After 15 years of efforts and millions of dollars, the historic building in the town of Gur in Poland, where the movement's leaders lived before the Holocaust and which served as a spiritual center for thousands of followers before the Holocaust, was returned in recent days to the ownership of the Gur Hasidic dynasty.
The building, where tens of thousands of followers received counsel and blessings, remained in the hands of local residents since WWII, and a legal and bureaucratic tangle prevented the property's return for decades.
The operation was led behind the scenes by Rabbi Yonatan Bornstein, CEO of the Union of Gur Institutions, who worked for 15 years to complete the mission.
When a breakthrough was made to purchase the building, a sum of millions of dollars was required. The budget was provided by two affluent families from the United States - the Werdiger and Fishauf families. For them it represented the closing of a historical circle, as their ancestors prayed in this building even before the Holocaust.
This week a celebratory ceremony was held for the return of the building, attended by Rabbi Nechemia Alter, the eldest son of the Gur Rebbe, members of the donor families who came especially from the United States, and representatives of the Hasidic community.
At the event, memorial plaques were unveiled on the building’s facade in memory of the donors and of the tens of thousands of followers who prayed there before the Holocaust.
During the ceremony a historic speech by one of the donors from 15 years ago was screened, when he stood within the walls of the study hall and called for the redemption of the site - a vision realized this week.
The building has been renovated and prepared to host visitors. A mikveh (ritual bath) was also installed, and the ancient study hall has been restored and preserved in its original form. The Hasidic dynasty plans to hold regular activities there and to allow followers from around the world to visit the site.