Biography of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson (1878-1944) נפטר כ' אב תש"ד Born in 1878 in Podrovnah, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was the oldest of four children. His father, Rabbi Baruch Schneur, was a great-grandson of the Tzemach Tzedek, the third Lubavitcher Rebbe. A child prodigy, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak mastered Kabbalah and Talmud, earning ordination from the era's leading Torah authorities. In 1900, he married Rebbetzin Chana Yanovsky, a renowned scholar. They had three sons including Menachem Mendel, who would later become the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe. Rabbi of Yekatrinoslav In 1909, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak became the Rabbi of Yekatrinoslav. He served as Chief Rabbi until 1939, gaining respect from both religious and non-religious residents. Despite Soviet pressure, he maintained religious life, overseeing mikvehs and ceremonies. Notably, he successfully lobbied in Moscow to produce kosher-for-Passover matzahs under strict rabbinic supervision in government factories. Arrest and Trial In March 1939, the NKVD arrested Rabbi Levi Yitzchak for his religious activities. After over a year of interrogation and torture, he was sentenced to five years of exile in Central Asia. Rebbetzin Chana joined him at his remote exile location. Exile in Chi’ili The couple lived in extreme poverty in Chi’ili, Kazakhstan, sharing a damp room with no privacy and little food. Despite the harsh conditions and the turmoil of World War II, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak provided spiritual and material guidance to many Jewish refugees in the region. Passing By 1944, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s health failed. Friends in Alma Ata secured his release, and the couple relocated thered. Despite his worsening illness, the Rabbi continued to help others and study Torah until his passing on the 20th of Av. Legacy Rabbi Levi Yitzchak left behind thousands of manuscripts on Torah, Kabbalah, and Chassidism. While many were lost, Rebbetzin Chana smuggled several volumes out of Russia in 1947. These were published as 'Likutei Levi Yitzchak' at the request of his son, the Rebbe, and remain vital works of Kabbalistic thought today. He is also credited with preserving the main Chabad Simchat Torah niggun, the “Levi Yitzchak niggun". On the 20th of Menachem Av תשכ"ד, on the 20th Yartzheit, the Lubavitcher Rebbe founded a loan fund Keren Levi Yitzchak in his name.