Zalmon Jaffe

Herman Wouk, the author, was present. Jan Peerce, the opera singer, was also present. His wife, Alice, joined the ladies in the women’s gallery. Abraham Beame, the Mayor of New York City, together with the New York City Comptroller, arrived in person to b...

The historic Yud Shevat farbrengen was commenced at 9 o’clock this evening. The entire area of the downstairs shul now held four times the capacity of even just a short while back (thanks to a recent expansion). By 7:15 there were already about 1,000 peop...

The Rebbe came into the shul for mincha with his usual siddur, which he has been using for well over twenty-five years. The previous Rebbe gave it to him. Actually, the Rebbe has two such siddurim. One he lends to a choson on the day of his wedding with w...

I went back to 770 to get ready for mincha. Within a few minutes the Rebbe’s car drew up and, predictably, the crowds of young men who had just been standing there rushed away, while I rushed forward to open the car door for the Rebbe. After the Rebbe ali...

Upon returning to Crown Heights, I walked down Kingston Avenue to obtain something to eat. Quite a number of noticeable improvements were apparent. In addition to the new luxurious library, there was Gil Hirsch’s flower shop. (The Rebbe had advised him to...

Shacharis today would be at 9:30 a.m. This is the usual time for a weekday shacharis at 770. I was up quite early but I took my time and did not get to the mikvah until about nine. What a mistake! Everyone else had the same idea. Each day, 500 men and yes...

Following maariv we discovered that almost everyone was planning to attend the Machon Chana dinner. We learned that only a short while ago the organizers had decided to cancel the whole affair because the response (and the support) was so poor; only twent...

Tuesday night (January 21) was the twenty-fifth yahrtzeit of the previous Rebbe zt”l (of blessed memory) and – as usual – his son-in-law, our Rebbe, was going to lead maariv. (The Yud Shevat farbrengen would take place the following evening, on Wednesday....

Upon entering 770 we met two of the Rebbe’s personal secretaries, Rabbis Chodakov and Groner. Both of them, individually and immediately, asked, “Where is your wife?” They were astonished and disappointed when I explained that Roselyn had not come with me...

Lipa Brennan, Dovid Abenson, Shaul Cohen and Danny Rothenberg – some of our Manchester bochurim now studying in New York – met our group at the airport and drove us to Crown Heights. We arrived at 770 around 4:30 p.m. I had barely alighted from the car wh...