Thousands of Chernobyl chassidim and supporters from Israel, the United States and Europe gathered in Bnei Brak this week for what the chassidus is calling an unprecedented event not seen in decades.
The gathering came in response to a call from the Chernobyl Rebbe shlita to complete construction of a new beis medrash on Chavakuk Street in Bnei Brak, which will serve as a center for Torah, tefillah and chassidus for generations. The response was extraordinary, with dozens of chassidim crossing the ocean from America and Europe specifically to participate in the historic moment.
The event was hosted by Rav Yisroel Stern of London. The emotional peak came when the Rebbe entered the packed hall, and the crowd burst into song that shook the walls.
Speakers included the guest of honor, Rav Aharon Schiff shlita, Gaavad of Antwerp, who spoke about the miraculous rebirth of chassidus from the ashes after the Holocaust; the chassidic philanthropist Rav Avrohom Shlomo Einhorn from the United States; Rav Yisroel Frush; and Rav Nosson Olech.
A visual presentation took participants on an emotional journey through the glorious history of the chassidus, the inferno of the Holocaust, and the rebirth and revival that followed. Among the displays were rare and precious heirlooms from the estate of the previous Rebbe zt"l, including his peltz (fur coat) and his old shtreimel, alongside a precise reconstruction of his place in the old beis medrash on Raavad Street.
A particularly moving moment came when organizers erected a special section replicating the resting place of the Tschernobiler rebbes zt"l buried in the Chernobyl region of Ukraine, a holy site that has become nearly impossible to reach in recent years due to the upheavals of history and the decades since the Chernobyl disaster. Thousands of chassidim were given a rare opportunity to place kvitlach with requests and prayers for yeshuos, in the hope and faith that these would be conveyed to the holy gravesites across the sea.
The entire event was conducted with uncompromising kedushah and taharah, without any screens, thanks to meticulous production planning that attended to every detail.
The chassidus is now reflecting with great emotion on the peak moments of the historic gathering, which became a powerful and rare display of unity around their Rebbe, the Chernobyl Rebbe shlita, on the path toward achieving the great goal.
