Establishment of Shikun Vizhnitz: Historic Document with Unique Signature of Imrei Chaim
1948
A document of historic importance for the Vizhnitz dynasty – the signature of the Rebbe on a partnership agreement with the Pagi Company, in which they joined forces to establish the well-known chassidic neighborhood later named "Shikun Vizhnitz".
The document outlines the terms of the partnership, concluding with the Rebbe’s distinctive signature: ‘חמ"ה’ – Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager, the Imrei Chaim.
This document was written during a pivotal historical period – at a time when Holocaust survivors were beginning to arrive in Eretz Yisrael and just one week before the UN declaration on the establishment of the state of Israel and the outbreak of the 1948 War of Independence.
Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager, author of ‘Imrei Chaim’, was born in 1888 to his father the Rebbe Yisrael of Vizhnitz. He served as his father’s trusted aide throughout his lifetime and assumed the mantle of leadership following his passing. After the Holocaust, he rebuilt and reestablished Vizhnitz Chassidus. In 1947 he immigrated to Eretz Yisrael where he reestablished the Vizhnitz institutions. He was among the leaders of chareidi Jewry until his passing in 1972.
Page Size: 17.3 x 22.4 cm.
Condition: Good; filing holes.
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In an important Kol Koreh that the Rebbe sent close to the time of signing the present document, he writes:
"…As Hashem, may He be blessed, has shown us great kindness and saved us from the jaws of the devouring wolf, and as terrifying reports continue to emerge about the immense destruction of our nation, may Hashem avenge their blood, while the survivors wander and roam…. we must organize and concentrate our efforts to begin practical work in the matter of settlement in our ancestral land…
From our side, we have already begun this initiative – to establish a settlement in Eretz Yisrael in the name of our master our holy father of blessed memory and in the name of our holy uncle [Rabbi Chaim] of Ottynia of blessed memory and it shall be called by the name ‘Ahavas Yisrael V’Ohr HaChaim’. Our trust is strong in the kindness of the one Above that this settlement will rise and be elevated for the sanctification of Heaven’s name and all the inhabitants of the world will recognize and know that we are strong. With Hashem’s help, we have the strength and ability to accomplish wondrous things with the unity and organization of our efforts…"
