By Timmy Rubin
In 1986, straight after Simchas Torah, I arrived in Crown Heights to learn at Machon Chana. The very next day, I was mugged on Eastern Parkway.
Looking for a place to rent, I went to the offices of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council and chanced upon meeting Fruma Junik.
“Where do you come from?” she quizzed.
“My name is Timmy Friend (short for Tamara), and I’m from Melbourne, Australia I was sent by Reb Zalman Serebryanski before I traveled around the world starting in India.
“Ach! Reb Zalman was my neighbor in Paris.”
She asked how long you intend to stay in Crown Heights. I answered, “Well, I’ll stay for a month attending Machan Chana on Eastern Parkway, and then I’ll see if the glove fits.”
“Come back at 5 PM,” she told me.
So, knowing no one, I went to a bookstore, carrying my backpack. I returned at 5 PM and she said, follow me.
What was the apartment that she found me? Her own home!
Fruma was the wildest, warmest, strongest force of nature I’d ever met who nurtured me like no other. She said go learn and come back each day and give me chazara, (summary) of your favorite classes.
She put up her little finger and said, you do this much, and HaShem will do the rest, but you can’t dress like that. I was wearing a harlequin dress from Goa, India, with a yellow and white striped top. I must have looked like a lollypop. She marched me to Top Fashion on Kingston Avenue, and finally, I found a dress I liked.
I had no idea that I had stumbled upon royalty. Little did I know that her heilige husband Rabbi Beryl Junik, who came out of Russia as the Rebbe’s adopted son, was the one who accepted the nesius of the Rebbe right after Yud Shvat and gave him a pan on the 6th of Iyar which the Rebbe accepted.
Fruma was fun, smart, and full of personality and energy, and I watched how this powerhouse nurtured her wonderful family as well as the community. With a great sense of humor, she steered the ship and always gave enormous respect to her beloved husband. I landed in the honey pot, and Fruma instilled Chassidishkeit and enormous confidence into me. Dovid and Chanie, the two youngest children, lived at home, and when I heard “Shlock Rock” blaring out of Dovid’s room, it felt like home.
When I climbed the stairs outside their top floor to use their phone, Fruma would pour the negel vasser onto my hands and catch it on the way coming down so I wouldn’t get drenched. She really got me!
Her open-mindedness and deep warmth, and love inspired me to stay put in New York and keep on the journey of Torah learning and observing Mitzvos.
About a year later, I met my bashert and Fruma and Rabbi Junik were our untefurers under the Chuppah with my parents. The greatest compliment Fruma gave to my husband Kalman was that he reminded her of her husband.
She mothered incredible, well adjusted children, all shluchim in their own ways.
Throughout my journey in Torah and Chassidus, Fruma was always my guiding light. Our family will be forever grateful and indebted to Fruma and her family. She was and does exemplify what a Chosid, eishes chayil and friend are and my family is so blessed because of Fruma.
Such a beautiful story!!! She was indeed a remarkable mother and Bubby but most of all a pillar to her family and community !!!
Beautiful story. It’s so. Mrs. Junik.
Timmy, i never knew this part of your story. Did you live there after you were married also? What a zchus. She must have had such nachas to see what u became.
T.H.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this real life tzadekes ❤️