Rabbi Shalom Dober Levin, director of the Chabad Hasidic Association Library in New York, uploaded a collection of thousands of index cards to the library's website, which contain the names of Chabad Hasidic and Chabad friends from more than 50 years ago.
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The cards are a collection of thousands of questionnaires, in which Chabad followers recorded their names and the names of family members, date and place of birth, and their period of study in Chabad yeshivahs.
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The project was initiated by the Rebbe, the late Rayatz, more than 90 years ago - in the 18th century, and it sheds light on the history of Chabad Hasidic families.
Towards 23 Tevet 5723, the 150th anniversary of the passing of the Baal Tanya, the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l instructed the "Youth of the Chabad Association" to encourage the Hasidim to participate in the project. Even years later, Hasidim continued to fill out the questionnaires.
The Rebbe encouraged over the years to organize the 'Book of Hasidim', but it was only about two years ago that the project was completed.
Rabbi Levin: "We have scanned and uploaded to the library's website the collection of 'Sefer Hasidim' cards, which will certainly be of great benefit to the thousands of Hasidim, their sons, grandsons and great-grandsons of these Hasidim, who recorded their details in it 'as an eternal memento for the benefit of the Jewish people ... a general Hasidim book ... for world remembrance.'".
One of the documents that was uncovered belonged to Baba Meir, the eldest son of Baba Sali, in which he detailed in his own handwriting his name, the names of his parents, his wife, and his children - and spoke of his affiliation with Chabad: "Friendly connection from abroad.".
Rabbi Yitzhak David Grossman's card also appears in the database:
