View source for 12–13 Tammuz

{{Short description|Chabad-Lubavitch Holiday}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = 12–13 Tammuz
| type          = commemoration
| image         = File:Frierdiger Rebbe.tif
| image_size    = 175px
| caption       = Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn
| official_name =
| observedby    = Chabad-Lubavich community
| significance  = Birthday <br> and release day of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn from Soviet Prison
| duration      = 2 days
| frequency     = Annual
| date          = 12-13 Tammuz
| scheduling    = Same day each year according to the Jewish Calendar
| date{{LASTYEAR}} = July 18–19
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = July 8–9
| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = June 27–28
| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}} = July 17–18
| begins        = Night of 12 Tammuz
| ends          = Night of 13 Tammuz
| firsttime     = July 3, 1927 (12 Tammuz, 5687)
}}
[[File:House of Preliminary Detention, prison.jpg|thumb|306x306px|Inside of the Shpalernaya Prison, the prison Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn was held in]]
'''12–13 Tammuz''' or '''''Yud beis v' yud gimel Tammuz''''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: י"ב וי"ג תמוז {{Transliteration|he|/jud bˈeɪz vi jud ˈɡɪmɛl ˈtɑ muːz/}} {{Literal translation|The twelfth and thirteenth of ''[[Tammuz (Hebrew month)|Tammuz]]''}}) is a holiday on the [[Chabad-Lubavitch]] [[Chabad customs and holidays|calendar]] that commemorates the liberation of [[Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn]], the sixth [[Rebbe]] of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, from [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] imprisonment. The holiday also marks his birthday. It is one of the three holidays named "day of liberation" by Chabad-Lubavitch
== History ==
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn was arrested on June 15, 1927 (15 [[Sivan]], 5687)  in [[Leningrad]], [[USSR]] (now [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], [[Russia]]) by the Soviet secret police also known as the [[Joint State Political Directorate]] (OGPU). His arrest occurred during a period of increased repression against religious leaders and institutions, as the Soviet government sought to suppress religious practices and organizations.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Polonsky |first=Antony |title=Jews in Poland and Russia: A Short History |date=September 26, 2013 |publisher=The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization |isbn=978-1906764395 |pages=274–307 |language=en |trans-title=Chapter Eight Jews in Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union, 1921–1941}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Weinberg |first=Robert |date=January 2017 |title=Demonizing Judaism in the Soviet Union during the 1920s |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27652771 |journal=Slavic Review |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=120–153 |doi=10.2307/27652771 |jstor=27652771 |via=JSTOR}}</ref> The Rebbe was charged with conducting [[counter-revolutionary|Counter-Revolutionary]] activities,<ref>{{Cite book |title=''Osipova, Хасиды: Спасая народ свой'' |date=2002 |pages=50 |language=ru |trans-title=Chassidim: Saving His People}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2015-03-20 |title=Hasidim Celebrate Anniversary of Liberation of Lubavitcher Rebbe |url=https://www.jta.org/archive/hasidim-celebrate-anniversary-of-liberation-of-lubavitcher-rebbe |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}</ref> which were seen as counter to the state's efforts to eliminate religion from public life<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-12-29 |title=The fate of religious freedom in the former USSR, 25 years after its collapse |url=https://www.deseret.com/2016/12/29/20603131/the-fate-of-religious-freedom-in-the-former-ussr-25-years-after-its-collapse/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1992-06-15 |title=Internal Workings of the Soviet Union - Revelations from the Russian Archives {{!}} Exhibitions - Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/intn.html |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=www.loc.gov}}</ref> and he was sentenced to death by Soviet authorities.<ref name="wer">''Encyclopedia of Hasidism, entry: Schneersohn, Joseph Isaac''. Naftali Lowenthal. Aronson, London 1996. {{ISBN|1-56821-123-6}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Virtual Reality: 12 Tammuz |url=https://www.meaningfullife.com/virtual-reality-12-tammuz/ |website=Meaningful Life Center}}</ref>
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn was held in the {{III|Shpalernaya Prison|ru|Дом предварительного заключения (Санкт-Петербург)}} (now the [[Bolshoy Dom]]) in Leningrad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=House of Preliminary Detention, prison |url=http://www.encspb.ru/object/2855697288?lc=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303024557/http://www.encspb.ru/object/2855697288?lc=en |archive-date=March 3, 2024 |access-date=November 14, 2024 |website=Saint Petersburg Encyclopedia}}</ref> During his imprisonment, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn experienced severe conditions, including isolation and harsh interrogation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=world |first=Supporters of Jewish refugees all over the |date=2023-12-23 |title=The Heroic Struggle |url=https://www.friendsofrefugees.org/the-heroic-struggle/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (F.R.E.E.) |language=en-US}}</ref> His interrogators attempted to pressure him into confessing to various charges, but he maintained his composure and refused to cooperate.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-06-25 |title=Story: The Rebbe Rayatz and His Jewish Interrogators |url=https://crownheights.info/something-jewish/489417/story-the-frierdiker-rebbe-and-his-jewish-interrogators/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=CrownHeights.info |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2018-06-21 |title=Frierdiker Rebbe's Interrogation |url=https://collive.com/frierdiker-rebbes-interrogation/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=COLlive |language=en-US}}</ref> He endured significant physical hardship during this time, including deprivation of food and water, particularly during the first days of his captivity.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2016-07-18 |title=Mystery of Rayatz's Prison Diary |url=https://collive.com/mystery-of-rayatzs-prison-diary/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=COLlive |language=en-US}}</ref>
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn's situation garnered international attention, prompting various Jewish communities and leaders worldwide to intervene on his behalf.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Margolin |first=Dovid |title=The Chassidic Member of Parliament Who Stood Up to the Soviets When the Sixth Rebbe was arrested, Latvian MP Mordechai Dubin took action |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5995678/jewish/The-Chassidic-Member-of-Parliament-Who-Stood-Up-to-the-Soviets.htm |website=Chabad.org}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=How Reb Mordechai Dubin Was Saved Through 'Ahavat Yisroel' |url=https://melavamalkastories.com/2020/05/05/how-reb-mordechai-dubin-was-saved-through-ahavat-yisroel/ |website=Melava Malka Stories}}</ref>  Notably, [[Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook]], first Chief [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] Rabbi of [[Mandatory Palestine]] (now [[Israel]]), sent urgent telegrams to Soviet officials, urging them to reconsider the charges against him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tudela |first=Benjamin Of |date=2011-06-26 |title=Harav Kook And the Lubavitcher Rebbe |url=https://mostlykosher.blogspot.com/2011/06/harav-kook-and-lubavitcher-rebbe.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Mostly Kosher}}</ref>
The involvement of influential individuals, such as [[Yekaterina Peshkova]], President of the [[Political Red Cross]] of the Soviet Union, was pivotal in advocating for his release.<ref>{{Cite web |title=When the World Helped the Rebbe |url=https://www.ascentofsafed.com/Stories/Stories/5777/1021-40.html |website=Ascent of Safed}}</ref> In the United States, Justice [[Louis Brandeis]] of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] lobbied for Schneersohn’s release which led to [[President of the United States|US President]] [[Calvin Coolidge]] also making appeals to Soviet authorities,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Green |first=David B. |date=June 13, 2015 |title=This Day in Jewish History {{!}} 1927: Russia Releases 'Counter-revolutionary' Lubavitcher Rebbe |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2015-07-13/ty-article/.premium/1927-russians-release-lubavitcher/0000017f-db0a-df0f-a17f-df4b91430000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817194330/https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2015-07-13/ty-article/.premium/1927-russians-release-lubavitcher/0000017f-db0a-df0f-a17f-df4b91430000 |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |website=Haaretz}}</ref> adding diplomatic pressure to the international advocacy efforts, which ultimately contributed to the commutation of the Rabbi's sentence from a death sentence to exile.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-07-15 |title=Weekly Story: How Justice Brandeis Helped Save the Rebbe Rayatz |url=https://crownheights.info/something-jewish/540939/weekly-story-how-justice-brandeis-saved-the-rebbe-rayatz/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=CrownHeights.info |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Goren |first=Biranit |date=2012-10-12 |title=How Chabad's Beloved Rebbe Was Saved |url=https://www.atlantajewishtimes.com/how-chabads-beloved-rebbe-was-saved-from-the-nazis-by-the-nazis/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Atlanta Jewish Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
On July 3, 1927 ([[3 Tammuz]], 5687), Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn was exiled to [[Kostroma]], a town in the [[Volga region]] of Russia. His exile was still under strict surveillance and control by the Soviet authorities. It was not until nine days later on July 12, 1927 (12 Tammuz 5687), that he was finally permitted to return to his home in Leningrad.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 28, 2023 |title=The day that uplifted world Jewry - 12 th of Tammuz |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373370 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Israel National News}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, the "Rebbe Rayatz" (1880-1950) A brief biography of the sixth Chabad Rebbe |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/425/jewish/The-Rebbe-Rayatz.htm |website=Chabad.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2015-06-29 |title=How Rebbe's Arrest Was Reported |url=https://collive.com/how-rebbes-arrest-was-reported/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=COLlive |language=en-US}}</ref>
On the following day on July 13, 1927 (13 Tammuz 5687), he was actually fully liberated and returned home to Leningrad and was greeted by thousands of followers. Later on in late 1928, after navigating the complexities of Soviet bureaucracy, Rabbi Schneersohn managed to get permission to leave Russia with the help of international pressure.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rigg |first=Bryan Mark |title=''Rescued from the Reich'' |date=May 15, 2006 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |isbn=978-0300115314 |pages=16–37 |language=en |trans-title=The Lubavitchers and Their Rebbe}}</ref> He traveled to [[Riga]], [[Latvia]], where he stayed until 1929<ref name=":0" /> before traveling to [[Mandatory Palestine]].<ref>''[[Ami Magazine]]''. No. 245. p. 95.</ref><ref name=":1" />
== Commemoration ==
The commemoration of the 12th and 13th of Tammuz was celebrated and observed by Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson|Menachem Mendel Schneersohn]], the seventh Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schneersohn |first=Menachem Mendel |title=[[Likkutei Sichos]] |publisher=[[Kehot]] |year=1982 |isbn=0-8266-5736-2 |location=Brooklyn, New York |pages=308–325 |language=he |trans-title=Collected Talks}}</ref> who emphasized their importance in his teachings and leadership.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 2024 |title=FARBRENGEN 12 TAMMUZ 5745 |url=https://derher.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/tammuz5774.pdf |journal=[[A Chassidisher Derher]] |issue=21 |pages=20–24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schneerson |first=Menachem Mendel |date= |title=Sichos in English: 5738. Volume 1. Vaad Lehafotzas Sichos (Sichos in English). 1978. |url=http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/1/28.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429045707/http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/1/28.htm |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |website=sichosinenglish.org}}</ref>
Communal gatherings known as ''[[Farbrengen]]s'' are organized in [[Chabad house|Chabad centers]], [[Yeshiva]]s and [[Synagogue]]s, where followers come together, where many hear speeches, sing ''[[Nigun|niggunim]]'' (melodic tunes), and share inspiring stories about Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's life and contributions.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-06-23 |title=3 Shuls Unite for 12 Tammuz Farbrengen |url=https://collive.com/3-shuls-unite-for-12-tammuz-farbrengen/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=COLlive |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-11 |title=Live: Toronto Yeshiva 12 Tammuz Farbrengen - Anash.org |url=https://anash.org/live-toronto-yeshiva-12-tammuz-farbrengen/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=anash.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
This day is one of the three holidays named by Chabad-Lubavitch as the "Festival of Liberation" (Hebrew: חג הגאולה {{Transliteration|he|hag ha ge ula}}),<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /> The other two are the 10th of [[Kislev]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Chassidic Dimension - Festivals 1 |url=https://www.sie.org/books/chassidic-dimension-festivals-1/30.htm#utm_source=domain&utm_medium=domain&utm_campaign=sichosinenglish.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927122534/http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/chassidic-dimension-festivals-1/30.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |website=Sichos In English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=חג הגאולה - י"ט בכסלו |trans-title=The Feast of Redemption - 19 Kislev |url=https://arh-uk.com/%D7%97%D7%92-%D7%94%D7%92%D7%90%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%99%D7%98-%D7%91%D7%9B%D7%A1%D7%9C%D7%95/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126093446/https://arh-uk.com/%D7%97%D7%92-%D7%94%D7%92%D7%90%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%99%D7%98-%D7%91%D7%9B%D7%A1%D7%9C%D7%95/ |archive-date=November 26, 2024 |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=Kiryat Rabbeinu Hagadol Haditch (arh-uk.com) |language=he-IL}}</ref> marking the release of Rabbi [[Dovber Schneuri]], the second Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, from prison, and the [[19 Kislev|19th of Kislev]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Josh |date=2022-05-25 |title=The Revolution of Chassidut in Religious Zionism |url=https://mizrachi.org/hamizrachi/the-revolution-of-chassidut-in-religious-zionism/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=World Mizrachi |language=en-US}}</ref> marking the release of Rabbi [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]], the first Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, from prison.
Today the holiday is primarily celebrated by the Chabad-Lubavitch community.<ref name=":4" /> On these dates, it is customary in Chabad-Lubavitch to omit ''[[Tachanun]]'', a penitential prayer recited on regular days.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Schneersohn |first=Menachem Mendel |title=[[Hayom Yom]] |publisher=[[Kehot]] |isbn=0-8266-0469-2 |pages=70 |language=he, en |trans-title=Today is the day}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Wednesday, 13 Tammuz, 5785, July 9, 2025 |url=https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/day.asp?hdate=4/13&mode=j |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241103043006/https://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/day.asp?hdate=4/13&mode=j |archive-date=November 3, 2024 |website=Chabad.org}}</ref>{{Chabad sidebar}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2295408/jewish/A-Prince-in-Prison.htm The diary of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn's prison experience transeltated into English]
* [https://Chabadinfo.com Chabadinfo.com]
== See also ==
* [[19 Kislev]]
* [[Tammuz (Hebrew month)]]
* [[3 Tammuz]]
* [[17 tammuz]]
* [[Chabad customs and holidays]]
* [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]]
== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim]]
[[Category:1927 in Judaism]]
[[Category:Judaism in Russia]]
[[Category:Chabad holidays]]