Silver Brooch of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (Mother of the Lubavitcher Rebbe) – With Certificate of Authenticity by ...

Silver Brooch of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (Mother of the Lubavitcher Rebbe) – With Certificate of Authenticity by Rebbetzin Chana Gurary

Brooch of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, mother of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Filigree silver (marked; worn mark, hard to decipher); enamel. Russia, [ca. late 19th century or early 20th century].
Letter of authenticity enclosed (handwritten note, in English), signed in Hebrew by Rebbetzin Chana Gurary (1899-1991), eldest daughter of Rebbe Rayatz: "I hereby gift... the Russian silver brooch used by my sister's [Chaya Mushka] mother-in-law [Rebbetzin] Chana Schneerson. When my sister and daughter-in-law, Mina [wife of R. Shalom Ber (Barry) Gurary] cleaned out her apartment after she passed away, my sister gave me this brooch as a gift". The letter is dated 19th November, 1989.

Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (1880-1964) mother of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson – the Lubavitcher Rebbe and daughter of the rabbi of Mykolaiv, Ukraine R. Meir Shlomo and his wife, Rebbetzin Rachel Yanovsky. Married R. Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, and with utmost devotion joined him in fearlessly spreading Judaism under the communist rule, first in Ekaterinoslav and later in Chiali, Kazakhstan, to where he was exiled. During this time, she produced ink from weeds, to enable her husband to write his Torah novellae, and later risked her life by carrying his writings while traveling from place to place. These writings were later printed in his series of books Likutei Levi Yitzchak on the Zohar. R. Levi Yitzchak passed away in Alma-Ata (Almaty), Kazakhstan in 1944.
In 1946, Rebbetzin Chana crossed the Russian border to Poland, and reached Paris in Adar 1947. Upon hearing the news of his mother's arrival in Paris, her son, Rebbe Menachem Mendel, who was already living in Brooklyn, immediately boarded a plane to meet his mother, who had been confined behind the Iron Curtain and whom he had not seen for the past 20 years. The Rebbe stayed in Paris for three months to arrange all the necessary authorizations for her immigration to the US and in Sivan, embarked with his mother on a ship to the US. After her arrival in the US, Rebbetzin Chana lived near her son and near 770, on the corner of President St. and Kingstone St. no. 1418 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn NY. Some three years later, the Rayatz died and Rebbe Menachem Mendel became the Rebbe of Chabad. Rebbetzin Chana was very involved in the lives of the Chassidim and in the various activities of Chabad Chassidism and served on the board of the women of Chabad in the US. She passed away on Shabbat, 6th Tishrei 1964 and is buried near the Rayatz and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
As stated in the letter of authenticity, after Rebbetzin Chana died in 1964, her daughter in law Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka and Rebbetzin Minah Gurary (daughter in law of Rebbetzin Chana and R. Shemaryahu Gurary), tended to Rebbetzin Chana's belongings and cleared out her apartment. Based in the enclosed letter of authenticity, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson gave this brooch which belonged to her mother-in-law Rebbetzin Chana as a gift to her sister Rebbetzin Chana Gurary.

Approx. 3.5X3.5. Good condition.