Against the background of the crisis between Israel and Russia following Russia’s intentions to close down the activities of the Jewish Agency throughout the country, Chabad appealed today (Monday) to the Legal Advisor to the Government, lawyer Gali Beharve-Miara, demanding that she freeze the transfer of ownership of the Nevsky Church in the Old City of Jerusalem. Chabad demands the condition of the transfer of ownership of the assets upon the return of the “Schneerson Collection” to Hasidom.
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According to Chabad, Russia illegally took the Hasidic historical library and therefore chose to initiate legal proceedings against the state. In a letter written by attorney Uri Kidar representing the global Chabad, which is a warning before taking legal proceedings, the Chabad Hasidim Association explains D. That the “Schneerson Collection” is a historical collection of world Chabad Hassidism and that it is a collection that includes approximately 12,000 original books and writings, which were gradually collected and preserved from the end of the 18th century until today.
The letter also revealed that this is a unique collection of its kind in the entire world, and is a heritage asset for the entire Jewish people, in a way that goes beyond the boundaries of Chabad Hasidism. For historical reasons, since the end of the First World War, the Schneerson collection has been in the possession of the government in Russia, which used to be the Soviet regime in the Soviet Union, and is currently the government of Russia.
Chabad has been demanding for decades from the government in Moscow to return the Schneerson collection to the possession of the Chabad Hasidic Center, which is currently located in the USA. So far, a series of judgments and decisions have been issued in the USA against the Russian government, instructing it to return the Schneerson collection to the possession of Hasidism, Including the imposition of a significant fine for contempt of court in the US, which currently stands at approximately 170 million dollars.
The new appeal to the Legal Adviser to the Government follows, as mentioned, the Russian government’s demand for several years from the Israeli government that historical properties previously owned by it, such as the Alexander Nevsky Church in the Old City of Jerusalem, be officially registered as owned by the Russian government. Now, following this, the Chabad Chassidim Association demands that the Israeli government freeze any activity to transfer ownership or register any assets in Israel on behalf of the Russian government, and this until the Schneerson collection is fully returned to its rightful owners.
The letter also included an implicit threat about the possibility of a diplomatic crisis arising following the issue: “Due to the political and political sensitivity that may arise in these circumstances; and also in light of the fact that some of the assets owned by the Russian government and/or may be transferred to its ownership in the future are defined as a “holy place” according to Israeli law; she requested My client, the global Chabad movement, to bring to your notice and the Israeli government’s notice ahead of time that it intends to take legal action against the Russian government in Israel, including regarding Russian assets (or those that the Russian government wishes to be registered as the owner of) in Israel.”