Editing Pocking

Pocking (in German: Pocking) is a small village near Munich, Germany. After World War II, the Americans established a camp for Jewish refugees nearby. Hundreds of Chabad chassidic families who left Russia during the 'Known Escape' in 5706-5707 (1946-1947) settled in the DP camps in Europe, and most of them settled in the Pocking camp. They developed a community and educational institutions there under the leadership of Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Plotkin and Rabbi Nissan Nemenov. During that period, it was the largest Chabad community. The Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe maintained contact with the chassidim in Pocking and helped them greatly through instructions and guidance, and also sent them shluchim and supplies.

== Settlement in the Camp and Establishment of the Yeshiva ==
The Pocking camp concentrated 40,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors, including about three hundred Anash, mostly from Samarkand. They arrived during the months of Tammuz-Elul 5706 after crossing the border from neighboring Czechoslovakia and other countries. Among the notable ones were: The famous mashpia Rabbi Nissan Nemenov - director of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Samarkand. The Gaon HaChassid Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Plotkin - one of the heads of the yeshiva in Samarkand. The mashpia Rabbi Zalman Levitin. The famous Rabbi Yisroel Neveler and others. The camp was under American control, and from there it was easier to obtain visas to the United States, where the chassidim aspired to go to be in the presence of the Frierdiker Rebbe.

When the first Anash settled in Pocking, they began organizing Chabad community life despite the temporary nature of their stay there: On the auspicious day of 15 Elul 5706, Rabbi Nissan Nemenov convened a meeting of all Anash and chose from among them a committee to manage the affairs of 'Agudas Chassidei Chabad Pocking'. They also established Tomchei Tmimim Pocking and Beis Rivka Pocking institutions.

== Life in the Camp ==
The presence of Anash in Pocking in general and the yeshiva in particular greatly influenced the atmosphere in the camp. In general, the atmosphere in the camp was sad and depressing due to their dire situation as refugees, and after the difficult events they experienced in the Holocaust. Even the rumors that were arriving from Russia about arrests and persecutions carried out by the NKVD added to the gloomy atmosphere. However, the presence of Chabad chassidim along with the knowledge that now there was an opportunity to see the Rebbe, and in addition their activities among other camp refugees - somewhat eased their suffering.

Many non-chassidic Jews would also attend Rabbi Nissan's farbrengens.

Joint representatives and Rescue Committee representatives operated in the DP camps in Germany. They held assemblies and gatherings there, and Chabad chassidim received funds from them for Anash families and for the yeshivos.

== Rebbetzin Chana ==
Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, the Rebbe's mother, stayed for a period in the Pocking camp, and several of the chassidic families who knew her supported and assisted her in many ways.

The Rebbe worked during those days to bring his mother to him in New York, and after a period in Pocking she moved to Paris where the Rebbe came and traveled with her to New York.

== The Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe Support Pocking ==
Much spiritual activity was carried out in the camps according to our Rebbeim's instructions. In the Pocking camp, Chabad educational institutions were established - Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim and Beis Rivka, and small branches of Tomchei Tmimim and Beis Rivka were established in other DP camps.

The Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe maintained contact with the chassidim in the DP camps, including Pocking, and helped them greatly both materially and spiritually through instructions and guidance, and also sent them shluchim and supplies.

== The Rebbe Describes a Pocking Custom ==
At a farbrengen on Shabbos Naso 5720 (1960), the Rebbe spoke about the custom in Pocking to wake everyone up for Torah study:

"They tell about a good custom that existed in Pocking [I myself wasn't there, but so they tell], that they would wake everyone up every morning to learn Torah, and the procedure was – not like in places where the 'shamash' would knock on the window and fulfill his obligation, without caring if the person actually got up, but rather they would knock and knock until they got him out... He had to get up from his sleep because of the knocking, so that at least the household members could continue sleeping."

== Visit of Rabbi Binyamin Gorodetzky and the Rashag ==
In the winter of 5707 (1947), the Frierdiker Rebbe sent Rabbi Binyamin Eliyahu Gorodetzky, director of the 'European Office for Refugee Aid', to visit the Pocking camp and bring him regards from them.

Shortly after, before Pesach 5707, the Frierdiker Rebbe sent his son-in-law the Rashag for a visit to Europe.

In Germany, they honored the Rashag greatly and arranged a nice reception for him. He delivered chassidic discourses, and the crowd enjoyed him very much.

On that occasion [clarification needed], the Frierdiker Rebbe also sent various seforim which were needed for the yeshiva and the Pocking refugees.

The strong hope of Anash and Tmimim in Pocking to see the Frierdiker Rebbe unfortunately did not materialize. Most of them moved to Paris and settled there, some made aliyah to Eretz Yisroel (and were among the founders of Kfar Chabad) and the remaining portion who immigrated to the United States arrived there after the Frierdiker Rebbe's histalkus.

== The Archive of the Exodus from Russia ==
Rabbi Shlomo Matusov, deputy director of Tomchei Tmimim in Pocking, preserved documents and photographs documenting the period of the exodus from Russia and especially the Chabad life in Pocking.

In the archive there is a notebook in which he documented a travel journal of Chabad chassidim in the Pocking DP camp, where Rabbi Matusov wrote down every movement in Pocking from the period when they began leaving for France and for over a year. The journal documents many topics such as:

* Chassidim who arrived in Pocking
* Chassidim who left Pocking for other destinations
* Joint budgets
* Donations
* Letters sent to the Frierdiker Rebbe, letters from the Frierdiker Rebbe
* Letters sent to the Rebbe
* The Rebbe's responses
* Shipments of seforim and holy items that arrived from the Rebbe as director of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch

It appears that this notebook was mainly intended for the purpose of ongoing reporting to the Frierdiker Rebbe and his son-in-law, the Rebbe, about every detail during the settlement of the chassidim after leaving Russia. The transcript and photographs of the travel journal are published in the book "The Exodus from Russia" which documents the lives of the chassidim during the period of exodus from Russia and the DP camps. About 200 rare photographs documenting the lives of the chassidim during the escape and during their stay in the camps were published in the book.

== Chabad Chassidim in Pocking ==
List of Chabad Chassidim who were in Pocking:

* Rabbi Zalman Abelsky
* Rabbi Zev Abramowitz
* Rabbi Yona Eidelkop
* Rabbi Zavil Eidelkop
* Rabbi Moshe Beitch
* Rabbi Yechezkel Brod
* Rabbi David Bravman
* Rabbi Zev Wolf Bronstein (Kfar Chabad)
* Rabbi Aharon Gopin
* Rabbi Yeshaya Gopin
* Rabbi Shmuel Gurevitch (Lod)
* Rabbi Shlomo Galperin
* Rabbi Chaim Meir Garelik
* Rabbi Zalman Shimon Dvorkin
* Rabbi Meir Dobruskin
* Rabbi Yehoshua Dobruskin
* Rabbi Menachem Mendel Dobruskin
* Rabbi Avraham Dreizin
* Rabbi Shneur Zalman Eliezer Horowitz
* Rabbi Zalman Vilenkin
* Rabbi Raphael Vilshansky
* Rabbi Henich Zaklikovsky
* Rabbi Moshe Zalibensky
* Rabbi Meir Zarchi
* Rabbi Shlomo Zarchi
* Rabbi Cheikel Chanin
* Rabbi Shneur Zalman Teibel
* Rabbi Michael Teitelbaum
* Rabbi Naftali Yunik
* Rabbi Meir Yunik
* Rabbi DovBer Yunik
* Rabbi Shimon Jacobson
* Rabbi Zalman Katz
* Rabbi Yaakov Katz
* Rabbi Baruch Levkivker
* Rabbi Yisroel Levin Neveler
* Rabbi Yisroel Yehuda Levin Lipovitzer
* Rabbi Yisroel Leibov
* Rabbi Zalman Leitin
* Rabbi Avraham Lisson
* Rabbi Elazar Lipsh
* Rabbi Yosef Yehuda Lipsh
* Rabbi Yeshaya Lipsh
* Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Lipsh
* Rabbi Yehoshua Lipsh
* Rabbi Uri Ezra Lipsh
* Rabbi Moshe Lipsh
* Rabbi Yaakov Noach Strasberg (Lishner)
* Rabbi DovBer Leitin
* Rabbi Moshe Shlomo Leitin
* Rabbi Mordechai Levin
* Rabbi Yitzchak Mendel Liss
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Lane
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Muchkin
* Rabbi Shlomo Maidanchik
* Rabbi Alexander Sender Menkin
* Rabbi Shalom Marozov
* Rabbi Peretz Muchkin
* Rabbi Shlomo Matusov
* Rabbi Nissan Nemenov
* Rabbi DovBer Nefrostk
* Rabbi Nachman Sudak
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Slavin
* Rabbi Yisroel Nosson Slavin
* Rabbi Shneur Zalman Slavin
* Rabbi Nachman Sudak
* Rabbi Yitzchak Feigin
* Rabbi Peretz Feigin
* Rabbi Yehoshua Pinson
* Rabbi Yechezkel Pinson
* Rabbi Shmarya Feldman
* Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Plotkin
* Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel Zeitlin
* Rabbi Nuta Tzfatman
* Rabbi Moshe Tzfatman
* Rabbi Moshe Krasinsky
* Rabbi Avraham Kiebman
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Kiebman (Kfar Chabad)
* Rabbi Avraham Korf
* Rabbi Yehoshua Korf
* Rabbi Pinchas Korf
* Rabbi Yisroel Kook (Lash)
* Rabbi Yisroel Shimon Kalmanson
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Kalmanson
* Rabbi Shalom Mendel Kalmanson
* Rabbi Zev Wolf Keselman
* Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Keselman
* Rabbi Meilech Kaplan
* Rabbi Moshe Binyamin Kaplan
* Rabbi Zalman Katzenelenbogen
* Rabbi Dov Berish Rosenberg
* Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Roitblat
* Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Raskin
* Rabbi Menachem Mendel Raskin
* Rabbi Elchanan Yehuda Leib Reices
* Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak Reices
* Rabbi David Raskin
* Rabbi Yehuda Leib Raskin
* Rabbi Baruch Shalom Shwei
* Rabbi Eisik Shwei
* Rabbi Aharon Yaakov Shwei
* Rabbi Mordechai Shusterman
* Yaakov Noach Strasberg
* Rabbi Shlomo Shimonovitz
* Rabbi DovBer Sheikevitz
* Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson
* Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Shapiro
* Rabbi Lipa Shapiro
* Rabbi Nachum Shapiro
* Rabbi Yaakov Sperlin

== See Also ==

* Tomchei Tmimim Pocking
* Tomchei Tmimim Brunoy

== Further Reading ==

* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Levin, History of Chabad in Soviet Russia
* Rabbi Eliyahu Matusov, Rabbi Shneur Zalman Berger, The Exodus from Russia (Book), Second Gate: In Camp Pocking
* Shneur Zalman Berger, Chabad Community in the Displaced Persons Camp, Beis Moshiach Weekly, Issue 620 pages 38-47 (14 Cheshvan 5768)
* Rabbi Shalom DovBer Friedland, Cross-Border Activities
* Writings of Avraham Eliyahu - Writings and History of Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Plotkin