Over recent weeks, thousands of names arrived at Chabad of Kazakhstan's central offices, each belonging to someone named after Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, the father of the Rebbe and described as a gaon, mekubal and Jewish leader.
The shluchim of Kazakhstan brought the compiled list to Reb Levi Yitzchok's tziyun along with a report on Chabad Houses operating across the country. The gesture conveyed a central message: "Reb Levi Yitzchok, you won."
The Soviets exiled him to suppress his voice. He died following the suffering and illness that resulted from his exile, buried far from the Jewish centers that existed during his lifetime, in what was described as a golus within a golus.
The Soviet Union has since dissolved from history, while Reb Levi Yitzchok's legacy has expanded with each passing year. Thousands now bear his name, Torah and Yiddishkeit are practiced across Kazakhstan, and the region of his exile has developed into a center of Jewish life.
Chabad of Kazakhstan's annual Chof Av campaign supports the maintenance of his tziyun and the shluchim's ongoing work throughout the country where he was exiled.