Inspiring a Nation with stories

Rabbi Lipszyc's Story of the week 64. The 1960’s were the time of the rise of the “Hippie” generation. That was a time when many youth rebelled and rejected conventional and familial values. While the leaders from all spectrums of Judaism threw their hands up in despair, The Rebbe lauded the youth’s rejection of their parents’ complacence in accepting a lack in spiritual interest. The Rebbe encouraged the shluchim to take advantage of the generation’s search for meaning in life and offer them the experience of a lifestyle of Torah and mitzvos. Thus, began what became known as the Baal Teshuvah Movement with a bang and zest. However, Satan wasn’t yet ready to concede failure, so in the 1970’s a new problem with the youth arose. The proliferation of cults, false gods and so-called religions that relied heavily on mind control. Youths searching for spiritual highs flocked to these cults en masse. Unfortunately, many Jewish teenagers were caught up in this wave. One day, while I wa...

Rabbi Lipszyc's Story of the week  65. At a farbrengen that took place while I was shliach in Alabama, (sorry, I don’t remember the year, just that it was in the late 1980’s,) the Rebbe said that every Chabad House should establish a G’mach (a free loan society.) The Rebbe made it clear that this was in addition to the regular city G’mach. Now in the entire state of Alabama, there was no such service, and people there didn’t even have such a concept. I figured I should make a city wide G’mach which would be on a much larger scale. So I contacted a number of influential mainstream Jewish establishment people and presented them with this innovative idea of a Free Loan Society in Birmingham. I was quite surprised at the enthusiastic response to the idea, even from some who were far from being supportive of any other programs that I had done in the past. I was even more surprised at the positive reaction of some of the heavy Federation supporters. You see, as soon as the Jewish Fede...