In a letter to the Rebbe from early winter 5733, Chabad activists in Eretz Yisroel suggested a groundbreaking initiative for the upcoming Yud Tes Kislev.

“Reb Shlomo Maidanchink is in touch with Mr. Noach Moses of the Yediot Achronot newspaper,” they wrote to the Rebbe, “and he proposed to include a picture of the Rebbe in every paper for 19 Kislev. Mr. Moses said the cost would be between ten and twenty thousand lirot…

“This is an acceptable practice here, where occasionally the President, Prime Minister, or Army Chief’s picture is delivered with the newspaper. If the Rebbe agrees, we will progress. We can also include a possuk of saying of Chazal with the picture.”

The Rebbe’s response was delivered via telephone from Rabbi Chodakov to Reb Efraim Wolf:

“The proposal is outrageous. The sum is totally exorbitant, and even much less shouldn’t be spent on this. Perhaps if it were one thousand lirot, a picture of the Alter Rebbe should be distributed. But this kind of money should be spent on publishing a maamor or a Likutei Levi Yitzchok.

“Such money shouldn’t be spent on nochamachen di velt (copying worldly trends)…”

(Askonus Tziburis p. 233)