Ilya Tsvok became involved with an area Chabad nearly a decade ago. Today, the 53-year-old orthopedic footwear and orthotics salesman considers it home. So it should come as no surprise that he raced over from work last week to the State Capitol in Hartford, Conn., to take part in a tribute event recognizing the contributions of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of his passing.
Guests arrived at the Senate Gallery early to mingle and share thoughts of the Rebbe, against the backdrop of Chassidic melodies called niggunim. The program took place in the Senate Chamber, where some 50 local students from Yeshivas Beis Dovid Shlomo in New Haven, Conn., further set the tone of both seriousness and joy.
About 200 people attended the event, including local residents, Chabad representatives and state legislators.
A video about the Rebbe’s life was shown to the audience, depicting how others viewed the Rebbe and his work. Eleven-year-old Chana Wolvovsky, daughter of Rabbi Yosef and Yehudis Wolvovsky, co-directors of Chabad Jewish Center in Glastonbury, Conn., delivered a dvar Torah. She told a story of the Rebbe, marked by his insistence on taking each individual and his or her request with the utmost seriousness.
“We learn a very important lesson from this. When others talk to us, we have to make sure to really listen—to understand how they are feeling and then answer in the best possible way,” she told the assembled crowd. “Each individual is important and has a special purpose. Let us learn to value each person—ourselves, our families, our friends … each and every person that we meet.”
There was a charity component to the event as well, with State Treasurer Denise Nappier kicking off contributions by putting a dollar in a giant charity box. The Rebbe was renowned for distributing dollar bills on Sundays in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y.
And there was a roll call for the 23 Chabad Houses dispersed around Connecticut. Each center was recognized, with each delegation of rabbis and community members getting a chance to be acknowledged. Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, took the stage afterwards to speak about Jewish pride, and the importance of being able to celebrate this day and the Rebbe’s yahrtzeit together.
Lt. Gov. of Connecticut Nancy Wyman, who spoke at a similar event two years ago, reflected on the Rebbe’s teachings about an individual’s ability to make a difference. Every human being, she insisted, can change the world in some way, great or small.
In fact, she said, “I consult the Rebbe’s teachings often.”
“Each of us makes our own contribution, and together, those contributions build a better world,” she continued. “Today, we are reminded that it isn’tjust us—it is all of us—and that each of us has the ability to tremendously impact the world.”
‘One Voice’
The formal ceremony concluded with personal reflections on the Rebbe by Vivi Deren, wife of Rabbi Yisroel Deren, regional director of Chabad Lubavitch of Western and Southern New England, and co-director of Chabad of Stamford-Jewish Center for Life and Learning in Stamford, Conn. Then the crowd moved to another room for a buffet dinner.
Attendee Tsvok particularly noted what he called the “unbelievable” performance of the yeshivah boys, who “sang like it was one voice.” He also said the evening as a whole was an overwhelmingly positive experience.
He saw people he knew and met others from different towns, all there to pay a tribute to the legacy of the Rebbe and his continued impact on the world.
“We are growing like never before and people—a lot of people—are returning to Yiddishkeit,” to Torah Judaism, said Tsvok. He added that he was surprised to find out how many Chabad Houses operated in his home state and considered every moment he spent at the event important: “I was very happy that I participated.”
“Everyone left inspired,” affirmed Rabbi Wolvovsky. “The common thread was that we should not underestimate our potential. We have 23 institutions here to highlight the Rebbe’s impact on the state, but at the end of the day, it is not about the universal, it is about the individual and how the individual can make global change.”
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