Purse of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (the Rebbe's Mother) and of her Daughter-in-law Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (the ...

Purse of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (the Rebbe's Mother) and of her Daughter-in-law Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (the Rebbe's Wife) – With Letter of Authenticity by Rebbetzin Chana Gurary

Purse used by Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (the Rebbe's mother) and later by the sisters Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson (the Rebbe's wife) and Rebbetzin Chana Gurary.
Black, patent leather purse, with gold toned trim and clasp, made by After Five (United States, 1950s).
Letter of authenticity enclosed (handwritten note, in English), signed in Hebrew by Rebbetzin Chana Gurary (1899-1991), eldest daughter of Rebbe Rayatz: "I hereby gift a leather purse that my sister's mother-in-law - Chana used. My sister and I also used it in the 1960's". The letter is dated November 12, 1989.

Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (1880-1964) mother of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson – the Lubavitcher Rebbe and daughter of the rabbi of Mykolaiv (Ukraine) R. Meir Shlomo and his wife, Rebbetzin Rachel Yanovsky. Married R. Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, and with utmost devotion joined him in fearlessly spreading Judaism under the communist rule, first in Ekaterinoslav and later in his exile to Chiali, Kazakhstan. During this time, she produced ink from weeds, to enable her husband to write his Torah novellae, and later risked her life by carrying his writings while traveling from place to place. These writings were later printed in his series of books Likutei Levi Yitzchak on the Zohar. R. Levi Yitzchak passed away in Alma-Ata (Almaty), Kazakhstan in 1944.

In 1946, Rebbetzin Chana crossed the Russian border to Poland, and reached Paris in Adar 1947. Upon hearing the news of his mother's arrival in Paris, her son, Rebbe Menachem Mendel, who was already living in Brooklyn, immediately boarded a plane to meet his mother, who had been confined behind the Iron Curtain and whom he had not seen for 20 years. The Rebbe stayed in Paris for three months to arrange all the necessary authorizations for her immigration to the United States and in Sivan, embarked with his mother on a ship to the US. After her arrival in the United States, Rebbetzin Chana lived near her son and near 770, on the corner of President St. and Kingstone St. no. 1418 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. Some three years later, the Rayatz died and Rebbe Menachem Mendel became the Rebbe of Chabad. Rebbetzin Chana was very involved in the lives of the Chassidim and in the various Chabad activities and served on the board of Chabad women's organization in the United States.

She passed away on Shabbat, 6th Tishrei 1964 and is buried near the Rayatz and the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Beit Chana network of girls' schools was named after her.

Approx. 14X26 cm. Good condition. Minor damage.