12–13 Tammuz Explained

Holiday Name:12–13 Tammuz
Type:commemoration
Observedby:Chabad-Lubavich community
Significance:Birthday
and release day of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn from Soviet Prison
Duration:2 days
Frequency:Annual
Date:12-13 Tammuz
Scheduling:Same day each year according to the Jewish Calendar

12–13 Tammuz or Yud beis v' yud gimel Tammuz (Hebrew: י"ב וי"ג תמוז) is a holiday on the Chabad-Lubavitch calendar that commemorates the liberation of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the sixth Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, from Soviet imprisonment. The holiday also marks his birthday. It is one of the three holidays named "day of liberation" by Chabad-Lubavitch

History

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn was arrested on June 15, 1927 (15 Sivan, 5687) in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia) by the Soviet secret police also known as the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU). His arrest occurred during a period of increased repression against religious leaders and institutions, as the Soviet government sought to suppress religious practices and organizations.[1] [2] The Rebbe was charged with conducting Counter-Revolutionary activities,[3] [4] which were seen as counter to the state's efforts to eliminate religion from public life[5] [6] and he was sentenced to death by Soviet authorities.[7] [8]

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn was held in the (now the Bolshoy Dom) in Leningrad.[9] During his imprisonment, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn experienced severe conditions, including isolation and harsh interrogation.[10] His interrogators attempted to pressure him into confessing to various charges, but he maintained his composure and refused to cooperate.[11] [12] He endured significant physical hardship during this time, including deprivation of food and water, particularly during the first days of his captivity.[13]

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn's situation garnered international attention, prompting various Jewish communities and leaders worldwide to intervene on his behalf.[14] [15] Notably, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, first Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine (now Israel), sent urgent telegrams to Soviet officials, urging them to reconsider the charges against him.[16]

The involvement of influential individuals, such as Yekaterina Peshkova, President of the Political Red Cross of the Soviet Union, was pivotal in advocating for his release.[17] In the United States, Justice Louis Brandeis of the U.S. Supreme Court lobbied for Schneersohn’s release which led to US President Calvin Coolidge also making appeals to Soviet authorities,[18] adding diplomatic pressure to the international advocacy efforts, which ultimately contributed to the commutation of the Rabbi's sentence from a death sentence to exile.[19] [20]

On July 3, 1927 (3 Tammuz, 5687), Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn was exiled to Kostroma, a town in the Volga region of Russia. His exile was still under strict surveillance and control by the Soviet authorities. It was not until nine days later on July 12, 1927 (12 Tammuz 5687), that he was finally permitted to return to his home in Leningrad.[21] [22] [23]

On the following day on July 13, 1927 (13 Tammuz 5687), he was actually fully liberated and returned home to Leningrad and was greeted by thousands of followers. Later on in late 1928, after navigating the complexities of Soviet bureaucracy, Rabbi Schneersohn managed to get permission to leave Russia with the help of international pressure.[24] He traveled to Riga, Latvia, where he stayed until 1929 before traveling to Mandatory Palestine.[25]

Commemoration

The commemoration of the 12th and 13th of Tammuz was celebrated and observed by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the seventh Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch,[26] who emphasized their importance in his teachings and leadership.[27] [28]

Communal gatherings known as Farbrengens are organized in Chabad centers, Yeshivas and Synagogues, where followers come together, where many hear speeches, sing niggunim (melodic tunes), and share inspiring stories about Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's life and contributions.[29] [30]

This day is one of the three holidays named by Chabad-Lubavitch as the "Festival of Liberation" (Hebrew: חג הגאולה), The other two are the 10th of Kislev,[31] [32] marking the release of Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, the second Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, from prison, and the 19th of Kislev,[33] marking the release of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, from prison.

Today the holiday is primarily celebrated by the Chabad-Lubavitch community. On these dates, it is customary in Chabad-Lubavitch to omit Tachanun, a penitential prayer recited on regular days.[34] [35]

External links

See also

References

  1. Book: Polonsky, Antony . Jews in Poland and Russia: A Short History . September 26, 2013 . The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization . 978-1906764395 . 274–307 . en . Chapter Eight Jews in Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union, 1921–1941.
  2. Weinberg . Robert . January 2017 . Demonizing Judaism in the Soviet Union during the 1920s . Slavic Review . 67 . 1 . 120–153 . 10.2307/27652771 . 27652771 . JSTOR.
  3. Book: Osipova, Хасиды: Спасая народ свой . 2002 . 50 . ru . Chassidim: Saving His People.
  4. Web site: 2015-03-20 . Hasidim Celebrate Anniversary of Liberation of Lubavitcher Rebbe . 2024-11-03 . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . en-US.
  5. Web site: 2016-12-29 . The fate of religious freedom in the former USSR, 25 years after its collapse . 2024-10-30 . Deseret News . en.
  6. Web site: 1992-06-15 . Internal Workings of the Soviet Union - Revelations from the Russian Archives Exhibitions - Library of Congress . 2024-10-30 . www.loc.gov.
  7. Encyclopedia of Hasidism, entry: Schneersohn, Joseph Isaac. Naftali Lowenthal. Aronson, London 1996.
  8. Web site: Virtual Reality: 12 Tammuz . Meaningful Life Center.
  9. Web site: House of Preliminary Detention, prison . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240303024557/http://www.encspb.ru/object/2855697288?lc=en . March 3, 2024 . November 14, 2024 . Saint Petersburg Encyclopedia.
  10. Web site: world . Supporters of Jewish refugees all over the . 2023-12-23 . The Heroic Struggle . 2024-10-30 . Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (F.R.E.E.) . en-US.
  11. Web site: 2015-06-25 . Story: The Rebbe Rayatz and His Jewish Interrogators . 2024-10-31 . CrownHeights.info . en.
  12. Web site: 2018-06-21 . Frierdiker Rebbe's Interrogation . 2024-10-31 . COLlive . en-US.
  13. Web site: 2016-07-18 . Mystery of Rayatz's Prison Diary . 2024-10-31 . COLlive . en-US.
  14. Web site: Margolin . Dovid . The Chassidic Member of Parliament Who Stood Up to the Soviets When the Sixth Rebbe was arrested, Latvian MP Mordechai Dubin took action . Chabad.org.
  15. Web site: How Reb Mordechai Dubin Was Saved Through 'Ahavat Yisroel' . Melava Malka Stories.
  16. Web site: Tudela . Benjamin Of . 2011-06-26 . Harav Kook And the Lubavitcher Rebbe . 2024-10-31 . Mostly Kosher.
  17. Web site: When the World Helped the Rebbe . Ascent of Safed.
  18. Web site: Green . David B. . June 13, 2015 . This Day in Jewish History 1927: Russia Releases 'Counter-revolutionary' Lubavitcher Rebbe . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220817194330/https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2015-07-13/ty-article/.premium/1927-russians-release-lubavitcher/0000017f-db0a-df0f-a17f-df4b91430000 . August 17, 2022 . Haaretz.
  19. Web site: 2016-07-15 . Weekly Story: How Justice Brandeis Helped Save the Rebbe Rayatz . 2024-10-31 . CrownHeights.info . en.
  20. Web site: Goren . Biranit . 2012-10-12 . How Chabad's Beloved Rebbe Was Saved . 2024-10-31 . Atlanta Jewish Times . en-US.
  21. Web site: Jun 28, 2023 . The day that uplifted world Jewry - 12 th of Tammuz . 2024-10-31 . Israel National News.
  22. Web site: Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, the "Rebbe Rayatz" (1880-1950) A brief biography of the sixth Chabad Rebbe . Chabad.org.
  23. Web site: 2015-06-29 . How Rebbe's Arrest Was Reported . 2024-10-31 . COLlive . en-US.
  24. Book: Rigg, Bryan Mark . Rescued from the Reich . May 15, 2006 . . 978-0300115314 . 16–37 . en . The Lubavitchers and Their Rebbe.
  25. Ami Magazine. No. 245. p. 95.
  26. Book: Schneersohn, Menachem Mendel . . . 1982 . 0-8266-5736-2 . Brooklyn, New York . 308–325 . he . Collected Talks.
  27. July 2024 . FARBRENGEN 12 TAMMUZ 5745 . . 21 . 20–24.
  28. Web site: Schneerson . Menachem Mendel . Sichos in English: 5738. Volume 1. Vaad Lehafotzas Sichos (Sichos in English). 1978. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140429045707/http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/1/28.htm . April 29, 2014 . sichosinenglish.org.
  29. Web site: 2021-06-23 . 3 Shuls Unite for 12 Tammuz Farbrengen . 2024-11-03 . COLlive . en-US.
  30. Web site: 2022-07-11 . Live: Toronto Yeshiva 12 Tammuz Farbrengen - Anash.org . 2024-11-03 . anash.org . en-US.
  31. Web site: The Chassidic Dimension - Festivals 1 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927122534/http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/chassidic-dimension-festivals-1/30.htm . September 27, 2011 . Sichos In English.
  32. Web site: חג הגאולה - י"ט בכסלו . The Feast of Redemption - 19 Kislev . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20241126093446/https://arh-uk.com/%D7%97%D7%92-%D7%94%D7%92%D7%90%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%99%D7%98-%D7%91%D7%9B%D7%A1%D7%9C%D7%95/ . November 26, 2024 . 2024-11-26 . Kiryat Rabbeinu Hagadol Haditch (arh-uk.com) . he-IL.
  33. Web site: Josh . 2022-05-25 . The Revolution of Chassidut in Religious Zionism . 2024-11-14 . World Mizrachi . en-US.
  34. Book: Schneersohn, Menachem Mendel . . . 0-8266-0469-2 . 70 . he, en . Today is the day.
  35. Web site: Wednesday, 13 Tammuz, 5785, July 9, 2025 . live . https://archive.today/20241103043006/https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/day.asp?hdate=4/13&mode=j . November 3, 2024 . Chabad.org.

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