Rebbetzin Tzippora Heber a”h, who recently passed away, was a dynamic Chassidista who dedicated herself to her family, to the Rebbe’s inyanim, and to spreading the wellsprings. She merited rare kiruvim and encouragement from the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe MH”M.
By Ronit Studnitz
Letter from the Rebbe praising her decision to continue working.Mrs. Tzippora Heber was born in Otvotzk, Poland. Her father was the famous Chassid and Mashpia, Rabbi Meir Blizinsky.
The family moved to Eretz Yisroel, and as a child, she lived briefly in B’nei Brak and then her family moved to Ramat Gan. R’ Blizinsky was one of the pillars of the developing Chabad community there, and taught many talmidim and was mekarev them to Chassidus.
When they suggested Tzippora to R’ Yisroel Tzvi Heber as a shidduch, his parents asked the Rebbe Rayatz. The positive answer was, “I approve the shidduch and wish mazal tov.”
The kalla also received a letter of blessing from the Rebbe Rayatz upon her engagement. The Rebbe used an unusual expression, “I see in you bina yeseira and daas yeshara.” As far as a livelihood, the Rebbe Rayatz wrote that she should “trust in the Blessed One’s kindness, that He will soon prepare your livelihood for you in the tent of Torah, with serenity and expansiveness, blessed you will be.”
The couple married on Lag B’Omer 5704/1944 and settled in Ramat Gan.
A PIONEER
With the founding of the N’shei U’Bnos Chabad in Eretz Yisroel in 5713, Mrs. Tzippora Heber was appointed as the secretary of the organization and representative of the Tel Aviv area together with Mrs. Devorah Ashkenazi and Mrs. Miriam Gurary. For many years she was one of the active leaders of the organization.
The Rebbe encouraged her husband to help her with this and he got involved in support of her activities. The Rebbe asked that aside from the official reports that they would surely send him, she should write her views in an unofficial capacity regarding the work of N’shei U’Bnos Chabad, and that details would be appreciated.
Mrs. Heber wasted no time and got down to work. Years later she said, “The Rebbe demanded shiurim. We gave shiurim in schools in Tel Aviv and in private homes. Most of the work focused on shiurim and it was all small-scale. There were no telephones, and as secretary of the organization I would go to the pharmacy to use the phone.
“Every little step was more complicated than it is today. Every initiative required finding the women to get involved, and it wasn’t easy. There was little programming, but what there was, was of high quality. Today it is common and accepted for women to go and give shiurim, but then, it was less accepted. Still, we did it.”
WHERE IS THE HELP?!
Mrs. Heber’s wide-ranging work in addition to her teaching took up a large part of her time. Her husband felt that it would take away from her devotion to the needs of the home. He debated over a period of weeks whether to write to the Rebbe, and finally decided to delete this matter from his letter.
To his surprise, he received a letter about the importance of his wife’s work. The Rebbe wrote, “It is surprising that the men are not helping the women in their holy work with the organization N’shei U’Bnos Chabad, despite the publicizing among Anash for quite some time now what the Rebbe, my father-in-law, said about the great necessity of this work.
“In addition to the work that pertains to the men, based on what the Sages say that the wife is under her husband’s authority, may they utilize this authority for what was mentioned above. Maybe you report good news in all this, and Hashem’s attribute is measure for measure but many times over, to have much Chassidishe nachas, that you and your wife receive this from all your descendants.” (Letter from 3 Tammuz 5715)
“I was stunned by this revelation of the Rebbe’s ruach ha’kodesh,” said R’ Heber. Because of this answer, he also began giving shiurim to N’shei Chabad.
NOT EVERYONE IS ABLE
In the following years, the work of N’shei U’Bnos Chabad grew, the family’s finances were limited, the children were still small, and once again, R’ Heber was concerned that the home front was being adversely affected. This time, he expressed his concerns to the Rebbe and was answered that not only wouldn’t her communal work interfere with parnasa, but on the contrary, it was a segula to prevent problems with parnasa! In addition, the Rebbe advised that in order to make it easier on his wife and the family, she shouldn’t burden herself with technical matters that others could do. She should only be responsible for everything being done in the most effective way, “And not everyone is capable of handling this responsibility. In addition to which, it demands experience and familiarity with the work.”
The letter concluded with blessings for success in the activities and that Hashem should give the members of the organization a reward, measure for measure. Mrs. Heber responded that despite the difficulties, she would continue to be involved in N’shei U’Bnos Chabad “and to G-d is the salvation.”
The Rebbe responded in turn that he hopes that not only would she continue with her activities but that the conclusion of her letter will be fulfilled as well, “and to G-d is the salvation.”
In a letter she received afterward, the Rebbe encouraged her again and noted that satisfaction from her work would help her overcome her exhaustion.
ROMANIAN SHLICHUS
Mrs. Heber was involved in numerous activities over the years through N’shei U’Bnos Chabad. At a later point, she committed to run the national fund for new mothers, and she was one of the founders of the annual Yemei Iyun on the topic of the Jewish home.
Another fascinating chapter of her life took place in the capital of Romania, Bucharest, and other parts of that country where the Hebers fulfilled a special shlichus for seven years.
Nicolae Ceausescu was the communist dictator and the Hebers were under constant surveillance. Officially, R’ Heber worked as a shochet. Unofficially, he was very involved in spreading Judaism and Chassidus.
Mrs. Heber had to get used to being under the constant scrutiny of the police. Despite the great danger, they did all they could to help Jews who needed their aid.
“We felt they were always watching us and of course we were careful to avoid expressing any criticism, even the mildest, about the authorities. Maybe that is why we lasted there so long. We were also careful about not doing public activities but we allowed ourselves to invite people to our home for holidays and Shabbos. My husband would farbreng with these guests. Needless to say, we sent the Rebbe regular reports and also informed him by phone of our activities and the difficulties. We managed to be mekarev some Jews who strengthened their commitment to Torah and mitzvos. Some of them completely changed their way of life and became fully observant.
“We once went to a different city for Pesach and allowed a Jew who lived very far from the shul to use our apartment while we were away. When we returned home, a policeman came and began interrogating us. He asked who stayed in our home and why, and then he pointed at the entrance sign on which it said, ‘Beis Chabad.’ He wanted to know what that was. I told him it means the Heber home. To him, my name and the word Chabad sounded the same and he left us alone.”
Mrs. Heber was not openly involved in outreach in Romania because as far as the authorities were concerned, she was there only because of her husband, and she could not have any job. Rabbi Moshe Rosen, the Chief Rabbi of Romania, once told R’ Heber that the Rebbe once asked him in yechidus why he did not use Mrs. Heber to spread Judaism when she was such a powerhouse. R’ Rosen told the Rebbe that he was afraid to “pull the rope too taut” and sufficed with the work that R’ Heber did.
Despite this, she somehow managed to spread Judaism now and then. “My husband did sh’chita all over the country. When he allowed me to, I joined him and we stayed in hotels. Sometimes we would meet with Jews in the hotel and I would talk to a very small group about Judaism in general and family purity in particular. Boruch Hashem, I saw results from my efforts.”
The living conditions in Romania were not easy. In order to continue and manage under the circumstances, much patience and special inner resources were needed. In the name of conservation and due to the terrible economy, the president occasionally announced new legislation like permitting only one light bulb on in a room and water and gas stoppages. Citizens had to put up with this quietly; they were afraid to protest.
The following episode depicts the hardships of those days:
“Gas in Romania came through pipelines from a central government supply center, which is how they were able to turn it on and off as they wished. For a long time, there was gas only late at night, so by day you could not cook. This lasted for months, which included Purim and Pesach. We had many guests, and I had to stay up late in order to prepare food for them.
“It was my last night of cooking and I didn’t have the strength anymore. But I kept on working in order to finish. When I took the last pots off the stove I felt very weak. I wanted to make a cup of tea for myself to relax. This was very late at night and morning was approaching. I filled the kettle and put it on the stove, intending to turn on the fire and the gas stopped.
“I had no tea and no strength. I dragged myself to bed, weak, but knowing that the joy would be great on Purim. Mishloach manos would be sent and the guests would have a Purim seuda.”
Mrs. Heber wasn’t the complaining type, but she even had to make her own noodles. There were very few kosher products, so she and her husband had to manage with what there was, and only infrequently did they manage to get products that were sent from Eretz Yisroel. Basics like Chalav Yisroel and Pas Yisroel were not always available.
“The stores were empty; many fruits and vegetables were absent all year, especially in the winter. People went to work with a big bag folded in their pocket, on the chance that they would come across a usually unobtainable fruit or vegetable which they would be able to buy. In those days, they did not give out bags for every item you bought, and when rare vegetables suddenly appeared in the market, there would be a big commotion and a long line would form, because everyone knew that whatever it was would not be available in a few hours.”
The deprivation in Romania was great and not only regarding kosher food. On every street corner you could see long lines of people standing for hours to buy two pounds of meat or gas for the car, before the supply ran out. To make a call abroad you had to go to a certain branch of the post office, and after ordering a call you waited a long time for a line to be available.
In addition to the physical deprivation, Mrs. Heber suffered from loneliness, because unlike her husband who worked as a shochet, she wasn’t allowed to work and spent most of her time at home alone.
“It was hard, I will admit. I usually like to be with people, but in Romania there was nobody to talk to. There was one old lady in the community, who still remembered a little Yiddish, and there were a few others I tried to connect with, but I was usually alone.”
RETURN TO ERETZ YISROEL
The Hebers returned to Eretz Yisroel after seven years and were unsure where to establish their new home. When they asked the Rebbe, he said, “As your wife wishes,” and they went to Kfar Chabad.
Her daughter, Rebbetzin Rochel Hendel, says:
“This decision turned out to be a huge success. My father was a mashpia for men, and my mother was a mashpia for women. On Shabbos Mevarchim, my mother said there had to be a Kiddush for women too. She brought kugel and taught a sicha, and that is how it went every Shabbos Mevarchim in shul, and on Simchas Torah too. My mother did not accept having nothing going on in the women’s section, so she arranged food and the women began staying in shul all day on Simchas Torah and rejoiced with the Torah.
“In Kfar Chabad, my mother did a lot with the women. She was a help to new mothers and sent them food. She made sure to include new women who came to live in the Kfar in all her programs. She was always on good terms with everyone and stayed far away from any disputes.
“At the end of her life she did not want to be a burden to anyone. She did not complain about her condition and always answered ‘Boruch Hashem’ to those who asked how she was. She passed away peacefully at 90.”
Mrs. Heber is survived by her children, R’ Avrohom Alter of Nachalat Har Chabad, R’ Shmuel of Crown Heights, Rebbetzin Rochel Hendel of Tzfas, Rebbetzin Bracha Tevardovitz of Kfar Chabad, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who go in the way of Torah and Chassidus.
May we speedily see the fulfillment of the promise, “arise and sing, those who dwell in the dust,” and she among them, with the true and complete Geula.