Rebbe‘s Farbrengen in England

As soon as we had settled down to our usual routine, I arranged to make full use of the tapes which the Rebbe had so extraordinarily and kindly provided.

I booked a large hall and advertised in the local press “the great attraction,” that one could come along to a farbrengen in Manchester and actually listen to the Rebbe speaking. There was an exceedingly large attendance (one or two people actually thought the Rebbe himself would be present, in person!).

I had invited several prominent local dignitaries to our home for a preview, including Dayan and Mrs. Weisz, Dayan and Mrs. Golditch and many lay leaders. All were tremendously impressed.

I then traveled to London to hold a farbrengen at Rabbi Shemtov‘s home. When I arrived with the tape and my machine, I found over forty people present! But, to my utter horror, I noticed that every simple person had brought his own recorder and intended to make a copy. I was nonplussed. I protested that this was a private tape and copies were not allowed, that the Rebbe said and so on and so forth. It was to no avail. I was fighting a losing battle because, obviously, as long as even one copy would be made, then my opposition would be circumvented. I accepted defeat gracefully.

After reporting to the Rebbe of the successes of our “farbrengen in England”, the Rebbe thanked me, in a postscript to a letter dated the 21st of Adar II, 5719 (March 31, 1959):

...Your subsequent letter of March 20 was received and many thanks for the gratifying report regarding the success of the recording. In accordance with the teachings of the Torah “lo hamedrosh ikor, elo hamaase,” (not study is the essential, but only action) I trust that there will be practical results in terms of increased study of chassidus and practical matters of chassidus in your community.