The mother of Kiryat Motzkin Chief Rabbi Dovid Meir Druckman, Rebetzin Devorah Druckman, has passed away.
The elderly rebetzin was the last living grandchild of Rabbi Baruch Mandelbaum, the rabbi of Turov-Stolin in Russia. On his way to live in the Holy Land he persuaded Baron de Rothschild fund the construction of 50 housing units in Jerusalem's Old City, near the Western Wall, today called Batei Machase.
Rabbi Mandelbaum was also was the maternal great-grandfather of Rabbi Simcha HaKohen Kook, the rabbi of the famous Churva Synagogue in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City and the chief rabbi of Rehovot. His grave is located on the Mount of Olives.
The rebetzin's son, Rabbi Druckman, grew up to become a prominent Chabad-Lubavitch Chassid and emissary who for many years has been in high demand as a speaker.
When he went to visit the grave of his mother's grandfather as recently as six weeks ago he returned to his car to find the windshield smashed by a group of youths who were standing around smirking and laughing. He was warned by those with him that it would be better to put up with a smashed windshield than to “risk a smashed head” by trying to accuse the youths of the crime.
“Several days before, people were singing, 'to be a free people in our own land,' but this is only a nice hymn that has no connection to the reality in which we live,” he subsequently commented in an interview with COL.org .
“We live in a state of Ishmael, and we should start to recognize this. But unfortunately, people carry on with their festivals and letting the Children of Ishmael continue to raise their heads. In places like Har Zeitim (Mount of Olives) it's unusual if you go there and you don't get stones thrown at your car. When the police take care of this, that's also unusual – but in a regular situation, they don't do anything. Unfortunately, that's the situation...”
The funeral for Rebetzin Druckman will take place tonight (Thursday, July 7) at midnight Israel time, at the Shamgar funeral home in Jerusalem and will then proceed to the Mount of Olives for burial.