By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
A war waging in Europe, few had the opportunity to escape the burning flames wrought by the German regime. After a painstaking international effort, and the fact that the Rebbe Rayatz was a Latvian citizen, made it possible for him to receive visas to the United States.
Among the few others that were also granted visas were Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik and Rebbetzin Etel Hodakov. Rabbi Hodakov was the Latvian Ministry of Education inspector of Jewish day schools. His wife was a talented writer and educator.
The Rebbe recognized the Hodakovs vast talents, and how crucial it would be to have the couple when they would arrive in the land where assimilation was on the rise.
They travelled via plane to the Netherlands, then from there on a ship to the United States. During the long journey, fraught with danger, the Rebbe Rayatz discussed with Rabbi Hodakov his future desires. He wanted day schools, educational books and ways to reach out Jews outside of his immediate community.
As they discussed, the first on the list was Jewish day schools. Then the Rebbe created a central committee for education – it was not for his disciples or even students of the day schools he established. Rather, it was for every Jew, wherever they may be. He called it Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, and placed Rabbi Hodakov as its director.
Several times a week, at times late at night, he would go to give a report to the Rebbe Rayatz. One time when he went in to the Rebbe’s office, he saw that he was weary. At another time, he may have given a very short report, but that night he had something important that needed to be discussed.
“I have one small issue,” he introduced his question.
The Rebbe, looked up and chucked, “There is no such a thing as something small.”
Rabbi Hodakov understood that any task, issue, person – small or seemingly least important, needs to be given the attention of the greatest, grandest assignment.
Find Hasidic Archives latest books on HasidicArchives.com My Gulag Life: Stories of a Soviet Prisoner and Dear Rebbe: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson corresponds with a singer, a writer, a sculptor & a Holocaust survivor.
