Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson was arrested and imprisoned 86 years ago by the Soviet regime solely for serving as a Rav and Jewish leader.
The historic tribute was made possible through the efforts of Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, who also serves as Chief Rabbi of Ukraine’s Prison Service.
An official memorial plaque wasunveiled on Monday at Kiev Lukyanivka Detention Center where Lubavitcher Rebbe’s father, Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, was incarcerated 86 years ago under the Soviet regime for his unwavering commitment to Judaism.
Harav Levi Yitzchak He was then arrested simply because he courageously continued to serve as a Rabbi and strengthen Jewish life despite relentless Communist persecution.
The memorial dedication took place on the yahrzeit (the yearly anniversary of a person’s death in the Jewish tradition) of the renowned gaon and mekubal.
The memorial became a reality following extensive efforts by Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, Chabad emissary and Chief Rabbi of Kiev, who also serves as Chief Rabbi of Ukraine’s Prison Service.
Working together with his son, Rabbi Ariel Markovitch, a Chabad emissary in Kiev who oversees Jewish activities throughout Ukraine’s prison system, the two spent many months coordinating with prison authorities to ensure that the site where Harav Levi Yitzchak suffered for his faith would receive permanent recognition.
During the ceremony, the prison commander expressed deep regret over the injustice committed against Harav Levi Yitzchak, acknowledging that he had been imprisoned despite having committed no crime other than being a Jewish rabbi and spiritual leader.
He described the imprisonment as a painful chapter in history that deserves to be remembered and preserved for future generations.
The memorial plaque recounts the story of the rabbi’s arrest and imprisonment and also features one of his own reflections from that difficult period.
In addition, the prison received a copy of Nitzotzei Levi Yitzchak, a volume based on the Torah teachings of Harav Levi Yitzchak. The book will remain in the prison’s library, where it will be available for the benefit and use of Jewish inmates.
“There is profound significance in the fact that specifically on the yahrzeit of Harav Levi Yitzchak we have merited to establish a memorial at the very place where his freedom was taken from him simply because he was a Rav spreading Yiddishkeit,” Rabbi Markovitch said.
“This represents a historic rectification and an emotional closing of the circle. At the very place where the Soviet regime sought to silence the voice of Judaism, there now stands a permanent memorial telling the story of the courage, sacrifice, and unwavering mesirus nefesh of Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson zt”l, the father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.”