The Philanthropist at the Rebbe’s Farbrengen

Gimmel Tammuz Special: Canadian land developer Louis Mayzel was upbeat and good-hearted, but above all, he was a man of action. Once when Louis was very broken, a fellow real estate developer suggested that he travel to the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to ask his advice on coping with the situation.

by Dovid Zaklikowski

Canadian land developer Louis Mayzel was upbeat and good-hearted, but above all, he was a man of action. Some said that Louis clearly lived up to the dictum of the Mishnaic sages: “Speak little and do much.” If Louis heard of someone in need, or found evidence of something to be done, he would get to work immediately.

Once when Louis was very broken, a fellow real estate developer suggested that he travel to the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to ask his advice on coping with the situation. Mr. Roth introduced Louis to Rabbi Eli Lipskar, who arranged for a private audience with the Rebbe.

“We will never know what was said during his private audience with the Rebbe, but whatever the Rebbe said consoled my father and brought him back to attend many of the gatherings at Lubavitch World Headquarters,” said his daughter, Betty.

Although Louis did not understand much of the talks given by the Rebbe at the gatherings, he would absorb the elated atmosphere that permeated the large synagogue. He would jump for joy during the upbeat melodies and clap his hands in exultation. He would tell his acquaintances that going to New York lifted his spirit and gave him the strength to forge ahead.

Louis did not have the luxury to travel to New York for long periods of time. He would arrive shortly before the gatherings, and head back home by plane several hours later. Once, after visiting the Rebbe’s synagogue for just a short while, during which there was no special gathering, Louis still professed that the visit “revived” him.

His eyes would shine every time he talked about the Rebbe. He’d often try to convince his friends to make the journey to Brooklyn. “A man hasn’t really lived,” he would say, “until he has visited Jerusalem, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.”

Like others in the crowd, Louis would vie for a place on the benches. Said a student who remembered Louis from gatherings in the early 1960s: “He did not act like a fancy man; he was just one of the guys.”

At a packed gathering in 1980, Louis could not find a place to sit comfortably. Although thousands were in attendance, the Rebbe took note of Louis and invited him to the dais, giving him several slices of cake. Several people immediately asked Louis to share the cake that the Rebbe had distributed by hand, and Louis happily obliged. The Rebbe, watching the scene unfold, said (paraphrased), “Don’t just take from him… perhaps someone can give him a seat.” Immediately, someone opened a place for Louis, and the Rebbe – clearly pleased – began his next talk once Louis was seated comfortably.

An excerpt from Extraordinary People You Should Know to be published soon by Hassidic Archives.