After some time in Paris, the yeshiva group traveled to Vichy where they found the Rebbe’s hotel surrounded by buildings of Nazi character and the police station where the Rebbe went with mesiras nefesh to register as a Yid.
By Anash.org reporter
From the last apartment where the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin lived in Paris, the bochurim continued by high-speed train to Vichy, and later to Marseille, where they sought to encounter the setting in which the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin lived. It turns out there are things that cannot be seen and experienced from afar.
For example, the students visited the two hotels where the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin stayed during the three months they spent in Vichy. The hotels, as they discovered, were surrounded by buildings with a distinct Nazi character, while the Rebbe was immersed in Torah study (as is evident from the Rebbe’s reshimos).
They also visited the shul where the Rebbe davened, learned, and taught, and even repeated the teachings that were said in that place. A special experience was hearing memories from the elders of Vichy. The students also visited the Nazi police station where the Rebbe went with mesiras nefesh to ensure they registered him as a Yid.
Photos by Mendy Kotlyar
Discussion
We appreciate your feedback. If you have any additional information to contribute to this article, it will be added below.