The Last Rebbe of Lodz

description of book Everyone in Lodz knew the Rebbe, Reb Menashe Sholom Ginzburg, scion of the great dynasty of Lodzer chassidus. Wise, kind, and farsighted beyond his years, Reb Menashe Sholom was the life and blood of Lodzer Jewry. But like the majority of Lodz’s Jewry, Reb Menashe Sholom was murdered by the Nazis, and the great houses of Lodzer Torah were silenced. Today, the Rebbe’s great-grandson, Reb Chaim Simcha Ginzburg, wants to rebuild. He enlists the help of his brother Izzy, a friendly alter bochur working in a law firm. It’s slow work bringing the Lodzers back together. Most of them are either dead or irreligious. One cold day, a letter arrives from the Polish government informing Reb Chaim Simcha that an unpublished manuscript from the Rebbe has just been discovered. This might be just the thing to revive the Chassidus, so the Ginzburgs are eager to find it. The Polish government will surrender it to the Rebbe’s rightful heir – but only if he comes to claim it in person. The heir, a non-frum politician from New Jersey, is not interested in his yerushah, and can’t be bothered to take such a long trip. Several other people are interested, however. And they’re not above a little lying and cheating to get their way…. Is the offer to return the manuscript little more than a scam? Who is the mysterious imposter, trying to get  hold of the manuscript? And why is the white-haired lady  so determined to help whether they want  her to or not? As Chaim Simcha and Izzy struggle to bring the Rebbe’s sefer home, they are caught in a mess of lies, accusations, and police actions that threaten to tear apart the Chassidus – and the Ginzburg family – for good.