Steadfastness in Shpalernaya and the Greatness of Spirit of the Rebbe Rayatz

Fearlessness in the Face of the NKVD

On the night of 15 Sivan 5687 (1927), GPU agents arrested the Rebbe Rayatz — the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe. From the very first minutes of his arrest, he demonstrated absolute fearlessness: he compelled the GPU officers to call their supervisors, continued managing the fate of sacred manuscripts, and refused to allow their confiscation without a proper inventory. "The Schneersons fear no one!" he declared to his interrogators. His composure and dignity astounded even the hardened secret police. He made it unmistakably clear: the body may be imprisoned, but the spirit of a Jew devoted to G-d remains free.

The Regime in Shpalernaya Prison

In the notorious Leningrad prison known as "Shpalernaya," the Rebbe Rayatz declared a three-day hunger strike demanding the return of his tefillin — and succeeded. He refused the humiliating exercise yard walks where prisoners were paraded on display. When guards attempted to photograph him during prayer, he firmly put a stop to it. Even in his cell, he continued writing maamarim (Chassidic discourses) until his pencil was confiscated. His liberation on 12–13 Tammuz was a victory not of one man alone, but of every Jew faithful to Torah. That day serves as a reminder that no tyranny can break the spirit of a people that remains devoted to G-d.