Monday night, Sivan 11 (June 15), the climax of our visit had arrived. At 9:40, Roselyn and I entered the Rebbe’s room for yechidus.

Initially, our yechidus with the Rebbe was to be on Sunday, Sivan 10 (June 14). However, there were so many people coming to see the Rebbe this time that the following night, Monday, was also declared a yechidus night! This was extremely unusual, two consecutive nights! I had never heard of such a thing.

Shmuel, Hindy and the children went in on the first night. The Rebbe gave siddurim to Yossi, Mendy and Yenta Chaya. They were with the Rebbe for four minutes. Moshe Stuart (four minutes) and then Naftali Cohen, excited, worried and nail-biting - his first yechidus ever - four minutes. Results: fantastic, marvelous and unbelievable!

So we had our yechidus on Monday evening. Roselyn and I had very rarely been lucky to enter so early. Four or six in the morning, yes, but before 10:00!

Actually, some people were delayed so we took their turn. We received a splendid greeting from the Rebbe, who remarked with a twinkle in his eye that we had come well prepared with pads and pens. I replied that we had come thousands of miles for this interview and every word of the Rebbe was so important that we could not afford to miss anything.

“Are you needing to write 1,000 lines or 100 lines?” asked the Rebbe.

“No,” I replied, “but why should I take any chances?”

I relayed to the Rebbe what I had spoken about at the kinus haTorah. The Rebbe was very pleased, but said I should tell that bit about Moshe Rabeinu only to those who come from Lubavitch. (The report of my address to the kinus haTorah appears earlier.)

The Rebbe requested that I keep writing to him every two weeks as hitherto. Since we were leaving from 770 for home the next night at 9:30, I asked whether we would miss maariv.

The Rebbe told us that he would be visiting the ohel again, so mincha would be at 8:30 and maariv ten minutes earlier than usual. “My wife will be delighted to see me ten minutes earlier,” added the Rebbe.

The Rebbe mentioned that he had not answered every one of the twenty Rashi questions. He would give these later on. The Rebbe advised us to come next year again for Shabbos mevorchim, “because you are always wanting a farbrengen.”

I told the Rebbe that “A chossid must have no pity on his Rebbe, and not give in, if it concerns Torah.” I pointed out that the Rebbe had spoken for fourteen hours over the Shavuos period, “That is a great deal of Torah.”

“Ah,” said the Rebbe, “You say that after the event, not before.”

I admitted that I could not understand everything at a farbrengen.

“Yes,” said the Rebbe, “They are not words one uses every day in business.”

(This reminded me of the time I told the Rebbe that in the English translation of his Pesach - or other - messages, some English words were so difficult to understand that one needed a dictionary handy. The Rebbe said that, “The purpose of my letters is not for the study of English.”)

We then discussed the apartment where we were staying, which was on the top floor of the Kollel building.

During Shavuos it was like Grand Central Station. Yeshiva boys from all over the US arriving at all hours of the night, sleeping here, there, everywhere, even on the floor. In spite of “PRIVATE” notices all over our place, one boy actually tried to come into our own bedroom; he wanted to sleep in “his” usual room.

Even normally, some boys would be learning in a lovely, but loud, clear voice until 4:30 in the morning, when the next shift would arrive and give us, at least, the feeling of safety and security. Otherwise, we might have been afraid of strange passers-by. Now and then we seemed to have a number of chazonim and choirs practicing their whole repertoire from 3:30 until 5:00.

The Rebbe said that next year the apartment would be better.

As my landlord had again refused the rent, I offered the Rebbe this money as bikurim, an unexpected windfall of profit.

“Who is your landlord?” asked the Rebbe.

“A very nice and exceptional gentleman, who likes to remain anonymous,” I answered.

The Rebbe said he had received a nasty letter from Israel, “some of my best friends are Lubavitchers,” complaining about the money wasted by teleconferencing the Rebbe’s farbrengens to Kfar Chabad. It would be better to buy Phantom jets!

I told the Rebbe that I thought that person had a chutzpa to write that to the Rebbe! Besides which, it probably only costs a few pennies for each person who enjoys the farbrengens in Kfar Chabad. And in any case, our victories come about, lo bechayil v’lo b’koach, ki im beruchi omar Hashem! (Not by might nor with power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of Hosts -Zechariah 4:6) I said that the farbrengens were received exceedingly well in London (in Manchester, too, now) except that the Rebbe was not there in person and also that it was an awkward time, 2 a.m. until 9 a.m.; otherwise it was very nice indeed, with comfortable chairs and tables, refreshments, no crush, etc.

“Shah”! said the Rebbe. “Don’t tell anyone here; they will all want to go to London for the farbrengen! Still”, the Rebbe added, “it is a pity I keep everybody up all over the world.”

The Rebbe said he was very pleased with my grandsons, Yossi and Mendy Lew, who had attended every service at 770. I remarked that, while here, a great impression had been made on them that will last them all their lives.

“No, no,” said the Rebbe. “They will come plenty of more times.”

The Rebbe said that I should herewith continue to write my diary next year, but not about Moshe Rabeinu at the kinus haTorah. And, next year at the kinus HaTorah, I should also speak in Yiddish.

“Oh, no, I cannot. Let us say half-and-half.”

“Okay,” said the Rebbe, “but the year after that, all Yiddish.”

The Rebbe informed me that there were a few letters hanging about his office for me. “Never mind now,” I said. “I do not need the answers right now.”

“But,” interjected the Rebbe, “you won’t object to receiving the letters?”

I told the Rebbe that Rabbi Chaim Farro was complaining that he had a headache, but I had told him not to worry because we will give him a bigger one when he comes to Manchester.

The Rebbe stated that the Shavuos trip must go on. If the Purim flight interferes, then cancel the Purim flight.

After a stay of one hour and ten minutes, we left the Rebbe’s presence.

One friend from England, Hershel Peckar, went into yechidus after we left. He came out flushed and excited. The Rebbe had given him $100 to buy his wife (whom he had left at home in London) a gift!