ShalomNewYork.com

The book, Rescued from the Reich, written by Bryan Mark Rigg, has recently been translated to Hebrew. The book attempts to relate the sequence of events leading to the rescue of the Rebbe Rayatz from burning Europe during WWII. Rigg mentions the part played by Nazi Intelligence service headed by Admiral William Canaris, and Ernest Bloch and he highly criticized the Rebbe for not being involved in the rescue of other Jews at the time.In a former article in Maariv newspaper, the Chassidic researcher, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Kaminetsky published an article disproving Rigg’s claims by providing tens of letters sent by the Rebbe Rayatz and published in ‘Igros Kodesh’ proving the intensive efforts of the Rebbe exerted on behalf of European Jewry. In addition, hundreds of letters and documents in the center of Chabad in New York describe the tireless efforts made by the Rebbe Rayatz in attempt to save as many Jews as possible. Rigg’s problem is that he does not read Hebrew, and only found letters written in English, which he based his work upon. Had it been otherwise, he would have come to a totally opposite conclusion proving the the Rebbe Rayatz had done all within his power and even more so, to save European Jewry.

Rabbi Sholom Ber Levine, director of the Chabad Library in New York, said that Bryan Rigg had actually approached him, asking for material to use for his book about the rescue of the Rebbe Rayatz. Rabbi Levine said that he did not only provide him with the documents but also designated dozens of hours to answer all of his questions.

Levine blames Rigg for concealing his intention of writing a critical work on the Rebbe. “Up until the publication of his work did he maintain contacts with me and asked me questions. Just before it was ready for publication, I saw the text, and found that it’s entire purpose was to criticize the Rebbe Rayatz. I asked him, ‘Why did you deceive me all of these years?’ Although he promised me to exclude the critical sections from the book, which, according to him was not the intent of the book, the book was printed without any deletions. ‘He received my help by cunning schemes and now he is travelling around the globe flaunting his book and denouncing the Rebbe in his lectures. COL.ORG.IL