By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
Rabbi Gershon Schusterman, while serving as the director of Chabad in Long Beach, California in 1971, received a call at the office from Rabbi Binyomin Klein, one of the Rebbe‘s aides.
Rabbi Klein said he was calling with a message from the Rebbe, which he said was in response to a letter.
“I didn’t ask anything from the Rebbe,” Rabbi Schusterman answered in bewilderment. “Are you sure it is for me?”
Rabbi Klein assured him that it was and relayed the Rebbe’s message: “The idea to build a Mikvah in Long Beach is extremely important, and in order to speed up the process, I am sending a check for $1,000 by special delivery.”
Rabbi Schusterman hung up and immediately contacted the other Chabad representatives in the area, but none of them had written to the Rebbe about a Mikvah.
The next day, Rabbi Klein called the Chabad House office again, explaining that the Rebbe had advised him to speak to one of the rebbetzins about building the Mikvah.
Rabbi Mendel Futerfas, a man of self-sacrifice who spent years in prison for his activities on behalf of Jewish life in the Soviet Union, would travel to Long Beach every year for a chassidic gathering, where he would give advice and encouragement to the community.
Realizing that there was no Mikvah in Long Beach, Rabbi Futerfas had encouraged the crowd at that year’s gathering to build one.
It turned out that one of the women present had written a letter to her mother describing the gathering. Her mother, Miriam Popack, a member of the executive committee of the Lubavitch Women’s Organization, presented the letter to the Rebbe. The Rebbe immediately asked his aide to convey his response.
The incident inspired the community to build a beautiful Mikvah.
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Actually Rabbi Ephraim Piekarski was the director of Chabad of LB at the time. He was the one to get the call.
Afterwards Rabbi Klein called back and said that the Rebbe wanted the message to be told directly to Chana Piekarski .since Her mother – Mrs Miriam Popack had heard the discussion at their shabbos table while visiting. Mrs. Popack then wrote to the Rebbe.
The Mikvah was then called Mikvah Yisroel
Thank you collive for bringing this story please continue to post similar content
Tremendous story about my close friends Gershon and Reb Mendel OBM.
The Long Beach Mikvah, named MIKVAH CHAYA V’SARA LEAH (donated from the humbleness of Drs. Yossi & Chaya Groden of Long Beach CA), has helped bring Blessings of many children to so many families from many areas.
This is a true Kiddush Hashem that we’re all so grateful for.
Beautiful story!!