Weekend with Reb Shlomo...

Don’t feel like writing it all out but here are highlights from the Reb Shlomo Weekend…

Gaby and I headed downtown to Tzidkas Azriel’s house for Shabbos on the West Side. Friday night found us at the Carlebach Shul for a heady 3-hour kabbalas Shabbos led by Reb Yehuda Green. The Azriel’s didn’t wait for us and so we showed up a little late. Sabba Azriel spoke with Gaby in Hebrew for most of the seudah. Shabbos morning Tzidkas and I made our way to The Shtiebel on 84th Street while Gaby headed to lengthier Carlebach option. Mincha/Shalosh Seudos was back at Carlebach with guests R’ Avraham Sutton, R’ Shalom Brodt, Rav Citron, and some other rebbes (and rebbetzins.) All colors and flavors were present – felt a little bit like being back at the Machlis’ shalosh seudos. After havdalah some guy in a light blue turtleneck, cowboy hat, and long hair asked us what we do. We told him we go to Y.U. He paused - ‘Oh...I hear they do weird stuff over there.’ And so even after an Egalitarian service at the Carlebach shul Y.U. is still treif. What can I tell you.

While the West Side Institutional housed the big ($) concert for the Monsey and Brooklyn chevra, we were tipped off about a secret gathering back upstairs in the shul where the old timers reminisced and sang well into the night. The gathering was led by one of Reb Shlomo’s right-hand men, R’ Itzik Eisenstadt, the “treasurer of the niggunim.” Stories, niggunim, and machloksin in nusach were abundant. At 4 something Gaby and I finally made it back to the Morg.

The festivities began Sunday night in the Heights at 7 P.M. It looked like it was going to be one of the smallest Reb Shlomo Hilula’s in YU history, but as usual, as the night progressed more and more people trickled in. Despite the numerous obstacles in getting this year’s hilula together, it turned out to be a truly special night. Enjoy this video of some of Sunday nights festivities.