Years of Work Bring Ohel in Lubavitch to Completion

Just in time for the new year, and for the birthday of the Tzemach Tzedek, which falls on Erev Rosh Hashana, the Ohel of the Rebbeim in Lubavitch has undergone a complete and final restoration.

The Ohel, where the Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbe Maharash are buried, now stands fully rebuilt, with the matzeivos restored to their proper place and the entire surrounding area cleared and refurbished, and the site finally accessible to Kohanim for the first time.

The site has a long and complicated history. The original matzeivos were re-erected in 5728 (1968) by the mashpia Reb Dovid Abba Gurevitch, at the initiative of Reb Motel Kozliner. In the years that followed, Reb Melech Tamarin worked on the area, and in 5748 Reb Michoel Greenberg fenced off the site.

It was only in 5749, for the first time since the Ohel had been destroyed, that it was rebuilt by Rabbi Dovid Nachshon and the late R’ Avi Taub, with the help of Reb Nachum Tamarin, Reb Melech’s son, who was at the time a bochur learning in Marina Roscha in Moscow. Their work was guided throughout by the Rebbe’s detailed instructions, including to consult with rabbanim and the elder chassidim on every step.

As the years passed, the site slowly fell into disrepair and was in need of a more permanent solution. The turning point came in 5761, when a delegation of rabbanim and members of Agudas Chassidei Chabad visited the site. Seeing the condition it was in, they transferred full responsibility for the upkeep of the holy sites to shliach Rabbi Gavriel Gordon.

Since then, Rabbi Gordon has devoted himself tirelessly to preserving the honor of the town of Lubavitch and of the holy resting place of the Rebbeim buried there. Through the years, he has been involved in extensive research and historical work in the town, and the current project was the largest undertaking yet, with the most comprehensive restoration as well.

Years of historical research, together with consultation among multiple experts, went into determining the precise placement of the matzeivos and every other detail of the site.

The work followed precise directives from the members of the Beis Din of Rabbanei Chabad, and the Ohel has now been renovated for the benefit of the many visitors who come, with Kohanim able to enter as well.

Anyone who saw the site before will recognize just how much has changed. Where wild overgrowth once surrounded the Ohel, and cows grazed nearby, the area has been fully cleared and landscaped. The old structure had a roof, built with materials brought from Buhaditch and Neyezhin, that made it impossible for Kohanim to enter.

The new building is larger, open, and fully accessible, with the matzeivos themselves left unroofed, finally allowing Kohanim to visit.

The project was encouraged throughout by Russia’s shliach Rabbi Berel Lazar, and by Rabbi Yitzchok Kogan of Agudas Chassidei Chabad.

The full renovation of the beis hachaim and the Ohel was made possible through the generosity of the philanthropist Reb Yosef Yitzchok Popack, with the efforts of the organization Geder Avos, headed by Rabbi Moshe Rubin and Rabbi Mendel Levin, together with the organization Ohalei Tzaddikim, headed by Rabbi Yisroel Meir Gabbai.

The historical research and close oversight throughout the complex construction work were provided over the years by Rabbi Zusha Gorelik, Rabbi Sholom Ber Levin, Rabbi Shneur Zalman Kahn, Rabbi Yitzchok Gelbstein, director of the Chevra Kadisha Rishonis Haklolis of Yerushalayim, Hatomim Sholom Ber Cohen, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Mondshine, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Kaminetzky, Rabbi Sholom Kubitshek, Rabbi Eliyashiv Kaplan, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Bolton, and Rabbi Nachman Waksman.

The newly rebuilt Beis Medrash adjacent to the Ohel already had its first taste of use over Shabbos Selichos, when a large group of guests spent the Shabbos there, davening together in the restored zal. Motzei Shabbos, the group joined for a heartfelt recitation of Selichos in the courtyard of the town, in the heart of Lubavitch.

Photos courtesy of shliach Rabbi Gavriel Gordon, responsible for the preservation and development of the holy sites in Lubavitch.