An Evening of Achdus in Manchester

MANCHESTER, England [CHI] — This week, Manchester experienced an unparalleled gathering of unity the like of which the city has not seen in living memory. Over 1000 men, women and children attended an Evening of Solidarity and Inspiration for the Manchester Kehilla in the Steincourt Shule in memory of the Shluchim and the other victims who were killed al kiddush Hashem in Mumbai.

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The evening was coordinated in full cooperation between all the Lubavitch organizations in the city, together with the Machzikei Hadas Community, the Manchester Beis Din, the Rabbinical Council of Manchester, the Communal Council and the Rabbi, Reb Gavriel Brodie and executive of Steincourt Shul.

The evening was chaired by Rabbi Avrohom Jaffe, the Rabbi of Kahal Chassidim Lubavitch, and speakers included the Moro Dasra, Rov of Machzikei Hadas, HaRav Menachem Mendel Schneebalg, Dayan Yehuda Shteiner of the Manchester Beis Din, Rabbi Moshe Kupitz, Chairman of Reshet and Rabbi Yossi Chazan, Rov of Holy Law Synagogue.

The Rabbanim spoke about the self-sacrifice of the Lubavitcher Shluchim around the world, and their unique ability to unite all sections of the Jewish community. They stressed that although we cannot fathom Hashem’s reasoning for such a tragic event, or begin to justify it, we must take strength to continue our own work and personal Shlichus. We should be especially encouraged to take the message of the Shluchim to heart and learn from the success of Lubavitch in accepting every Jew unconditionally, whatever their spiritual standing or personal status.

Tehillim were recited by Rabbi Akiva Cohen, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Manchester, Rabbi Jacob Rubinstein, the chairman of the Rabbinical Council and Rabbi Shlomo Elituv, Rav of the South Manchester Sefardi community. Chananya Niasof, a student in the Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch Day School read a special chapter Tehillim in the zechus of the two year old Moshe Holtzberg, who was heroically saved from the Chabad House.

The event was attended by tens of Rabbanim and community leaders from all sections of the community. The event was especially poignant for a number local people who had personally benefited from the Holtzberg’s hospitality in the Chabad House in Mumbai, two of whom, Mr. Gigi Mechlowitz and Mr. Rafi Neuman indeed shared their memories and experiences with the audience.

The community left the event pained, yet inspired, with a determination to perpetuate the feeling of unity and to support the Shluchim in work in perpetuating Jewish unity around the world.