Holocaust Memorial, Grave Of Late Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe’s Mentally Disabled Brother, Vandalized In Ukraine

A Holocaust memorial and the grave of the mentally disabled brother of the late Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson have been defaced.

Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Holocaust Memorial, Grave Of Late Chabad Rebbe’s Brother, Vandalized In Ukraine
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

A Holocaust memorial and the grave of the mentally disabled brother of the late Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson have been defaced, the Ukrainian newspaper Sevastopolskaya Gazeta reported today.

It is unclear who is responsible for either vandalism.

According to the JTA. the Holocaust Memorial in the Crimean city of Sevastopol was spray- painted with a red with a hammer and sickle, “USSR,” and other pro-Russian graffiti.

The memorial was erected in 2003 at the spot where 4,200 Jews were murdered by the Nazis on July 12, 1942.

Neo-Nazis have vandalized the monument in the past.

In Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine swastikas were reportedly spray-painted on the tomb of Dov Ber Schneerson, the mentally disabled brother of the late Chabad-Lubavich Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Dov Ber Schneerson was institutionalized as a young child and remained so for his entire life until he and the other occupants of the institution he lived in were murdered by the Nazis.

A story told about Menachem Mendel Schneerson rescuing a child who fell into a body of water and was drowning is about him rescuing his brother Dov Ber Schneerson.

Menachem Mendel Schneerson took his younger brother out of the institution for a walk in the park, become distracted by a conversation with someone he met there, and failed to notice that his younger brother had wandered off until he fell into a body of water and began to drown. Passersby screamed and Menachem Mendel Schneerson turned and saw his brother drowning and jumped into the water and pulled him out.

Comments

[Nickidewbear]

Now I certainly can't take for granted that the Anti Semites could hurt those of us in the U.S.. Also, I have mispacha in the Ukraine; so both points of this article hit home for me, especially since the cousins in the Ukraine and my own mentally-disabled relative are related (We all come from what was once a Litvak Orthodox and Litvak haredi family.).

[RWisler]

Is this story about Schneersohn saving his brother's life more "rebbe bullshit" or is it a fact? Most everything that's told about Schneersohn's gallantry and heroism is an utter lie, so I suppose this story is too.

[Jeff]

"Most everything that's told about Schneersohn's gallantry and heroism is an utter lie, so I suppose this story is too."

According to my nephew, no one would be able to misquote the Rebbe because everything he ever said was documented. I suppose that applies to his heroic deeds, as well. I understand that while he was at the Sorbonne, he invented nuclear physics.

[S M L]

When a country is under stress and coming apart at the seams as Ukraine is now the creeps who've been had a lid kept on them feel free to give rein to their base instincts and this is the result. Some is pure provocation - the "USSR" graffiti - some is reflective of the antisemitism which in the best of times probably has never been more than a few millimeters below the surface in eastern Europe at any time in modern history.

[Shmarya]

+++Is this story about Schneersohn saving his brother's life more "rebbe bullshit" or is it a fact? Most everything that's told about Schneersohn's gallantry and heroism is an utter lie, so I suppose this story is too.+++

I think the story is true.

However, when Chabad tells it, the boy in the water is not identified as the Rebbe's brother or as being under the Rebbe's care, and his mental disability is not mentioned. The story becomes the heroic Rebbe saving an unknown child while others stood by, rather than the Rebbe losing track of his mentally disabled brother he was supposed to be caring for who then fell into a body of water and almost died.

[Jeff]

Why did the Rebbe even need to dive in? Why didn't he just part the water - or walk on it?

[Alter Kocker]

SML
I couldn't agree more. The anti-semitism has always bubbled beneath the surface in eastern europe and the world's attention must be brought to bear on this situation. It will deteriorate. Putin is in expansion mode, much like Hitler in the 30's. The world is at a loss as to how to deal with this. He will use race hatred as a unifying factor.

Note to our Haredi brethren. (If you are allowed a newspaper to read). What the world is seeing is true anti semitism. Not the concocted variety that you have perpetrated on Israel. Not dressing your children up in stripes. Not sewing a gold star on your lapel.This is true anti-semitism, wherein Jews are forced by a government to register as Jews. What is forthcoming? Will Jews in Ukraine have to give up lands and possessions? Will they be starved? Abused? Watch and learn from this.

[RWisler]

And crap like the dishonest "get rich and powerful" behavior of Chabad in that region of the world is why this stuff erupts every 50 years or so.

[Disgusted]

I am completely and utterly disgusted that an anti-Semitic act, defacing Jewish graves is being used as fuel for a personal vendetta against Chabad.

Why is the story of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his brother even mentioned? Does it somehow justify the despicable vandalism?

The comments show the likes of people who typically visit this blog, instead of venomous hate towards the anti-semites who perpetrated this unforgivable act, the only (aside from a few) interest is to bash the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

No wonder they say Jews make the worst anti-Semites!

[Shmarya]

Chabad lied about the near-drowning for decades and presented the story as if the Rebbe just happened to be in the park when an unrelated boy fell in the water. The heroic Rebbe jumped in to save that unrelated boy when others would not, the Chabad version of the story was told.

The truth is that the Rebbe was in charge of his mentally disabled, institutionalized brother, got distracted and failed to watch him. The mentally disabled brother fell into the water and when onlookers screamed in horror, the Rebbe stopped speaking with his acquaintance, turned to see why people were screaming, realized his brother was missing, rush to the water, saw his brother Dov Ber was drowning and jumped in to save him. Dov Ber was institutionalized for all of his adult life and for most of his childhood. He was murdered by the Nazis along with the other patients in his institution and buried in a mass grave.

It is that drowning boy, that institutionalized boy, Dov Ber Schneerson whose gravesite was defaced by neo-Nazis (or people trying to look like them) last week.

The truth is important, and part of this truth is who Dov Ber Schneerson was.