Calabar, Nigeria: 10th Tanya Printed in Nigeria, Completing Nine-Year Mission
Nine years after Shluchim set out to print the Tanya across Nigeria, the one edition they were unable to complete has finally been printed in Calabar.
In 2017, Rabbi Israel and Haya Uzan, Shluchim in Abuja, asked bochurim Mendel Raskin, Mendy Sternbach and Heschel Yarmush, who had come to Nigeria for Tishrei to assist Jews across the country with their Yom Tov needs, to print Tanyas in cities where Jews were living.
Eight editions were reserved from Kehos for cities across Nigeria. Traveling with printers, generators and mashke in armored vehicles with security, the bochurim succeeded in printing seven.
Calabar was the exception. By the time they returned for Chanukah, the Jews who had been there had left, and the printing was postponed.
Recently, a ma’ane of the Rebbe concerning printing Tanya in Nigeria was published, in which the Rebbe writes: “באם יש שם עכ״פ יהודי אחד” — if there is at least one Jew there.
Rabbi Mendy and Mazal Sternbach, Shluchim in Lagos, together with Rabbi Israel and Haya Uzan, looked into Calabar and found that there was indeed one Jew living there, Yossi Dueni.
Nine years after it was first planned, Tanya edition 6,936 was printed in Calabar, becoming the 10th Tanya printed in Nigeria.
The printing took place on the birthday of Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, in whose memory it was printed, recognizing his years of personal involvement in developing Yiddishkeit and supporting the Shluchim families in Nigeria.
