Rabanit Chana
By Galit Cohen
Oil on canvas
90 × 95 cm · Ships rolled
A refined portrait of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, conveying quiet courage, inner strength, and a life of steadfast spiritual devotion.
Far from home, with no paper and no ink, she boiled herbs into ink so that her husband's Torah would keep flowing.
The full story
In 1939 Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, chief rabbi of Yekaterinoslav, was sent far from home, to a remote village in Kazakhstan, because of his devotion to Jewish life. His wife, Rebbetzin Chana, could have stayed behind. She chose to follow him. There was no paper and no ink in the village, and he longed to keep writing Torah. So she went out to the fields, gathered herbs and boiled them into ink, and his insights were written in the margins of the few books they had. In 1947 her son, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, travelled to Paris to meet her after twenty years apart, and brought her home with him.
The story behind the painting
Three moments from her life
Nikolayev, 1900A House of Torah
The daughter of Rabbi Meir Shlomo Yanovsky, chief rabbi of Nikolayev, she married Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson. Two years later their eldest son, Menachem Mendel, was born: the future Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Brooklyn, 1948First Notebook
Soon after reaching America, she began to write her memoirs. She opened modestly, yet preserved her family's story for generations. They were later published as A Mother in Israel.
Brooklyn, 1951A Glass of Tea
Even after her son became the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1951, he came to her home on President Street every day, and usually prepared her a glass of tea himself.
Presence in a room
Light, color, and proportion. A sense of the artwork at home.
Frame shown for illustration only.
A closer look
Warmth, gentleness, and a smile that holds a world.
Live with the artwork
Fine art prints from $99
Premium cotton canvas · shipped rolled in a tube (not stretched) · Free shipping within the continental US. Other destinations: quoted per order.
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A range of sizes · shipping to most destinations
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Before the purchase and after.
Tracked shipping to most destinations
Prints: shipping included. Local duties and taxes, if any, are not included.
Originals: insured shipping, included in the price.
Estimated delivery: original — usually ships within 14 days; Israel 3–7 business days, abroad 7–21.
Estimated delivery for prints: usually 2–4 weeks from order. Details in the Terms.
Certificate of authenticity
With every original work.
A personal conversation
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Copyright in this work, its images and films remains with the artist.