First time as Vizhnitzer Rebbe: to light candles in London

First time since he became a Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe will make an official and festive visit in England and this time in the midst of Hanukkah.

For Vizhnitz Hassidim of London, the excitement is twofold: beyond the actual visit, the Rebbe will light candles for them. Since the Rebbe the Yeshuos Moshe zt"l visited London in 1993, and held an event of candle lighting, no other Rebbe of the Vizhnitz dynasty visited again.

The one who is supervising the visit and funding it, is the benefactor Rabbi Chaim Moshe Feldman, one of the pillars of the Vizhnitz kehillah in London, and of the dignitaries and important Hasidism. Feldman intends to build a giant tent for the arrival of the Rebbe, on the plaza of the Agudath Yisrael offices which are located in close proximity to the Beis Midrash of Vizhnitz in Stamford Hill – that will serve the series of events expected to take place during the Rebbe's stay.

The Rebbe expected to leave Israel on Wednesday Rosh Chodesh Tevet in the morning and arrive at noon in London. A reception event will be held for the Rebbe which will be attended by guests from Israel and Europe. Towards evening, the night of Zos Hanukkah, candle lighting will be held in public in the tent. The Hassidei Vizhnitz choir is supposed to leave Israel and entertain throughout the anticipated events in the visit.

The next day, Thursday, the Rebbe will conduct the Zos Chanukah tish in the tent, and Shabbos Hisachdus will be held there too for all Vizhnitz Hassidim from all across Europe who will be coming to spend a historic Shabbos with the Rebbe.

On Sunday the cornerstone event will take place on occasion of the expansion of the Beis Midrash Vizhnitz with the donation Rabbi Feldman. The Rebbe is expected to stay in London for two weeks during which he will conduct fundraising for a new big Beis Midrash which is destined to be built in Kiryat Vizhnitz, Bnei Brak. Similarly he will raise money for the new girls' school building.

In the next two weeks, the Rebbe is expected to leave for the resort town Haldodna followed by Manchester to attend the marriage of the eldest daughter of the benefactor Yaakov Adler. Adler's home served as the residence of the Rebbe over the years, even before he became Rebbe, whenever he came to stay in the city.

In Vizhnitz they note that among other things, it was Adler who financed all the medical expenses required for the Rebbe the Yeshuos Moshe during his illness.

In the last month of Av, during the Rebbe's stay in Haldodna, Adler and Feldman hired a private jet and flew the Rebbe to the Ukraine and Poland, for a speed visit in which he went to the graves of his ancestors and Gedolei Yisroel.

Adler is expected to finance a special plane for all descendants of the Yeshuos Moshe, of blessed memory, and in addition for all the gabboim who served the Rebbe zt"l over the years, which will leave from Israel to Manchester, to participate in his simcha.
Towards Parshas Va'eira, after about a month, the Rebbe will return to Israel.

Meanwhile, Gabbaim of the Vizhnitz charity fund, 'Lehachzikam Ulehachyosam', are surprising the Hassidim with a special initiative: whoever will donate by a bank order 72 NIS per month for charitable purposes of the Fund, will receive a bottle of oil mixed with oil residues from the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles of the Yeshuos Moshe zt"l.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!