http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8299
The Schneerson Library cannot be taken out to the United States from Russia, presidential envoy for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy told Interfax.
“The Schneerson collection is part of the Russian State Library’s collection, which, in turn, is indivisible and cannot be subject to separation,” he said.
“There are no reasons” for moving the collection. These archives have been in the Russian Federation’s ownership all through the 20th century, and cannot be alienated or moved on a permanent basis,” Shvydkoy said.
Pending the settlement of the Schneerson Library issue, no exhibits of Russian cultural values are possible in the United States, he also said.
“It is impossible to imagine a situation involving seizure of Russian cultural values, which is due to the fact, among other reasons, that special conditions must be created to keep them, which is difficult to do in places unfit for this. Therefore, we will not be able to send any of our exhibits to the United States pending solution of the problem,” he said.
A Russian-American agreement is being drafted that would help protect Russian cultural values from third parties’ claims, Shvydkoy said, adding, “The drat will be ready within a month, I think.”
The Schneerson Library is a collection of old Jewish books and manuscripts, put together by rabbis of the Chabad Jewish community in the late 18th century in Belarus. It is one of the Jewish religious relics.
Part of the collection amassed by Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson, was nationalized by Bolsheviks in 1918 and ended up at the Russian State Library. The other part was taken out of the Soviet Union by Schneerson, who emigrated in the 1930s.
About 25,000 pages of manuscripts got into the hands of the Nazis, and were later seized by the Red Army and handed over to the Russian State Military Archive.
Lubavitchers have sought the restitution of the Schneerson collection since the late 1980s. According to some reports, at the time Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin promised to James Baker, Secretary of State in the George Bush Sr. administration, that the holy documents will be returned to the Hasids.
On August 6, 2010, a federal judge in Washington, Royce Lamberth, ruled that the Hasids proved the legitimacy of their claims to the ancient Jewish books and manuscripts, which, in his definition, are kept at the Russian State Library and the Russian Military Archive illegally.
The Russian Foreign Ministry challenged the judgment.
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle has assured Russian officials that the U.S. court ruling will not lead to a seizure of Russian cultural values, taken out to the United States for an exhibition.
She said something like “My father belongs to the Chassidim, so
the seforim belong to the Chassidim!”
As the return of the S’forim is linked to Moshiach, it is in the interest of the Klipos not to have them released. They employ the forces of “opposite of Kedusha” for that end.
Perhaps we could teach them, as I believe was written recently with regards to the Rebbe’s chasanim siddur, that these seforim are time bombs waiting to explode on them.
CLINTON — Digging in his heels, the founding owner of the Museum of Russian Icons has refused a disputed order to return loaned artworks four months early until Russian authorities clarify the legal basis for their claim. Gordon B. Lankton said his museum is continuing to exhibit “Treasures from Moscow” despite a Russian demand he immediately return 37 icons loaned by the Andrey Rublev Museum of Moscow. “I’m saying, ‘Why, why, why? Why do you have to have them now?”‘ he said yesterday. “I want to feel these guys out before I make a bold move.” Under the original contract,… Read more »
Owner of a private museum in the United States refused to prematurely return home collection of Russian icons date of publication: 14: 42 last updated: 16: 53 The Russian authorities attempted to negotiate with the owner of the private museum in Clinton, Massachusetts by Gordon Lènktonom on an early return home 37 icons from the collection of the Museum in Moscow. Andrei Rublev was not successful. As it became known to the Agency ITAR-TASS that the talks held last Monday Lènkton refused to recognize the “force majeure”, under which the Ministry of culture of Russia earlier had decided to stop… Read more »
These guys burned and banned these activities and sforim for many years, literally killed the previous Rebbe, and now these books mean to something to these crackpots? My Gosh. Talk of a continual hostage taking performance by PUTIN and his GANGS. Shame on them and let them rot in H.
our Rebbe’s library is EXTREMELY valuable (as in $$$$)- unless we could give them something worth that much they won’t budge—- I think the idea of getting them to allow us to photograph each page so that all chassidim have full access to it esp if $$$ changes hands might be a better method —- it is their honor at stake….yes it is ours but they are probably correctly feel that once they would give this back to us it would unlock a pandora’s box of lawsuits as they have alot of confiscated valuables for many peoples.
Michael Shvydkoy is a Jew. Albeit totally secular and grossly misguided, he is a Jew nonetheless. What was posted in reference to him is totally inappropriate and opposite of Ahavas Isroel.
A big rasha
ARE THESE NOT THE SAME RUSSIANS THAT KICKED MY BELOVED REBBE DOWN THE STAIRS??????
HOW DARE THEY!!!
we will get the seforim and no one will stop us this is one more person trying to hold back the coming of moshiach for the rebbe said “the seforim will come with moshiach” so this person should WAKE UP and reagret doing this till moshiach comes
Y”SvZ
its lubavitch’s seforim! what right do they have to say where it can/cant be?
ITS THE CHASSIDIM’S!