ROYAL WELCOME For the past decade and a half the Rebbe has been the backbone of support for the construction of a grand new edifice pushing the local askanim through reams of red tape bureaucracy and unforeseen expenses even putting cement on the cornerstone that was brought to him in Yerushalayim. How could he not be there for the dedication? (Photos: Menedel Photography)

F or months now thousands of Belzer chassidim worldwide have been buzzing about Shabbos Parshas Emor while planning travel from around the globe to escort the Rebbe to London at the end of this week. The visit the Belzer Rebbe’s first to the British capital since 1993 will come on the heels of the Rebbe’s excursion to the Eastern European town of Belz and to the kevarim of the previous rebbes in preparation for his granddaughter’s wedding right after Shavuos. The nesiah will also coincide with a chanukas habayis of the new Belz center in Stamford Hill on Lag B’omer.

While the logistics of housing thousands of guests in a neighborhood of large families and little extra space is daunting Belzer askan Reb Aharon Klein — a man blessed with clarity of vision and nerves of steel who shoulders the weight of the London kehillah — says the excitement in the community has made up for any lack of logistics experience as nearly everyone has come out to offer help in some area of expertise.

“We didn’t have to involve a single external organizer ” emphasizes Reb Aharon. “Our men have given their maximum to make the nesiah a success. The kehillah feels that we are the hosts and we want the guest to return with happy memories.”

Plans for the visit began months ago when Reb Aharon asked the city council for permission to put up a large marquee and requested a site that would fit the thousands of expected guests. The council member used to requests for concerts and the like was perplexed. “Why can’t the rabbi just perform twice?” he wanted to know.

Leave the Food to Me

Reb Shimon Wolf Klein the Belzer Rebbe’s gabbai made several trips to London to lay the groundwork for the trip even preparing the kvittlach in advance in order to save time once the Rebbe is in town. And in typical fashion for Belz where a fundamental teaching is the importance of doing for others he reminded the community “It’s true that the Ruv is coming to us but we must remember to let others gain from this visit too.”

But marquees and kvittlach aside how in fact do you house thousands of guests when Stamford Hill suffers from a tremendous housing crisis with few people lucky enough to have spare rooms? Would it even work?

Well as the saying goes when there’s place in the heart there’s place in the home. A committee was tasked with the job of calling each and every family locating beds to be offered to the crowds while the Kadima Hotel — the only local Jewish-owned hotel — has been rented for the week to accommodate the rabbanim and who’s who of the wider Belz community who will be traveling in to participate. Some families have decided to cash in on the crowds renting out their homes for the week as they double up with family members.

Then there’s the food. For the tishen for the seudos for Erev Shabbos and for tzeidah laderech. But when it comes to Belz and food there’s really no problem at all... because they have “the Chevra ” a group of volunteers whose beginnings trace back to Belz of old providing food for the multitudes who came in for the Yamim Tovim. The head of the group was called the “rosh hachevra” and the Belzer rebbes were involved in the intricate details of the staff’s work. It was considered a holy organization of chesed; when the previous rebbes used to travel to the famous Leitner Hotel of Marienbad Czechoslovakia the Chevra used to travel too.