SCHNEERSON, MOUSSIA (CHAYA-MOUSHKA)

7th November

Riga

(1927)

(Wife of the Seventh Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. 1901-1988). Autograph Letter Signed to her life-long friend, Necha Rivkin of Jerusalem (formerly of Rostov, later of New York and wife of Rabbi Moshe Dov-Ber Rivkin of Yeshivath Torath Emeth in Jerusalem and later, Torah Voda’ath of New York)

Written by Chaya Moushka Schneerson (1901-1988) the second of the three daughters of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson (1880-1950) and soon to be wife (a year after the composition of this letter) to Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), who succeeded his father-in-law's title in 1951. A poignant letter composed just two weeks after the Schneerson family left Russia following the release of the Friediker Rebbe from Soviet incarceration earlier that year. The letter commences with apologies for not writing until now - "However this was due to our unhappiness these past several months and most recently, due to the awful disruption of our move. It was not until we were actually across the border (did I think) this would become our reality. Yet it was constantly so very hard in the Motherland and we did want to leave... I think you know everything we have experienced... We have all suffered much anguish and therefore have been too depressed to write...We are tired and unsettled, each in his own way miserable."