The Association of Chabad Hassidim in the United States is expanding its efforts to restore a unique collection of books, that belonged to a dynasty of Hassidic rabbis by filing a lawsuit against Russia in an Israeli court.
The lawsuit to retrieve the Schneerson Collection was filed with the Jerusalem Magistrate Court in an effort to enforce a verdict of a U.S. court, allowing the foreclosure of Russian assets in Israel. In 2013 the books were moved to the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow.
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Vladimir Putin with the Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar with a picture of the Rebbe in the background
(Photo: Meir Alfasi)
In July it was revealed that the association called on Israel's Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to freeze the legal procedures for transferring ownership of real estate in Jerusalem to the Russian government, and demanded the return of the collection that belonged to the dynasty of Lubavitch rabbis before the Russian Revolution.
The Association of Chabad Hassidim attempted to convince Israel to fight this battle with them, yet decided to face it alone when Israel failed to express readiness.
In a lawsuit filed by attorneys Uri Kedar and Avi Blum, accompanied by American Lawyer Nat Loewen, the association is calling for the return of the Schneerson Collection and a fine for contempt of court in the U.S., which as of today stands at over 170 million dollars.
Chabbad have been demanding for the collection to be returned to their rightful owners for decades. The Lubavitcher Rebbe even appointed a special delegation to return the books, headed by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Levin and Rabbi Shlomo Koni, who have been making various efforts to achieve the goal ever since.
At the end of the detailed statement of claim filed by the lawyers, it was emphasized that the need to enforce the U.S. court's ruling is especially important due to the collection's importance to Chabbad and the Jewish people in general.
"The sad irony is that some of the books are what Hitler looted from Jews and intended to create a museum with. Now, it's in the 'Museum of Tolerance' in Russia," said Rabbi Shlomo Konin, a member of the Chabad Hassidic - a prominent activist in the battle to retrieve the books.
Attorney Uri Kedar emphasized that the legislative step is the first toward international recognition of the case.