Large Samovar of Rebbe Rayatz – From the Time He Resided in Moscow, Riga, Warsaw and Otwock - With Certificate of ...

Large Samovar of Rebbe Rayatz – From the Time He Resided in Moscow, Riga, Warsaw and Otwock - With Certificate of Authenticity Signed by His Daughter Rebbetzin Chana Gurary

Samovar of Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson – Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch.
Charcoal-burning brass samovar. Marked with a mark of the Rassian Empire -
– ca. late 19th century/early 20th century, and with maker's mark (blurred hallmarks, difficult to decipher).
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 samovar that my father used in Moscow, Riga, Warsaw and Otwock". Dated 10th September, 1989.

For one hundred and two years (1813-1915), Chabad Chassidut was centered in the town of Lubavitch, Belarus. In 1915, during WWI, Rebbe Rashab fled Lubavitch and settled in Rostov-on-Don, in south-western Russia. On 2nd Nissan 1920, Rebbe Rashab passed away, and was succeeded by his only son, Rebbe Rayatz. In 1924, after repeated persecutions by the authorities, Rebbe Rayatz left Rostov-on-Don and moved to Leningrad (St. Petersburg). In face of the communist regime's policy of oppression of any trace of religious activity, the Rayatz set up in Leningrad a large underground network of Chabad Chassidim whom he sent wherever Jews could be found, to establish boys' schools and yeshivot, and run synagogues and mikvaot and perform Brit Milah and kosher shechitah. In 1927 he was arrested and imprisoned by the Soviet authorities. Following his release, he settled in the Moscow suburb Malakhovka, and after six weeks, left with part of his family, eventually settling in Riga, Latvia. Rebbe Rayatz arrived in Riga on 25th Tishrei 1927 and resided there for six years. In 1933 he moved to Warsaw and later, in 1935, to the nearby town Otwock. In each place he lived, the Rayatz devoted himself to strenghning and preserving Judaism.
In 1939, with the outbreak of WWII, Rebbe Rayatz, his mother Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, his wife Rebbetzin Nechama Dina and his daughter Rebbetzin Chana and her husband, R. Shemaryahu Gurary were stranded in Warsaw under German occupation, their lives in great danger. During these perilous times, the Rayatz was forced to flee from house to house, seeking shelter from the bombings, and rumors spread that he was caught and executed by the Germans. After the intervention of the US government, and with the assistance of several German officers, the Rayatz succeeded in fleeing Warsaw, together with an entourage of about 20 family members and friends. After several months of travail and wandering, they left occupied Europe in Adar I, 1940 and sailed to the US.
Based on the enclosed letter, the present samovar was used by Rebbe Rayatz for more than twelve years, 1927-1940, during his stay in Moscow, Riga, Warsaw and Otwock.

Height: Approx. 55 cm. Good-fair condition. Minor damage.