Стійкість у Шпалерці та велич духу Ребе Раяца

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.