Bidspirit auction | Rare Wedding Invitation for the

Rare Wedding Invitation for the Daughter of the “Yenuka” of Karlin – Signed in His Own Hand. Stolin, 1913 - Printed invitation to the wedding of Mrs. Miriam, daughter of the Rebbe Rabbi Yisrael Perlow of Stolin, bearing the Rebbe’s autograph signature. The wedding took place on Thursday, 18 Av 5673 (1913), in Stolin. The invitation is printed, with certain details filled in by hand. At the conclusion of the printed text, the Rebbe writes in warm and dignified language: “I hereby respectfully request that our chassidim and friends partake in our joy with which God has graced us, and, God willing, at your joyous occasions may I rejoice as well, seeking your welfare with heartfelt blessing…” He then signs in his own hand: Yisrael, son of the Rabbi, our teacher Rabbi Asher, of blessed memory. The groom was Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Shapira, son of Rabbi Yitzchak Mordechai Shapira, Rebbe of Gvadzitz (son of Rabbi Avi Ezra Zelig Shapira). The invitation notes that the signatory is a close relative (“she’er besaro”), as the two families were related from multiple sides. Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Shapira and his family were murdered in the Holocaust on the eve of Rosh Hashanah 5702 (1941). The holy Rebbe Rabbi Yisrael Perlow of Stolin (1869–1922), known as the “Yenuka” or “Der Frankfurter, ” was the son of Rabbi Asher of Stolin and the sixth Rebbe in the Karlin dynasty. Following his father’s passing on 15 Av 5633, when he was only four and a half years old, the chassidim already looked to him as their destined leader — hence his enduring nickname, “the Yenuka of Stolin.” He served as Rebbe for decades, with tens of thousands of followers. He was revered by the great tzaddikim of his generation, including even the most zealous among them, such as Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapira of Munkatch, as well as by Lithuanian rabbinic leaders including Rabbi David Friedman of Karlin and Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor. It is traditionally related that upon his birth, the “Beis Aharon” told his son Rabbi Asher: “This child will not be seen studying extensively (like his grandfather), nor will he be seen immersing frequently in mikvaot (like his father), and yet he will be greater than both of us.” It is likewise transmitted that the Beis Aharon declared him to be a reincarnation of Rashi, and that such a soul descends to this world only once in five hundred years. A rare invitation, bearing the Rebbe’s autograph signature — a living testament to a central family celebration within the Karlin court in the early twentieth century. [1] Single leaf, 14 × 21.5 cm. Good condition. Time staining. Label affixed to verso.