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 The grave of Yehuda-Leib Schneersohn, a member of the Rebbe’s family, has been found in S. Petersburg. Previously considered lost, this grave was located thanks to the site www.jekl.ru, created by the Jewish community of S. Petersburg. The website contains information on all graves located in the Jewish Preobrazhenskiy Cemetery. The great-grandfather of Yehuda-Leib was the “Tzemach Tzedek. Yehuda-Leib’s father, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Schneersohn served as the rabbi in the city of Kopysch and was a well-known spiritual leader. He also authored the famous work “Magen Avos.”
Rabbi Yehuda-Leib Schneersohn was born in 1868 and spent his life in the shadow of his eminent father. When his father died, he left Kopysch and went on to become a merchant. He moved to Odessa, but towards the end of his life, he moved to S. Petersburg, where he died and was buried in the Preobrazhenskiy Cemetery. Upon his tombstone is engraved: “Buried here is our devout teacher, Rebbe Yehuda-Leib Schneersohn, who died on 19 Kislev.” It is noteworthy that he passed away on 19 Kislev, which is a special date in the history of the Chabad movement and S. Petersburg itself. It was on this day that the founder of the Chabad Chassidic dynasty, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe), was released from imprisonment in S. Petersburg’s Peter and Paul Fortress. If it were not for the site jekl.ru, this remarkable gravestie would otherwise remain unknown. Now it will surely be visiting by Jews from all over the world.
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