Today marks a notable date in Jewish history: the birthday of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of blessed memory.
Known simply as the Rebbetzin, she was born on 25 Adar in 1901 (5661), the second daughter of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Joseph I. Schneersohn.
Growing up in her father’s home, the young girl was witness to her father’s fearlessness against the stubborn religious intolerance of communist Russia. At a young age, she became involved in her father’s communal affairs, including dangerous missions for the underground network of Chabad Jewish educational institutions.
In the winter of 1928, in Warsaw, Poland, she wed Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. The young couple lived in Berlin until the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933, which forced them to flee to Paris. When German forces invaded France in 1940, they again fled to Nice in the south of the country. During this time, the Rebbetzin together with her husband aided many Jews by providing financial and other assistance, allowing them to escape almost certain death at the hands of the Nazis. In 1941 they fled the blood-soaked shores of Europe for the safety of the United States.
After the passing of her father in 1950, the Rebbetzin was instrumental in convincing her husband to accept the mantle of leadership of the Lubavitch movement and become the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe.
In a deeply Chasidic way, she personified dignified modesty. For the wife of a world-renowned figure, she kept a very low profile and seldom appeared in public. But the visitors she received to her home on President Street, in Brooklyn, invariably took note of her wit and wisdom that peppered her conversations, and her maternal concern for the wellbeing of others.
Rebbetzin Chaya Moussia passed away at the age of 86, on 22 Shevat, 1988 (5748). Though she passed away childless, thousands of girls have since been named for her. These young women — and many other Jewish women — look to her exemplary fortitude, her commitment to Jewish life and her dedication as worthy of emulation.
On the day of the Rebbetzin’s passing, the Rebbe established the Keren Hachomesh Charitable Foundation (Kerenhachomesh.org) in memory of his beloved wife, a special fund to support women’s social and educational matters in fields such as Torah study, the construction of mikvahs, and the needs of brides. This fund continues to be administered by Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters, and has aided many thousands in the merit of this exceptional individual.
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