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When the Frierdiker Rebbe Sat in Washington’s Chair

by Yosef Shandling

The Frierdiker Rebbe arrives in the U.S.

This year the 12th and 13th of Tammuz, the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Yemei Hageula and birthday (12th of Tammuz), immediately precede the 4th of July, America’s “Yom Hageula” and birthday.

Every year there is always some proximity between the dates marking these remarkable events. Since everything that happens, happens by Divine Providence, there is of course some connection.

The following historical facts, reported at the time by the newspaper “Jewish World” and printed in the Introduction to Sefer Hasichos 5688 to 5691 (Kehot Publication Society), about the Frierdiker Rebbe’s visit to Philadelphia in December of 1929, give some indication of the Rebbe’s great love for America.

During his famous visit to America in the years 1929-30, the Rebbe visited a number of cities after first establishing New York as his base.

Philadelphia was the first of the cities he visited. Upon arriving at the Philadelphia train station, the Rebbe was met by a group of very important people from the City and from the Jewish Community of Philadelphia. The entire group made their way directly to Independence Hall (birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, and later of the Constitution).

Upon entering Independence Hall, the Rebbe was permitted to sit in the chair which George Washington had sat in (while presiding on the historical deliberations). Sitting in George Washington’s chair, the Rebbe blessed the American government and strongly praised the Constitution saying “ My first wish, coming America, was to visit this cradle of American freedom.”

Afterwards, the Rebbe and his entourage proceeded to the site of the Liberty Bell. The Rebbe laid a laurel wreath there and declared “The freedom which is based on religion is the strongest freedom”.

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23 Comments

  • Zusye

    thanks to Rabbi Aaron Leib Raskin for compiling the Introduction to Sefer Hasichot 5688-5691 (Kehot Publication Society).

  • Ad Masai!

    Wow, love the history.
    Why have only Lubavitchers stopped wearing shtreimels/spudiks? They looke so Chassidic.

  • Yosef L.

    Correction: The picture is not from the 1929 visit. It is from the Rebbe’s arrival in 1940.

  • Milhouse

    #4, Lubavitchers never wore shtreimels. Only the rebbe wore one, and our Rebbe never officially accepted the nesi’us, and refused to act in public as a rebbe, so he never wore one.

  • Milhouse

    What “historical deliberations” did Washington preside “on” [sic]? I’ve never heard of any.

  • Zusye

    to # 6. you write: “our Rebbe never officially accepted the nesi’us”.
    what are you saying?!

    the Rebbe said many times that he is the Memale Makom of the Frierdiker Rebbe!

  • Milhouse-s hstory lesson

    Dear Milhouse, old boy, that was where the Constitutional Conventions were held, and where the documents creating the USA were created. Washington DC was a swamp, and did not become the capitol until the second President took office

  • Elimelech

    To Zusye (nr.8):
    The Rebbe said “many times” that he is the memale mokom of the Frierdiker Rebbe? Could you provide 3 references for your claim? How about 1?

  • disappointed

    Advice for everyone Millhouse is a plain idiot & trouble maker with a very negative attitude towards everything. best to ignore him & maybe he will go away back to his hole

  • Milhouse

    #8, Zusye: “the Rebbe said many times that he is the Memale Makom of the Frierdiker Rebbe!”

    Oh, really? He did not say this even once.

    #11, You illiterate fool, I make clear and logical contributions to this site; what do you ever do? Who has ever benefited from your existence in this world? Why don’t you go jump in a lake?

  • Milhouse

    #9, the article said “the chair which George Washington had sat in (while presiding on the historical deliberations).” Since no deliberations of any kind had been mentioned before, this sentence makes no sense (even before we get to the strange phrase “presiding on”).

  • Achdus!

    BS’’D
    Lets just be friends, be like talmidav shel aharon, even when its hard.

  • To Milhouse & #4

    The Rebbe received his hat as a gift from the Frierdiker Rebbe.
    He therefore wanted to always wear it, AND he [probably] understood from this that he was not to wear a shtreimel.

  • Zusye

    To those who asked:

    Many times the Rebbe said this Content.

    For example:

    purim 5751 ( the Rebbe said about the Frierdiker Rebbe: “Nismaso bi” – his neshomo is in me).

    During the court case the Rebbe told the lawyers that when he says “Kvod Kedusham Mori Vichami” he is talking about himself (told over by R’ Avreml Shemtov).

    The Rebbe said many times that he is the Bal Habayis of lubavitch.

    In “Hayom Yom” it says that in 5751 the Rebbe was Mekabel the Nesius (this is Mugah by the Rebbe).

  • Zusye

    correction to #16: instead of 5751, it should say: 5711. thanks.

    to #15, you write: “The Rebbe received his hat as a gift from the Frierdiker Rebbe”.
    you made this up.

  • to milhouse..

    if he didnt accept the position, how did it happen that he became rebbe? he did declare that it was dor haShviv, and while he did look up to his father in law, didnt he accept that he was looked up to as the Rebbe

  • finally a Shliach

    that the rebbe wore a hat because the frierdike rebbe gave it is complete bunk!
    the rebbe (and the frierdike rebbe, possibly the Rebbe rasha as well would wear whatever was the local hat was. the hat the rebbe woe when he became rebbe stuck.
    i dont know why the rebbe didn’t wear a shtreimel.
    we do know that the rebbe rashab would not wear it while traveling outstide of lubavitch.
    the frierdike rebbe only wore it on special occasions,
    i have heard it said that the rebbe WOULD have worn a shtrieml IFhe was given the frierdike rebbe’s shtreimel but for the reason he did not receive it is a different story not worth going into now.

  • Milhouse

    #16, Zusye, you are making things up. The Rebbe NEVER said at any time that he is the baal habayis, or that he is the rebbe, or that there was any change at all since Yud Shvat. As far as he was concerned “der Rebbe der Shver” was still the rebbe, and he was just a sort of secretary. And that is why he didn’t wear the shtreimel.

  • Milhouse

    #18, the Rebbe NEVER acknowledged that he was the rebbe. And he did NOT declare that it was dor hashvi’i; he never mentioned it. As far as he was concerned his shver was still alive and was still the rebbe.