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with the Rebbe in charge one always has a visa #51

5/7/2018


Rabbi Lipszyc's story of the week # 51.  Although not in chronological order, I am telling this story now because it just came to my attention this past Shabbos. It is a short but powerful miracle story that just shows how G-d takes care of problems that we don’t even know are problems, and does it in a way that we aren’t even aware that a miracle had just taken place. For many years when we were living in Crimea, I would bring 20 rabbinical students for Pesach in order for them to pair up and run 10 public sedarim, servicing more than 3,000 Jewish participants (from the estimated 40,000 - 50,000 Crimean Jews.) Just over twenty years ago, the group included 8 U.S. students who were at that time studying in Israel and thus were traveling directly from Israel to Simferopol. When they landed, of course, they had to go through passport control. They had gotten their visas from the Ukrainian embassy in Israel. Imagine their shock when they were told by the officials at passport control that their visas were invalid and they could not enter the country!. They tried protesting, explaining that they had bought and paid for their visas directly from the Ukrainian embassy in Israel, but to no avail. The officials at the airport made it quite clear that their visas were not going to be accepted and they were being sent back to Israel on the return flight. All eight students were put into a holding room until the plane was ready for boarding, and then they were to be transferred to another room from where they would board the plane for their return trip. In the meantime, my driver and I were waiting outside arrivals without a clue of what was happening with our expected helpers. After a while, the officials came to transfer them to the room from where they would be re-boarding the plane back to Israel. Suddenly the door swung open and a highly decorated general entered with an entourage of 10 soldiers all geared up for battle. The general asked the officials what they were doing with these students. The official explained that their visas were not valid. The general motioned with his hand and said with obvious awe and respect, “never mind, the rabbi called and everything is in order.” The official argued that the documents were not in order, but the general just waved off his protestations and demanded that he let them through. When the student rabbis came through and saw me they exclaimed “it’s good to see that you have such high connections.” I, of course, truthfully denied having any connections. They mentioned the rabbi’s telephone call to which I responded that I never called any one – not even having known that there had been a problem. In the dark about their situation, I had no idea what a miracle had just taken place! But the students recognized it for the amazing miracle that it was. Only yesterday by a farbrengen, did one of those eight students tell the whole story, which I heard for the first time. Had the Rebbe called the general, or was it Eliyahu Hanavi who had shown up dressed as a general, or perhaps both, the Rebbe having called on Eliyahu to go do his thing?  Whatever the case, the Pesach project was a phenomenal success. To receive Rabbi Lipszyc's Story of the week via Whatsapp add the number 513-456-7595 to your phone contacts, and then send a text to with the message "Join".  Support Rabbi Lipszyc's work by Donating at https://chabadcrimeaorg.clhosting.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/2511910/jewish/Crisis-Relief/lang/en or sending checks to: Chabad of Crimea World Friends, 1601 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11213
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