By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
In 1952, Immanuel Schochet arrived in Brooklyn, New York, in order to study at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva. His parents had recently moved from Basel, Switzerland to Toronto, Canada, but the lack of Jewish education forced them to send their son to study elsewhere.
Immanuel’s uncle, Rabbi Mordechai Aizik Hodakov, the chief aide to the Rebbe, promised to care for the young student.
On his first Shabbos in Crown Heights, Immanuel stood on the walkway in front of Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in order to greet the Rebbe and wish him a “Good Shabbos.” This was an uncommon custom for Chabad followers who felt it more dignified to keep a respectful distance from the Rebbe.
After exchanging greetings, Immanuel followed the Rebbe into the shul. When he arrived at the staircase before the entrance, he saw that the door was ajar. When the young student looked up to see who was holding the door, it was the Rebbe himself, waiting to usher him in.
Find Hasidic Archives latest books on HasidicArchives.com Story Bites: Short Stories to Savor and Dear Rebbe: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson corresponds with a singer, a writer, a sculptor & a Holocaust survivor, also available on Amazon Prime
