Tzivos Hashem Joins World Wide Rally To Vanquish The Enemy
On Sunday morning the news hit Crown Heights that the Rebbe’s Shliach to Gush Katif, Rabbi Kirshenzaft, was seriously wounded in a terrorist attack. He was in a car together with a visitor from California when a bomb exploded close by. All the car windows were shattered, and both passengers suffered wounds from the flying debris. At first it was reported that Kirshenzaft had sustained life threatening wounds. A few hours later it was learned that the wounds were not as serious as first reported B”H.
The students of the Chabad Yeshiva that was recently established in Gush Katif heard the sound of the nearby explosion. Rather than going to see what happened, and possibly being on the scene during a follow up attack, the students said Tehillim for Rabbi Kirshenzaft for two hours straight. [In the afternoon when I called Rosh Yeshiva Tzvi Bogomilsky, he answered his phone just as the boys were singing “Utzu Aitza.” The singing was incredibly loud and enthusiastic. It is very encouraging to hear the words “Contrive a plot…but it will not materialize, for G-d is with us” coming straight from Gush Katif.]
Meanwhile, in Crown Heights, the arrangements for the Yud Beis Tammuz rally in Manhattan were facing problems. Working with organizations outside of Lubavitch takes careful scrutiny and coordination to make sure Chassidim will be participating in an event which represents the teachings of the Rebbe and is within the guidelines of Halacha. At one point it looked like Tzivos Hashem was going to have to cancel their involvement, when a voice came out from a member of N’shei Chabad, “Our Shliach was hit! We must send the children to Manhattan to say the P’sukim!”
Tzivos Hashem, Shlaimus HaAretz activists, Rabbonim and Mashpiim, resumed their efforts until all were satisfied that the rally would be suitable for the children in summer camps and the community to attend.
The rally was near Times Square in Manhattan and it was coordinated with rallies in many places across the nation and around the world. But the Manhattan rally was special, as reported in the Jerusalem Post:
“Organized largely by the Lubavitch youth organization Tzivos Hashem, the rally brought hundreds [actually, close to 2,000] of Orthodox children from New York area summer camps to the demonstration, some of them leading the crowd in prayer [the 12 P’sukim] and declarations of solidarity with the settlers of Gush Katif.
“‘The land belongs to every Jew who ever lived, and no one has the right to give away even one inch, especially if it puts into danger the lives of other Jews,’ one young boy declared from the podium.
“Reciting Psalms in shrill voices, the children were cheered on by teenagers and adults standing across the street on Broadway, just south of Times Square.”
Numerous people were involved in putting together this powerful event, but a special Yasher Koach goes to Avraham Fried. In the stifling heat, he energetically sang lively and meaningful songs, while interacting with the children, making them part of the show.
Summer camps which were not able to attend made simultaneous rallies at their camps, with the 12 P’sukim and Tzedakah.
Shimmy Weinbaum of Tzivos Hashem does not see the success of the Manhattan rally as the achievement of a goal, an end in and of itself. He sees it as part of a process, a stimulant to increase the frequency of children’s rallies with Torah, Tefillah and Tzedaka in accordance with the Rebbe’s example before the Yom Kippur war, and the words of Tehillim 8:3, which declare that our enemies will be vanquished by the children’s prayers and words of Torah.
Crown Heights wishes Rabbi Kirshenzaft and Mr. Rav-noy a refuah shleima
