CHASSIDIC JEWISH PRIDE IN THE CRADLE OF NAZISM

R’ Binyamin Braun lives in Munich, Germany, speaks four languages, was a business success to the tune of many millions, and left it all to learn in yeshiva at age forty. * Today, among his many activities, he spreads Judaism and Chassidus, and chooses to confront the rising trend of Neo-Nazism head on. One of the ways that he does so is by his now yearly tradition of lighting the fifth Chanuka light in the Odeonsplatz in the heart of Munich, in the exact place where the wicked mass murderer, may his name be blotted out, stood and fired up one and a half million Germans against the Jews.

Photos: Shneur Schiff

Sitting down to a conversation with R’ Binyamin Braun is a fascinating experience in and of itself. His speech flows, and despite the fluent Hebrew, you can’t miss the German accent. He is effervescent, energetic, alive and active, one of those people who goes all out to promote what he believes.

R’ Binyamin Braun, 53, was born in Munich, Germany, to a traditional family. His mother, born in Poland, always lit the Shabbos candles. She saw this by her parents, who lived for four years in the forests. Every Friday, her mother, Leah, would tear a bit of cloth from her skirt and would use it to light candles.

His father was born in Siberia, after the family escaped to the Soviet side in fear of the Nazis.

Binyamin himself grew up in the Jewish community in Munich, and already at age five went to learn in the Jewish school program under the administration of Rabbi Fictor.

As mentioned, the Braun family was traditional, but in actual practice did not provide a grounded Jewish education for their son over the years. “In actual fact, after my bar mitzva, I stopped observing any mitzvos,” recounts R’ Binyamin. “I was a wild kid. I was always looking for excitement outside, where I became friends with gentiles, Germans, blacks, the famous and infamous, and many other oddball types.

“At some point, I became the leader of a street crew who became street dancers. We developed a good name, and we were a success in Germany, and after that in New York. I was only 18 years old when I got my first taste of success.”

How does a kid who grew up in a traditional, even religious home, get to all that?

“At home, I got everything in the material sense, but my parents were busy with their work lives. The one who actually raised me was a neighbor, a Jewish nanny who was devoted to me, and she was the one who would take me to shul on Shabbos. The result was that at age 13, I basically ran away from home and would spend my time outside. Practically speaking, even in school, I did nothing and learned nothing. I was looking for attention on the streets.”

When Binyamin turned 24, he continued to develop his entrepreneurial nature. He began to import suspenders from Yugoslavia to Germany. His very first import, he sold 50,000 pairs of suspenders. A group of German businessmen heard about him, offered him a chance to move up in his business, and together they imported millions of Tricot shirts (military style long sleeve T-shirts). The business grew, and the newspapers in Germany began to write about the wunderkind of the business world. As he puts it, “I made a lot of money in those years, to the point that I didn’t know what to do with it.”

At some point, he sold his share in the business, and went to join forces with a Jewish-Romanian music producer by the name of Avraham Marsallo. The two began to do business together in arranging concerts and shows. Part of their work included producing concerts for the big names in the gentile music world, and the young Binyamin was dealing with millions of dollars. The acquaintanceship with Marsallo actually began during his once or twice a year visits to the synagogue in Munich, on the high holidays. “He took a liking to me, and he brought me in to join him in his work,” he says.

“Besides for the profits from the shows, I would sell Tricot shirts with the picture of the performer for $40, when all they cost me was $2. I also marketed paraphernalia associated with the top sports teams in Germany.”

TRANSFORMATION AT AGE 40

The significant turning point in his life began at age 40. A friend, Moshe Fictor, told him about a Jewish man in Munich who spoke about spiritual stuff and he suggested he come along to hear him speak. The man who spoke about spiritual stuff was R’ Moshe Kastiel. “I went that same evening. There were 35-40 gentiles in the room. He sat at the head of the table with a beard and a Yechi yarmulke, and he taught them about the Seven Noahide Laws. I sat there for an hour or so and didn’t find it interesting. I just got up and left.

“That night, I got a phone call from Moshe who asked me whether I owned t’fillin. I said I did, and told him I had them from my bar mitzva.

“That kabbalist told me that something in your t’fillin is not okay,” he said. I didn’t understand this. “But he didn’t look at them! How can he say that?” I didn’t treat this seriously.

“A year later, after I was already divorced, I was on a flight from Tel Aviv to Germany and I saw R’ Kastiel again, and he had very deep eyes. He suddenly grabbed me and began talking to me. We spoke throughout the flight. He explained what G-d wants of a Jew, what a Jew’s role in this world is.

“At the time, I was completely shaven from head to toe, far from Judaism, but what he said made an impact on me. I decided I was going to live like a Jew. Before that, I had never gotten Judaism in the way he explained it to me.

“A few weeks later, we met again in Munich. He put a Yechi yarmulke on my head and I put on t’fillin. We opened the t’fillin and there was a sticker there that was not supposed to be inside.”

Binyamin began going to R’ Kastiel every week. “I remember offering to pay him for the time he devoted to me, but he was unwilling to accept it.”

After about three months, they both went to Eretz Yisroel. R’ Kastiel introduced him to R’ Meir Tzemach of Netanya. This relationship caused R’ Binyamin Braun, at the age of 40, to abandon the glitter of the glamour world and to start learning in the Chabad yeshiva in Tzfas. R’ Binyamin still remembers their conversation. “I said to Tzemach, ‘I’m already 40 …,’ but he said to me, ‘Binyamin, don’t worry, it will be okay.’ I was accepted and went to yeshiva.

“In yeshiva, I became friends with R’ Avigdor Dickstein and R’ Fitche Levkivker, who were greatly mekarev me. Considering my age and my special circumstances (I had a daughter), I got permission from Rabbi Wilschansky to come and go when I wanted.”

R’ Binyamin rented an apartment, but spent most of his day in the zal together with bachurim who were twenty years younger than he. Once in ten days he returned to Germany to be with his daughter. He wanted to provide her with the maximum when it came to Judaism and Chassidus.

“The frequent trips between Munich and Tzfas were not easy, but I had no choice. I did that for 14 months.”

How did you feel in the yeshiva in Tzfas?

“In yeshiva I got the light that I was seeking all my life. I went to yeshiva and my heart began to cry from emotional excitement. Believe me Menachem; I know all the klipos of this world. I didn’t miss out on any of them, but from within all of that I rose up and grew.”

Once he started learning in yeshiva, R’ Binyamin stopped working and left his other involvements in the big world. He really took to learning for the purpose of filling in the gaps and to build himself up as much as possible. Only recently has he returned to the world of business and is trying to launch in a big way as in the past.

It’s not easy to stop life as you know it when you’re in the midst of it all …

“I saw the truth! What did I want all those years? I wanted clean air and for the first time, I breathed it …”

The conversation with B’ Binyamin Braun flows. He speaks Yiddish, German, Hebrew, and understands Russian. He learned fluent Hebrew when he was young, thanks to the dozens of trips he made to Eretz Yisroel. And yet, it is hard for him till today to learn Torah in Hebrew. “I learn most of it in English.”

During those years in yeshiva, he developed a strong connection with R’ YY Levkivker, which remains till today. “I remember that after the first week, I told him that I need to go back to my daughter in Munich for a few days, and that I would come right back to yeshiva. He asked me, ‘Do you want to write to the Rebbe and get an answer?’ He guided me and told me to write about myself, and tell the Rebbe everything, about my daughter, Leah. I did so, writing to the Rebbe for the first time. I opened to a clear answer that I don’t want to get into because it’s personal, but after that, I cried as I hadn’t cried in a long time.”

FROM THE CHEVRA KADISHA TO A SURPRISE WEDDING

Those who know R’ Binyamin Braun know that he’s a colorful character, effervescent. He wears a big yarmulke with Yechi on it, in Hebrew and English. He does mivtzaim and outreach where he lives in Munich.

“Along with my return to Judaism and Chassidus, I started working with Jews in Munich. Since I am there, many other Jews have learned about the Geula and Moshiach and who he is.” R’ Binyamin takes advantage of the fact that there are many people in Germany who still remember his name from his successful business days. “I use this to spread the Seven Noahide Laws and awareness of Geula among Jews.”

R’ Binyamin has gotten involved in the official Jewish community by taking charge of the Chevra kadisha of Munich. This followed changes that the leadership of the community wanted to make regarding burial.

“I opposed these changes. I spoke with the leaders of the Munich-Bavaria Jewish community and offered to take on the maintenance of Jewish burial here. This costs 40,000 Euros a year. The community agreed and after a contract was signed, I appointed Jews who do the work faithfully.”

He also started a kollel for older Russian Jews, “Tiferes Z’keinim Levi Yitzchok.” They learn there every day and fill in their knowledge of Judaism.

R’ Binyamin’s involvement in the Chevra Kadisha led to another benefit in his life. It’s an extraordinary story of Divine Providence.

R’ Binyamin has a friend, an economics professor, a billionaire. The two became friends before R’ Binyamin became a baal t’shuva, and he served as a sort of spiritual mentor for him. One day, the professor asked his Lubavitcher friend to meet with him right away at a certain restaurant. When he arrived there, he met the professor along with an unfamiliar non-Jewish woman.

She was interested in R’ Binyamin’s Jewish identity and asked him whether he is Jewish. When he said yes, she said that she shared an apartment with a Jewish girl whose mother was murdered two days before. R’ Binyamin’s eyes lit up. “Now I know why I am here,” he said.

As the point man of the Chevra Kadisha in Munich, he knew that when a Jew dies, the appropriate officials in the community are informed. The woman who had been killed and her family were distant from the Jewish community, which is why the information did not reach the right people.

R’ Binyamin asked to meet with her friend immediately. He went to the house together with the Chevra Kadisha. At first, they were not allowed to enter the house, but then the police allowed it. They collected the remaining blood and the woman was given a Jewish burial.

The Jewish girl, then 25, showed signs of unusual refinement and sensitivity. R’ Binyamin kept in touch with her and even invited her to see real life, Jewish life. She agreed, and with his encouragement, she went to New York. There she went to Machon Chana and enjoyed the motherly love of Rebbetzin Gitta Gansburg, a”h, who was mekarev her and became her mashpia.

Despite the big age difference, she decided to marry Binyamin Braun, though not before asking the Rebbe. The kalla along with her mashpia wrote to the Rebbe about the shidduch and the answer was mazal tov on building a Jewish home. Binyamin himself wrote to the Rebbe about the shidduch and opened to an answer of mazal tov on the shidduch of the daughter.

Aside from his older daughter Leah, the Braun couple has two children: Menucha Rochel and Menachem Mendel, who is five months old.

Mrs. Miriam Chana Braun runs a charity fund with the participation of other women, and they help families in the community with significant sums.

R’ Binyamin does not make a move without discussing it with his mashpia, R’ Ofer Maidovnik. He also regularly consults with Rabbi Boruch Levkivker of Tzfas and Rabbi Gedalya Akselrod. “Both of them are rabbanim of stature, from whom I can always get a true answer, even if it’s hard for me to do or I don’t like it.”

He has also formed a strong connection with Rabbi Yisroel Diskin, shliach in Germany. “At first, I seemed like ‘lights of Tohu’ to him, but I love him and he loves me. He knows that I am a Chassid of the Rebbe, a child of the Rebbe. His sponsors also know that with me there are no chochmos and I promote the messages in the most open and honest way. I don’t understand how it’s possible to raise children without Yechi.”

Needless to say, R’ Binyamin’s house has a big Moshiach flag, and he does not care what people think of it.

FACING GERMAN ANTI-SEMITISM

One of R’ Binyamin’s interesting outreach activities is lighting a public Chanuka in the highly public Odeonplatz in Munich. In this giant square, Hitler stood 80 years ago with a million and a half Nazis, may their names all be blotted out, and that is where they began burning shuls on Kristallnacht. Eighty years later, R’ Binyamin Braun comes with his obvious Jewish appearance and lights the menorah on the fifth night, lighting up the place with Jewish, spiritual light.

Jews show up for the event, as well as many gentiles. R’ Binyamin, with his characteristic boldness, puts the menorah precisely where Hitler stood and incited the masses to anti-Semitism.

What feedback do you get?

“Sometimes there are neo-Nazis who say, ‘What are you doing here?’ There are also gentiles whom it bothers on general principle, but every one of them clearly identifies that these are Jews who are lighting a menorah here.

Talking about this public demonstration leads the conversation towards anti-Semitism in Europe in general and Germany in particular. R’ Binyamin, as someone who has lived all his life in Germany, responds without hesitation:

“Listen, Germany hasn’t really changed in the over 70 years since the Holocaust. When I was young, I still did not understand that. A gentile can be a friendly acquaintance, but not a true friend. After I made the change in appearance with the beard and the hat, and I have a truly Jewish look, I can see how much my friends from the past don’t like it, including gentile friends whom I grew up with or dealt with in business. I am not even talking about the gentiles, where you can see the hate in their eyes.”

Do you encounter open hatred of Jews in Munich?

“Occasionally, but I don’t remain silent. I once stepped out of shul and took some blows, and I immediately made it my business to teach the assailants a lesson. I walk the streets with Jewish pride. Not far from my home, there is a place where I buy produce and the like. There is a gentile vendor there, who runs a stand which draws a lot of customers, and there is always a long line. When I come, he hugs me warmly. Recently, I was there the day after Trump made his announcement about Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and he screamed out to me, ‘I love Trump for what he did for the Jews.’ It is superfluous to point out that words like these are not commonplace in Munich, but he doesn’t care about if it will affect his income or what other gentiles think.”

What is it really like to live as a Jew with a beard and yarmulke in Germany? Is it any more challenging than in other countries?

“In Germany, you appear strange when you walk around with a beard and peios, but ironically, after so many Moslems with beards have come here, it is a bit less strange. However, most people still hate it.”

There are many Moslem immigrants in Germany today. Do you see more anti-Semitism from the Germans and Europeans or from the Arabs?

“The Germans are more dangerous, because until now they spoke nicely to you, but underneath it was all phony. There are Germans who actually blame the Jews, claiming that it is their fault that the Moslems are flooding the country. Today, the Jew-haters open their mouths more; they are more brazen.”

Does the fact that as soon as you open your mouth, you speak perfect German, help you?

“No, because I am the real deal and it comes across that I am not one of them. For those that hate us, nothing will help; they will always hate us because that is how Hashem created the world. Despite that fact, what does depend on us is that we conduct ourselves as proud Jews, and then they respect us.”

In all honesty, do you think that Nazism can make a comeback some day?

“It will not come back, because Hashem will not let it, as the Rebbe said regarding this issue, ‘It shall not rise up twice an affliction.’ Still, the situation is definitely not simple, and even dangerous. Curses are hurled at us on a daily basis, and there have been times when people tried to beat up Jews in middle of the street. In Munich, the police are more in control, but there are places in Germany where it is dangerous for Jews to go.”

Have you already had altercations with Jew haters?

“Let me tell you a positive story.

“Before one of my flights, I came to the terminal two-three hours before the flight. While waiting for boarding, I suddenly found a stuffed wallet. Since there was nobody around who could possibly be the owner, I opened it and saw that it had packs of one hundred dollar bills. There was a few thousand dollars there. There was also an ID card of someone from Latvia, a gentile, sharp eyes, light blue, who looked like the image of a Nazi. I took the money out of the wallet, and then took the wallet itself over to the airport police.

“Meanwhile, I called a rabbi and asked him about the law as far as the money. His ruling was that ‘If the money belongs to a Jew, you need to find him and return it, but if it belongs to a gentile it is yours. However, there is an opportunity here for Kiddush Hashem (sanctifying G-d’s name).’

“I went back to sit in the waiting area of the terminal. After about half an hour, a tall guy showed up, with a gleaming shaved head, wearing tall boots like the neo-Nazis, and covered in tattoos. He looked like the stereotypical neo-Nazi. He was running as if his life was coming to an end. It was obvious that he was very upset, and I understood that the wallet belonged to him.

“I gave him a pat on the back, and he looked at me with eyes that were shooting flames. I took the bundle of dollars out of my pocket and put it into his hands. His eyes flew wide open. ‘I don’t believe it!’ he said.

“‘What don’t you believe?’ I asked. ‘I don’t believe that I lost my money, and someone like you is returning my money to me!’ At this point, there were about 30-40 people standing around.

“I said to him, ‘Listen, pal. For me it was a test from Above, and the same is for you. If I was not the one to find the money, you would never have gotten it back. G-d (and here I pointed skyward) made a test here.’

“At this point, I took out a picture of the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach, and said to him, ‘I was planning on bringing your money to this man who is in New York.’ He stared at the picture and was silent; he had no idea what to say to me. All of a sudden, he grabbed the picture with both hands and said, ‘This picture will stay with me my whole life!’

“He offered the use of some of the money that I had found, but obviously I refused. We walked together to the police station, where he got his wallet back as well. On the way, he told me emotionally, ‘I want you to know one thing: I don’t know any people like you, and I never wanted to know!’ Then he literally began to shake, and he added, ‘You saved my life. I saved up this money over a long period of time, in order to start a new life in Atlanta, Georgia. I will never forget you for this, for the rest of my life.’

“Afterward, I went towards the plane. More accurately, I didn’t walk, I floated to the plane. This man was a Jew hater, definitely a Nazi sympathizer, but I know that he will tell all of his friends that a Jew is something special, that a Jew gave his life back to him.”

MUNICH AWAITING MOSHIACH

R’ Binyamin’s house is on the outskirts of the city, at the edge of a large green woods, which extends all the way to nearby Italy. This is quite an exclusive residential neighborhood, and it requires that he walk to shul every Shabbos a distance of over 4.5 miles, which takes him an hour and a half.

Is it intentional that you do not live in the center of the city?

“I love nature, my peace and quiet, and that is to be found outside the city.” He does admit that the location of his home in terms of the existing anti-Semitism means that he and his family have to exercise more caution. With that, the way he puts it is, “I hope that Hashem will not put me to the test.”

R’ Binyamin, allow me to conclude with a personal question. What really affects you on an emotional level?

“I’ll tell you what; it hurts me to see people who have gone through hardships or suffering. It hurts me to see how many Jews there are who are suffering. I see my friends who look like they are happy, but they are not really happy. You can see that they are really suffering. We were given life from Hashem, with the goal of being able to live as Jews, to do mitzvos and help one another with love and devotion.

“We are the children of Hashem, so that as many sins as we have committed, we are still his children, and a father wants his children to have it good. The Rebbe says that we have to demand from Hashem, ‘We want Moshiach now.’

“We have to insist that we must have our righteous Moshiach. There are times when I feel like Moshiach is already here, but we are not yet here… The Rebbe told us that this (Geula) is happening in this generation. That could mean very soon; and maybe even before you finish preparing the article, Moshiach will have arrived. What is precious to me is the desire that I, my family and children, and the entire Jewish nation, should all be part of the complete redemption!”

OUTREACH VIA DOG BITE

Due to the level of anti-Semitism in Munich, R’ Binyamin keeps a dog in his yard to protect his home and family from any intruders. “She also helps in the work of spreading Judaism,” he says laughing, but quickly turns serious. “Let me tell you an interesting story that took place last winter:

“When she (my dog) was young, she was once bitten by another dog. Over the years, she grew and got stronger, and eventually she spotted the dog that had bitten her and took her revenge on him. A week later, he died from her bite. As a result, I received a citation from the city government for 300 Euros, and a two year prohibition against letting her out of the house. After the two years ended, I tried to get in touch with the inspector from the city government, in order to get a permit to let her out.

“Towards the end of last winter, I called in order to find out the details of the procedure involved, and they told me that I had to get in touch with a special inspector, for him to give me a certification. I searched on the Internet for the names of the inspectors who deal with this issue, and I saw someone there by the name of Michael Abelsky. I called him to request a meeting, in order to get the hoped-for permission. He said, ‘Sure, come in three months and I will inspect the dog and give you the permit.’ I told him that I did not have the time to wait three months, and if I had to pay extra to speed up the process, I would do that. His response was, ‘It is not a matter of money.’

“Suddenly, I asked him, ‘Excuse me, are you Jewish?’ He did not answer and went back to talking about the professional matter at hand. On my end, I went back to pressuring him, and then he suddenly said to me, ‘You really are a Jew! When somebody tells you no, you refuse to accept it.”

“After that, he asked me for my name, and it turns out that my father and his were together in a refugee camp after the war. I took the opportunity to ask him again directly, ‘Are you a Jew?’

“‘Yes, he answered, ‘but I am not connected to them for fifty years. I was never part of the community, I was never in the synagogue, and I am not in contact with any Jews and it does not interest me at all.’

“I did not relent. I said to him, ‘You know, the holiday of Passover is in five days.’ He told me that he does not remember the date.

“‘Matzos, you do remember?’

“‘Yes, matzos, I remember.’

“‘Is it possible to bring you matzos?’

“‘Certainly.’

“The next day, I went to visit him with my daughter. We knocked on the door of his home, and he hosted us very nicely. While we were there, he took out pictures of his father’s bar mitzva. I asked him if he had celebrated his bar mitzva, but he answered that he did not recall.

“Then he said to me, ‘My son, I have to tell you something. For fifty years I have had no contact with Jews, and it is so good to see you.’

“Afterward, he came to my office and put on t’fillin there. He has a gentile wife, and he told me on one occasion that his wife told him that since he met me, he has changed so much.

“So, thanks to my dog, I touched the heart and soul of a Jew, five days before Pesach – the fifth son that the Rebbe spoke so much about the need to bring him to the Seder table.”

FINAL MOMENTS

R’ Binyamin Braun recounts:

A week or two before Purim 5776, I did not feel well. I went to a cardiologist who did various tests and they found an enlarged aorta, which can lead to sudden death if it becomes too enlarged and bursts. The doctors said I needed to have a catheter inserted to send down a camera and see what’s going on inside. I asked when they wanted to do this test and they said the sooner the better. I asked them to wait because I wanted to consult with someone.

“Which other doctor do you want to consult?” they asked. I took out a picture of the Rebbe.

“Is he also a doctor?” they asked me.

I told them, “He is more than a doctor.”

They said, “Fine, he can call us and we will explain the situation to him.”

I said, “He won’t call you, but I’ll tell you what he says to do.”

Since I did not open to a clear answer, I did nothing for the meantime. Two weeks later, on Purim, when I returned home after the Megilla reading, I felt a jolt of electricity in my heart, something I had never felt before. I immediately went to a private hospital, about 45 kilometers from our home, where I knew a doctor, an Ohev Yisroel (someone who loves Jews), whom I wanted to check me.

After tests were done, the doctors said I needed to undergo a catheter test. I asked the doctor, “Is Professor Herfling here?” She said no. I said I’d wait for him, and she agreed but said I couldn’t leave the hospital because my condition was not stable.

In the meantime, my wife opened the Igros Kodesh to a letter where the Rebbe writes that when you want to see the Geula, you need to insert the needle in the flesh. For me, this was a clear answer, to go ahead with inserting the catheter.

I asked the doctor whether there was another top doctor and she recommended Dr. Piltz. I asked him whether he believes in G-d. He said, “Certainly!”

I said, “We will do the catheter test now.” His diagnosis afterward was good. “I am satisfied. You have a strong heart, but as far as the aorta that has become enlarged you need to take it easy, not do sports, not carry heavy things, live stress-free,” and other instructions.

The next day, I got out of bed and began walking through the hospital department with my Yechi yarmulke, of course, and tzitzis. I met an old man about 90 years old, who began yelling at me. “That’s how you walk around? Aren’t you ashamed to walk with your tzitzis out?”

I immediately realized he is Jewish and I replied, “What are you doing here?” He said he needed a new pacemaker. “Do you put on t’fillin?” I asked.

“Why should I do that?” he asked.

“For G-d!”

He dismissed that and said, “Leave me in peace.”

All my attempts to convince him were for naught. The next morning, I knocked on his door, having brought my t’fillin. “May I come in?” He said yes, and I entered.

As soon as he saw me, he said, “You came to put t’fillin on with me.” I said, yes. “But I don’t know how,” he said. I offered to help him. When I rolled up his sleeve, I saw the concentration camp tattoo. That is when I knew why I had come to this hospital, to put t’fillin on with him.

A year later, I went back to the hospital for an MRI, to make sure all was well.

On my way out, after the tests, I met that same man again. He showed up at the hospital the very same day I did. I ran over to my car and took out my t’fillin and went to his room. I knocked on the door and said, “Mr. Tergovnik, what are you doing here?”

“Don’t ask …”

“If you put on t’fillin, you’ll see that you will feel a lot better.”

“Nu, if you say so, okay. Put them on me.”

When I finished putting them on him, we began to talk.

“Mr. Tergovnik, have you heard about Moshiach?”

“I’ve heard.”

I said, “Since I’ve done t’shuva, whenever I meet someone, I tell him who Moshiach is. But I didn’t want to tell you, because you are so stubborn, but now I’ll show you who it is.” I took out a picture of the Rebbe.

“You’re a Lubavitcher?” he suddenly asked me. I said, yes.

“Aha, that’s good …” After a moment’s thought he asked, “Is Moshiach here with me now? Can I have the picture?” I said, yes, and he told me to put the picture near his phone.

The next day I got a phone call at the office of the Chevra Kadisha. The man had passed away. I felt how Divine Providence was with me all along.