"Kesavim Suitcase" of the Rebbe Rayatz - With Letter of Authenticity by His Eldest Daughter Rebbetzin Chana Gurary

"Kesavim Suitcase" of the Rebbe Rayatz - With Letter of Authenticity by His Eldest Daughter Rebbetzin Chana Gurary

Large leather suitcase of Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch. The suitcase was purchased during his visit to the United States in 1929-1930, and was used by him to store early books and manuscripts.
Large leather doctor's bag (marked on the bottom: Warranted cowhide; apparently made by Tanners Council of America).
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 unique leather bag that my father purchased during his trip to the United States in 1929-1930. He used it to store kesavim in them. He gave it to me as a gift during our stay at the Greystone hotel". The letter is dated November 5, 1989.

Some two years after being released from the Soviet prison and settling in Riga, Rebbe Rayatz traveled to the United States, accompanied by his son-in-law R. Shemaryahu Gurary (the Rashag), his uncle R. Moshe Horenstein (son-in-law of the Maharash) and R. Mordechai Dubin (a Chabad Chassid, prominent communal activist in Europe and member of the Latvian parliament, who was instrumental in attaining the Rayatz's release from prison and exit from Russia).

The purpose of the trip, which lasted close to a year (Elul 1929 – Tammuz 1930), was to raise awareness of the plight of Soviet Jews and to encourage and strengthen Torah observance amongst American Jewry. According to the enclosed letter, the Rayatz purchased this suitcase during his visit to the United States and later used it to store early books and manuscripts.

In 1939, upon the outbreak of WWII, the Rayatz, his mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, his wife, Rebbetzin Nechama Dina and his daughter Rebbetzin Chana with her husband, R. Shemaryahu Gurary, were stranded in Warsaw under German occupation, their lives in great danger. During these trying times, the Rayatz was forced to flee from house to house, seeking shelter from the shelling and bombing and rumors spread that the rebbe was caught and executed by the Germans.

In a video interview from 1997, R. Shalom Ber (Barry) Gurary, grandson of the Rayatz (son of his daughter Rebbetzin Chana) describes those harrowing days in bombarded Warsaw and tells of three large suitcases in which Rebbe Rayatz kept rear and important manuscripts. He recounts that one of the suitcases, containing the rebbe's tallit and tefillin, was lost. The present suitcase is one of those three large suitcases which did not leave Rebbe Rayatz's sight even during the most difficult days in Warsaw, while the Germans besieged and bombarded the city [one suitcase was sold at the Appel Auction House (8.10.21)]. The interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02BfM6_-JBg).

After the involvement of the US government, and with the assistance of several German officers, the Rayatz succeeded in fleeing Warsaw, together an entourage of about 20 family members and friends. They left occupied Europe in Adar I, 1940 and traveled by ship from Sweden to the United States. On Monday, 8th Adar Sheni 1940, the ship anchored in the New York Harbor. The next day, following a short reception at the port, the Rayatz arrived at his temporary quarters – Room 609 of the Greystone Hotel at 91 Broadway St. in Manhattan New York.
Based on the letter of authenticity, the Rayatz gave this suitcase to his daughter Rebbetzin Chana during their stay at the Greystone Hotel.
On 19th Elul 1940, after about half a year of temporary residence, the Rayatz and his family moved to their new home at 770 Eastern Parkway in the center of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. There, the Rayatz rebuilt the Chabad court and its institutions and continued another ten years of blessed activity until his death on 10th Shevat, 1950.

Approx. 28X60X35 cm. Good condition. Damage, abrasions, tears and wear.