Editing The Rebbe Rayatz (section)

== His Arrests ==

==== First Arrest ====
When the Rebbe Rayatz was eleven years old, in the month of Menachem Av of the year 5651, he was walking in the market with his friend on their way from the classroom to eat lunch. On the way, he saw a junior policeman (orderly) jumping on the Hasid Reb David the butcher, whom he knew and had even lent money to for his business, beating him and slapping him until much blood flowed from his nose. The Rebbe Rayatz jumped on the gentile, pushed him, and shouted angrily: "Drunk, despicable one!" The policeman attacked the Rebbe Rayatz and beat him vigorously, forcibly dragging him to the police station, where he was put in a detention room. He sat there for five hours until the policeman who brought him in entered the cell and apologized. In the middle, Mr. Mordechai Zilberbourd entered, who was the secretary of the Rebbe Rayatz's uncle - Shneur Zalman Aharon Schneersohn - and handed a note to the commander, who immediately ordered his release.

==== Second Arrest ====
On Wednesday, the 7th of Iyar of the year 5662, the Rebbe Rayatz was then twenty-two years old and headed the management of the Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva. A non-religious Jew from the Volhynian Hasidic sect named Perelmutter told the Rebbe Rayatz that Mr. Gitelson, the head teacher at the "Enlightenment Spreaders Society" school, was very angry with Lubavitch Hasidim and the Rebbe at their head, because of their war against the maskilim (enlightenment advocates). He prepared a denunciation letter to the Ministry of Education and the provincial minister, claiming that in the Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva they encourage students to dodge army service through forgeries and illegal actions. The accusation was directed at the yeshiva's director - the Rebbe's son, the Rebbe Rayatz.

On Monday, the 12th of Iyar, a policeman accompanied by two men in civilian clothing entered the Rebbe Rayatz's office. They began to generally interrogate him about the yeshiva's arrangements, its care for students, the legality of the yeshiva's financial arrangements, and more. Then they moved to discuss the students' avoidance of military conscription. The interrogation ended shortly, and the three went on their way.

The next day, at eight in the evening, a policeman and a secret service agent arrived at the yeshiva office and ordered the Rebbe Rayatz to accompany them to the police station. The Rebbe Rayatz told them he was a "respectable citizen for generations" and requested not to disturb him so late, promising to appear the next morning around 9-10. To the detective's question of who would guarantee he wouldn't flee that night, the Rebbe Rayatz answered that "Schneersohn does not flee. The Schneersohns are not cowardly fugitives, and they have no reason or cause to be fleeing." The next morning, the Rebbe Rayatz appeared at the police station as he had committed. He was taken to a side room where three people were already waiting, one of whom was the detective from the previous night.

The Rebbe Rayatz did not answer their questions about how many people he had dismissed from army service or how much bribe he was giving police officials to cover up his crimes against the law. One of the policemen was summoned and led the Rebbe Rayatz to jail. Towards evening, the Rebbe Rayatz was called to the secret service rooms, where the senior official told him that although the investigation was not yet complete, the checks done so far had not proven his guilt, and therefore he was released to his home.

==== Third Arrest ====
On Wednesday, the 6th of Tevet 5666, a special messenger arrived at the Rebbe Rayatz's residence with an invitation for him to appear at ten o'clock at the investigation committee in the city police station. The invitation form did not specify the reason except for the note "for an urgent and responsible matter". The form was also accompanied by a clear warning: "The absence of the summoned person is punishable by a week's imprisonment or a fine of one thousand rubles!"

At the specified time, the Rebbe Rayatz appeared at the police station's interrogation room. Leading the team of investigators was the provincial minister Mr. Kovtzkov, who knew the Rebbe Rayatz and shook his hand with a heartfelt greeting, even introducing him to the chief secret service officer.

The investigation committee told him that he was taken as a hostage following a disturbance by youths that occurred the previous Friday in the Lubavitch market. The youths had fled, and the police were doing everything in their power to find and prosecute them. They told the Rebbe Rayatz that the government was clear that he and the yeshiva students had no connection to the actions, but he was taken as a guarantee until the Jewish community would surrender the rebellious youths to the royal court. The Rebbe Rayatz was taken to one of the rooms under strict guard.

At five in the evening, a policeman ordered the Rebbe Rayatz to accompany him to the interrogation room. The investigators sat as before and read out the investigation committee's decision: "For the benefit of the investigation about the youths' rebellion against the government, the investigation committee found it necessary to threaten and intimidate the Jewish community leaders, so that they would surrender the rebellious youths and take them out of their hiding places. Alternatively, they would be imposed with a guarantee fine of five hundred rubles for each of the rebellious youths. Second decision: to arrest - for show - Mr. Schneersohn as a guarantee for the rebellious Jews. Therefore, we called Mr. Schneersohn and told him our decision - and he agreed with us. We therefore thank Mr. Schneersohn for helping us with the investigation, and now he is free to go home."

The Rebbe Rayatz was asked to sign the document, but he declared that he was not a member of the investigation committee and therefore had no right to sign its protocols. Regarding himself, it was not correct that he had agreed to be arrested. The secret service official looked at him with piercing eyes and said: "If you do not wish to sign, it is certainly your right; however, know that others relate to our proposals differently." The Rebbe Rayatz stood up, said "Good night," and left.

==== Fourth Arrest ====
In the month of Tevet 5670, a Jew named K. informed on the Rebbe Rayatz, and he was arrested in Petersburg. The Rebbe Rayatz writes about this arrest in his notes: "Due to various reasons that cannot be revealed, only a few sections and general notes, which do not damage anyone's honor."

==== Fifth Arrest ====
In the month of Shevat 5676, following the Rebbe Rayatz's efforts to obtain legal material and exemption laws for yeshiva students from army service, he was arrested for the fifth time for several hours in Petersburg. During this arrest, he was about thirty-six years old.

==== Sixth Arrest ====
In the summer of 5680, during the morning prayer, the Rebbe Rayatz was serving as the prayer leader during the year of mourning for his father, the Rebbe Rashab. In the middle of the prayer, three policemen entered the synagogue, approached the prayer stand, and ordered the Rebbe Rayatz to remove his tallit and tefillin and come with them. The Rebbe Rayatz responded that he first needed to finish the prayer and study the Mishnayot customarily learned after the prayer, for the elevation of the deceased's soul, and only then would he attend to them.
[[File:שפאלערקע.jpg|thumb|The 'Shpalerka' Prison Where the Frierdiker Rebbe Was Imprisoned]]
After completing the final Kaddish following the Mishnah study, he removed his tallit and tefillin and accompanied the policemen who surrounded him - one on his right, one on his left, and the third walking behind him.
[[File:ידיעה על מאסר הרייצ.jpg|thumb|The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reports on the arrest of the Frierdiker Rebbe (Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn).Translation of the news item: "The Rebbe of Lubavitch, the famous Rabbi Schneersohn, was arrested on charges of collecting funds for his yeshiva. The Rebbe's yeshiva is well-known and renowned throughout the world and is considered one of the most important yeshivas, and the Rebbe himself is highly respected. The arrest has caused great agitation in the Jewish world."]]
When he arrived at the "death courtyard", the Rebbe Rayatz was brought into a large hall. About fifteen people, members of the "Religious Inspection Committee", sat around a wide table, with the two most prominent sitting at the head. In front of each sitting person was a loaded gun. The Rebbe Rayatz was seated at the end of the table, with three guards standing beside him.

They turned to the Rebbe Rayatz and said they were occupied with examining the Jewish religion, and he was invited to answer several questions about Jewish law related to Kabbalah and Hasidism. The Rebbe Rayatz responded in Yiddish: "I have already informed you in the two previous times I was called before you that I will not move from my principles; and no person, or even a demon, has been born who can move me from my principles, not even the slightest bit."
[[File:הרייצ.jpg|thumb|The Freideker Rebbe]]
One of the attendees interrupted and raised his gun towards the face of the Rebbe Rayatz (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn) while saying: "This 'toy' removes principles and is capable of opening the mouth even of the mute." To this, the Rebbe Rayatz responded:<blockquote>This toy makes an impression only on the faint-hearted who have but one world and many gods. But we, who have one G-d and two worlds, this toy that you are showing not only does not frighten us but also makes no impression whatsoever.</blockquote>After a brief conversation, an extended dialogue began between the Rebbe Rayatz and his interrogators. To their question whether he believes in the Jewish religion and fulfills mitzvot out of absolute knowledge or out of faith and habit, he replied - out of absolute knowledge. The interrogators asked the Rebbe Rayatz to convince them of the truth of the Jewish religion, and if possible, to bring them to the elevated moral state in which the Rebbe himself was. The Rebbe Rayatz smiled and answered them that he was ready to fulfill their request, but just as a simple person who meets an astronomer on the street and asks him to teach him the science of astronomy, the astronomer would reply that he should come with him to the observatory and there he would properly teach him the wisdom of the stars and their paths. So too I say to you, if you wish to come to absolute knowledge of the religion of G-d and His Torah, come to the house of Hashem, put on tefillin, eat kosher, observe Shabbat, and when your minds and hearts are purified, you will be able to properly understand moral matters, and slowly you will ascend the rungs of intellect on the path to intellectual recognition of the religion of G-d and His Torah.

The interrogation continued for another long hour, after which the Rebbe Rayatz was released to his home.

==== The Seventh Imprisonment ====
''Expanded Entry: The Imprisonment and Redemption of the Frierdiker Rebbe''

===== Background: =====
At the beginning of the year 5684 (1924), the Communists were actively working to sever the Jewish people from Torah and mitzvos. The Frierdiker Rebbe, who resided in Rostov, stood as the singular force opposing their efforts. He fearlessly led the Chabad chassidim in the struggle to uphold Yiddishkeit. During that period, the Frierdiker Rebbe traveled to Moscow with the goal of organizing and strengthening Jewish activity there. The GPU authorities in Rostov decided to arrest the Frierdiker Rebbe to put an end to Jewish activity in the city. When the Chabad chassidim became aware of this, they engaged in negotiations with the GPU officials. It was agreed that if the Frierdiker Rebbe would voluntarily leave Rostov, he would not be arrested. On the 23rd of Iyar 5684, the Frierdiker Rebbe left Rostov and moved to the city of Leningrad, where he intensified his activities in the struggle for the preservation of Torah and mitzvos among Soviet Jewry.

===== The Imprisonment: =====
''Translation of the report: "The Rebbe of Lubavitch, the renowned Rebbe of the Schneersohn dynasty, has been arrested on charges of collecting funds for his yeshiva. The Rebbe’s yeshiva is well-known and esteemed worldwide as one of the most significant yeshivos, and the Rebbe himself is held in great regard. His arrest has caused great agitation in the Jewish world."''

Three years later, seeing that the Frierdiker Rebbe's activities were expanding, the Communists decided once again to put an end to them. On the night of Wednesday, the 15th of Sivan 5687 (1927), KGB agents broke into his home, arrested him, and brought him to the Shpalerka prison. He was interrogated for many hours, and at the conclusion, one of the interrogators declared, “Within 24 hours, you will be executed by firing squad!”

Thanks to international pressure and rescue efforts involving Rabbi Mordechai Dubin (a member of the Latvian Parliament), Dr. Oscar Kohn (a member of the German Reichstag), and Mrs. Peshkova (the chairwoman of the Red Cross in Russia), the death sentence was commuted to ten years of exile in the Solovki Islands. Following further intervention by Mrs. Peshkova, the sentence was reduced to three years of exile in the city of Kostroma. On the 3rd of Tammuz 5687, the Frierdiker Rebbe was released from imprisonment and traveled to Kostroma.

At that time, the Chabad chassidim were unsure whether to celebrate the release since it was not yet clear that it was a commutation of the death sentence. In 5752, the Rebbe referred to this day as the “beginning of the redemption” both personally and collectively. He explained that in a certain sense, this day holds an even higher level than the 12th of Tammuz, as it represents a hidden redemption, which is loftier than a revealed redemption, and because it initiated the process culminating in the 12th of Tammuz.

Mrs. Peshkova continued her efforts on behalf of the Frierdiker Rebbe with the Soviet authorities, and on Tuesday, the 12th of Tammuz 5687, when the Frierdiker Rebbe came for his weekly registration, the official informed him that he no longer needed to report, as an order for his complete release had been received. Since that day was a holiday in Kostroma, the release documents were only issued the following day.

The Frierdiker Rebbe stayed for several days in Leningrad. Due to threats from the Yevsektsia and the GPU to arrest him again, he moved to Malachovka, a village near Moscow. After significant efforts, the Frierdiker Rebbe obtained permission to leave for Latvia. On the 24th of Tishrei 5688, he left Russia with his family and settled in Riga. Shortly thereafter, his son-in-law, the Rebbe, joined him. Subsequently, he established the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Gostynin.

In Riga, the Frierdiker Rebbe achieved great accomplishments in communal matters, particularly for the Jews of Soviet Russia.