Russia’s First Women's Jewish Congress visits Lubavichi, the birth of Chabad Hasidism
February 21, 2025
On February 9, a group of activists of the First Women's Jewish Congress visited Lubavichi, the birth of Chabad Hasidism. It was in the town of Lyubavichi that the First Lubavitch Rebbe Schneur Zalman from Lyad studied Torah. After his death, the Lubavichi became the spiritual center of the mass movement in Hasidism - Habada-Lyubavic.
The trip of Jewish women was timed to an important date: the 111th anniversary of the departure of Rivka Schneerson, the wife of Rebe Maarash and the mother of Rebe Rayats. The first women's Jewish congress began the restoration and construction of the "Moms of the Lubovichs", laid the stone for the construction of the oel of the rebets Rivka, which is called "Mama of the Lyubovichs".
Oel is restored only with the money of Jewish women patrons. When the preparatory restoration work of the grave of the children of Rivka in Lyubavichi began, a geniza was discovered there - a place where the scrolls, books (Tanakh, Talmud, prayer books), their fragments containing the names of God, commonly called shmot (names) that have become unusable. After the discovery of the geniza, rabbis from Israel were invited to explain the further procedure.
At the moment, the grave itself has been put in order. Construction work on the construction of the oil is underway. The trip was attended by 21 women, led by the organizer - the founder of the First Women's Jewish Congress Judith Sorkina. On the way to Lyubavichi, Judith Sorkina, greeting the participants, said the morning brahot, told about the Lyubavichi, about the Reba and their wives who lived in Lyubavichi. Upon arrival, the women prayed in the synagogue, went to the oel, where the Chabad movement was born.
In the house of the Rebbe and on the village, the guests wrote letters of gratitude to the Almighty for what has already happened, and with requests for the future, for relatives and friends, lit candles and said prayers. The laying of the stone and the opening ceremony of the construction of the Rivki Schneerson oil took place. Then, in a warm and soulful atmosphere, with the words of the Torah and prayers, the meal took place.