Thursday, February 13, 2014

More on Moscow's Rabbi Levin's visit to the USA in 1968/5728

JEM's video last week in their "Living Torah" video series brought to mind the whole controversy that swirled around Chief Rabbi Levin's visit in 1968. He was seen as a paid mouthpiece by some self-appointed activists and was even shouted down on occasion. I'm not sure what those activists expected of him, living in that tyrannical society that he did... We attach some very fascinating clips and articles about his visit, some of which include a speech at Hunter College in NYC where said students interrupted his speech, an appearance with Rav Pinchos Teitz on his weekly radio show, his yechidus with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and an article in Ami magazine about the visit. One thing is for sure, this Chazzan that they had in Moscow was first-class, top of the line! Due to the constraints that these "box" clips put on some browsers we have brought one on the page and 3 links to the box.com website.

  Click here for the reception in Elizabeth, NJ with HaRav Pinchas Teitz 

  Click here for Rabbi Levin's speech at Hunter College





Click here for Clip 2

 Click here for Clip 3

 Click here for Clip 4

Between the Hammer and the sickle

5 comments:

Ben Eliezer said...

For those who missed it at the time, here is the transcript of that Yechidus (recently written up from the audio): Many gems into the Rebbe's youth and Russian Jewry of that time as well:
http://www.lahak.org/pdf2/5774/rhr-pp.pdf

And in R. Boruch Oberlander's haoro here (second to last in kovetz), he discusses a few points according to the exact wording used in that Yechidus:
http://haoros.com/download.asp?kovetzID=1064&ext=pdf

Not a Harry said...

The tyranny that was Russia is so foreign to our liberal minds that we cannot fathom the reality that was the plight of Russian Jewry.

The Modzitzer Rebbe was lambasted by the "Jewish media" for the favorable interviews he gave about the communists after arriving in the USA. Yet hindsight reveals the lives at stake had he said the truth. He was only allowed out for propaganda purposes. Lives hung in the balance of his words.

I didn't read this ami article, but am dan lekaf zechus R Levin...

בדברי רבינו said...

The Rebbe was also מלמד זכות on R Levin in a sicha said י"ב תמוז that year - a week and a half after the yechidus.
The Rebbe was speaking about the hecklers by R Levins speech.

For the sicha:
http://www.lahak.org/pdf2/5773/12-tamuz-5728-3-pp.pdf
Starts around אות ל
(Ben Eliezer put a link to the transcript of the yechidus. This is a link to a sicha.)

Efraim said...

Did R Levin speak English?

Not a Harry said...

Really surprised this discussion didn't elicit a greater level of interest