I had never been there and didn’t know anyone, etc. but in the end, I had no choice and had to, as it were, carry out this mission that I was commanded by the Rebbe, my father-in-law.”

The second story has to do with the brother-in-law of the Imrei Emes who was hosted by the Rebbe’s parents in Yekaterinoslav. At the time, the Rebbe was a young boy:

“When refugees from Warsaw came to the city of Yekaterinoslav [at the beginning of World War I] there was among them an individual of venerable appearance whom I noticed that my father gave special treatment by placing him at the head of the table and speaking together in divrei Torah, etc. (even though, aside from him, there were many elder Chassidim.) Due to my young age, I did not take an interest in what they said (I only remember that they spoke in Yiddish with a different pronunciation than the Yiddish spoken in Ukraine and southern Russia.)

“I was interested in knowing who this man was that my father honored. I was afraid to ask my father and so I asked my mother. She told me that he was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kaminer, the Gerrer Rebbe’s brother-in-law.”

A short while after this unusual sicha, Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter, the Lev Simcha, became the successor to the Beis Yisroel. The Rebbe blessed him, “May the nesius be very successful and true and on the foundation of ancestral tradition as it was until now, in which is also emphasized in the relationship with our Rebbeim, founded on love of Torah, Ahavas Yisrael, and love of G-d.”

THE IMREI EMES ON TANYA

The Admor, Rabbi Avrohom Mordechai Alter, the Imrei Emes, was born near Warsaw on 7 Teves 5626. In 5665, after the passing of his father, the Sefas Emes, he was appointed his successor and served for 43 years. He was considered an outstanding spiritual leader who did much on behalf of the Jewish people. Under his leadership, Gerrer Chassidus thrived and grew until it numbered 100,000 Chassidim, most of them in Poland. After his passing, they compiled his divrei Torah in a series of sefarim, Imrei Emes and that is how he came to be known.

The Imrei Emes was a genius and proficient in many sefarim. In his youth, he would sign his name on the last page of every sefer he finished learning. Among the few sefarim that were saved from his library after the Holocaust is the sefer Ateres Rosh of the Mittler Rebbe. The signatures at the end of the sefer testify that it had belonged to three Gerrer Admorim: the Sefas Emes, his son, the Imrei Emes, and his son, the Pnei Menachem.

Regarding Tanya he said, “I don’t understand how it is possible to be a Chassidishe yungerman without learning through the Tanya.”

During the era of the Imrei Emes, the friendship with Lubavitch grew stronger. The Rebbe Rashab and his son, the Rebbe Rayatz, who was his right hand man, were in constant touch with the Gerrer Rebbe and together worked on behalf of the Jewish people.

COMRADES-IN-ARMS

One of the important battles took place towards the end of the era of the Russian czars. A rabbinic conference was convened by the government and scheduled to take place in Petersburg in the year 1910. In anticipation of the event, there were many preparations and complex behind the scenes struggles. The rabbanim and leaders of the generation were concerned about a conference called for by the government of the czar as they anticipated that government-appointed ‘rabbis’ would also take part and it would be run under the watchful eyes of the government, with the goal being to institute reforms in education and rabbanus, as per the ambitions of the initiator of the conference, Dr. Moisei (Moshe) Kreps. If those enactments were ratified it would cause a breach in Torah observance among the Jewish communities.

At that time, Poland and Lithuania were both under the czar’s rule. In the battle leading up to the major rabbinic conference, the great Admorim and rabbanim of Russia, Poland, Lithuania etc. took part.

One of the rabbinic meetings that took place before the big conference, was in Marienbad, a resort town in Czechoslovakia, in the summer of 5668. Admorim and rabbanim attended the meeting, led by the Rebbe Rashab, the Imrei Emes, the Avnei Nezer of Sochotchov, the Yismach Yisroel of Alexander, and others.

Another meeting took place for rabbis of Poland in the summer of 5668. Before this meeting, the Rebbe Rashab asked the Gerrer Rebbe to agree to the presence of two Lubavitcher representatives at the meeting. The request was asked of him since he was the leading Torah figure among Polish Jewry at the time. In the letter, the Rebbe Rashab specified that the two would be there as observers and participants and not offer any opinions. The two were Rabbi Menachem Mendel Chein of Niezhin and Rabbi Shmaryahu Leib Medalia of Vitebsk.

Permission was granted and the two Lubavitcher rabbanim attended the meeting of Polish rabbis in Warsaw on Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5669. After the meeting, they gave a detailed report to the Rebbe Rashab.

Another meeting connected with the rabbinic conference took place in Vilna in Iyar 5669. The Rebbe Rashab and his son, and the Gerrer Rebbe attended this too.

In 5670, the big rabbinic conference was finally held in Petersburg in the course of which great battles took place between the tzaddikim of the generation and the government representatives. The Rebbe Rashab was the one who led these battles for the preservation of the religion, and when the convention concluded, he was the one who worked to soften the impact of the resolutions that were taken.

It turned out that even the resolutions that were made were not executed until the end of the czar’s reign which took the sting out of them.

THE BROTHERS OF THE GERRER REBBE VISIT LUBAVITCH

With the outbreak of World War I, the brothers of the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Moshe Betzalel Alter and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Alter, entered Russia as refugees. They visited Lubavitch and met with the Rebbe Rashab and his son.

Years later, the Rebbe Rayatz wrote about this in a letter to Rabbi Moshe Betzalel, referring to the “great kiruv, pure and refined that was displayed” toward them by the Rebbe Rashab, himself and the entire family, “when they were in the area of our camp in the winter and summer of 5675.” He then goes on to reflect that “this positive impression, and the general unification was to the benefit of klal acheinu Bnei Yisrael… between the holy courts of Lubavitch-Ger in all matters of public concern from 5664-5675.”

The years mentioned at the end of the letter are the years when Lubavitch and Ger collaborated. At the end of the war and the communist revolution, Russia was separate from Poland and the connection between Lubavitch in Russia and Ger in Poland was harder to maintain. Nevertheless, the Rebbe Rayatz wanted to continue to work together, as he wrote: The time is auspicious to fulfill that which it says, “Then shall those who fear speak together etc.” The stated purpose being to “shine forth light to support those who study Torah whose situation is bad, and it’s only in the hands of the Nesiei Yisrael, with the help of Hashem yisborach” to improve the situation.

THE RELATIONSHIP CONTINUED DESPITE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION

The Imrei Emes was one of the founders of Agudath Israel. As part of its activities, the group engaged in promoting aliya to Eretz Yisrael as well as becoming a formal political party. The Gerrer Rebbe thought that this was the right approach, considering the times. The Rebbe Rayatz did not agree with this and he wrote sharp critical letters which were publicized as soon as they were written. However, in later years, the Rebbe Rayatz asked that they not be reprinted and these letters were not included in the Igros Kodesh.

Despite the criticism, the friendship between the Chassidic courts was preserved. When, in Poland, they found out about the arrest of the Rebbe Rayatz, the Gerrer Rebbe had tens of thousands of children in Poland gather to say Tehillim. He called for action to be taken through all possible avenues to help in the release of the Rebbe Rayatz.

In the years that followed, they collaborated on helping Russian Jewry. As such, a number of calls were issued signed by the Rebbe Rayatz and other Admorim to help Russian Jewry.

THE REBBE RAYATZ HELPS SAVE THE GERRER REBBE

With the outbreak of World War II, the Germans invaded Poland. From the start, they sought the Gerrer Rebbe as well as many other rabbinic figures. The Gerrer Rebbe and his household left Ger and went to Warsaw. The Nazis tried in many ways to catch him but he was miraculously saved. The fear for the welfare of the Admor was great and the Chassidim invested mighty efforts to save him.

The Rebbe Rayatz also managed to miraculously elude the Germans after being in Warsaw which was under Nazi occupation. Although he hadn’t yet reached safe shores and was fleeing for his life along with his family, he also worried about the safety of the Gerrer Rebbe. In Shevat 5700/1940, he sent a telegram to Agudas Chassidei Chabad in the US in which he wrote, “The Admor of Ger needs a visa for a neutral country. Surely, you will do all you can so he has the ability to leave Warsaw.”

This telegram was sent despite the precarious situation the Rebbe Rayatz himself was in. He made the effort to also help rescue many Jews.

Aguch in the US contacted Senator Sol Bloom in Washington for his help in the rescue efforts. Rashag, the Rebbe’s son-in-law, sent him a telegram from Riga, “Regarding the Admor of Ger, the only way is to arrange an Italian visa and permission to leave via Italy.”

Senator Bloom contacted the Italian consul in Washington to arrange a transit visa for the Gerrer Rebbe and his family. In a letter dated March 25, 1940 (Shushan Purim 5700), the Italian consul informs Senator Bloom that the papers for the Gerrer Rebbe and his family were arranged.

The well-known writer, R’ Moshe Prager, was one of the people rescued in the Gerrer Rebbe’s group. He said that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher, a distinguished Gerrer rav, was also involved. He also contacted Senator Bloom.

The Gerrer Rebbe and his family left Poland in Nissan 1940 for Italy from where they sailed to Haifa. They arrived on 24 Nissan. In his entourage were family members who later were also Gerrer Admorim. On the ship there were five (future) Gerrer Admorim: the Imrei Emes, his son, R’ Yisroel Alter, his son R’ Simcha Bunim Alter, his son, R’ Pinchas Menachem Alter, and R’ Yaakov Aryeh Alter, a baby at the time, the son of R’ Simcha Bunim.

There was also his brother-in-law, Rabbi Yitzchok Meir Levin, later chairman of Agudath Israel. He was in touch over the years with the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe MH”M.

With the Gerrer Rebbe’s arrival in Eretz Yisrael, an announcement was made in Toras Eretz Yisrael. It said, “On this past 24 Nissan, the Admor of Ger reached the gates of the Holy Land. He was welcomed with great enthusiasm by hundreds of Chassidim who came from all over the country to welcome their great Rebbe who merited to appear in the Holy Land where he long yearned to settle. Tremendous toil and labor were expended by his Chassidim in the Holy Land to rescue their Rebbe. Much credit goes to the Lubavitcher Admor who, from the day he left Poland, did not rest but worked to rescue the Gerrer Rebbe. He called from Riga to New York and encouraged those who obey him to not spare any effort to rescue this great man.”

The route via Italy turned out to be miraculous because a short while later, on 4 Sivan, Italy joined the war alongside the Germans.

GER AND LUBAVITCH UNDER NAZI RULE

Some of the Gerrer Admor’s family remained in Poland and perished in the Holocaust. From testimony publicized by the writer, R’ Hillel Seidman, it turns out that during the Holocaust some members of the Gerrer Rebbe’s family met Rabbi Hirschel (Tzvi) Gurary, a distinguished Chabad Chassid in Warsaw. They worked together in an “Admorim workshop,” a small shoe factory that the Nazis had confiscated from a Jew named Hendel. In this factory, Admorim, rabbanim and important askanim worked thanks to Hendel.

“The Shultz factory is a whole world onto itself,” wrote Seidman. “It contained the cream of Orthodoxy.” There was Rabbi Sender of Posna, the young ilui, the son of Rabbi Menachem Ziemba, R’ Aharon. The brothers of Rabbi Yitzchok Meir Levin [son-in-law of the Imrei Emes]: Mottel, Yosef Leibel; there was R’ Moshe Betzalel, brother of the Gerrer Rebbe, R’ Meir Alter, oldest son of the Gerrer Rebbe… R’ Tzvi Gurary and his son, Zalman…”

THE REBBE RAYATZ MOBILIZES AT THE REQUEST OF THE GERRER REBBE

When the Yaldei Tehran arrived in Eretz Yisrael, the Rebbe Rayatz and Gerrer Rebbe worked together so that the children be given a proper Jewish education. These orphaned children were Polish war survivors who miraculously made it out from under the Nazis and reached Tehran from where they were taken to Eretz Yisrael. The Jewish Agency wanted to educate them to heresy and not allow them to keep mitzvos. A battle ensued between the faithful and the Zionists.

The Rebbe Rayatz worked to rouse various rabbinic organizations and public figures in the US to come up with a plan. Their efforts earned partial success and some of the children ended up being sent for religious education. One of those children was Nachman Elbaum. He later became a successful businessman and one of the leading Gerrer Chassidim in the US. He was a go-between between the Rebbe and the Gerrer Admorim. When the Admorim visited the US, he accompanied them to the Rebbe.

The Rebbe Rayatz continued to send letters to the Gerrer Rebbe as well as to his mekuravim. He inquired as to his welfare after he arrived in Eretz Yisrael as a refugee, broken over the loss of his family members and tens of thousands of his Chassidim.

In a letter that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote to the son-in-law of the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi YM Levin, in Iyar 5705, he inquires about his father-in-law and adds a request: “And please proffer to C”K my blessing, the blessing of healing and length of days and years, and to receive nachas from Klal Yisrael. Also to please bless me, myself and my family members, b’gashmiyus u’b’ruchniyus.”

In the winter of 5708, a few months before his passing, the Gerrer Rebbe sent a letter to the Rebbe Rayatz. The Rebbe Rayatz responded in a letter that he sent with Rabbi Chaim Yosef Rosenblum, a distinguished Chabad Chassid in Tel Aviv. Along with the letter, R’ Rosenblum was asked to update the Rebbe Rayatz about the parnassa of the Admor and the families dependent upon him. The Rebbe also wrote that certainly “my friends, Anash, are particular in honoring him and participate in everything pertaining to his health. May Hashem yisborach lengthen his days and years in good and pleasantness.”

The Imrei Emes passed away on Shavuos 1948. Since this was in the middle of the War of Independence, with Yerushalayim being shelled by the Jordanians, he was buried in the yard of his yeshiva, Sefas Emes, and not in the regular cemetery.

In the generations to follow, the warm relationship between Lubavitch and Ger continued, until this very day.

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