By the Grace of G‑d
11th of Nissan, 5731
Brooklyn, N.Y.
[April 6, 1971]

Greeting and Blessing:

On the occasion of the forthcoming Yom-Tov Pesach, I send you my prayerful wishes that the Festival of Our Freedom bring you and yours true freedom, freedom from anxiety material and spiritual, from anything which might distract from serving G‑d wholeheartedly and with joy, and to carry over this freedom and joy into the whole year.

Wishing you and yours a Kosher and happy Pesach,

Cordially,

M. Schneerson

P.S. It is not easy for me to write the following lines, but I have no choice, and I trust you will understand.

I am referring to the concert program arranged by the Lubavitch Organization in Manchester last December, which has just now come to my attention.

To begin with the positive, I wish to congratulate those who arranged this elaborate presentation, etc., and were instrumental in rendering great service to the cause. Actually it is nothing unusual for a Jew to do a good thing, especially for a person like yourself, and the reward of the Mitzvo is the Mitzvo itself.

However, precisely because one does expect the best of a Jew, it is all the more regrettable when some negative aspect mars the thing. One cannot overlook a negative aspect in such a case, because it is necessary to make sure that it is not repeated in the future. It is for this reason mainly that I am impelled to express my objections.

In the order of the pages of the said program, I note that on page four, where the (Honorary) Officers of the Lubavitch Organizations of Manchester are mentioned, the name of Mr. Dovber Perrin is not included among them. This is greatly surprising to me, for I surely do not have to point out to you, who are in the very thick of the Lubavitch affairs in your community, that Mr. Perrin is a devoted and dedicated worker and supporter of Lubavitch in Manchester. Undoubtedly the omission was an oversight. However, inasmuch as this list may serve as a proto-copy for future reproductions, not only in local publications, but also elsewhere, I am calling your attention to it.

Now I come to my main objection to the Programme itself which appears in the center of the publication.

I need hardly emphasize that a concert arranged for a Jewish cause should have a Jewish character, and not be just a theatrical show. Certainly a concert arranged by and connected with Lubavitch. It is quite understandable therefore that I began to look for Jewish topics in the Programme, and I only found something of that nature at the very end of the Programme, after the intermission, and even there the topics are of a mixed nature, and suffice it for the wise.

I do not know who arranged this Programme, but it is well known that the artist has a rich repertoire of truly Jewish pieces.

There was added disappointment in the fact, which had so taken me aback that I was afraid to delve into it further, that the very first item on the program appears to be a church piece, composed for church service.

Much more could be said in connection with the above, but I want to spare you and myself further pain. Again, the purpose of bringing these regrettable items to your attention is not only to prevent their repetition, but also to urge you that if there are any copies of the brochure left, they should be immediately destroyed, at least insofar as the pages of the repertoire itself is concerned. Indeed, it seems to me as one of those fortunate breaks for Lubavitch that so far no one has come out with protests against Lubavitch in this connection.

To conclude on a good topic, may G‑d grant that inasmuch as we are approaching the Festival of Our Freedom, may it indeed bring about freedom from all undesirable things, that henceforth our exchange of correspondence should be exclusively on positive and happy topics.