R’ Zalman continues with his big dreams for the yeshiva even in the face of low enrollment and community apathy. * The Rebbe decides in favor of R’ Zalman’s position and assures those involved that positive changes are coming. * From the life of R’ Yehoshua Shneur Zalman Serebryanski a”h.
R’ ZALMAN STANDS ALONE
On 13 Kislev 5714, R’ Zalman wrote a long letter to the Rebbe about the many hardships involved in running a mosad and mainly about the apathy among Anash. Four years had gone by since the yeshiva in Shepparton had been founded and it still had not managed to get on its feet. During the summer, nearly twenty talmidim learned there, but the rest of the year there were barely ten. Naturally, this made Anash feel dispirited.
The plight of the Lubavitch yeshiva stood out even more in light of the great success of other communities. During these four years, the Hungarian community, which consisted of 100 families, managed to build a mikva, organize a sh’chita-kashrus system, found a Talmud Torah, and had even brought a rav who had opened a school and a yeshiva. The rav they had brought left, but they immediately brought another rav. They had no need to send their children to the Lubavitch yeshiva.
The Mizrachi community, which numbered 500 families and was the largest Jewish community in Melbourne, sent their children to Mt. Scopus. This school, despite being founded by the committee of the Jewish community which was comprised of representatives from all parties, was run in the spirit of Mizrachi. This was because the principal was R’ Avrohom Feiglin, who identified with the Mizrachi movement.
Since the Lubavitch community numbered only six families, they had little chance of founding mosdos on their own. They had to receive help from members of other communities. In the early years, there were many askanim from outside the Chabad community who were willing to help the yeshiva, for they understood its importance. However, once the other communities built schools, those askanim’s feeling for the Chabad yeshiva waned.
R’ Zalman, who was in charge of money matters, sensed the coldness on the part of the askanim, even those who were members of the yeshiva’s committee. They did not say they would stop helping, but they did not help much. Their apathy was particularly felt when he spoke to them about the major expense of buying a building for the yeshiva. R’ Zalman’s dream was to buy a large, equipped building, hire good teachers for secular studies, and open an elementary school that held itself to high standard which would then attract talmidim to learn in the yeshiva.
When he discussed these plans with the committee they were openly skeptical, and when he began talking to them about the money that was needed, they told him they did not believe his plans stood a chance and they were not willing to invest their money in such a risky venture. They said a small building should be bought, without going into debt, and when student enrollment warranted it they could move to a new building.
The Feiglin family also supported this approach. They told R’ Zalman that since in the previous four years, the yeshiva did not have more than twenty students, if he bought a big building, the Jews of Melbourne would look at it askance and nobody would be willing to continue supporting an entity that wasted public funds.
R’ Zalman wrote all this to the Rebbe and concluded that maybe the others were right. R’ Moshe Zalman Feiglin was also feeling down over the state of the yeshiva, and when R’ Zalman asked him to redouble his efforts for the yeshiva, R’ Moshe Zalman said that if the Rebbe said they should buy a big building, he would defer to the Rebbe. So R’ Zalman asked the Rebbe to tell them what to do.
CHANGES ARE COMING
Ten days after R’ Zalman sent the letter about the future of the yeshiva, the Rebbe sent a letter to R’ Asher Abramson of Sydney in which he urged him again to work on behalf of the yeshiva in Melbourne “with all your abilities and beyond your abilities.”
In his letter, the Rebbe informed R’ Abramson that in the near future there would be favorable changes for the yeshiva, which is why they needed to muster all forces on its behalf.
THE REBBE DECIDES: BUY A BIG BUILDING
The Rebbe sent a letter to R’ Zalman three weeks later. It said he should go l’chat’chilla aribber and buy a big building and concluded with wonderful brachos.
In this same letter, the Rebbe expressed his surprise about not receiving a report about the Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen in Melbourne. Upon receiving this letter, R’ Zalman responded in a letter dated Rosh Chodesh Shevat in which he expressed his view that the most suitable among Anash to hold the position of mashpia and to be in charge of arranging farbrengens was R’ Betzalel Wilschansky, “because he is the elder and he saw a lot, and because of his inner character.” As proof to his assertion that R’ Betzalel could farbreng, R’ Zalman wrote that when they received a telegram from the Rebbe about holding a proper farbrengen, R’ Betzalel farbrenged on Rosh Chodesh Teves and it was a special Chassidishe farbrengen.
R’ Zalman went on to say that it was possible that R’ Betzalel would claim that making a livelihood and his poor health did not enable him to farbreng, “but all of Anash here are preoccupied with parnasa and everyone is brokenhearted over his material and spiritual state. If we considered that, then there would be no hope, G-d forbid; on the contrary, we need to strengthen ourselves even more with establishing times for Torah and farbrengens.”
R’ Zalman concluded his letter with a description of Chassidic life in the tiny community in Melbourne of those days: “As of now, R’ Betzalel, his son-in-law R’ Dovid [Perlov], his son R’ Chaim Dovber, R’ Abba [Pliskin], and R’ Nachum Zalman [Gurewitz] and I live in close proximity, and every Shabbos we learn Chassidus before davening. On Shabbos Mevarchim we gather to recite T’hillim and daven in a special minyan, followed by a Kiddush and farbrengen. R’ Betzalel has begun farbrenging with us, and on Shabbos Mevarchim Shevat we spoke about learning regularly on Thursday nights too.”
FAITH VERSUS REALITY
R’ Zalman reacted to the Rebbe’s instruction to purchase a large building with great joy. He had always maintained that “if there are no kids, there will be no older goats,” and that the only road to success for the yeshiva would be if they opened an elementary school in a state-of-the-art building. The Rebbe’s brachos that he showered upon them also boosted R’ Zalman’s morale.
However, faith in the Rebbe’s brachos was one thing; the dismal financial situation was another thing. The yeshiva coffers did not contain enough money to buy a large building and some of the members of the vaad, who were not Lubavitchers, were not convinced by the Rebbe’s letter and did not agree to fork over large sums of money.
In a letter that R’ Zalman sent the Rebbe on Rosh Chodesh Shevat, he reported that he had consulted with R’ Betzalel and asked him to explain the Rebbe’s letter, especially the point where it said “I am convinced that if you just make the effort in the right way, you will surely have success in this too.”
“R’ Betzalel said,” wrote R’ Zalman, “that in his opinion, the meaning is to make every possible effort. However,” he continued, “we did all that we can and we continue to do so now too, i.e. we spoke with askanim and asked for their help. I wrote to R’ Abramson asking him to come and discuss an appeal, and as of now, we have accomplished nothing. R’ Abramson has slackened, and although he promised to come, he said not at this time. The askanim here lack the feeling and resoluteness to properly arrange a yeshiva.
“In this situation, being in a cut off land, far from the Rebbe, without a [Chassidic] environment and with nothing to pride ourselves on as far as our inner kochos, we have only the desire to work with utter devotion to the cause, and the Rebbe does not send us someone capable from the US to arrange things, not even for a designated time, we must have Hashem help us with outstanding success. For then surely, all will be as it should be: Anash will unite to work as needed without considering personal situations, R’ Abramson and R’ Sholom will also be inspired to devote themselves to the cause, and we would have help from the rest of our Jewish brethren, and then our efforts would bear fruits, with Hashem’s help.
“The style and tone of my letter may not be appropriate and I beg forgiveness if I have written improperly, but since matters are so complicated, so that there is no beginning or end because every corner is lacking and requires fixing and there is no one to properly help out – not materially and not spiritually – it has become exceedingly constricting, so constricting that I cannot even write about any detail in particular. I only hope that this matter that pertains to the Rebbe will surely, with Hashem’s help, ultimately succeed, and Hashem will have mercy and help us so that from the beginning of the month of Shevat, the month of the hilula, success will shine its face upon us in general and on the askanus for the yeshiva in particular.
“May Hashem have mercy to reveal His Divine Providence so the yeshiva will grow and increase with good talmidim and the Name of Heaven will be sanctified.”
DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY MEMBERS 
GET INVOLVED
Over the years, R’ Zalman developed special ties with certain distinguished members of the Melbourne Jewish community who donated considerable sums to the yeshiva. One of them was Mr. Gutwirth, a big diamond merchant who was the grandson of the renowned Talmudic scholar Gutwirth from Antwerp. His grandfather corresponded with the Rogatchover Gaon, and in a yechidus that R’ Zalman had with the Rebbe, the Rebbe asked him about the family connection with this gaon.
Since Mr. Gutwirth came from a family where Torah study was a supreme value, he understood the importance of and the need to open a yeshiva. Although he had no prior acquaintance with Chabad Chassidim, he made nice donations towards the yeshiva’s expenses.
R’ Zalman, who wanted to get him more involved in the yeshiva, invited him to one of the meetings of the vaad and even suggested that he become a member of the yeshiva vaad. Mr. Gutwirth declined, preferring to remain an outside donor.
In the winter of 5714, Mr. Gutwirth told R’ Zalman that he was going to New York. He planned on having yechidus with the Rebbe and would give regards from Anash in Melbourne. In those days, this was no small matter for the Rebbe to receive regards from his Chassidim in distant Melbourne, and Anash wanted to farbreng with him before he left. However, since they found out about his trip right before he left, they did not have a chance to meet with him. R’ Zalman wrote to the Rebbe on behalf of Anash that they wished to send greetings with Mr. Gutwirth.
R’ Zalman wanted to take the opportunity of the upcoming yechidus, and in a letter that he sent the Rebbe on Rosh Chodesh Teves he wrote briefly about Mr. Gutwirth and concluded, “If he would understand the necessity of a mosad like this in this country and would take an interest and become closely involved in our work, this would definitely, with Hashem’s help, be a great benefit to the yeshiva. For our main difficulty is only regarding this that there is no one who feels the lowliness of the state of chinuch in Australia. They are satisfied with this terrible situation, and consequently we have no support. If we had, at the very least, three distinguished balabatim who were devoted to establishing a complete mosad chinuch like our yeshiva, it would all become much easier, with Hashem’s help.”
When Mr. Gutwirth returned from the Rebbe, he brought regards to Anash. He also brought twenty dollars from the Rebbe, as participation in the next Chassidishe farbrengen.
***
Another friend of the yeshiva was Mr. Aryeh Neuman. He was a wealthy askan, a member of the Adas Yisroel community of Hungarians, yet a loyal friend of the Chabad Chassidim. R’ Zalman connected him with the Rebbe too, and guided him in writing to the Rebbe about his business matters and asking for a bracha.
In R’ Zalman’s letter to the Rebbe on 26 Adar I 5714, he mentioned Mr. Aryeh Neuman’s great qualities, how he helped them buy a building for the yeshiva. Likewise, R’ Zalman reported that when he heard that every year Chabad Chassidim in Melbourne sent money to support the elder Chassidim (In those days it was R’ Yisroel Noach Blinitzky and R’ Shmaryahu Sossonkin. After their passing the Chassidim continued supporting their children, R’ Aharon Yosef Blinitzky and R’ Asher Sossonkin), Mr. Neuman joined this important mitzva and made a big donation towards this cause.
Over time, Mr. Neuman helped tremendously in buying the new building as will be described.
In 5716, Mr. Neuman and his wife were killed in an aviation accident. They were survived by an only daughter who lives in London.