In Hanover, Germany, a Chabad-Center Dedication Strikes a Deep Chord

When Sterni Wolff thought about the one-year anniversary of the passing of her husband, the unforgettable and beloved Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to Hanover, Rabbi Binyamin Wolff, she immediately knew what she wanted.

“What I did not want was to go with the family to his gravesite and return to a scene of mourning and loss. I wanted to return to a feeling of hope, happiness and continuity,” Wolff told Chabad.org.

And that’s exactly what she did: In an event featured by major German newspapers and broadcast media and local outlets alike, the Wolff family, together with the local Jewish community, rabbis and distinguished dignitaries, presided over the grand opening of the brand-new Chabad Center in Hanover dedicated to his memory called “Haus Benjamin,” or “Binyamin’s House.”

It is a remarkable full circle from the tragic events of last year. When Rabbi Wolff passed away, he left behind his wife, eight children between the ages of 4 and 19, and thousands of grief-stricken friends, students, congregants and admirers. But nowhere was the calamity felt more than in Hanover itself, a city of a half-million in northern Germany where Wolff served as the lone rabbi for its 7,000 Jews.

So when Sterni Wolff announced that she was determined to remain in Hanover with her family and oversee an expansion of activity there, the Jewish community breathed a collective sigh of relief and joy.

The efforts have paid off, and with the help of an online campaign that attracted more than 16,000 individual donors—along with the generous support of George Rohr, the legendary supporter of Chabad representatives across the world—Chabad of Hanover secured a mortgage for a beautiful, spacious building right beside the Bismarck train station, one of the city’s major transit hubs. And in a historic event on April 13, the newly renovated building was dedicated and will now serve the Jewish residents of Hanover, as well as the many travelers who travel there for tourism, business and medical treatment.

“This entire past year, we have really seen the blessing and tremendous empowerment of the Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory]. Miracles have literally been rolling around,” said Sterni Wolff. “There really wasn’t anything involved in this entire episode that can be deemed natural. My husband and I had been looking for a facility for years with no luck, and then all of a sudden, we were able to secure this place. Everything else, from the financing to the construction—it has been so obvious that it’s from Above.”

Wolff’s son-in-law, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Gottlieb, left, is conferred with the title of Chief Rabbi of Hanover by Rabbi Yehuda Teichtel of Berlin, center, and Rabbi Yaakov David Schmah, chief rabbinical justice of the Shomrei Hadas community of Antwerp, Belgium. (Photo: Armin-Levy/Raawi-Juedisches Magazine)

Dignitaries Gather for the Dedication

Former Federal President of Germany Cristian Wulff joined in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, an emotional moment in which mother and children cut through a new chapter of their husband and father’s vision. In his remarks, he expressed his admiration of Sterni Wolff’s determination and resilience.

Rabbis Yisroel Diskin of Munich, Yehuda Teichtel of Berlin and Shlomo Bistritzky of Hamburg, along with other Chabad representatives to Germany, joined the president of the Jewish Federation of Lower Saxony Michael Forst and other Jewish community activists from around the country in celebrating the watershed event of mixed emotions.

Rabbi Yaakov David Schmah—chief rabbinical justice of the Shomrei Hadas community of Antwerp, Belgium, and a member of the Rabbinical Council of the Rabbinical Center of Europe— joined Rabbi Sholom Ber Gottlieb, Chabad emissary to Nikolayev, Ukraine, as they officially conferred Wolff’s son-in-law, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Gottlieb, with the title of Chief Rabbi of Hanover. Gottlieb will also serve as a Chabad emissary to the city.

A brand-new Torah scroll had been commissioned by family and friends days after the tragic news hit last year. After the final letters had been written, it was with pride, joy and a strong sense of linking back to the past that it was hoisted in the air and twirled around for all to see. The juxtaposition of the scroll to the late rabbi’s picture beside the ark that bears his name was profoundly moving for all in attendance.

Rabbis from Germany and Israel take part in affixing the mezuzah to the new center.

Video greetings were delivered by Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement; Gerhard Schröder, the former federal chancellor of Germany; Belit Onay, Lord Mayor of Hanover; and Minister of the Interior and Sport of Lower Saxony Boris Pistorios.

An inspiring event that warmed many a grieving heart, Sterni Wolff put it this way: “Many people talk about seeing G‑d’s hand in various areas of life. Today, and really this entire year, my family and I saw it openly.”

The event was publicized in media around Germany.