Editing Menachem Mendel Futerfas (section)

== The Rebbe's Relationship with Reb Mendel During His Russian Exile ==
During his period of exile in Siberia and after his release while still in Russian exile, he merited rare acknowledgments from the Rebbe:

In 1956, Rabbi Ben Zion Schneerson, the brother-in-law of the Frierdiker Rebbe, arrived in the United States shortly after leaving Russia and had a yechidus with the Rebbe. After leaving the yechidus, he met Hatomim Shalom Ber, son of Reb Mendel Futerfas, who asked if he knew his father. Reb Ben Zion answered affirmatively and added that the first thing the Rebbe asked him during yechidus was about his father.

In a letter the Rebbe sent to Reb Mendel's wife while he was still in Russia, the Rebbe wrote exceptionally rare expressions about him: "The chossid, yarei shamayim, outstanding in Torah and mitzvos, man of many accomplishments and energy, among the best mekusharim of our Rebbeim and followers of their ways, which shall be called the holy path, the path of life, in this world of action to do them today, HaRav Mendel Mordechai shlita and his wife Leah tichye."

At the farbrengen of Yud Shevat 1962, the Rebbe described the actions of a man of mesiras nefesh in Russia, referring to Reb Mendel Futerfas, who was involved in maintaining Yiddishkeit and building mikvaos without any personal calculations or considerations.