A Letter from Rebbetzin Nechama Dina Schneersohn - A Call for Help for her Daughter and Son-In-Law During the ...

A Letter from Rebbetzin Nechama Dina Schneersohn - A Call for Help for her Daughter and Son-In-Law During the Holocaust - 1942 (After They Had Already Been Murdered)
A pained letter by Rebbetzin Nechama Dina Schneersohn to Rabbi Chanoch Hendel Havlin (1919-1967, the director of Torat Emmet Yeshiva in Jerusalem and closely connected to the Rebbe Rayatz), in which she asks him to assist her daughter (Rebbetzin Sheina) and her son-in-law (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Horenstein). This was after they had already been murdered in the terrible Holocaust, however the Rebbetzin had not yet been informed of such.

The Rebbetzin writes (translated from a Hebrew translation):
"Having heard that it was permissable to send parcels from Palestine to needy relatives, I ask you to please send food parcels and clothing to my daughter and son-in-law, who are in great need. I have also written about this to our friends, Moshe Gourary and Chaim Joseph Rosenblum in Tel-Aviv. Please get in touch with them and do your best to fulfill my request".
These two Hassidim were amongst the important Chabad Hassidim of Tel Aviv.
Rabbi Moshe Gourary was a well-known Chabad Mashpia. He worked for a certain period as the spiritual and physical director of the "Torat Emmet" Yeshiva. Rabbi Chaim Yosef Rosenblum was the accounting director of Kollel Chabad and "Torat Emmet" Yeshiva.

The letter is printed in a typewriter, in English. At the bottom of the letter is the signature of the righteous Rebbetzin Nechama Dina Schneersohn. 8.10.1942.

Rebbetzin Sheina Horenstein (1904-1942), the daughter of the Rebbe Rayatz and granddaughter of the Rebbe Rashab. Her grandfather said about her that she has "gentle senses". The Rebbe Rayatz commented on this: "This is an extremely distinguished description, especially when it comes from such a shining personality". The Rebbetzin was of especially distinguished lineage, as she was a direct descendant of all of the Lubavitcher Rebbes (with the exception of her brother-in-law - the last Rebbe, the Lubavitcher Rebbe). In 1932 she married Rabbi Menachem Mendel Horenstein, her cousin (his mother, Chaya Mushka was the daughter of the Rebbe Maharash)
When the Rebbe Rayetz left Poland during the Second World War, his daughter and son-in-law did not go with him, as his son-in-law did not want to leave his father, who was not in good health. Later a different problem arose, as Polish citizens were not given exit visas, and he was a Polish citizen. With the Rebbe Rayatz's help they managed to escape and to travel to Naples in Italy, from where they intended to travel to America. However, at that time the passage of ships from Italy to America was stopped. The Rebbe Rayatz began trying to attain a visa for them to another country, from where they would be able to leave, but he did not succeed, and they remained in the Nazi valley of tears.
At a certain stage their brother-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, was informed that they had been murdered in the sanctification of G-d's name in Treblinka (on September 14, 1942). However, in order not to upset the Rayatz, he was not told about this. Therefore, Rebbetzin Nechama Dina continued to worry about them, as we see here in the letter before us, even though they had already been murdered by the Nazis.
As the Rebbe wrote in the letter from August 22 1949 (Iggerot Kodesh 3 page 173): "I continue the investigation and inspection in the above manner, and for now, if I do not write otherwise please arrange for all of the yartzheit customs to be carried out on the above days but without publicizing this as in the house of my father-in-law [the Rayatz] they do not know".
Not until November 5 1950 did the Lubavitcher Rebbe publicize (in the introduction to a booklet of articles by the Rebbe Rayatz which was then published) his brother-in-law and sister-in-law's fate: "This booklet is dedicated to the merit of my father-in-law the Rebbe's youngest daughter, my sister-in-law the Rebbetzin Sheina and in the merit of his son-in-law my brother-in-law Rabbi Menachem Mendel HaCohen son of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (the daughter of the Rebbe Maharash)".
After the death of his wife Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, the Rebbe added to the wording of her gravestone which was given to him for editing: "And in memory of the soul of her sister, the righteous Rebbetzin Sheina", thus eternalizing her memory on her sister's tombstone.
Condition: Very Good.