A grand men’s farbrengen took place at Dnipro’s central synagogue, the “Golden Rose,” in honor of 12–13 Tammuz — the 145th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, and the 98th anniversary of his miraculous liberation from Soviet imprisonment.
The farbrengen, held in one of the synagogue’s halls, gathered many community members and congregants, along with respected rabbis — Moshe Neuman, Reuven Milman, Adam Smiliansky, and others. A special honored guest was Rabbi Sholom Gopin, Chief Rabbi of the Kyiv Jewish Community in Obolon.
In an emotionally charged and spiritually uplifting atmosphere, the participants sang niggunim and listened to the rabbis’ stirring speeches about the leader of a generation of Chassidic heroes known as “The Unbroken.” Despite the terror and repression of the time, they preserved and spread the light of Yiddishkeit under the guidance of the great Rebbe — aided with total dedication by his future son-in-law, the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
The story of the Sixth Rebbe’s liberation continues to serve as a powerful example for all Jews who study the Torah and bring its light into the world. As the Rebbe Rayatz himself said of those events:
“May the Almighty never withdraw His mercy from us, and may the merit of our ancestors never be depleted, just as those who follow in their footsteps never cease to exist, for ever and ever. And so, on the 12th day of the month of Tammuz, on the third day of the week (Tuesday)… freedom was granted to me. But it was not only I whom the Almighty redeemed on the 12th of Tammuz, but all who cherish our holy Torah, observe its commandments, and even anyone who simply bears the name ‘Jew’. This is a Day of Redemption for all who spread Torah knowledge among Jews…”
