At Museum Visit Putin Says Seforim can Return to Chabad
Russian president Valdimir Putin visited the Moscow Jewish Museum accompanied by Cheif Rabbi Berel Lazar. After the tour the president declared that “the Chabad Library can be returned to Chabad, but they must remain in Russia.”
The Jewish Museum is the largest of it kind and opened its doors six months ago. Putin let his personal support to the museum’s construction and expressed surprise over the museum’s size and unique exhibits.
Mr. Putin said “transfer of the Schneeson library to the United States is something that is unacceptable. The collection was nationalized by the Russian government for over 100 years.” He went on to say that the lawsuit brought against Russia by Chabad could “open a pandora’s box” that would place Russia at the mercy of many more similar lawsuits.
A U.S. court recently ruled that the collection must be returned to Chabad in New York and every day that it does not Russia will have to pay a fine of $50,000. In response to the judgement Russia filed a counterclaim at the U.S. Library of Congress, that seven of the Seforim from the collection which was ‘loaned’ to Chabad in 1994 has not been returned.
Mr. Putin expressed at the time that the ruling was illegal.
Today, as mentioned, there was a significant and dramatic change in the Russian position. During Putin’s speech at the museum he said that in his opinion the Seforim should be transferred the to the Jewish community. “I’m ready to give the order to begin the process of transferring the books to the Chabad Jewish Museum in Moscow,” the President said.
Rabbi Boruch Gorin, spokesman for the Agudah of Jewish Communities in the Soviet Union spoke to Israeli news site Shturem.net;
How such a transfer will work?
“That depends of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, we are working on it. They need to decided what they are willing [to do]. We just want to determine what it is exactly that they want.
Do you believe that the Seforims place in the Jewish Museum in Moscow?
“We think that it an acceptable compromise and an exit from a very complicated situation that has arisen over the years. The presidents declaration on the topic is very important.”
idiots who brought this to court
people who brought this to court did so against the direct instruction of people in the know and who are connected in Russia, you don’t get anything in Russia by twisting arms, you accomplish by giving something in return, either $ or good publicity, in the way those who are involved with the public courtcase chose to do it, Russia only stands to lose, and Russia won’t allow that, so sad that all these egos got involved!
Milhouse
Was the legal action not originally initiated at the Rebbe’s instructions?
SMILE!!!
He looks bored to death.
Pinchos Woolstone
Would the Rebbe accept/support this “compromise”.
LY
To number 4,
You know what is the other option now? that the sefarim would be sold (like they did already to some) or left by the Russians ad bias goel tzedek.
to 2
no, the Rebbe never initiated court action, the seforim would be back in 770 if not for certain people who wanted a lot of publicity, the Rebbe wanted the seforim back, in fact when people were organising demonstrations against Russia to allow Jews to leave, the Rebbe was involved behind the scenes to stop this (there have been interviews on Living Torah about this), the Rebbe knew that Russians will never give in publicly, everything has to be quiet
Milhouse
The original court action in Russia happened while the Rebbe was directly in control of everything that happened in Lubavitch. You can’t tell me it wasn’t on his specific instructions.
Cumin
The rebbe clearly appointed three or four individuals to oversee this, not you or me let them decide.
So
I agree with 1. It’s difficult to imagine that with Lazars connection in Russia he woul be unable to reach some sort of compromise.
CHT
About 20 years ago in Odessa we did not have enough sforim to study, especially after synagogue had collapsed. We had to dig out sforim from geniza, the paper seemed to be made from dust, staffing our noses, and was crashing in hands.
I had to visit Moscow so I had to go to Marina roscha, The first scene I see – American bochurim loading up a Van with boxes. They told me they are taking sforim to the Rebbe. I asked if there were any for Odessa bochurim, they did not seem to care much. This frustrated me to the bones. They were taking sforim to the Rebbe – the same one who brings Yidishkait to every place, including Odessa.
On the 5 teves judge said that the books belong to the Rebbe because they really belong to all the Hassidim. Are hassidim in Russia any different from hassidim in USA. Please, answer with emes.
Milhouse
The judge did not say the books belong to the Rebbe, and he certainly didn’t say they belong to the Hassidim. He said they belong, as a matter of law, to Agudas Chassidei Chabad of the United States. It had nothing to do with chassidim or chassidus; it was a pure matter of private property.
Leningrad Codex
For all those paranoiac about Russia keeping Jewish Sforim, answer 3 questions:
Did you hear about Leningrad Codex?
Where is it kept?
For how long?
Milhouse
What on earth are you talking about? What has some old chumash got to do with the Rebbe’s seforim? This is a matter of stolen property. the Rebbe’s property, that must be returned.
Lebedige Bombes
I do not think the Potemkin-village propaganda museum in Moscow meets the safety standards needed to house lebedige bombes. If those who are not meant to handle the sforim end up with even temporary possession of them (except as a conduit to the US as the Rebbe wished), they are playing with fire.
As for Putin, he will end up being the most powerful man in Chabad, Inc. by pitting shluchim against each other. In the end, Putin can put in a reform rav mi-taam tomorrow once the sforim are in “community” hands.
CHUTZPAH
When this first came out, the Russians came up with some petty excuses why they would not let go of the sefarim. But some wise guy said like this,
“You see, Rabbi Schneerson was a great Russian philosopher. He taught us to rule our hearts with our minds. If everyone would do that, this would be a better world – no wars, famines, etc. Being that he was a Russian philosopher, so where do the books belong?”
I know Milhouse, these are private belongings, and the true heirs have a right to do what THEY want with them. But then, some will argue in all fairness, next, we should demand from the Vatican and other museums to return to Jewish hands the stolen items from there.
Milhouse
The Alter Rebbe was not a Russian philosopher. He was a Jew, not a Russian. Napoleon’s pact with the devil, under which Jews would give up our distinct nationality and become Frenchmen (or Germans, Russians, etc) of the Mosaic faith, was not offered in Russia at that time, and the Alter Rebbe resisted it with all his might.
Museums already have to return any identifiable stolen goods. What do you think the whole fuss has been about paintings stolen by the Nazis? How is this any different?
If you can find any stolen items at the Vatican, and identify the owners’ heirs, I’m sure they will return them. So far I have never seen evidence that they have such a thing.