Russian-Chabad Seforim Battle Takes a Strange Turn

Photos: AP Images

Has Chabad finally gained the ace it needs to make Vladimir Putin fold?

The Chabad chassidus has been locked in a faceoff with the Russian government over possession of a priceless seforim library for more nearly three decades. Moscow declares that the collection of rare published volumes, manuscripts, and notes assembled by the rebbes of Chabad, in limbo for more than a century, is part of Russia’s cultural heritage. Lubavitchers, understandably, would like to see the tomes reunited with the extensive Chabad archive maintained at the chassidus’s headquarters in Crown Heights.

But in the latest development in this long-running dispute, a recent US District Court ruling handed Chabad a pretty significant bargaining chip —the gleaming office tower that holds the headquarters of Tenex-USA, rising above an exclusive lane in Washington, D.C., within blocks of the White House. Tenex, owned by Russia’s state nuclear agency, touts itself as one of the world’s largest sellers of all things nuclear —including rare earth metals, low-enriched nuclear fuel, and an array of services “that have not previously been available in the US market.”

Federal judge Royce Lambert ordered that the building be turned over to Chabad in consideration for a debt he imposed seven years ago. When the Russians declared they would no longer cooperate with the American court proceedings, Judge Lambert hit them with a fine of $50,000 for each day the seforim library remained in their possession. With the passage of time, that obligation has ballooned to $100 million — which is why Judge Lambert now ruled that the building should go to Chabad.