Historic Baltimore Court Records Reveal Estate Funds Given to the Frierdiker Rebbe
Newly surfaced records from the Baltimore Orphans’ Court shed light on a remarkable historical connection between American Jewry and the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe during a critical period for European Torah institutions.
According to Orphans Court Proceedings T604/C2558-154 (Baltimore Orphan Records, October 1935–January 1936), the estate of Ellis Maggid was distributed in part to numerous Torah institutions and charitable causes across Europe and Eretz Yisroel. Among the listed beneficiaries is Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, identified in the court document as “Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneerson … formerly Dean of Lubavitch Yeshiva,” with the funds designated for distribution to various yeshivos and Talmudic schools of Europe, Warsaw, Poland.
The court order, dated October 31, 1935, authorized a formal meeting on January 2, 1936, to distribute the remaining assets of the estate. The detailed listing of recipients provides a rare snapshot of the global Jewish philanthropic network on the eve of World War II, when European yeshivos faced mounting economic hardship and growing danger.
At the time, the Previous Rebbe was deeply involved in sustaining and strengthening Torah education throughout Eastern Europe. From his base in Poland, and later Latvia, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson worked tirelessly to support yeshivos financially and spiritually, often serving as a conduit through which funds from abroad could be directed where they were most urgently needed. The Baltimore court record reflects that trust, placing the responsibility for distributing funds to multiple institutions directly in his hands.
The document also lists prominent yeshivos in Telz, Slabodka, Mir, Lublin, Radin, Warsaw, and Ponevezh, as well as charitable institutions in Jerusalem and Chevron—underscoring the broad scope of the estate’s intended impact.
For the Chabad-Lubavitch community, this archival discovery highlights an early and meaningful link between Baltimore Jewry and the leadership of Chabad, as well as the vital role played by the Previous Rebbe in sustaining Torah life during one of the most precarious periods in Jewish history.
