Emotional Ninetieth Yud-Alef Nissan Celebration

A packed crowd of Chassidim and bochurim gathered at the main shul of Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights on Yud Alef Nissan 5752, marking the Rebbe's ninetieth birthday. The celebration was bittersweet, as just six weeks earlier, the Rebbe suffered a stroke. Nevertheless, the celebration was unimaginable. Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky emceed the gathering, and began with powerful words about the momentous occasion. Throughout the gathering members of the Rebbe's Mazkirus, Rabbi Binyomin Klein; Rabbi Sholom Mendel Simpson; Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky and Rabbi Leibel Groner, spoke with passion. The crowd also heard from Rabbi Yehuda Kalman Marlow of the Crown Heights Beis Din; Rabbi Nachman Sudak, head Shliach of the UK; Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt, head Shliach of Argentina and Rabbi Dovid Raskin of Tzach. The gathering concluded with famed artist Reb Michel Shwartz completing a picture capturing the way the world will look when Moshiach will come. Originally he planed to have the painting finished on time for Pesach, but the Rebbe asked if he can have it ready for his birthday on Yud Alef Nissan.