Mayor-elect Eric Adams, in Ghana, Explains How Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt"l, Inspires Him

By Yehudit Garmaise

Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who many times has spoken of how we must “turn pain into purpose,” as he did by joining the NYPD to change it from within, after he suffered from police brutality as a teen, spoke to a crowd, last night, at a Chabad House in Accra, Ghana, explained how the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, inspired him.

“We all have open wounds to close,” said Adams, who was wearing a traditional African tunic, at a Chanukah event. “You have the open wounds of what happened in Nazi Germany.

“I came here to close the open wound of slavery and reconnect with my ancestors, who hundreds of years ago, left these shores in slavery. I came back to Africa with the mayoralty. 

“It is because, no matter what pain we experience, we must turn that pain into purpose.”

“No one personified that idea more than the Grand Rebbe of Crown Heights, who told the men and women of his community to go out across the globe and open Chabad houses, and spread the energy and spirit of Judaism. 

“We are looking at the seeds that he planted.”

Adams, who previously explained the was going to Ghana “on a spiritual journal to pray,” explained that transforming our traumas into positive actions is “what the miracle of what Chanukah represents: the spirit and energy of a light never going out: the miracle of the oil burning.”

Adams, who visited the concentration camps in Poland several years ago, explained that he understands the pain that comes from the extent of the violence with which “men sometimes treat other men.”

“But this is our opportunity for this generation and these children to show that we are members of the greatest race alive: and that is the human race. Let’s make sure this is a safe Chanukah for our children and our families and for humanity.

“I am happy to be here in Ghana with you: showing how great we are as a people.”