There has been an outpouring of sadness and gratitude for Rabbi Shmuel Butman, z”l from state officials for the work he accomplished for youth and his spreading of good will through the members of the state legislature and state officials.

The passing of Rabbi Butman on July 22 at age 81, has left a gaping chasm of yiddishkeit at the Capitol. It is still unclear how big this vacuum will actually be. Rabbi Butman died from a heart condition, according to his family.

The void is probably as large as when former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, an Orthodox Jew from Manhattan’s Lower East Side, gave up his leadership in the Assembly and resigned from office. Rabbi Butman would venture to Albany once a year for nearly 30 years to hand out shmura matzah to those lawmakers who wanted it. He also made a pitch for tzedaka from the floor of the Senate and Assembly after giving the prayer to open the day’s legislative session.

He was a fierce defender of the Rebbe’s legacy. Even if someone didn’t think they offended the Rebbe’s reputation, if he thought the person did, he or she would receive a phone call explaining the situation from Rabbi Butman’s point of view.

Rabbi Israel Rubin, the head shliach in the Capital District and director of the Capital District Chabad in Albany, New York, was sent to the Capital City 50 years ago, in 1974, at the directive of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, zt”l.

“Rabbi Butman was very committed to honoring the Rebbe and his vision at the annual Rebbe’s birthday celebration at the New York State Capitol each spring,” Rabbi Rubin told The Jewish Link. “He did it with much dedication. His trademark tzedaka box for all to use was symbolic of him seeing the Rebbe’s broad vision of the divine in all humanity.”

There was a clear outpouring of sadness expressed by state lawmakers and statewide elected officials. Some state officials, such as U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand did not know him. State officials such as Governor Kathy Hochul emphasized their appreciation for Rabbi Butman as the person who installed the world’s tallest Chanukah menorah.

Of all the state lawmakers, Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Holliswood, Queens) probably had one of the closest relationships with Rabbi Butman.

“His leadership in the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and the Lubavitch Youth Organization made him a giant in the community,” the lawmaker said. “He touched so many lives for the better through his outreach in New York, across the nation, and internationally.

“I joined Rabbi Butman yearly for the lighting of the world’s tallest Chanukah menorah at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street,” Weprin continued. “I proudly hosted Rabbi Butman in Albany for many years, where he gave moving invocations to open our session day and speak to the legacy of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson on the anniversary of his birth.

“In this time of turmoil for the Jewish community, Rabbi Shmuel Butman was a steadfast voice of strength, and I will always remember his kindness, intellect and passion. I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife, Rochel Butman, and their many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. May his memory be for a blessing,” Weprin concluded.

The Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, falls in the district of Senator Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat.

“I always enjoyed visiting with Rabbi Butman in the Capitol each year,” Myrie said. “I’m proud to represent a very diverse community in Central Brooklyn, including a diverse Jewish community. It is a particular point of pride for me to represent the Lubavitch community in Crown Heights and its major institutions. Rabbi Butman was a significant Chabad leader who extended the Rebbe’s reach across America and the world. His legacy will be in the education, charity and good deeds he helped inspire.”

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (D-Great Neck Plaza, Nassau County) was effusive about his annual meetings with Rabbi Butman.

“His legacy is a testament to how much a compassionate human being can contribute to his community of faith, his local neighborhood,” DiNapoli told The Jewish Link. “As a leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch community, his dedication, kindness and conviction touched the lives of so many for the better. Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting with him many times about critical issues impacting New Yorkers. He was always a voice of reason, someone who looked at the bigger picture. I always looked forward to his annual reception in Albany and, like many New Yorkers, I enjoyed watching him light the world’s tallest menorah each year during Chanukah.

“In these trying times for the Jewish people, Rabbi Butman was a guiding light. His faith, wisdom, kindness and strength guided his passionate advocacy for his community and inspired his unwavering commitment to improving the lives of all New Yorkers. Rabbi Butman’s legacy will inspire new leaders for generations to come. My sincere condolences to his loving wife, Rochel, their many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My deepest sympathies to his extended family, the Chabad-Lubavitch community, the Jewish people, the residents of Crown Heights and the state of New York. May his memory be a blessing.”

Retiring Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, a Brooklyn Democrat, wrote about Rabbi Butman’s passing and posted it on social media.

“Rabbi Shmuel Butman led a life of adversity and triumph; a true shliach of the Rebbe’s vision to globalize Judaism and positivity,” Weinstein wrote. “I looked forward to his annual visit, honoring the Rebbe’s birthday by establishing special ‘education days,’ and giving tzedakah. ברוך דיין אמת.”

On April 8, 2019, Rabbi Butman, on what would have been the Rebbe’s 117th birthday, opened the Assembly session with a prayer and remarks, in typical fashion. Below is the transcript of his prayer:

“Avinu SheBaShamayim, Our heavenly father, please bestow your blessings on the New York State Assembly, especially when they are standing today before passing a great resolution, honoring the Lubavitcher Rebbe with 117 days of education which will take place this afternoon.

It is generally not a custom to honor or to celebrate a birthday of an individual who is no longer with us. It is different in the case of the Rebbe. The Rebbe today has 5,000 institutions throughout the world, in 1,000 cities, in 102 countries, in every state of the Union, in every state of the United States.

“When the Rebbe speaks about education, he does not only speak of the education of the Jewish child. He speaks about the education of the Jewish child, the African child, the Indian child, the European child, the Asian child, all the children of the world. The Rebbe said many times that he wants the children to know that there is an eye that sees, an ear that hears and that the world is not a jungle.

“New York State has been the seat of the Lubavitch movement for the last 79 years. Therefore, it is a great privilege for us to be here now, when we are celebrating the Rebbe’s 117th birthday.

“In 1991, I went to Washington, D.C. to open the United States Senate. Before I went to Washington, I went to see the Rebbe. The Rebbe said that while I’m in Washington during the prayer, I should take a tzedaka pushka with me, a tzedaka box with me, and I should give a dollar in the tzedaka box. Everyone should see what I am doing and let them know what money should be used for. When we are through with the service, we’re going to ask you to participate with one dollar. Don’t be afraid, this is not a fundraising campaign because if it was, we would ask you for much more than one dollar. We want your participation in doing another act of goodness and kindness.

“A correspondent for CNN went over to the Rebbe and he asked him, ‘Rebbe, a question, and this is not fake news, this is a correspondent from CNN asking the Rebbe a question,’ and the Rebbe answered. The question he was asked was, ‘What is your message to the world?’ The Rebbe replied that a redemption is coming and we can bring it closer by doing more acts of goodness and kindness, which we are going to ask you to do in a moment. Now I’m going to give a dollar, in which it reads, ‘In God We Trust’ in this pushka. Hopefully, you will join me later. I want to tell you, in conclusion, that in our prayers, every Saturday, we say a special prayer for you:

“Pour out your blessing on this land, on its president, judges, officers and officials, who work faithfully for the public good.

“All those who serve the public faithfully, as you do, we ask for a special prayer for your welfare, for your personal welfare and for the welfare of your families. May God bless you with health, with long life, with success in all your endeavors and let us say together, ‘Amen.’”

In an exclusive interview this reporter had with Rabbi Butman in 2019, I focused my questions on the shmura matzah he handed out to state lawmakers.

“The Rebbe always said that you should try to give matzah to as many Jews as you can. We give it to as many people as we can. When you say ‘non-Jewish’ that is not to differentiate. You’re in a room and there are Jews and non-Jews you can’t give [matzah] only to Jews and not to non-Jews; that’s not nice to do. So, you have to give it to everyone. You have to give it to everyone with appreciation. You see that the non-Jews accept it with a lot of respect,” Rabbi Butman said.

One prominent Brooklyn senator described Rabbi Butman as being non-judgmental.

“It wasn’t as though I had a very, very intimate, close relationship with him. That was one of his extraordinary character traits. You didn’t have to have an intimate close relationship with him for him to treat you with such warmth and such sensitivity and compassion as though you were his best friend. That was his nature,” Senator Simcha Felder (D-Borough Park) told The Jewish Link. “He was just an extraordinary, warm person who was full of energy. He was determined to spend his life entirely on a mission to help others do good things. If necessary, to help them, period.

“It was fascinating for me to see the variety of senators, personalities, religions and people who were not religious at all. You never heard them say anything but nice things. It’s really a loss because the Jewish community clearly needs leaders and representatives that go out in the world and project the types of personality traits that he had. It’s a real loss to the community.”

One lawmaker from Manhattan remembered Rabbi Butman fondly.

“As a Soviet-born child who survived the throes of World War II, Rabbi Butman epitomized the resilience and aspirations of first-generation Americans. He grew alongside and shaped New York’s post-war Jewish community, notably as director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization,” Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright (D-Yorkville, Manhattan) told The Jewish Link. “He believed that wisdom, faith and unshakable optimism could uplift our entire state. With antisemitism growing nationwide, we should honor Rabbi Butman’s outreach, activism and pursuit of justice. New York flourished from them and will be incomplete in their absence. To his friends, family and students, I send my heartfelt condolences. May Rabbi Butman’s memory be a blessing.”

In the end of his life, the man with such a big heart for everyone else died from a heart condition.