Home of Rebbe’s Father Honored

DNEPROPETROVSK, Ukraine [FJC] — Residents of the east Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk celebrated the inauguration of a memorial built in honor of Rabbi Levi Yitzhak Schneerson, the father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory. Rabbi Levi Yitzhak served as the Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk (then known as Yekaterinoslav) from 1909 to 1939.

Gallery of the Ceremony in the Extended Article!

The memorial plaque was established at the house where Levi Yitzhak lived from 1934 to 1939. It was here that he was living when he was arrested on the night of March 29 by Soviet NKVD agents. As well, the foyer of this building will now host an ongoing exhibit dedicated to his honor.

This undertaking was possible thanks to the management of the ‘Stupeniy’ (Steps) Business Center, located on Barrikadnaya Street, who decided to perpetuate the memory of this great leader by carefully restoring the facade of this two-storey building based on historical documents and images. Now it has become part of a modern business complex, symbolizing the unity of past, present and future.

At the Business Center’s initiative, which received full support from Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk Shmuel Kaminetsky, a commemorative plaque was created, which reads in both Ukrainian and Hebrew.

The significant ‘face lift’ for this building, led by renowned architect Alexander Sorin, involved restoration works, erecting a memorial plaque, and creating an exhibition. One of the project sponsor’s Grigory Derevitsky was on hand at the opening ceremony, which also involved Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk Shmuel Kaminetsky, Israel Embassy Attaché Vladislav Krischanovich, Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community Chairman Grigory Korol, Director of the ‘Aleph’ Information Center Oleg Rostovtsev, as well as staff from the Ohr Avner-Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Day School.