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"In the year 5709 or 5710 (1949 or 1950), I was called to the Rebbe, the 'Beis Yisrael' of Gur, zy"a (May his merit protect us).
At four o'clock in the morning, the habitual knock on the door was heard; it was the shamash (attendant) sent specifically to me. Sometimes the attendant would knock on my door, for I lived near him (the Rebbe). Of course, I hurried and entered. The Rebbe surprised me by saying: 'I have a problem, I need to travel abroad.'
I asked: 'So what is the problem?'
The Rebbe answered: 'I have no passport, so the Rebbe (referring to himself) cannot travel. Do me a favor and arrange a passport for me wherever necessary.'
I said to the Rebbe: 'I do not know if I can arrange a passport for a person without the person presenting himself at the office, but I will try, I have a friend in the Ministry of the Interior.' It was a nice Jew named Mr. Mash’an, who used to daven with us in the Kiryat Moshe, and I went to him early in the morning, about an hour before eight, to his home in Givat Brenner to see if there was a possibility to assist in this matter. Before anything, I warned him regarding the absolute secrecy that the matter must require, entirely without publicity, and not to tell any person, as I knew that the Rebbe was very strict that anything connected to him must be in absolute secrecy.
Mr. Mash’an told me that the matter was difficult, and he had a tough boss, but despite this, he would try for the Rebbe of Gur. He gave me two forms to fill out, and told me to bring them fully filled out, along with two passport photos of the Rebbe when I returned. I took the forms and returned to the Rebbe’s house. The Rebbe was then receiving the public in the morning and I entered before him, the Rebbe stood in the reception room and I explained the matter of the forms that needed to be filled out immediately. The Rebbe ordered me to sit, and I stood: I felt it was unpleasant to sit before the Rebbe, and especially since the Rebbe himself was standing, and I said: 'How can I sit and the Rebbe will stand?'. The Rebbe said to me in Yiddish: 'Du folgst nisht?' (You aren't obeying?), I had no choice, I sat down and waited for the Rebbe's instructions, and then we began to work on the form to fill in all the details. When we finished, I said to the Rebbe that I also need three photos that the Rebbe has signed on the back of the photo. In truth, only two photos were needed, but I wanted one photo to remain for myself and I allowed myself to change [the number] for the sake of this matter. The Rebbe went into his room and brought out three passport photos that he had prepared in advance, signed them, and gave them to me to go and finish the matter with a good result. The next day in the morning, I stood again at Mr. Mash’an's building by his door, and he was happy to inform me that he succeeded in convincing the boss not to be there, and indeed he stamped the passport without any problems."
"The next day, early in the morning at four o'clock, knocks were heard again on the door. The Rebbe's attendant came to call me. I was happy that I could tell the Rebbe that the matter was arranged, but how surprised I was when the Rebbe said to me: 'Ich fur shoyn nisht' (I am not traveling anymore), 'The trip is cancelled and I do not need the passport.' He took out an apple and an orange, gave them to me and said, 'Yishar Koach' (Thank you/Strength to you), 'Geyt gezunterheit' (Go in health). The next day I went to take the photos back from Mr. Mash’an to return them to the Rebbe, and also the forms so they would not roll around in the office. And when I brought them to the Rebbe, he tore up the forms, and took the two photos. I suspected whether the Rebbe would notice that we gave 3 photos and I was returning only two, but the Rebbe said nothing. I turned to go back through the door facing the Rebbe, and when I reached the door and stood to leave, suddenly the Rebbe asked: 'Did I not give you three photos? Where is the third photo? Is it hard for you to answer? You surely put it in your pocket.' I was happy that I kept the photo, I took it out and showed it to the Rebbe. The Rebbe asked me, 'Well, do you need this?' I said to him quietly and with reverence: 'Ich hob gevolt nemen aidenk fun Rebbe' (I wanted to take a souvenir from the Rebbe). The Rebbe smiled and said: 'Zayer gut. Ah guten vinter.' (Very good. Have a good winter). So the photo with the signature of his holy hand remained with me for many years.
And I will tell more about this photo, a wonder of wonders. One of the days, the office [Agudat Yisrael] moved and we brought in a safe in order to keep important documents. I thought to myself, why should I keep such a precious photo in a pocket? I put it in an envelope, wrote on the edge the matter of the photo, and put it inside the safe. In our office, there was only one other person who had the code to the safe, a loyal person, and I knew it would be safe and secure there."
"After several good years, it was one evening about four years ago, that the photo had already been in the safe for about forty years. I received a phone call from a Chassidic friend living in the USA, telling me that his dear son, who had unfortunately left the path [of Torah], was currently doing Teshuva and was getting married to a good girl, although he is still modern and not dressed Chassidish, but thank God he keeps Shabbos and kashrus and his heart is whole with God, and he and his wife are coming to visit Israel for a visit of two weeks, perhaps I could be mekarev him and assist him if necessary. I said to him with great joy, 'And it occurred to me [an idea], with what can I delight the young man? I have such a photo with the Rebbe's signature, I will take it from the safe, bring it home, and on Shabbos, the couple will visit me and we will plan to go to the Western Wall, then on the way they will stop by me in Kiryat Moshe, drink something and refresh themselves and I will be able to show them the photo. And indeed, so it was. The young man was very moved and thanked me and they continued on their way.
The next day in the morning, I go to the office and to my surprise I see police people present there and investigating. 'What happened?' There was a break-in at night and they turned over all the cabinets from their place and high up. Of course, they went for the safe with all the details from the last break-in that we had there and who knows where they went. So I say to myself, meila (never mind) the burglars thought there was money there and essentially there was just a lot of junk regarding old documents that for them are of no use, but what about the Rebbe's photo? How great was the pain if such a precious thing, which has no replacement, was here [in the safe]. Divine Providence happened, surely for many years it lay there and I did not take it home, and precisely I had just taken it home." [Rabbi Moshe Gvirtz - Secretary of Agudas Yisrael]
