The Founding of Kfar Chabad

The founding of Kfar Chabad TISHREI 5779 16 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER לזכר נשמת שיינא גאלדא ע"ה בת יבלחט"א ר' מיכאל הלוי שיחי' גוטלייזער נדפס ע"י זקיניה הרה"ת ר' יצחק מאיר וזוגתו מרת לאה ומשפחתם שיחיו שפאלטר TISHREI 5779 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 17 Late one moonlit night, a caravan of trucks lumbered down a long and bumpy dirt road. Following an uncomfortable ride, they finally reached a clearing and ground to a halt. Fifteen families descended. Men, women, children and elderly, all looked around at the desolation. Houses in ruins, unkempt fields, and a small well. This was to be their new home. But this was no regular home. This was to be Kfar Chabad, the Rebbe’s town. This was to be the center of Chabad in Eretz Yisroel ; a haven for the Chassidim, and the nerve center from where it would spread its influence throughout the entire land. It was to be a powerhouse. There was a lot of work to be done. THE DESOLATE RUINS UPON WHICH THE VILLAGE OF KFAR CHABAD WAS BUILT. TISHREI 5779 18 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER Contemplation Two years earlier, in 5708, a The Frierdiker Rebbe wanted to know about the meeting had taken place on the other side of the world, at 770 Eastern possibility of founding a Chabad village there. Parkway in Brooklyn. Zalman Shazar, who would eventually become the spread out throughout the country. suggestion and asked the Frierdiker president of Israel, came for a yechidus The Chassidim worried that the lack Rebbe for direction. with the Frierdiker Rebbe. of a strong sense of community would Mr. Shazar’s yechidus took place a On the evening before the United have dire implications for the next short time later, where he assured the Nations voted whether to establish generation. They also felt that a central Frierdiker Rebbe that it was indeed a state for the Jewish people in Eretz location would do wonders for their a practical plan. Over the next year, Yisroel, the Frierdiker Rebbe had poor economic situation. Additionally, the Chassidim in the DP camps assured Mr. Shazar via a phone it could be an impetus for more began receiving instructions from message that it would be a success. effective hafotzas hama’ayanos. the Frierdiker Rebbe regarding their In a subsequent yechidus with Mr. The close of World War II brought future; some were sent to Australia, Shazar, the Frierdiker Rebbe brought a new sense of urgency. Hundreds of some to United States and Canada, but up another issue. Being that he was Lubavitch families were stranded in a very large number was instructed to a prominent member of the Jewish displaced persons camps in Germany go to Eretz Yisroel. Agency, the de facto government of and Austria with nowhere to go. A the Jews in British Mandate Palestine, village in Eretz Yisroel could be the Becoming a Reality the Frierdiker Rebbe wanted to know perfect answer. More than a year passed Reb without any progress. The War of ,(תש“ח) about the possibility of founding a Over Tishrei 5708 Chabad village there. Leizer Karasik and Reb Moshe Gurary, Independence was fought with Talk of a Chabad village had begun the heads of Agudas Chassidei Chabad vengeance. Streams of Lubavitch several years earlier2 amongst the in Eretz Yisroel, came to spend Tishrei families arrived at the shores of Chassidim in Eretz Yisroel. During with the Frierdiker Rebbe. During Eretz Yisroel, and were settled in those years, the Chabad community their yechidusen, they brought up the ma’abarot (refugee absorption camps) in the Holy Land was very small and throughout the country. The Frierdiker ISRAELI GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE PRESS GOVERNMENT ISRAELI TISHREI 5779 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 19 Rebbe established a committee to deal with the refugees on his behalf. The members were Reb Leizer Karasik, Reb Shaul Ber Zislin, Reb Moshe Gurary and Reb Pinye Althaus.3 On Yud-Tes Kislev 5709, Mr. Shazar participated in the farbrengen at the Nachlas Binyamin shul in Tel Aviv, and the committee utilized the opportunity to speak to him about a village. Mr. Shazar was very enthusiastic about the idea. He said that a wide array of choices had become available since the country had declared independence; there were many empty villages with homes and land that would serve their needs perfectly. Later that month, Mr. Shazar introduced them to the top brass of the government, many of whom had positive sentiments about the idea. The final approval and brocha of the Frierdiker Rebbe came in a letter toward the end of Kislev.4 Mr. Shazar had suggested that the Lubavitchers be settled in Meron, due to their connection to pnimius haTorah, but in his correspondence, the Frierdiker Rebbe stipulated that the village be located in the central part of the AN INSTRUCTOR FROM THE JEWISH AGENCY TEACHES THE NEW SETTLERS OF KFAR CHABAD HOW TO USE country, where they would be able to AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY, TISHREI 5710. have the greatest possible influence. The village, obviously, wasn’t only for himself. Every grant would be a village in two. One side of the main meant to be a haven for the refugees. battle. road would be given to Chabad, A possibility arose. The Mizrachi Nevertheless, the instructions from and the other side would be called political party offered the committee the Frierdiker Rebbe were clear. Come Tochelet, for the Mizrachi families. an abandoned Arab village near what may, Lubavitch must not belong Things remained this way for Lod, called Safiriyya. There was only to any political party. several years, until the majority of one condition: The residents had to They began negotiations with the Mizrachi families moved away, become card-carrying members of Mizrachi over the property, when and Tochelet was subsumed by Kfar Mizrachi. suddenly, some Mizrachi families Chabad. It sounds bizarre today, but in moved into the village without those early days of Eretz Yisroel’s government approval, claiming it Mud, Mud and independence, everything was belonged to them. The committee More Mud In an interview with A Chassidisher controlled by political parties. The realized that soon all would be lost, Derher, Reb Boruch Gopin, one of schools, medical coverage, and all and decided to “invade” the village as the first residents of Kfar Chabad sorts of government programs were well, while simultaneously pushing for and today one of its respected elders, provided by each party separately. government approvals. described the scene of their arrival: To remain apolitical meant that one Seeing the reality on the ground, “When the people arrived in the would remain outside the normal Levi Eshkol, the then director of the middle of Iyar 5709, there was nothing system of subsidies and have to fend Jewish Agency, decided to split the TISHREI 5779 20 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER ISRAELI GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE PRESS GOVERNMENT ISRAELI but desolation and destruction. The “The work was back-breaking,” initial work to establish Kfar Chabad roofs of the stone structures had been Reb Boruch relates, “but the Jewish lasted a full six months. destroyed, and all that remained intact Agency paid each worker one lira and Another hurdle was electricity. were a few clay homes. The fields 40 agorot for a day’s work. That was a Light came from kerosene lamps. had been neglected for over a year. A lot of money. A package of butter was For the streets lights, Kfar Chabad small well stood at the center of town, ten agorot, and a liter of petrol was employed a real-life lamternchik—Reb and one outhouse served the entire only three.” Yisroel Yitzchok Zalmanov—straight community.” For months, the new inhabitants out of the stories in the Rebbeim’s Work immediately began to make energetically went about their new sichos, who would light the street the town habitable. The families settled line of work; installing roofs and lamps every evening at dusk. in the clay huts, six families per hut, windows, fixing floors, and so on. Although none of the new Israeli while the larger families received When the work was finally done, the villages were connected to the tents. The most pressing job was to newly renovated homes were raffled national grid, Kfar Chabad ultimately prepare 70 stone structures to serve off: larger families received the larger received power early on, thanks to as homes for the founding families. homes and smaller families entered the connections of Reb Pinye Althaus. The work was done “by the people, for a raffle for the smaller ones. Then He invited his prominent friends to the people,” under the guidance of a the next phase of the work began; the Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen in Kfar contractor hired by the Jewish Agency. they needed a proper shul, schools, a Chabad, while subtly hinting that it mikvah, and basic infrastructure. The would be inappropriate for such a TISHREI 5779 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 21 farbrengen to be held in the dim glow of kerosene lamps. He also convinced a donor, Reb Shlomo Palmer5 from Chicago, to pay $20,000 for the expenses. Over many years, Kfar Chabad developed more and more of its infrastructure. Paved roads were a luxury still years away, and when the first proper bus made a stop in Kfar Chabad, the entire community, together with the rov, Reb Shneur Garelick, went out to greet it. Later, when the first train arrived, it received a similar greeting. But the shtetl image ISRAELI GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE PRESS GOVERNMENT ISRAELI THE ROV OF KFAR CHABAD RABBI SCHNEUR ZALMAN GARELIK LEARNS GEMARA WITH THE SETTLERS. NOTICE of Kfar Chabad would remain with it THE PARAFFIN LAMPS ON THE TABLE, AS THERE WAS NO ELECTRICITY YET IN KFAR CHABAD.

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