Events are slated throughout North America and around the world marking the 20th anniversary of the passing of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—which will be officially commemorated on July 1 this year, the third day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz on the Jewish calendar.
One of them—a tribute event at the State Capitol in Hartford, Conn., on Wednesday, July 9, at 5:30 p.m.—is expected to draw some 250 people, including various dignitaries. The program will be hosted by Lt. Gov. of Connecticut Nancy Wyman.
Community leaders and local political leadership are ready to file in and represent their particular communities along with representatives from the 23 Chabad centers around the state.
The event will feature a musical component, including original compositions of some of the Rebbe’s songs, in addition to a video biography on the Rebbe’s impact on Jewish life worldwide. There will also be highlights of the diverse work of Chabad around the state and a performance by a local yeshivah choir.
A formal program in the Senate chamber—followed by an exploration of the Rebbe’s teachings in a Senate judiciary room—will offer the chance for attendees to “nourish not only their bodies, but their minds and souls” over food and learning, according to Rabbi Yisrael Deren, regional director, Chabad Lubavitch of Western and Southern New England.
“The Rebbe taught that every human being is infinitely important, and every positive act is cause for celebration,” he says. “It is with these teachings and ideals that he continues to impact the lives of so many in our great state and beyond.”
This year’s tribute builds on a similar event Chabad held two years ago, which also incorporated area dignitaries and Chabad-related melodies.
At the time, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy also declared a “Day of Goodness and Kindness” in the state of Connecticut, asking people to do something special in honor of the Rebbe and his legacy.
This will also be the case on July 1. The proclamation of this day reads, in part: “Whereas, the trademark of Chabad is the belief there is inherent goodness in the world and its inhabitants. The Rebbe taught that every person is worthy of attention, love, and knowledge; and Whereas, a central tenet of the Rebbe’s teaching is the idea that every single positive act, no matter how small, contributes to a better, more perfect world.”
Rabbi Yosef Wolvovsky, executive director of the Benet Rothstein Chabad Jewish Center in Glastonbury, Conn., says that “as time goes on, we try to increase in goodness and increase in holiness. And especially this year, because it’s a big yahrzeit,” noting the significance of two decades since the Rebbe’s passing.
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