Director of Chabad of Hanover cited for work with her late husband, Rabbi Binyamin Wolff
It was on a bright summer morning when Shterna Wolff, director of Chabad of Hanover, was approached by an influential German magazine about the possibility of being featured as its “Person of the Week.” At first, she thought it was some kind of a hoax.
“Right away, I forwarded the email to a longtime friend and supporter of Chabad of Hanover, Mark Simon,” she says. “I asked him if this is something that’s worth pursuing.”
“Shterna, this is a big deal,” he replied.
The email had entered her inbox on the morning after Chabad of Hanover was featured in a heartwarming TV program for the German NDR station. The segment showcased the work of the rebbetzin and her late husband, Rabbi Binyamin Wolff, and the far-reaching impact they’d had on the Jewish community of Germany. Editors at Rundblick Niedersachsen had seen the segment and wanted to set up a time for an interview.
And so it was that Wolff was featured as the “Person of the Week” in the Rundblick Niedersachsen, in a feature that highlights Germany’s most influential public figures.
Readers suggest candidates for “Person of the Week,” and an individual is chosen after a thorough vetting process and a unanimous decision by editors. “It’s a top magazine among the ‘movers and shakers’ in Germany, the ‘decision-makers,’ ” says Mark Simon.
Wolff’s late husband, Rabbi Binyamin Wolff, a beloved rabbi and sought-after mentor to many, passed away in April 2020 at the age of 43. Despite coping with tremendous loss and grief, she made the critical decision to single-handedly continue the work of her husband and of Chabad of Hanover.
Staying the course has been rewarding, she says, but not easy: “The feeling of the exponential success and tremendous Divine intervention that we’ve seen in the last few months doesn’t take away from the pain at having lost our beloved husband and father,” she says. “Being ‘alone’ in the shlichus with a big family and a congregation is not simple. “To be honest, it’s stressful at times, but I decided that we are going to move forward, and we’re seeing incredible unbelievable success.”
She says that feeling her husband’s presence throughout the day-to-day grind of running the Chabad center encourages her to move forward. “A shliach commits to shlichus throughout his entire life and even after his physical life. Benny continues to be a shliach, and he continues to assist me in his own way,” she told Chabad.org.
Wolff, a mother of eight, has been a source of tremendous strength and support for the members of the Hanover Jewish community, many of whom were left reeling from the shock of having lost their beloved rabbi. Continuing the Chabad activities in Hanover is a mission she holds dear. “We’re moving forward,” she said in German to NDR reporters. “I feel that Benny is still here with me.”
A Role Model for Women Everywhere
“Shterna Wolff is truly a role model for women around the world for her commitment, conviction and unrelenting strength,” says Simon. “For someone to experience such a profound personal tragedy whilst raising eight children and running a Chabad center in a foreign country—a ‘Jewish desert,’ of sorts—is nothing short of amazing,” he says. “In her uniquely powerful way, she has succeeded in ‘causing the desert to bloom.’ ”
Speaking to the notion of finding hope and strength after loss and tragedy, Wolff says: “To be honest, after a tragedy there are only one of two ways forward—either you fall on your face and surrender or move forward. When my husband and I went on shlichus, we made that commitment for life, not to fall or to stop or to return to our hometown.”
Wolff says that ever since her husband’s passing, doors have opened up for the Jewish community in Hanover. Members of the German government and famous politicians reached out to offer their condolences and support, sometimes even going so far as to share their personal cell number with her, making themselves available at all times. Though Covid caused a few minor setbacks, with the help of more than 16,000 supporters from across the globe, they inaugurated the first Chabad center in Hanover in memory of Rabbi Benny Wolff—named Beit Binyomin or “Haus Benjamin” in German. Buying, renovating and securing financing for the new Chabad center was no simple feat, but somehow everything fell into place, she says, adding that “the miracles that we’re seeing are not regular.”
Simon says that his involvement in supporting the work of Chabad of Hanover is voluntary, done out of love and appreciation for the work of Benny Wolf.
“He was a pillar of light in Hanover,” he says. “What we are seeing in Hanover, it’s really a succession of miracles,” says Simon, who comes from a traditional family in Cologne, Germany. “It is clear that the soul of the rabbi is very active on our behalf together with the soul of the Rebbe. They are praying for us, they are helping us and supporting us.”
“Music professor Andor Izsák, founder of the Center for Jewish Music in the famous Villa Seligmann, was a close friend of Rabbi Benjamin Wolf,” writes NDR. “He speaks of ‘longing for spirituality,’ a thirst which Rabbi Benny ultimately quenched. ‘There are so many Jews in Hanover who didn’t know how to pray. He took them by the hand and showed them how to put on tefillin. He taught Judaism in a kind, gentle and non-threatening manner; over a glass of wine, a good meal and along with many joyous Chassidic melodies.’
“Native Israeli, Sagit Cantker says that she is not religious at all. Yet she likes to learn about Jewish traditions, songs and customs at Chabad of Hanover. She herself has lived in Germany for almost 20 years, and says ‘the holidays at Chabad bring back memories of home.’ ”
The Rebbe as Guiding Light
Wolff says that the Rebbe has been their guiding light ever since she and her husband moved to Hannover. She remarks that the success of shluchim around the world is not simply due to the personal talent and capabilities of each emissary couple. Rather, the success of a Chabad House comes from the Rebbe’s constant spiritual support and guidance. “A young couple moves to a foreign country not knowing the language, far from home, and they’re somehow able to accomplish incredible things. It’s definitely not merely the capabilities of the couple that is ensuring their success; there’s a higher strength there.”
She says that the fact that a completely secular German newspaper recognizes the work of Chabad, and is publicizing the commitment and devotion of Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries to millions of people, is in and of itself a huge deal. “They chose me, and I am both awed and humbled by the privilege. Of all of the things I’ve accomplished, I feel that this is the highest honor I could possibly receive,” she says.
Adds Simon: “I truly believe that in a hundred years, people will still be speaking about the legendary Rebbetzin Wolff.”
