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'''Chabad-Lubavitch''' is the Chassidic movement founded by [[the Alter Rebbe|Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe)]] dedicated to spreading the teachings of [[the Baal Shem Tov|Rabbi Yisrael ben Elizer (the Baal Shem Tov)]] and [[the Maggid of Mezritch|Rabbi Dovber ben Avraham (the Maggid of Mezritch)]]. Including the Alter Rebbe, there are seven Rebbes of Chabad-Lubavitch. The teachings of Chabad focus on the transformation of the individual to serve [[Hakadosh Baruch Hu (G-d)|the Almighty]] with one's mind and heart, and on the mission of bringing the Jewish People from [[Galus (Exile)]] and to the Geulah (final redemption).
'''Chabad-Lubavitch''' is the Chassidic movement founded by [[the Alter Rebbe|Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe)]] dedicated to spreading the teachings of [[the Baal Shem Tov|Rabbi Yisrael ben Elizer (the Baal Shem Tov)]] and [[the Maggid of Mezritch|Rabbi Dovber ben Avraham (the Maggid of Mezritch)]]. Including the Alter Rebbe, there are seven Rebbes of Chabad-Lubavitch. The teachings of Chabad focus on the transformation of the individual to serve [[Hakadosh Baruch Hu (G-d)|the Almighty]] with one's mind and heart, and on the mission of bringing the Jewish People from [[Galus (Exile)]] and to the Geulah (final redemption).
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The Chabad movement was founded in Tsarist Russia by the Alter Rebbe. It is a main offshoot of the general Chassidic movement founded by the Baal Shem Tov, and his successor, the Maggid of Mezritch. The name "Chabad" (חב״ד) is an acronym formed from the three Hebrew words [[Sefiras HaChochma|Chochmah]] (חכמה "Wisdom") , [[Sefiras HaBinah|Binah]] (בינה "Understanding"), [[Sefiras HaDaas|Daas]] (דעת "Knowledge") which are the first three of the [[Ten Sefiros]] (a fundamental concept in [[Kabbalah]]). These three aspects of the intellect represent the focus of [[Toras HaChassidus|Chabad teachings]].<ref>"About Chabad-Lubavitch" Chabad.org.</ref> The name [[Lubavitch]] refers to the town in which the Alter Rebbe's son and successor, [[the Mitteler Rebbe|Rabbi Dovber Schneuri (the Mitteler Rebbe)]], relocated the movement after the war between Napoleon and Russia. The succeeding Rebbes of Chabad resided in the town until the First World War. Following the rise of Communism in Russia, the sixth Rebbe of Chabad, [[the Rebbe Rayatz|Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (the Rebbe Rayatz)]], moved the center of the Chabad movement from Russia to Poland. After the outbreak of World War II, he moved the center of the movement to [[770 Eastern Parkway]] in the [[Crown Heights]] section of Brooklyn (New York, [[United States of America|USA]]). There, following the ''[[histalkus]]'' of the Rebbe Rayatz in 1950, [[the Rebbe|Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe)]], became the leader of the worldwide Chabad movement exactly one year later. In the following decades, the Rebbe transformed the Chabad movement into one of the most widespread Jewish movements in the world. Under his leadership, Chabad established a large network of institutions to [[Spreading the Wellsprings (Hafatzat HaMayanot)]] of the teachings of Chassidus, as well as to provide for the religious, social and humanitarian needs of Jews across the world. Chabad institutions provide outreach to unaffiliated Jews and humanitarian aid, as well as religious, cultural and educational activities. The impact of the Chabad movement on non-Chassidic Jews is widely recognised. In a 2020 study, the Pew Research Center found that 16% of American Jews from different backgrounds participated in Chabad services or activities at least semi-regularly.<ref>Pew Research Center, "Jewish Americans in 2020", pewforum.org.</ref> From the first [[maamer]] of the Rebbe's ''nesiyus'' (''Basi LeGani 5711''), The Rebbe's focus on the immediate coming of the [[Moshiach]], a foundational Jewish belief, was made clear. This approach continued throughout the Rebbe's ''sichos'' (talks), ''maamarim'' (discourses), ''igros kodesh'' (letters), ''horaos'' (instructions). This culminated in the Moshiach Campaign which [[The only Shlichus (השליחות היחידה)|mandated Chabad Chassidim to bring Moshiach now]].
The Chabad movement was founded in Tsarist Russia by the Alter Rebbe. It is a main offshoot of the general Chassidic movement founded by the Baal Shem Tov, and his successor, the Maggid of Mezritch. The name "Chabad" (חב״ד) is an acronym formed from the three Hebrew words [[Sefiras HaChochma|Chochmah]] (חכמה "Wisdom") , [[Sefiras HaBinah|Binah]] (בינה "Understanding"), [[Sefiras HaDaas|Daas]] (דעת "Knowledge") which are the first three of the [[Ten Sefiros]] (a fundamental concept in [[Kabbalah]]). These three aspects of the intellect represent the focus of [[Toras HaChassidus|Chabad teachings]].<ref>"About Chabad-Lubavitch" Chabad.org.</ref> The name [[Lubavitch]] refers to the town in which the Alter Rebbe's son and successor, [[the Mitteler Rebbe|Rabbi Dovber Schneuri (the Mitteler Rebbe)]], relocated the movement after the war between Napoleon and Russia. The succeeding Rebbes of Chabad resided in the town until the First World War. Following the rise of Communism in Russia, the sixth Rebbe of Chabad, [[the Rebbe Rayatz|Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (the Rebbe Rayatz)]], moved the center of the Chabad movement from Russia to Poland. After the outbreak of World War II, he moved the center of the movement to [[770 Eastern Parkway]] in the [[Crown Heights]] section of Brooklyn (New York, [[United States of America|USA]]). There, following the ''[[histalkus]]'' of the Rebbe Rayatz in 1950, [[the Rebbe|Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe)]], became the leader of the worldwide Chabad movement exactly one year later. In the following decades, the Rebbe transformed the Chabad movement into one of the most widespread Jewish movements in the world. Under his leadership, Chabad established a large network of institutions to [[Spreading the Wellsprings (Hafatzat HaMayanot)]] of the teachings of Chassidus, as well as to provide for the religious, social and humanitarian needs of Jews across the world. Chabad institutions provide outreach to unaffiliated Jews and humanitarian aid, as well as religious, cultural and educational activities. The impact of the Chabad movement on non-Chassidic Jews is widely recognised. In a 2020 study, the Pew Research Center found that 16% of American Jews from different backgrounds participated in Chabad services or activities at least semi-regularly.<ref>Pew Research Center, "Jewish Americans in 2020", pewforum.org.</ref> From the first [[maamer]] of the Rebbe's ''nesiyus'' (''Basi LeGani 5711''), The Rebbe's focus on the immediate coming of the [[Moshiach]], a foundational Jewish belief, was made clear. This approach continued throughout the Rebbe's ''sichos'' (talks), ''maamarim'' (discourses), ''igros kodesh'' (letters), ''horaos'' (instructions). This culminated in the Moshiach Campaign which [[The only Shlichus (השליחות היחידה)|mandated Chabad Chassidim to bring Moshiach now]].


The Alter Rebbe was born in 1745 in the city of Liozna. He soon became a student of the Maggid of Mezritch, the successor of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement. Following the histalkus of the Maggid and the departure of Rabbi Meachme Mendel of Vitebsk and other Chassidic leaders to [[Eretz Yisroel]], the Alter Rebbe became the leader of the Chassidim in Russia, later moving to the town of Liadi. The Alter Rebbe developed the teachings of Chabad in the book of [[Tanya]] which emphasised the use of one's intellectual faculties. This distinguished the Chabad movement from other branches of the Chassidic movement (and are often referred to the Rebbes as Chagas, after the emotive faculties). Following the war between Napoleon and Russia, and the histalkus of the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe settled in Lubavitch. His son-in-law and successor, [[the Tzemach Tzedek]] led the Chabad movement for many years. His son, [[the Rebbe Maharash]], continued to lead in Lubavitch. His son, [[the Rebbe Rashab]], founded [[Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim]] and fought to strengthen Chassidus Chabad during a time of mass secularization. At that time, many Chassidim moved away from Russia, and many settled in the United States where they soon created Agudas Chasidei Chabad ("Association of Chabad Hasidim"). His son, [[the Rebbe Rayatz]], fought to preserve Judaism under the rule of the Communists. In 1927, the Rebbe Rayatz was arrested by the Russian Secret Police and was sentenced to death. The sentence was averted and the Rebbe Rayatz left Russia, visiting Latvia, America, Eretz Yisroel, before relocating to Poland, near Warsaw. With the start of the Second World War, the Rebbe Rayatz was saved from the hands of the Germans and arrived in America.<ref name=Altein>Altein, R, Zaklikofsky, E, Jacobson, I: ''Out of the Inferno: The Efforts That Led to the Rescue of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch from War Torn Europe in 1939–40''. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2002.</ref> After the histalkus of the Rebbe Rayatz, the Rebbe became the seventh leader of Chabad-Lubavitch. Under the Leadership of the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe, the influence of Chabad among world Jewry became very far-reaching. New institutions were created around the world under the banner of Chabad-Lubavitch. During the period of the "counterculture", the Rebbe pioneered the effort to inspire young, unaffiliated Jewish men and women to become ''baalei teshuva'' ("returnees" to Judaism). The very first Yeshivas for such baalei teshuva was [[Hadar Hatorah]] for men and [[Machon Chana]] for women. Following the Yom Kippur War, the Rebbe initiated the use of Public Menorah lightings which attracted thousands of Jews to celebrate Judaism in public. It is reported that up to a million Jews attend Chabad services at least once a year.<ref name="Slater Page 279" /><ref name="winnipegfreepress.com">Chabad Lubavitch centre set for River Heights area. 5 August 2007. Sharon Chisvin. Winnipeg Free Press.</ref>
The Alter Rebbe was born in 1745 in the city of Liozna. He soon became a student of the Maggid of Mezritch, the successor of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement. Following the histalkus of the Maggid and the departure of Rabbi Meachme Mendel of Vitebsk and other Chassidic leaders to [[Eretz Yisroel]], the Alter Rebbe became the leader of the Chassidim in Russia, later moving to the town of Liadi. The Alter Rebbe developed the teachings of Chabad in the book of [[Tanya]] which emphasised the use of one's intellectual faculties. This distinguished the Chabad movement from other branches of the Chassidic movement (and are often referred to the Rebbes as Chagas, after the emotive faculties). Following the war between Napoleon and Russia, and the histalkus of the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe settled in Lubavitch. His son-in-law and successor, [[the Tzemach Tzedek]] led the Chabad movement for many years. His son, [[the Rebbe Maharash]], continued to lead in Lubavitch. His son, [[the Rebbe Rashab]], founded [[Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim]] and fought to strengthen Chassidus Chabad during a time of mass secularization. At that time, many Chassidim moved away from Russia, and many settled in the United States where they soon created Agudas Chasidei Chabad ("Association of Chabad Hasidim"). His son, [[the Rebbe Rayatz]], fought to preserve Judaism under the rule of the Communists. In 1927, the Rebbe Rayatz was arrested by the Russian Secret Police and was sentenced to death. The sentence was averted and the Rebbe Rayatz left Russia, visiting Latvia, America, Eretz Yisroel, before relocating to Poland, near Warsaw. With the start of the Second World War, the Rebbe Rayatz was saved from the hands of the Germans and arrived in America.<ref name=Altein>Altein, R, Zaklikofsky, E, Jacobson, I: ''Out of the Inferno: The Efforts That Led to the Rescue of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch from War Torn Europe in 1939–40''. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2002.</ref> After the histalkus of the Rebbe Rayatz, the Rebbe became the seventh leader of Chabad-Lubavitch. Under the Leadership of the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe, the influence of Chabad among world Jewry became very far-reaching. New institutions were created around the world under the banner of Chabad-Lubavitch. During the period of the "counterculture", the Rebbe pioneered the effort to inspire young, unaffiliated Jewish men and women to become ''baalei teshuva'' ("returnees" to Judaism). The very first Yeshivas for such baalei teshuva was [[Hadar Hatorah]] for men and [[Machon Chana]] for women. Following the Yom Kippur War, the Rebbe initiated the use of Public Menorah lightings which attracted thousands of Jews to celebrate Judaism in public. It is reported that up to a million Jews attend Chabad services at least once a year.<ref name="winnipegfreepress.com">Chabad Lubavitch centre set for River Heights area. 5 August 2007. Sharon Chisvin. Winnipeg Free Press.</ref>


[[Chassidus|Chabad Chassidus]] focuses on religious and spiritual concepts such as the creation of the world, the soul, and the meaning of Torah and mitzvos. The [[Zohar]] and the [[Kabbalah]] of the Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, form the basis for the teachings of Chabad Chassidus. The ''[[Tanya]]'' is a work of Chassidic thought by [[the Alter Rebbe]] first published in 1797. It is the first schematic treatment of Chassidic moral philosophy and its metaphysical foundations.<ref name="sacks" /> The book's original title was ''Likkutei Amarim'' ("Collected Teachings") as the Alter Rebbe compiled ideas from his teachers. The informal name "Tanya" ("It was taught") comes from the first word of the first chapter. The final edition of the Tanya has five sections, the first and most prominent section is ''Sefer Shel Beinonim'' ("The Book of the Intermediates") and emphasized that the goal of every Jew and every Chasid is to maintain the spiritual level of the Benuni ("Intermediate Person"). The Alter Rebbe analyzes the inner struggle of such an individual and the path to resolution. Citing the ''pasuk'' (biblical verse) "the matter is very near to you, in your mouth, your heart, to do",<ref>Devarim 30:14.</ref> the teaching is based on the notion that the human is not inherently evil; rather, every individual has an inner conflict that is characterized by a struggle between two different souls, the Nefesh HaElokis (G-dly Soul) and the Nefesh HaBehamis (Animal Soul).<ref name="sacks tanya">''The Encyclopedia of Hasidism'', "Tanya", Jonathan Sacks, pp. 475–477 (15682–11236)</ref> While other branches of Hasidism primarily focused on the idea that ''Rachamana liba ba'ei'' ("the Merciful One desires the heart"), Shneur Zalman argued that the Almighty also desires the mind, and he also argued that the mind is the "gateway" to the heart. With the Chabad Chassidus, the mind is elevated above the heart, and that "understanding is the mother of fear and love for G-d".<ref>''Tanya'', Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Chapter 13.</ref> Emotions are not merely a reaction to physical stimuli, such as dancing, singing, or beauty. Instead, the emotions must be led by the mind, and thus the focus of Chabad thought was to be [[Torah]] study and prayer rather than mere cleaving to the Tzaddik.<ref name="sacks" />
[[Chassidus|Chabad Chassidus]] focuses on religious and spiritual concepts such as the creation of the world, the soul, and the meaning of Torah and mitzvos. The [[Zohar]] and the [[Kabbalah]] of the Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, form the basis for the teachings of Chabad Chassidus. The ''[[Tanya]]'' is a work of Chassidic thought by [[the Alter Rebbe]] first published in 1797. The book's original title was ''Likkutei Amarim'' ("Collected Teachings") as the Alter Rebbe compiled ideas from his teachers. The informal name "Tanya" ("It was taught") comes from the first word of the first chapter. The final edition of the Tanya has five sections, the first and most prominent section is ''Sefer Shel Beinonim'' ("The Book of the Intermediates") and emphasized that the goal of every Jew and every Chasid is to maintain the spiritual level of the Benuni ("Intermediate Person"). The Alter Rebbe analyzes the inner struggle of such an individual and the path to resolution. Citing the ''pasuk'' (biblical verse) "the matter is very near to you, in your mouth, your heart, to do",<ref>Devarim 30:14.</ref> the teaching is based on the notion that the human is not inherently evil; rather, every individual has an inner conflict that is characterized by a struggle between two different souls, the Nefesh HaElokis (G-dly Soul) and the Nefesh HaBehamis (Animal Soul).<ref name="sacks tanya">''The Encyclopedia of Hasidism'', "Tanya", Jonathan Sacks, pp. 475–477 (15682–11236)</ref> While other branches of Hasidism primarily focused on the idea that ''Rachamana liba ba'ei'' ("the Merciful One desires the heart"), Shneur Zalman argued that the Almighty also desires the mind, and he also argued that the mind is the "gateway" to the heart. With the Chabad Chassidus, the mind is elevated above the heart, and that "understanding is the mother of fear and love for G-d".<ref>''Tanya'', Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Chapter 13.</ref> Emotions are not merely a reaction to physical stimuli, such as dancing, singing, or beauty. Instead, the emotions must be led by the mind, and thus the focus of Chabad thought was to be [[Torah]] study and prayer rather than mere cleaving to the Tzaddik.<ref name="sacks tanya" />


== Geography ==
== Geography ==
The [[geography of Chabad|geography of the Chabad movement]] spreads across the world. Chabad maintains a strong presence in every significant Jewish community across the world.
[[File:שלוחים.jpg|thumb|200px|Shluchim from around the world]]
The [[geography of Chabad|geography of the Chabad movement]] spreads across the world. Chabad maintains a strong presence in every significant Jewish community across the world. Although the Chabad movement was founded and originally based in the Russian Empire and Eastern Europe, various Chabad communities span the globe, including [[Crown Heights]] in [[Brooklyn]], and [[Kfar Chabad]] in [[Eretz Yisroel]]. Chabad communities are present in many other countries, as are Chabad shluchim in many more remote places.
* '''Russia and Eastern Europe''' - Initially, Chabad was based in Liozna and Liadi before being centered in Lubavitch. The Chabad movement was at times subjected to governmental oppression in Russia. The Russian government, first under the Czar, later under the Bolsheviks, imprisoned all but one of the Chabad rebbes. The Bolsheviks also imprisoned, exiled and executed many Chabad Chassidim. And many were sent to Siberia for years of hard labor. Between the two World Wars, Chabad communities were reestablished and strengthened across Eastern Europe, including in Poland, where the Rebbe Rayatz settled. During the Second World War, the Rebbe Rayatz was rescued and came to America. Many Chabad Chassidim evacuated to the Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Tashkent where they established small centers of Chassidic life, while at the same time seeking ways to emigrate from Soviet Russia due to the government's suppression of religious life.<ref>Estraikh, G. (2018). Escape through Poland: Soviet Jewish Emigration in the 1950s. Jewish History, 31(3-4), 291-317.</ref> The reach of Chabad in Central Asia also included earlier efforts that took place in the 1920s.<ref>Levin, Z. (2015). 1 "The Wastelands": The Jews of Central Asia. In Collectivization and Social Engineering: Soviet Administration and the Jews of Uzbekistan, 1917–1939 (pp. 7–26). Brill.</ref> Following the war, and well after the center of the Chabad movement moved to the United States, the movement remained active in Soviet Russia, aiding the local Jews known as Refuseniks who sought to learn more about Judaism.<ref>Beizer, M. (2007). The Jews of struggle: the Jewish national movement in the USSR, 1967–1989.</ref> And throughout the Soviet era, the Chabad movement maintained a secret network across the USSR.<ref>Gitelman, Z. (2007). Do Jewish Schools Make a Difference in the Former Soviet Union?. East European Jewish Affairs, 37(3), 377–398.</ref> Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, state persecution of Chabad ceased, and the Chabad movement openly leads the rebuilding of Judaism in Russia. Similarly, the Chabad presence in other Eastern European countries have grown since the fall of the Soviet Union.
* '''North America:''' The presence of Chabad in the [[United States of America]] dates back over a century, with the migration of Chabad families to America following the ''pogroms'' in Tsarist Russia. The most notable community is in [[Crown Heights]] where the Rebbe Rayatz chose to be the new center of Lubavitch. The community has its own Beis Din (rabbinical court), Vaad Hakahal (Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC)), many shuls, yeshivas and schools. Other communities in America include [[Boro Park]], [[Monsey]], [[Miami]] and many others. Similarly, Chabad in Canada includes communities in [[Toronto]] and [[Montreal]] which also date over a century. Two Chabad congregations participated in first Canadian Jewish Conference of 1915. One congregation is listed as "Chabad of Toronto", and the other is listed as "Libavitzer Congregation". A Chasid named Rabbi Menashe Lavut who passed away in 1931 is listed as the founder of both Anshei Chabad in Montreal and the Nusach Ari synagogue.<ref>Lapidus, Steven. "The Forgotten Hasidim: Rabbis and Rebbes in Prewar Canada" Canadian Jewish Studies. 2004. Volume 12.</ref>
* '''Israel:''' The most notable Chabad community is [[Kfar Chabad]] which was established following the direction of the Rebbe Rayatz. The Chabad community in [[Tzfas]] originated during the wave of Eastern European immigration to Eretz Yisroel from 1777–1840. The Chabad community established synagogues and institutions in Safad. The early settlement declined by the 20th century but it was renewed following an initiative by the seventh rebbe in the early 1970s, which reestablished the Chabad community in the city.<ref name=tzefatcoil>www.safed.co.il. The Chabad Hassidic Community in Tzfat. Accessed September 14, 2014.</ref> Rabbi Yeshaya HaLevi Horowitz (1883–1978), a Safad-born direct descendant of Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz, author of the Shnei Luchot HaBrit (Shelah), served as the rabbi of the Chabad community in Safad from 1908 until his immigration to the U.S. during World War I.<ref>www.kedem-auctions.com. "Sefer HaZohar – Including Glosses by Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz of Safad and His Son Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz Author of 'Yemei Shmuel.'" Judaica Auction no. 27- Books and Manuscripts. October 6, 2016. ''Kedem Auction House''. Retrieved September 14, 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016</ref> Other notable communities include Yerushalyim and Chevron, where members of the [[Beis HaRav]] lived many years ago, as well as other locations, such as Lod, and Nachlat Har Chabad in Kiryat Malakhi.
* '''France''' – The Chabad community in France includes many of the descendants of immigrants from North Africa (specifically Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) who moved to France during the 1960s.<ref name=chabadfrance>Gutwirth, Jacques. 2005. Hassidim in France today. ''Jewish Journal of Sociology 47''(1–2). pp.5–21.</ref>


* '''Russia''' - Initially, Chabad was subjected to governmental oppression in Russia. The Russian government, first under the Czar, later under the Bolsheviks, imprisoned all but one of the Chabad rebbes. The Bolsheviks also imprisoned, exiled and executed many Chabad Chassidim. And many were sent to Siberia for years of hard labor. During the Second World War, many Chabad Chassidim evacuated to the Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Tashkent where they established small centers of Chassidic life, while at the same time seeking ways to emigrate from Soviet Russia due to the government's suppression of religious life.<ref>Estraikh, G. (2018). Escape through Poland: Soviet Jewish Emigration in the 1950s. Jewish History, 31(3-4), 291-317.</ref> The reach of Chabad in Central Asia also included earlier efforts that took place in the 1920s.<ref>Levin, Z. (2015). 1 "The Wastelands": The Jews of Central Asia. In Collectivization and Social Engineering: Soviet Administration and the Jews of Uzbekistan, 1917–1939 (pp. 7–26). Brill.</ref> Following the war, and well after the center of the Chabad movement moved to the United States, the movement remained active in Soviet Russia, aiding the local Jews known as Refuseniks who sought to learn more about Judaism.<ref>Beizer, M. (2007). The Jews of struggle: the Jewish national movement in the USSR, 1967–1989.</ref> And throughout the Soviet era, the Chabad movement maintained a secret network across the USSR.<ref>Gitelman, Z. (2007). Do Jewish Schools Make a Difference in the Former Soviet Union?. East European Jewish Affairs, 37(3), 377–398.</ref> Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, state persecution of Chabad ceased, and the Chabad movement openly leads the rebuilding of Judaism in Russia.
== Spreading of the Wellsprings ==
 
=== Mivtzoim ===
Although the Chabad movement was founded and originally based in Eastern Europe, various Chabad communities span the globe, including [[Crown Heights]], [[Brooklyn]], and [[Kfar Chabad]], [[Israel]]. The movement has attracted a significant number of Sephardic adherents in the past several decades, and some Chabad communities include both [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] and Sephardic Jews. For example, in [[Montreal]], close to 25% of Chabad households include a Sephardi parent.
[[File:שבע_מצוות.jpeg|thumb|200px|President Ronald Reagan recognising the Noahide Laws]]
Estimates for Chabad and other Hasidic groups are often based on extrapolation from the limited information available in US census data for some of the areas where Hasidim live. A 2006 estimate was drawn from a study on the [[Montreal]] Chabad community (determining average household size), in conjunction with language and other select indicators from US census data, it is estimated that Chabad in the [[United States]] includes approximately 4,000 households, which contains between 22,000 and 25,000 people. In terms of Chabad's relation to other Hasidic groups, within the New York metropolitan area, Chabad in the New York area accounts for around 15% of the total New York Hasidic population. Chabad is estimated to have an annual growth of 3.6%:<ref name=comenetz/>
Chabad outreach includes activities promoting the practice of Jewish commandments in the form of the [[Mivtzoim]] (Campaigns), and this call is aimed all Jews: "Even if you are not fully committed to a Torah life, do something. Begin with a mitzvah—any mitzvah—its value will not be diminished by the fact that there are others that you are not prepared to do".<ref>Chabad.org "The Rebbe's 10-Point Mitzvah Campaign" Accessed 2010-05-12.</ref> The original campaigns, included Jewish women and girls from the age of three [[Mivtza Neiros Shabbos Kodesh|lighting candles before Shabbos]], Jewish men putting on [[Mivtza Tefillin|Tefillin]], affixing a [[Mivtza Mezuzah|Mezuzah]] to all doorways of the home, [[Mivtza Torah|regular Torah study]], giving [[Mivtza Tzedakah|Tzedakah]] (Charity), [[Mivtza Bayis Molei Seforim|filling one's home]] with sefarim (holy Jewish books), [[Mivtza Kashrus|observing Kashrus]] (Kosher dietary laws), keeping the [[Mivtza Taharas Hamishpacha|Laws of Family Purity]] (Hilchos Niddah), [[Mivtza Ahavas Yisroel|loving every Jew]], supporting [[Mivtza Chinuch|Jewish education]]. A special campaign for non-Jews aimed at educating the masses about the [[Seven Laws of Noah|Noahide Laws]]. In addition, the Rebbe emphasized spreading awareness of preparing for and the coming of the [[Moshiach]], and that it was the responsibility to reach out to teach every fellow Jew with love, and implore that all Jews believe in the imminent coming of the moshiach as explained in the halachik writings of the Rambam (Maimonides). In honor of the Rebbe's efforts in education the United States government established the Rebbe's Hebrew birthday of Yud Aleph Nissan (11 Nissan) as "Education and Sharing Day".
* '''United States of America:'''
** [[Crown Heights]] – The Crown Heights Chabad community's estimated size is 12,000 to 16,000.<ref name=shaffir34>Shaffir, William. [jewishjournalofsociology.org/index.php/jjs/article/viewFile/36/34 "The renaissance of Hassidism."] [web.archive.org/web/20161106195854/jewishjournalofsociology.org/index.php/jjs/article/viewFile/36/34 |date=2016-11-06}} ''Jewish Journal of Sociology'' 48, no. 2 (2006).</ref>  It was estimated that between 25% and 35% of Chabad Hasidim in Crown Heights speak [[Yiddish]]. This figure is significantly lower than other Hasidic groups and may be attributed to the addition of previously non-Hasidic Jews to the community. It was also estimated that over 20% of Chabad Hasidim in Crown Heights speak Hebrew or Russian.<ref name=comenetz>Comenetz, Joshua. "Census-based estimation of the Hasidic Jewish population." ''Contemporary Jewry'' 26, no. 1 (2006): 35.</ref> The Crown Heights Chabad community has its own Beis Din (rabbinical court) and the Vaad Hakahal (Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC)).
* '''Israel:'''
** [[Kfar Chabad]] – Kfar Chabad's population was placed at 6,489 in 2024; all of the residents of the town are believed to be Chabad adherents, with this number being based on figures published by the [[Israeli Census Bureau]].<ref>[ |title=Regional Statistics |url=cbs.gov.il/he/publications/LochutTlushim/2020/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%99%D7%942020.xlsx |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> Other estimates place the community population at around 7,000.<ref name=shaffir34/>
** [[Tzfat]] – The Chabad community in Tzfat originated during the wave of Eastern European immigration to Palestine from 1777–1840. The Chabad community established synagogues and institutions in Safad. The early settlement declined by the 20th century but it was renewed following an initiative by the seventh rebbe in the early 1970s, which reestablished the Chabad community in the city.<ref name=tzefatcoil>[ |url=safed.co.il/chabad-in-tzfat.html |title=The Chabad Hassidic Community in Tzfat |publisher=Safed.co.il |access-date=September 14, 2014}}</ref> Rabbi Yeshaya HaLevi Horowitz (1883–1978), a Safad-born direct descendant of Rabbi [[Isaiah Horowitz|Yeshaya Horowitz]], author of the Shnei Luchot HaBrit, served as the rabbi of the Chabad community in Safad from 1908 until his immigration to the U.S. during World War I.<ref>[kedem-auctions.com/content/sefer-hazohar-%E2%80%93-including-glosses-rabbi-yeshaya-horowitz-safed-and-his-son-rabbi-shmuel "Sefer HaZohar – Including Glosses by Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz of Safad and His Son Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz Author of 'Yemei Shmuel.'" Judaica Auction no. 27- Books and Manuscripts] [web.archive.org/web/20161006013938/kedem-auctions.com/content/sefer-hazohar-%E2%80%93-including-glosses-rabbi-yeshaya-horowitz-safed-and-his-son-rabbi-shmuel |date=October 6, 2016}}. ''[[Kedem Auction House]]''. Retrieved September 14, 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016</ref> Members of the Chabad community run a number of outreach efforts during the Jewish holidays. Activities include blowing the [[shofar]] for the elderly on [[Rosh Hashana]], reading the [[Book of Esther|Megilla]] for hospital patients on Purim and setting up a [[Sukkah]] on the town's main street during the [[Sukkot]] holiday.<ref name=tzefatcoil/>
** Nachlat Har Chabad in [[Kiryat Malakhi]] is home to 2800 residents, with institutions including a yeshiva and a girls' school.
* '''France''' – The Chabad community in France is estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000. The majority of the Chabad community in France are the descendants of immigrants from North Africa (specifically Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) during the 1960s.<ref name=shaffir34/><ref name=chabadfrance>Gutwirth, Jacques. 2005. Hassidim in France today. ''Jewish Journal of Sociology 47''(1–2). pp.5–21.</ref>
* '''Canada:'''
** [[Montreal]] – The estimated size of the Chabad community of Greater [[Montreal]] is 1,590. The estimate is taken from a 2003 community study.<ref>[ |title=Chabad of Montreal: Here's the stats!!! |publisher=The Chabad Sociologist |date=October 13, 2013 |url=chabadsociologist.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/chabad-of-montreal-heres-the-stats-chabad-montreal-chabadsociology/ |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>Shahar, Charles. "Main Report: A Comprehensive Study of the Ultra Orthodox Community of Greater Montreal (2003)". Federation CJA (Montreal). (2003): pp. 7–33.</ref> The Chabad community in [[Montreal]] originated sometime before 1931. While early works on Canadian Jewry make little or no mention of early Hasidic life in [[Canada]], later researchers have documented Chabad's accounts in [[Canada]] starting from the 1900s and 1910s. [[Steven Lapidus]] notes that there is mention of two Chabad congregations in a 1915 article in the ''[[Canadian Jewish Chronicle]]'' listing the delegates of the first [[Canadian Jewish Conference]]. One congregation is listed as Chabad of Toronto, and the other is simply listed as "Libavitzer Congregation". The sociologist [[William Shaffir]] has noted that some Chabad Hasidim and sympathizers did reside in Montreal before 1941 but does not elaborate further. Steven Lapidus notes that in a 1931 obituary published in ''Keneder Odler'', a Canadian Yiddish newspaper, the deceased Rabbi [[Menashe Lavut]] is credited as the founder of Anshei Chabad in [[Montreal]] and the Nusach Ari synagogue. Thus the Chabad presence in [[Montreal]] predates 1931.<ref>[ |last=Lapidus |first=Steven |title=The Forgotten Hasidim: Rabbis and Rebbes in Prewar Canada |journal=Canadian Jewish Studies |year=2004 |volume=12 |url=pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/cjs/article/viewFile/22624/21095 |access-date=January 13, 2014}}</ref>
* '''United Arab Emirates:'''
** [[Dubai]] – The [[Jewish Community Center of UAE]] has a [[synagogue]] and a [[Talmud Torah]]. 1,000 [[Kashrus|kosher]] chickens per week are provided to the community by local kosher [[shechita]]. The community is headed by Rabbi [[Levi Duchman]].<ref>[|date=2020-06-11|title=A robust Jewish life exists in the U.A.E.|url=ynetnews.com/article/HkuTEWg6I|access-date=2020-06-18|website=ynetnews|language=en|last1=Salami|first1=Daniel}}</ref><ref>[|title=Baltimore Jewish Life {{!}} A New Talmud Torah Opens in Dubai|url=baltimorejewishlife.com:443/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=3&ARTICLE_ID=131802|access-date=2020-06-18|website=baltimorejewishlife.com}}</ref><ref>[|title=Kiddush, Torah learning, and gefilte fish in Dubai – Jewish World|date=11 June 2020 |url=israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281713|access-date=2020-06-18|publisher=Arutz Sheva|language=en}}</ref>


== Holidays and customs ==
== Holidays and customs ==
=== Holidays ===
{| class="infobox" style="width:25%; border: 1px solid #339999; background-color: #cceeee; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 0.2em; color: black; float: right; text-align: center; font-size: 85%; clear:right;"
There are a number of [[Chabad holidays|days marked by the Chabad movement as special days]]. Major holidays include the dates of the release of the Rebbes of the movement from Russian persecution, others corresponded to ''Yom Huledes'' (birthday), ''histalkus'' (passing), and other life events. The days marking the leaders' release, are celebrated by the Chabad movement as ''Yemei Geulah'' ("Days of Liberation"). The most special day is [[Yud Tes Kislev]]—the liberation of the Alter Rebbe, the founder of the Chabad movement. The day is also called ''Rosh Hashanah LaChassidus'' ("New Year of Chassidus").<ref name="sichoscustom"/> The birthdays celebrated each year include [[Chai Elul]] (18 Elul), the birthday of the Alter Rebbe,<ref name="Elul customs">[ |date=September 6, 2012 |url=shmais.com/chabad-news/latest/item/chabad-elul-customs |last=Dalfin |first=Chaim |title=Chabad Elul Customs |publisher=Shmais.com |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name="ChaiElul">[ |author=Menachem Mendel Schneerson |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/155859/jewish/Chai-Elul.htm |title=Chai Elul: Breathing New Life Into Our Divine Service |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> and [[Yud Aleph Nissan]] (11 Nissan), the birthday of the Rebbe, the seventh rebbe of Chabad.<ref>"Dade Jews throw birthday party for New York Rabbi", David Hancock, ''The Miami Herald'', April 14, 1992</ref> The days of passing (histalkus or [[yartzeit]]) celebrated each year, include [[Yud Shvat]], the ''histalkus'' of [[the Rebbe Rayatz]], the sixth rebbe of Chabad,<ref name="YartzCust">[ |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/82245/jewish/Yahrtzeit-Observances.htm |title=Yahrtzeit Observances |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> and [[Chof Beis Shvat]] (22 Shvat), the ''yartzeit'' of [[Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson]], the wife of the Rebbe.<ref>[|url=chabadinfo.com/index.php/jq/css/ui-lightness/jq/js/?url=newsnew_en&string=tag_Chof%20Beis%20Shvat|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20131216191431/chabadinfo.com/index.php/jq/css/ui-lightness/jq/js/?url=newsnew_en&string=tag_Chof%20Beis%20Shvat|url-status=dead|title=Chof Beis Shvat. ''Chabad.info''.|archive-date=December 16, 2013}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightblue;"
 
! style="background-color: #339999;" | <font size=4>The Rebbe's Takanos</font>
=== Customs ===
Chabad Chassidim follow Chabad [[minhag|traditions]] and [[Nusach Ari|prayer services]] based on [[Lurianic Kabbalah]].<ref>[ |author=Nissan Mindel |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111878/jewish/Rabbi-Isaac-Luria-The-Ari-Hakodosh.htm |title=Rabbi Isaac Luria – The Ari Hakodosh |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> General Chabad customs, called [[minhagim]] (or [[minhagei Chabad]]), distinguish the movement from other Hasidic groups. Some of the main Chabad customs are minor practices performed on traditional [[Jewish holidays]]:
 
* [[Passover]] – It is customary in Chabad communities, on Passover, to limit contact of ''[[matzah]]'' (an unleavened bread eaten on Passover) with water. This custom is called [[gebrokts]] ({{langx|yi|געבראָכטס}}, lit. 'broken'). However, on the last day of Passover, it is customary to intentionally have matzah come in contact with water.<ref>[ |url=chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/265990/jewish/Gebrokts-Wetted-Matzah.htm |title=Gebrokts: Wetted Matzah |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Chanukah]] – It is the custom of Chabad Hasidim to place the Chanukah [[Menorah (Hanukkah)|menorah]] against the room's doorpost (and not on the windowsill).<ref name="sichoscustom">[|url=chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting_cdo/aid/6226/jewish/Shabbat-Candle-Lighting-Times.htm|title=Shabbat Candle-Lighting Times|website=chabad.org}}</ref><ref>Schneersohn, Shalom Dovber. Tanu Rabbanan: Ner Chanukah ''Sichos In English'', N.Y., 1990.</ref><ref>[ |date=November 24, 2013 |url=crownheights.info/something-jewish/412805/laws-and-customs-chanukah/ |title=Laws and Customs: Chanukah |publisher=CrownHeights.info |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
* Prayer – The founder of Chabad wrote a very specific liturgy for the daily and festival prayers based on the teachings of the Kabbalists, primarily the [[Isaac Luria|Arizal]].
* The founder of Chabad also instituted various other [[Halakha|halachic]] rulings, including the use of stainless steel knives for the slaughter of animals before human consumption, which are now universally accepted in all sects of Judaism.


== Organizations ==
Chabad's central organization representing the movement at large, [[Agudas Chasidei Chabad]], is headed by Rabbi [[Abraham Shemtov]]. The educational, outreach and social services arms, [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]] and [[Machneh Israel (Chabad)|Machneh Israel]] are headed by Rabbi [[Yehuda Krinsky]], as well as the Chabad-Lubavitch publishing house, [[Kehot Publication Society]]. Local Chabad centers and institutions are usually incorporated as separate legal entities.<ref name="PBurstein">[ | last1 = Burstein | first1 = Paul | year = 2011 | title = Jewish Nonprofit Organizations in the U.S.: A Preliminary Survey | journal = Contemporary Jewry | volume = 31 | issue = 2| pages = 129–148 | doi = 10.1007/s12397-010-9028-5| s2cid = 144478093 }}</ref> As of 2020 there were over 3,500 Chabad centers in 100 countries.<ref name="drake">[|url=www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0602/feature4/index.html|last=Drake|first=Carolyn|title=A Faith Grows in Brooklyn|work=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]|date=February 2006|access-date=2006-01-23|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20060203030144/www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0602/feature4/index.html|archive-date=2006-02-03|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[|url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2346206/jewish/Facts-and-Statistics.htm|title=Facts and Statistics - Chabad.org}}</ref> The Chabad movement's online directory lists around 1,350 Chabad institutions. This number includes schools and other Chabad-affiliated establishments. The number of Chabad centers vary per country; the majority are in the [[United States]] and [[Israel]]. There are over 100 countries with a Chabad presence. In total, according to its directory, Chabad maintains a presence in 950 [[cities]] around the world: 178 in Europe, 14 in Africa, 200 in Israel, 400 in North America, 38 in South America, and about 70 in Asia (excluding Israel, including Russia).<ref name="popo">[ |url=chabad.org/centers/default_cdo/jewish/Centers.htm |title=Chabad-Lubavitch Directory |publisher=Chabad |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
Chabad presence varies from region to region. The continent with the highest concentration of Chabad centers is North America. The [[continent]] with the fewest centers is Africa.<ref name="LubavNorthAmerica">[|url=lubavitch.com/centers/region.html|title=Chabad Lubavitch Brooklyn New York NY World Headquarters|first=Chabad|last=Lubavitch|website=lubavitch.com|access-date=2013-11-06|archive-date=2013-09-01|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20130901111827/lubavitch.com/centers/region.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="LubavAfrica">[|url=lubavitch.com/centers/region.html?id=1&f=c|title=Chabad Lubavitch Brooklyn New York NY World Headquarters|first=Chabad|last=Lubavitch|website=lubavitch.com|access-date=2013-11-04|archive-date=2015-10-16|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20151016221727/lubavitch.com/centers/region.html?id=1&f=c|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Vladimir Putin, Berl Lazar, Alexander Boroda (2016-12-28).jpg|thumb|Russia's Chief Rabbi [[Berel Lazar]] (left) speaks with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], 28 December 2016]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="width:110px;"| Geographic location !! data-sort-type="number" | Chabad institutions
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|North America ||2,894
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|Europe ||1,133
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|Asia ||615
|-
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|South America ||208
|- style="background:lightblue;"
! style="background-color: #33cccc;" | <font size=2>Takanos for Torah Study</font>
|-
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|Oceania ||67
| [[Limud Inyonei Geulah U'Moshiach]] • [[Limud Inyonei Beis HaBechirah]] • [[Limud Perek Tanya before Tefillah]] • [[Limud Shiurei Rambam]] • [[Tahalucha]] • [[Writing Haoros]] • [[Siyum Mesechtas (Nine Days)]] • [[Limud Chassidus (Kislev)]] • [[Limud Likutei Torah]]
|-
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|Africa ||55
|- class="sortbottom"
| '''Total''' || '''4,972'''
|}
|}
=== Holidays ===
There are a number of [[Chabad holidays|days marked by the Chabad movement as special days]]. Major holidays include the dates of the release of the Rebbes of the movement from Russian persecution, others corresponded to ''Yom Huledes'' (birthday), ''histalkus'' (passing), and other life events. The days marking the leaders' release, are celebrated by the Chabad movement as ''Yemei Geulah'' ("Days of Liberation"). The most special day is [[Yud Tes Kislev]]—the liberation of the Alter Rebbe, the founder of the Chabad movement. The day is also called ''Rosh Hashanah LaChassidus'' ("New Year of Chassidus").<ref name="sichoscustom"/> The birthdays celebrated each year include [[Chai Elul]] (18 Elul), the birthday of the Alter Rebbe,<ref name="Elul customs">September 6, 2012. Dalfin, Chaim. Chabad Elul Customs. Shmais.com. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref><ref name="ChaiElul">Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. chabad.org. Chai Elul: Breathing New Life Into Our Divine Service. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref> and [[Yud Aleph Nissan]] (11 Nissan), the birthday of the Rebbe, the seventh rebbe of Chabad.<ref>"Dade Jews throw birthday party for New York Rabbi", David Hancock, ''The Miami Herald'', April 14, 1992</ref> The days of passing (histalkus or [[yartzeit]]) celebrated each year, include [[Yud Shvat]], the ''histalkus'' of [[the Rebbe Rayatz]], the sixth rebbe of Chabad,<ref name="YartzCust">Yahrtzeit Observances. Chabad.org. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref> and [[Chof Beis Shvat]] (22 Shvat), the ''yartzeit'' of [[Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson]], the wife of the Rebbe.<ref>www.chabadinfo.com. Chof Beis Shvat. ''Chabad.info''.Archived December 16, 2013.</ref>


=== Chabad house ===
=== ''Minhagim'' (Customs) ===
A Chabad house is a form of [[Jewish community center]], primarily serving both educational and observance purposes.<ref>[ |author=Marcelle S. Fischler |title=Is It a Home or a House of Worship? |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 16, 2005 |url=query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00EEDC1F31F93BA25751C1A9639C8B63 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2015}} Often, until the community can support its own center, the Chabad house is located in the {{Lang|he|[[shaliach]]}}''<nowiki/>'s'' home, with the living room being used as the "synagogue". Effort is made to provide an atmosphere in which the nonobservant will not feel intimidated by any perceived contrast between their lack of knowledge of Jewish practice and the advanced knowledge of some of the people they meet there.<ref>[ |title=Passover seders, around the world |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=March 23, 2007 |newspaper=Kentucky New Era |page=28 |url=news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=20070323&id=UAgsAAAAIBAJ&pg=5379,7656059 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> The term "Chabad House" originated with the creation of the first such outreach center on the campus of [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] by Rabbi [[Shlomo Cunin]].<ref>''Challenge''<!-- author? date? page? URL? --></ref> A key to the Chabad house was given to the Rebbe and he asked if that meant that the new house was his home. He was told yes and he replied, "My hand will be on the door of this house to keep it open twenty-four hours a day for young and old, men and women alike."<ref>[|title=Chumash Devarim|publisher=Kehot Publication Society|year=2011|isbn=978-0-8266-0194-0|location=New York|pages=vii}}</ref>
Chabad Chassidim follow Chabad ''minhag'' as established by the Rebbes of Chabad.<ref>Nissan Mindel. www.chabad.org. Rabbi Isaac Luria – The Ari Hakodosh Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref> The Alter Rebbe established a siddur based on the teachings of the [[Arizal]] and various other rulings of Jewish Law, including the use of stainless steel knives for the slaughter of animals before human consumption (now universally accepted by all Jews). Some of the main Chabad customs are minor practices performed on traditional Jewish holidays:
 
* Yom Kippur – The custom is to hand out ''lekach'' (honey cake) before Yom Kippur.
Chabad Chassidim operate [[Mivtzah Tefillin|tefillin booths]] at the [[Western Wall]] and [[Ben Gurion International Airport]] as well as other public places and distributing [[Shabbat]] candles on Fridays. Chabad rabbis and their families are sent to various major cities around the globe, to teach college students, build day schools, and create youth camps. Many of these efforts are geared towards secular or less religious Jews. Additionally, unmarried rabbinical students spend weeks during the summer in locations that do not yet have a permanent Chabad presence, making housecalls, putting up [[Mivtza Mezuza|mezuzos]] and teaching about Judaism. This is known as Merkos Shlichus.
* Yud Tes Kislev – The custom is to eat ''kasha'' (Buckwheat) on the Chabad holiday of Yud Tes Kislev.
 
* Chanukah – It is the custom of Chabad Hasidim to place the Chanukah [[Menorah (Hanukkah)|menorah]] against the room's doorpost (and not on the windowsill).<ref name="sichoscustom">Shabbat Candle-Lighting Times. www.chabad.org.</ref><ref>Schneersohn, Shalom Dovber. Tanu Rabbanan: Ner Chanukah ''Sichos In English'', N.Y., 1990.</ref><ref>November 24, 2013. www.crownheights.info. Laws and Customs: Chanukah. CrownHeights.info. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref>
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson also initiated a Jewish children's movement, called [[Tzivos Hashem]] (lit. "Army [of] God"), for under [[B'nai Mitzvah|bar/bat mitzvah]]-age children, to inspire them to increase in [[Torah study|study of Torah]] and observance of [[613 Mitzvot|mitzvot]].
* Pesach – It is customary in Chabad communities to limit contact of ''matzah'' (unleavened bread) with water. This custom is called ''gebrokts''. However, on the last day of Pesach, it is customary to intentionally have matzah come in contact with water.<ref>www.chabad.org. Gebrokts: Wetted Matzah. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref>
 
* Shavuos – The custom is to ensure that everyone, including children of all ages, hear the [[Mivtza Aseres Hadibros|Aseres Hadibros]] (Ten Commandments) read in Shul.
The Rebbe encouraged the use of modern technology in outreach efforts such as [[Mitzva tank]]s, which are mobile homes that travel a city or country.<ref>{{Citation|title=N.Y. / Region: 'Are You Jewish?'|work= The New York Times|date= 27 April 2011|url=youtube.com/watch?v=k2agom-o8Ds |archive-url=ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/k2agom-o8Ds| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Chabad website, [[chabad.org]], a pioneer of Jewish religious outreach on the [[Internet]], was started by Rabbi Yosef Y. Kazen and developed by Rabbi D. Zirkind. In 2023, it was reportedly the largest faith-based website, with 52 million unique visitors and 102,129 content pages covering all facets of [[Judaism]].<ref name="chabad.org">[|website=Chabad|url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2346206/jewish/Facts-and-Statistics.htm|title=Facts and Statistics}}</ref>
* Tefillah (Prayer) – One of the Chabad customs relating to Tefillah include giving a coin to tzedakah.
 
In the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the local Chabad house was targeted.<ref>[ |author=Ralph Blumenthal |date=November 29, 2008 |url=nytimes.com/2008/11/29/nyregion/29chabad.html |title=Jewish Center Is Stormed, and 6 Hostages Die |newspaper=The New York Times |page=A13 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>[ |author=Joshua Runyan |date=November 30, 2008 |url=chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/775065/jewish/Funeral-Preparations-Under-Way.htm |title=Funeral Preparations for Chabad House Victims Under Way |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref> The local Chabad emissaries, Rabbi [[Gavriel Holtzberg]] and his wife Rivka, and four other Jews were tortured and murdered by Islamic terrorists.<ref>[ |url=telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3539171/Mumbai-attacks-Jews-tortured-before-executed-during-hostage-crisis.html |archive-url=ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3539171/Mumbai-attacks-Jews-tortured-before-executed-during-hostage-crisis.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Mumbai attacks: Jews tortured before being executed during hostage crisis |author=Damien McElroy |date=December 1, 2008 |access-date=February 8, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Chabad received condolences from around the world.<ref>[ |url=jta.org/news/article/2008/12/04/1001351/obama-sends-condolences-to-chabad |title=Obama sends condolences to Chabad |publisher=Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA) |date=December 4, 2008 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>[|title=Israeli Chabad couple to be expelled from India 'for spying' {{!}} The Times of Israel|url=timesofisrael.com/israeli-chabad-couple-to-be-expelled-from-india-as-mossad-agents/amp/|access-date=2021-06-10|website=The Times of Israel}}</ref>
 
=== Fundraising ===
Funds for activities of a Chabad center rely entirely on the local community. Chabad centers do not receive funding from Lubavitch headquarters. For the day-to-day operations, local emissaries do all the fundraising by themselves. Chabad emissaries often solicit the support of local Jews.<ref name="ert">[ |author=Mark Avrum Ehrlich |title=The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present |location=Jersey City, N.J. |publisher=KTAV |year=2004 |page=134 |isbn=978-0881258363}}</ref> Funds are used toward purchasing or renovating Chabad centers, synagogues and [[mikveh|mikvahs]].<ref>Fishkoff, Sue, ''The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch'', Schocken Books 2003. pages 160–161.</ref>
 
== Activities ==
The Chabad movement has been involved in numerous activities in contemporary Jewish life. These activities include providing Jewish education to different age groups, outreach to non-affiliated Jews, publishing Jewish literature, and summer camps for children, among other activities.
 
=== Education ===
Chabad runs a number of educational institutions. Most are [[Jewish day school]]s; others offer secondary and adult education:
 
* The Chabad operates more than 1,000 schools, preschools and other educational institutions around the globe.<ref name="chabad.org" />
* Day schools – In the [[United States]], there are close to 300&nbsp;day schools and supplementary schools run by Chabad.<ref name="CS1">[ |publisher=The Chabad Sociologist |date=August 6, 2013 |title=Comparing Full Time and Part Time Numbers at Chabad Schools |url=chabadsociologist.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/comparing-full-time-and-part-time-numbers-at-chabad-schools/ |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Schick"/> The report findings of studies on [[Jewish day school]]s and supplementary Jewish education in the [[United States]] show that the student body currently enrolled in some 295 Chabad schools exceeds 20,750, although this figure includes Chabad Hasidic children as well as non-Chabad children.<ref name="Schick">[ |last=Schick |first=Marvin |title=A Census of Jewish Day Schools in the United States 2008–2009 |publisher=Avi Chai Foundation |date=October 2009 |url=avichai.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Census-of-JDS-in-the-US-2008-09-Final.pdf |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Wertheimer">[ |last=Wertheimer |first=Jack |title=A Census of Jewish Supplementary Schools in the United States: 2006–2007 |publisher=Avi Chai Foundation |date=August 2008 |url=avichai.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Supplementary-School-Census-Report-Final.pdf |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
* Secondary schools – Chabad runs multiple secondary education institutions, most notable are [[Tomchei Tmimim]] for young men, and [[Beth Rivkah|Bais Rivka]] for young women.
* Adult education – Chabad runs adult education programs including those organized by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute<ref>[|last1=Wertheimer|first1=Jack|title=Why the Lubavitch Movement Thrives in the Absence of a Living Rebbe|url=ou.org/jewish_action/06/2014/lubavitch-movement-thrives-absence-living-rebbe/|access-date=30 September 2014|work=JA Mag in Jewish World|agency=Orthodox Union|date=June 16, 2014|quote=Among the latter is the Jewish Learning Institute, the largest educational program for Jewish adults in the world (with the possible exception of the Daf Yomi enterprise), which currently enrolls over 66,000 teens and adults at some 850 sites around the world, each following a prescribed course of study according to a set timetable.}}</ref><ref>[ |editor-last=Dashefsky |editor-first=Arnold |editor-last2=Sheskin |editor-first2=Ira |title=American Jewish Year Book |volume=113 |date=2014 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3-319-01657-3 |pages=447–597 |edition=Volume 113 |chapter=National Jewish Organizations |quote=... is currently the largest provider of adult Jewish learning. JLI's mission is to inspire Jewish learning worldwide and to transform Jewish life and the greater community through Torah study. Its goal is to create a global network of informed students connected by bonds of shared Jewish experience. JLI's holistic approach to Jewish study considers the impact of Jewish values on personal and interpersonal growth. (The authors of the book are Professor Ira Sheskin of Department of Geography and Regional Studies, The Jewish Demography Project, The Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, University of Miami, and Professor Arnold Dashefsky, Department of Sociology, The Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, University of Connecticut.)|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-01658-0_10|s2cid=154745222 }}</ref> and the [[Jewish Learning Network]].
 
=== Outreach activities ===
[[File:Chabad5.jpg|thumb|Chabad [[Hasidic Judaism|chassidic Jews]] offer help with laying [[tefilin]] on the street]]
Many of the movement's activities emphasize outreach activities. This is due to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson encouraging his followers to reach out to other Jews.<ref>''Hayom Yom'', p. A38</ref> Chabad outreach includes activities promoting the practice of Jewish commandments ([[Chabad mitzvah campaigns|Mitzvah campaigns]]), as well as other forms of Jewish outreach. Much of Chabad's outreach is performed by Chabad emissaries (see [[Shaliach (Chabad)]]). Most of the communities that Chabad emissaries reach out to are other Jewish communities, such as [[Reform Judaism|Reform Jews]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Heilman |first=Samuel C. |title=ChaBaD Lubavitch |date=2017-06-06 |url=dx.doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520277236.003.0006 |work=Who Will Lead Us? |publisher=University of California Press |doi=10.1525/california/9780520277236.003.0006 |isbn=9780520277236 |access-date=2022-04-26}}</ref>
 
Rabbi [[Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn]], 6th leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch branch of [[Hasidic Judaism]], and then his successor, Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]] were responsible for focusing Chabad's activities on outreach. Rabbi Schneerson was a pioneer in the field of [[Orthodox Judaism outreach]] (''Kiruv'').
 
Each sent out large numbers of rabbinic emissaries, known as "[[Shaliach (Chabad)|Shluchim]]", to settle in places across the world for outreach purposes. The centers that these [[Shaliach (Chabad)|Shluchim]] established were termed "[[Chabad houses]]".
 
Chabad has been active in reaching out to Jews through its synagogues, and various forms of more direct outreach efforts. The organization has been recognized as one of the leaders in using free holiday services to reach out across denominations.<ref>Fishkoff, Sue. [texasjewishpost.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=2635&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1128&hn=texasjewishpost&he=.com "‘Praying without paying’ becoming a more popular option among shuls"]{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Texas Jewish Post''. Accessed September 22, 2007. "Many people credit Chabad-Lubavitch with spearheading the movement for free holiday services across the denominational spectrum."</ref>


Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, had a core of dedicated Hasidim who maintained underground [[yeshivah|yeshivos]] and [[mikveh]]s, and provided [[shechitah]] and [[Brit milah|ritual circumcision]] services in the [[Soviet Union]].
== The Arts ==
 
* '''Art''' – Notable Chabad artists include Hendel Lieberman and Zalman Kleinman who painted a number of scenes depicting Chabad Chasidic life, including ceremonies, study and prayer. Chabad artist Michoel Muchnik has painted scenes of the Mitzvah Campaigns. Artist and shaliach Yitzchok Moully has adapted silkscreen techniques, bright colours and Jewish and Chasidic images to create a form of "Chasidic Pop Art".<ref>'Under the Black Hat' Pop Art in Jerusalem Focuses on Chassidim – Rabbi Yitzchok Moully brings spiritual and emotional depth to a new exhibit. chabad.org.</ref>
==== Mitzvah campaigns ====
* '''Music''' – Notable Chabad singers include Avraham Fried and Benny Friedman who included recordings of traditional Chabad songs in their music albums. Bluegrass artist Andy Statman has also recorded Chabad niggunim. Reggae artist Matisyahu included portions of Chabad niggunim and lyrics with Chabad philosophical themes in some of his songs.
{{Main|Chabad mitzvah campaigns}}
** Non-observant musical productions that focus on Chabad include a 2022 Israeli musical ''HaChabadnikim'' which follows two young men from [[Kfar Chabad]] who go to Tel Aviv.<ref>"HaChabadnikim." ''cameri.co.il''. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.</ref>
The Rebbes of Chabad have issued the call to all Jews to attract non-observant Jews to adopt Orthodox Jewish observance, teaching that this activity is part of the process of bringing the ''[[Jewish messianism|Messiah]]''. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson issued a call to every Jew: "Even if you are not fully committed to a Torah life, do something. Begin with a [[mitzvah]]—any mitzvah—its value will not be diminished by the fact that there are others that you are not prepared to do".<ref>[ |url=chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/62228/jewish/10-Point-Mitzvah-Campaign.htm |title=The Rebbe's 10-Point Mitzvah Campaign |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>
* '''Literature''' – Chabad poet Zvi Yair (Rabbi Zvi Meir Steinmetz) authored poems on Chabad Chassidus topics including [[Ratzo VaShuv (Running and Returning)|Ratzo VaShuv]] (spiritual yearning). Chabad poet Yehoshua November has published books of poetry with Chasidic themes.<ref>"Yehoshua November". Chabad.org.</ref>
 
** Non-observant writings include a Yiddish novel by Dr Fishl Schneersohn, a psychiatrist, pedagogical theorist, and descendant of the Alter Rebbe, who authored ''Chaim Gravitzer: The Tale of the Downfallen One from the World of Chabad''. The novel explores the spiritual struggle of a Chabad Hasid who doubts his faith and finally finds peace in doing charitable work.<ref>Chaim Gravitzer (The Tale of the Downfallen One): From the World of Chabad. ingeveb.org.</ref> And American Jewish novelist Chaim Potok authored a work ''My Name is Asher Lev'' in which a Chasidic teen struggles between his artistic passions and the norms of the community. The "Ladover" community is a thinly veiled reference to the Lubavitcher community in [[Crown Heights]].<ref>Hirsch Succeeds with Theatrical Production of 'My Name is Asher Lev'. 29 August 2012. Atlanta Jewish Times.</ref><ref>Cochrum, Alan Morris. CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: JACOB FIGURES AND THEMES IN THE NOVELS OF CHAIM POTOK. Accessed 22 October 2023. ResearchCommons.</ref>
Schneerson also suggested ten specific {{Lang|he|mitzvot}} that he believed were ideally suited for the emissaries to introduce to non-observant Jews. These were called {{Lang|he|mivtzoim}}—meaning "campaigns" or "endeavors". These were lighting candles before [[Shabbat]] and the [[Jewish holiday]]s by Jewish women, putting on {{Lang|he|[[tefillin]]}}, affixing a {{Lang|he|[[mezuzah]]}}, regular [[Torah study]], giving {{Lang|he|[[tzedakah]]}}, purchasing [[Sefer (Hebrew)|Jewish books]], observing {{Lang|he|[[kashrut]]}} (kosher), kindness to others, [[Jewish education|Jewish religious education]], and observing [[niddah|the family purity]] laws.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}
 
In addition, Schneerson emphasized spreading awareness of preparing for and the coming of the {{Lang|he|[[Messiah in Judaism|moshiach]]}}, consistent with his philosophy. He wrote on the responsibility to reach out to teach every fellow Jew with love, and implored that all Jews believe in the imminent coming of the {{Lang|he|moshiach}} as explained by [[Maimonides]]. He argued that redemption was predicated on Jews doing good deeds, and that gentiles should be educated about the [[Seven Laws of Noah|Noahide Laws]].
 
Schneerson was emphatic about the need to encourage and provide strong education for every child, Jew and non-Jew alike. In honor of Schneerson's efforts in education the [[United States Congress]] has made [[Education and Sharing Day]] on the Rebbe's Hebrew birthday ([[11 Nissan]]).
 
==== {{Lang|he|Shluchim}} (Emissaries) ====
In 1950, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson urged Chabad to begin {{Lang|he|shlichus}} ("serving as an emissary [performing outreach]"). Since then, Chabad {{Lang|he|shluchim}} ("emissaries", sing. {{Lang|he|shliach}}) have moved all over the world to encourage non-observant Jews to adopt Jewish observance. They assist Jews with all their religious needs, as well as with physical assistance and spiritual guidance and teaching. The stated goal is to encourage Jews to learn more about their Jewish heritage and to practice Judaism.<ref name="ReferenceA">Fishkoff, Sue, ''The Rebbe's Army'', Schocken books 2003 ({{ISBN|08052 11381}}){{page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref>
 
Thousands of rabbis, educators, ritual slaughterers, and [[mohel|ritual circumcisers]] have been trained and [[Semikhah|ordained]] to serve as {{Lang|he|shluchim}}. Typically, a young Lubavitch rabbi and his wife, in their early twenties, with one or two children, will move to a new location, and as they settle in will raise a large family who, as a family unit, will aim to fulfill their mandate of bringing Jewish people closer to Orthodox Judaism and encouraging gentiles to adhere to the [[Seven Laws of Noah]].<ref name="ReferenceA" />
 
{{Lang|he|Shluchim}} operate [[Chabad house|Chabad Houses]], [[Jewish day school]]s, and Jewish summer camps. As of 2021, there are over 6,500 Chabad ''shluchim'' families worldwide, operating over 3,500 institutions in over 110 countries.<ref name="2021RollCall">[ |title=International Roll Call, Conference of Chabad Emissaries (2021) |url=chabad.org/multimedia/video_cdo/aid/5294623/jewish/International-Roll-Call.htm |website=Chabad.org |publisher=Chabad-Lubavitch |access-date=10 March 2023}}</ref><ref name="Facts and Statistics">[ |title=Facts and Statistics |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2346206/jewish/Facts-and-Statistics.htm |website=Chabad.org |publisher=Chabad-Lubavitch |access-date=10 March 2023}}</ref> Chabad runs the largest network of synagogues of any Jewish movement as of 2023.<ref name="NorthJersey.com">[ |last1=Yellin |first1=Deena |title=Dinner for 6,500: NJ to host record gathering for growing Chabad Jewish movement |url=northjersey.com/story/news/2022/11/18/chabad-conference-2022-ends-with-record-setting-gala-in-edison-nj/69652054007/ |access-date=10 March 2023 |publisher=NorthJersey.com |date=2022-11-18}}</ref>
 
==== Mitzvah tank ====
{{Main|Mitzvah tank}}
[[File:Mitzvah tank - Golders Green - 2008.jpg|thumb|[[Chabad Lubavitch]] Mitzvah tank in [[Golders Green]], London]]
A mitzvah tank is a vehicle which is used as a portable "educational and outreach center" and a "mini-synagogue" (or a "minagogue") by Chabad members who are involved in outreach. Mitzvah tanks are commonly used for advancing the mitzvah campaigns. Mitzvah tanks have been commonplace on the streets of New York City since 1974.<ref>[|url=chabad.org/therebbe/timeline_cdo/aid/62178/jewish/1974-The-Mitzvah-Tank.htm |title=1974: The Mitzvah Tank on |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2011-04-13}}</ref> Today, they are used all over the globe in countries where Chabad is active.
 
==== Campus outreach ====
{{Main|Chabad on Campus International Foundation}}
In recent years, Chabad has greatly expanded its outreach on university and college campuses. The ''Chabad on Campus'' is active on dozens of campuses outside of the [[United States]], some of which include [[Canada]], [[Israel]], [[United Kingdom|UK]], [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[France]], [[The Netherlands|Holland]], [[Hungary]], [[Italy]], [[Russia]], [[Argentina]], [[China]] and [[Australia]].<ref name="chabad.org" /> ''Chabad Student Centers'' are active on over 950 campuses.<ref>[ |url=chabad.edu |title=Directory of Chabad on Campus |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2015}} Professor [[Alan Dershowitz]] has said "Chabad's presence on college campuses today is absolutely crucial," and "we cannot rest until Chabad is on every major college campus in the world."<ref>[ |url=oxfordchabad.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/AID/331005 |title=Address by Professor Alan Dershowitz |publisher=Oxford Chabad Society |date=2005-11-27 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
 
==== CTeen ====
The '''Chabad Teen Network''' (CTeen) is an international organization dedicated to educating Jewish youth about their heritage. It is the teen-focused arm of the Chabad movement operated by [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]]. There are over 100,000 members worldwide<ref name="timesofisrael.com">[|url=timesofisrael.com/jewish-school-shooting-survivors-seek-healing-at-new-york-meet-up/|title=Jewish school shooting survivors seek healing at New York meet-up|newspaper=Times of Israel}}</ref> with 630 chapters across 44 countries.<ref>[|url=cteen.com/|title=Chabad Teen Network|website=CTeen}}</ref> CTeen is open to all Jewish teens, regardless of affiliation, and has been called "the fastest growing and most diverse Jewish youth organization in the world."<ref name="heritagefl.com">[|last=CTeen International|title=Orlando well represented at International CTeen Shabbaton|newspaper=Heritage Florida Jewish News|url=heritagefl.com/story/2018/03/30/features/orlando-well-represented-at-international-cteen-shabbaton/9544.html}}</ref>
 
The organization was launched in 2010,<ref name="ejewishphilanthropy.com">[|last=Levy|first=Faygie|date=28 May 2015|title=In Just Five Years, CTeen Movement Attracts Tens of Thousands of Young Jews|url=ejewishphilanthropy.com/in-just-five-years-cteen-movement-attracts-tens-of-thousands-of-young-jews/|url-status=live|website=eJewish Philanthropy|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20150601004816/ejewishphilanthropy.com:80/in-just-five-years-cteen-movement-attracts-tens-of-thousands-of-young-jews/? |archive-date=2015-06-01 }}</ref> and operates worldwide in cities such as Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Leeds, Munich, Buenos Aires and New York.<ref name="israelnationalnews.com">[|first1=Carin M. |last1=Smilk|title=Teens and mentors from Bangkok to Brazil at Poconos Retreat|url=israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/232778|date=July 21, 2017  |access-date=2021-09-14|website=Israel National News|language=en}}</ref> Its director is Rabbi Shimon Rivkin, and Rabbi [[Moshe Kotlarsky]] serves as chairman.<ref>[|last=Bowling|first=Suzanna|title=Thousands of Jewish Teens Gather in Times Square For Havdalah – Times Square Chronicles|url=t2conline.com/thousands-of-jewish-teens-gather-in-times-square-for-havdalah/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Times Square Chronicles|date=2 March 2020 |language=en-US|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20200524042421/t2conline.com/thousands-of-jewish-teens-gather-in-times-square-for-havdalah/ |archive-date=2020-05-24 }}</ref> Individual chapters and programs are managed by local directors.
[[File:Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch - 302 (2).jpg|thumb|300px|Picture of room '302']]
 
CTeen runs a number of ongoing and annual programs, some of which include:
* CTeen International Shabbaton, an annual inspirational weekend that brings together thousands of teens from around the world. The program includes a traditional Shabbat experience in the heart of Hasidic Crown Heights, a Torah completion ceremony in Times Square, and the CTeen Choice Awards at Brooklyn's Pier 12. The weekend includes a Saturday night concert in Times Square with guest performances by singers such as [[Gad Elbaz]], [[Shwekey|Yakov Shwekey]] and American Hasidic rapper [[Nissim Black]].<ref name="heritagefl.com"/><ref>[|url=jewishvoicesnj.org/articles/local-teens-have-time-of-their-lives-at-nyc-shabbaton/|title = Local teens have time of their lives at NYC Shabbaton |newspaper= Jewish Community Voice|date = 10 April 2019 }}</ref>
* CTeen XTREME, a summer travel camp where campers challenge themselves both physically and spiritually by partaking in extreme sports, observing a completely tech-free Shabbat, and keeping kosher on the road.<ref>[|url=nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/2015/02/chabad_of_hunterdon_teen_group_makes_impact_in_com.html|title=Chabad of Hunterdon CTeen group makes impact in community|newspaper=Nj|date=26 February 2015}}</ref>
* CTeen U, a college-accredited program where teens learn about Jewish philosophy, ethics and history. The program was launched in 2019 through a partnership with [[Yeshiva University]].<ref>[|first=|title=Chabad and Yeshiva University Offer Torah Class for High Schoolers|date=14 October 2020|url=jewishjournal.com/community/322869/chabad-and-yeshiva-university-offer-torah-class-for-high-schoolers/|url-status=live|access-date=|newspaper=Jewish Journal|archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20201014165912/jewishjournal.com/community/322869/chabad-and-yeshiva-university-offer-torah-class-for-high-schoolers/ |archive-date=2020-10-14 }}</ref>
* Heritage Quest, educational travel programs that aim to deepen the connection of Jewish teens to their heritage through trips to [[Poland]] and [[Israel]], offering teens the chance to explore their roots at the source.<ref>[|url=chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/3239262/jewish/CTeen-Summer-Quest-to-Explore-Roots-in-Poland-and-Israel.htm|title=CTeen Summer 'Quest' to Explore Roots in Poland and Israel - Another adventure in the roster of programs for Jewish youth - Chabad.org}}</ref><ref>[|url=lubavitch.com/leading-voices/|title = Meet Hallandale's New CTeen Directors|date = 17 October 2019}}</ref>
*Kosher Food Club, a co-curricular high school club operating in over fifty high schools throughout the [[United States]] that serves as a humanitarian initiative to promote healthy lifestyles, feed the homeless, and provide educational and hands-on experiences making traditional Jewish foods.<ref>[|url=cteen.com/highschoolclub|title=CTeen &#124; Leadership|website=CTeen}}</ref><ref>[|url=chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/5144558/jewish/Jewish-Teens-in-Skokie-Ill-Respond-to-Hate-With-Celebration.htm|title=Jewish Teens in Skokie, Ill., Respond to Hate With Celebration - Windows smashed in nearby synagogue followed by outpouring of Jewish pride - Chabad.org}}</ref>
* National Campus Office, coordinator of [[Chabad on Campus International Foundation|Chabad on Campus]], a network of Jewish Student Centers on more than 230 university campuses worldwide (as of April 2016), as well as regional Chabad-Lubavitch centers at an additional 150 universities worldwide<ref name="The National Campus Office">[ |url=lubavitch.com/department.html?h=674 |title=The National Campus Office |date=2009 |access-date=25 September 2010 |publisher=lubavitch.com |archive-date=19 August 2010 |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20100819210507/lubavitch.com/department.html?h=674 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Suicide Alert, workshops that equip teens to assist peers dealing with anxiety and depression resulting from the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. The workshops have been organized by CTeen chapters in Florida, New Hampshire and New Jersey, among others, in partnership with the Gelt Charitable Foundation.<ref>[|url=livingworks.net/blog/by-us-for-us|title=By us, for us|website=LivingWorks}}</ref><ref>[|url=tapinto.net/towns/berkeley-heights/events/suicide-prevention-training-workshop|title=Suicide Prevention Training Workshop|website=TAPinto}}</ref>
 
=== Publishing ===
{{Main|Kehot Publication Society}}
Chabad publishes and distributes Jewish religious literature. Under [[Kehot Publication Society]], Chabad's main publishing house, [[Sefer (Hebrew)|Jewish literature]] has been translated into 12 different languages. Kehot regularly provides books at discounted prices, and hosts book-a-thons. Kehot commonly distributes books written or transcribed from the rebbes of Chabad, prominent [[Hasidic Judaism|chassidim]] and other authors who have written Jewish materials.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} [[Kehot]] is a division of [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]], the movement's educational arm.<ref>[lubavitch.com/education/publishing/]</ref>
 
More than any other Jewish movement, Chabad has used media as part of its religious, social, and political experience. Their latest leader, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was the most video-documented Jewish leader in history.<ref name="Maya Balakirsky Katz 2010">[ |author=Maya Balakirsky Katz |title=The Visual Culture of Chabad |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2010}}</ref>{{page needed|date=January 2015}} The Chabad movement publishes a wealth of Jewish material on the internet. Chabad's main website [[Chabad.org]], is one of the first Jewish websites<ref name="Zaleski 1997">[ |last=Zaleski |first=Jeffrey P. |title=The Soul of Cyberspace: How New Technology Is Changing Our Spiritual Lives |date=June 1997 |publisher=Harpercollins |isbn=978-0-06-251451-6 |url=archive.org/details/soulofcyberspace00zale |access-date=April 7, 2007}}</ref> and the first and largest virtual congregation.<ref>[chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/36222/jewish/Our-Founding-Director.htm Our Founding Director] {{webarchive |url=web.archive.org/web/20160827182515/chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/36222/jewish/Our-Founding-Director.htm |date=August 27, 2016}}, Chabad.org</ref><ref name="Kazen-Times">[ |url=nytimes.com/1998/12/13/nyregion/yosef-kazen-hasidic-rabbi-and-web-pioneer-dies-at-44.html |title=Yosef Kazen, Hasidic Rabbi And Web Pioneer, Dies at 44|last=Harmon|first=Ami|date=December 13, 1998|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 1, 2010}}</ref> It serves not just its own members, but Jewish people worldwide in general.<ref>[|last=Steinfels|first=Peter|date=January 22, 2000|title=Beliefs|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=nytimes.com/2000/01/22/nyregion/beliefs-469874.html|access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref> Other popular Chabad community websites include asktherav.com, anash.org, CrownHeights.info, and the Hebrew site, COL.org.il.<ref>[ |last=Golan |first=Oren |chapter=Frontiers of online religious communities: The case of Chabad Jews |editor=Heidi Campbell |chapter-url=books.google.com/books?id=ox4q7T59KikC&q=Crownheights.info&pg=PA160 |title=Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds |publisher=Routledge |year=2012 |page=160 |isbn=9780415676106 |access-date=April 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20140419231329/books.google.com/books?id=ox4q7T59KikC&pg=PA160&vq=Crownheights.info&dq=Crownheights.info&lr=&output=html_text&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1 |archive-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>[ |last=Shaer |first=Matthew |url=books.google.com/books?id=1uWpyg2fh0oC&q=crownheights.info&pg=PT18 |title=Among Righteous Men: A Tale of Vigilantes and Vindication in Hasidic Crown Heights |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2011 |isbn=9781118095201 |access-date=April 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20140419231347/books.google.com/books?id=1uWpyg2fh0oC&pg=PT18&vq=Crownheights.info&dq=crownheights.info&lr=&output=html_text&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1 |archive-date=April 19, 2014}}{{page needed|date=January 2014}}<!-- Couldn't figure out how to get Google to reveal page number--></ref>
 
=== Summer camps ===
{{Main|Gan Israel Camping Network}}
Chabad has set up an extensive [[Gan Israel Camping Network|network of camps]] around the world, most using the name Gan Israel, a name chosen by Schneerson although the first overnight camp was the girls division called Camp Emunah. There are 1,200 sites serving 210,000 children, most of whom do not come from [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] homes. Of these, 500 camps are in the [[United States]].<ref>[ |url=jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/14394/edition_id/279/format/html/displaystory.html |title=Chabad camps electrify many Jews, not just Lubavitch |date=September 1, 2000 |author=Julie Wiener |work=[[J. The Jewish News of Northern California]]|publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency}}</ref><ref>[ |url=chabad.org/centers/default_cdo/aid/280451/jewish/Camp-Directory.htm |title=Camp Gan Israel Directory |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>
 
=== Political activities ===
Rabbi Schneerson involved himself in matters relating to the resolution of the [[Israeli-Arab]] conflict.<ref>"When Silence is a Sin". ''Sichos in English''.
[sichosinenglish.org/books/when-silence-is-a-sin/17.htm Letter to Zalman Shazar] {{webarchive |url=web.archive.org/web/20141113021020/sichosinenglish.org/books/when-silence-is-a-sin/17.htm |date=November 13, 2014}}</ref> He maintained that as a matter of Jewish law,<ref>Based on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim, 328</ref> any territorial concession on Israel's part would endanger the lives of all Jews in the Land of Israel and is therefore forbidden. He also insisted that even discussing the possibility of such concessions showed weakness, would encourage Arab attacks, and therefore endanger Jewish lives.<ref>Essentially his argument sought merely the position that would prevent loss of life, rather than taking a stance in the nature of the Land of Israel and Zionism. [ |last=Freeman |first=Tzvi |url=chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/807777/jewish/Should-I-Pray-for-the-Death-of-Terrorists.htm |title=Should I Pray for the Death of Terrorists? |publisher=Chabad |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>
 
In US domestic politics, Schneerson supported government involvement in education and welcomed the establishment of the [[United States Department of Education]] in 1980 yet insisted that part of a school's educational mission was to incorporate the values espoused in the [[Seven Laws of Noah]]. He called for the introduction of a [[moment of silence]] at the beginning of the school day, and for students to be encouraged to use this time for such improving thoughts or prayers as their parents might suggest.<ref>''Hayom Yom'', p. A29</ref>
 
In 1981, Schneerson publicly called for the use of solar energy. Schneerson believed that the US could achieve energy independence by developing solar energy technologies. He argued that the dependence on foreign oil may lead to the country compromising on its principles.<ref>[ |url=chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/394468/jewish/Americas-Mandate-Energy-Independence-Part-1.htm |title=Website video link |publisher=chabad.org |date=April 15, 1981 |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref><ref>[ |url=chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/408957/jewish/Americas-Mandate-Energy-Independence-Part-2.htm |title=Chabad.org website video link |publisher=chabad.org |date=1981-04-15 |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref>
 
==== Library dispute with Russia ====
In 2013, US federal judge [[Royce C. Lamberth|Royce Lamberth]] ruled in favor of Chabad lawyers who sought [[Contempt of court|contempt]] sanctions on three Russian organizations to return the Schneersohn Library, 12,000 books belonging to Rabbi [[Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn|Yosef Schneersohn]] seized and nationalized by the Bolsheviks in 1917–18, to the Brooklyn [[Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad|Chabad Library]].<ref name="The Forward"/><ref>[|url=tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/143902/moscow-putin-lubavitcher-library|title=Putin refuses to let the Lubavitcher Rebbe's library leave Moscow|author=Avital Chizhik|publisher=Tablet|date=September 30, 2013|access-date=June 4, 2017}}</ref> Chabad Rabbi [[Berel Lazar]], Russia's Chief Rabbi, reluctantly accepted Putin's request in moving the Schneerson Library to Moscow's [[Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center]] as a form of compromise, which was criticized by the Chabad Library.<ref name="The Forward"/>
 
== In the arts ==
=== Art ===
Chabad Hasidic artists Hendel Lieberman and Zalman Kleinman have painted a number of scenes depicting Chabad Chasidic life, including ceremonies, study and prayer. Chabad artist Michoel Muchnik has painted scenes of the Mitzvah Campaigns.<ref name="Maya Balakirsky Katz 2010"/> Artist and shaliach [[Yitzchok Moully]] has adapted silkscreen techniques, bright colours and Jewish and Chasidic images to create a form of "Chasidic Pop Art".<ref>'Under the Black Hat' Pop Art in Jerusalem Focuses on Chassidim – Rabbi Yitzchok Moully brings spiritual and emotional depth to a new exhibit. chabad.org.</ref>
 
=== Music ===
Vocalists Avraham Fried and Benny Friedman have included recordings of traditional Chabad songs on their albums of contemporary Orthodox Jewish music. Bluegrass artist Andy Statman has also recorded Chabad [[niggunim]]. Reggae artist Matisyahu included portions of Chabad niggunim and lyrics with Chabad philosophical themes in some of his songs. In 2022, an Israeli theatrical company produced a Chabad-themed musical ''HaChabadnikim'' which follows two young men from [[Kfar Chabad]] who go to live in Tel Aviv. The musical runs for 140 minutes.<ref>"HaChabadnikim." ''cameri.co.il''. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.</ref>
 
=== Literature ===
In the late 1930s, Dr Fishl Schneersohn, a psychiatrist, pedagogical theorist, and descendant of the founder of Chabad authored a Yiddish novel titled ''Chaim Gravitzer: The Tale of the Downfallen One from the World of Chabad''. The novel explores the spiritual struggle of a Chabad Hasid who doubts his faith and finally finds peace in doing charitable work.<ref>Chaim Gravitzer (The Tale of the Downfallen One): From the World of Chabad. ingeveb.org.</ref> Chabad poet Zvi Yair authored poems on Chabad philosophical topics including {{Lang|he|Ratzo V'Shov}} (spiritual yearning).
Novelist Chaim Potok authored a work ''My Name is Asher Lev'' in which a Chasidic teen struggles between his artistic passions and the norms of the community. The "Ladover" community is a thinly veiled reference to the Lubavitcher community in [[Crown Heights]].<ref>[|url=atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com/hirsch-succeeds-with-theatrical-production-of-my-name-is-asher-lev/|title=Hirsch Succeeds with Theatrical Production of 'My Name is Asher Lev'|date=29 August 2012}}</ref><ref>[ |last=Cochrum |first=Alan Morris |title=CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: JACOB FIGURES AND THEMES IN THE NOVELS OF CHAIM POTOK |url=rc.library.uta.edu/uta-ir/bitstream/handle/10106/5378/Cochrum_uta_2502M_10893.pdf?sequence=1 |access-date=22 October 2023 |website=ResearchCommons}}</ref>
 
The American Jewish writer and publisher, Clifford Meth, wrote a short science fiction story depicting the future followers of the "70th Rebbe" of Chabad and their outreach efforts on an alien planet called Tau Ceti IV. The story is told through the eyes of a young extraterrestrial yeshiva student.<ref>[ | url=mycomicshop.com/search?TID=325901 | title=Aardwolf (1994) comic books}}</ref><ref>[|url=comicsbulletin.com/main/sites/default/files/meth/116414408594091.htm|title=Comics Bulletin - Clifford Meth: Meth Addict - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Library.</ref>


===Film and television===
===Film and television===
The Chabad-Lubavitch community has been the subject of a number of documentary films. These films include:
The Chabad-Lubavitch community and its outreach is featured in many films produced by others. These films include films made in 1966 (''Chassidism - the Joyful path to G-d''),<ref>Sunday, February 6, 2011 A moving picture is worth many thousands of words. Eli Rubin.</ref> 1974 (''Religious America: Lubavitch''<ref name="PBS hasid"/> and ''The Spark''),<ref name="PBS hasid">Documentary Films about Hasidism. PBS. Archived May 3, 2015.</ref><ref name=NYmag80s>Movies: Theater Guide. New York Magazine. September 15, 1986. 176.</ref> 1979 (''The Return: A Hasidic Experience'')<ref>www.thejewishreview.org. “An Interview with the Slopeover Rebbe”</ref><ref>www.jta.org. The return a Hassidic experience a documentary focusing. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 29 April 1981.</ref><ref>The Return: a Hassidic experience. June 18, 2020. OCLC: 50902286.</ref><ref name=NYmag80s/> 1989 (''What Is a Jew?''),<ref>Everyman: What Is a Jew? Sun 29th Jan 1989. BBC One London (genome.ch.bbc.co.uk).</ref> 1993 (''King of Crown Heights''<ref name="PBS hasid"/> and ''Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities''),<ref name="Smith, Anna Deavere 1993">Smith, Anna Deavere. ''Fires in the Mirror''. New York City: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1993.</ref><ref>www.nytimes.com. 1993-04-28. Review/Television; One-Woman Show on Black vs. Jew. John J. O'Connor. April 28, 1993. The New York Times.</ref> 1997 (''The Return of Sarah's Daughters''<ref>www.pbs.org. A Life Apart: Hasidism In America. PBS.</ref> and ''Blacks and Jews''),<ref>[|url=jwa.org/thisweek/jul/29/1997/deborah-kaufman|title=Broadcast of Deborah Kaufman's "Blacks and Jews" &#124; Jewish Women's Archive|website=jwa.org</ref> 2003 (''Welcome to the Waks Family''),<ref>www.shop.nfsa.gov.au. Welcome to the Waks Family. NFSA Online Shop.</ref> 2008 (''Leaving the Fold''<ref>www.smh.com.au. Leaving the fold. Rachelle Unreich. June 23, 2008. The Sydney Morning Herald.</ref><ref>Leaving The Fold. www.7thart.com. Archived 2023-09-07. SEVENTH ART RELEASING.</ref> and ''Gut Shabbes Vietnam''),<ref>www.loc.gov. Search results from Film, Video, Vietnam, Vietnam, Hebrew. Library of Congress.</ref> 2012 (''Kathmandu''),<ref>www.newvoices.org. Zany, Heartfelt 'Kathmandu' Evokes the Soul of Jewish Culture in Nepal. December 5, 2012.</ref> 2013 (''Shekinah Rising''<ref>www.theglobeandmail.com. Secrets and lives of Hasidic women. The Globe and Mail.</ref><ref>www.thesuburban.com. New film Shekinah provides unprecedented access to the world of young Hasidic women. TheSuburban.com. October 11, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref><ref>www.cjnews.com. Arnold, Janice. Film presents chassidic women's attitudes to intimacy. The Canadian Jewish News. October 20, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref> and ''Project 2x1''),<ref name="patch">Hampton, Matthew. Crown Heights 'Google Glass' Doc Premieres Next Month. Prospect Heights Patch. November 26, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref><ref>Piras, Lara. Google Glass Filmed Documentary Goes Where Normal Camera Crews Can't. www.psfk.com. October 9, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015.</ref><ref name="Gotham">Evans, Lauren. Intrepid 20-Somethings Examine Crown Heights Through Google Glass. The Gothamist. October 7, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015. www.gothamist.com.</ref><ref name="DNA glass">www.dnainfo.com. Sharp, Sonja. Crown Heights Documentary Claims to be First Ever Shot With Google Glass. DNAInfo. October 7, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015. Archived November 4, 2014.</ref> 2018 (''Outback Rabbis''),<ref>Meet the two rabbis bringing Jewish people together in the Aussie outback. SBS. Gavin Scott. 25 July 2018. www.sbs.com.au.</ref> 2019 (''The Rabbi Goes West''),<ref>"The Rabbi Goes West". www.jfi.org.</ref> 2024 (''Guns and Moses'').<ref>www.jewishjournal.com. "Guns and Moses: The Heroic Hasid". ''Jewish Journal''. Accessed 22 June 2024.</ref><ref>The film's original title was ''Man in the Long Black Coat''. see www.variety.com. Mark Feuerstein, Neal McDonough, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Lloyd Starring in ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’ (EXCLUSIVE)]. ''Variety''. Accessed 22 June 2024.</ref>
 
* ''Chassidism - the Joyful path to G-d'' : A 1966 documentary of Chabad Chassidim in Kfar Chabad, Israel. This film was directed and narrated by Koby Jaeger.<ref>Sunday, February 6, 2011 A moving picture is worth many thousands of words. Eli Rubin.</ref>
* ''The Spark'' – a 28-minute film, produced in 1974, providing an overview of the Lubavitch and [[Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)|Satmar]] of New York.<ref name="PBS hasid"> Documentary Films about Hasidism. PBS. [web.archive.org/web/20150503052544/pbs.org/alifeapart/res_film.html/ Archived May 3, 2015]</ref> The film was directed by [[Mel Epstein]].<ref name=NYmag80s>[|url=books.google.com/books?id=QOcCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA176|title= Movies: Theater Guide |magazine=New York|date=September 15, 1986|page=176|via=Google Books}}</ref>
* ''[[The Return: A Hasidic Experience]]'' – a 1979 documentary film on Jews who joined the Chabad movement, directed by Yisrael Lifshutz and Barry Ralbag.<ref>[|url=thejewishreview.org/articles/?id=168|title=An Interview with the Slopeover Rebbe|website=thejewishreview.org}}</ref><ref>[|url=jta.org/1981/04/29/archive/the-return-a-hassidic-experience-a-documentary-focusing|title=News Brief – Jewish Telegraphic Agency|date=29 April 1981}}</ref><ref>[|title=The Return: a Hassidic experience|date=June 18, 2020|oclc=50902286}}</ref><ref name=NYmag80s/>
* ''What Is a Jew?'' – a 1989 documentary on Chabad produced by the [[BBC]] for the series [[Everyman (TV series)|Everyman]].
* ''[[King of Crown Heights]]'' – a 60-minute, 1993 film on Lubavitcher Hasidim by [[Columbia University]] student Roggerio Gabbai<ref name="PBS hasid"/>
* ''[[Fires in the Mirror|Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities]]'' – a 1993 TV adaptation of the one-person play by [[Anna Deavere Smith]]. It explores the Black and Hasidic viewpoints of people connected directly and indirectly to the [[Crown Heights riot]]s.<ref name="Smith, Anna Deavere 1993">Smith, Anna Deavere. ''Fires in the Mirror''. New York City: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1993.</ref> The adaptation was produced by PBS as part of its [[American Playhouse]] series.<ref>[|url=nytimes.com/1993/04/28/arts/review-television-one-woman-show-on-black-vs-jew.html|title=Review/Television; One-Woman Show on Black vs. Jew|first=John J.|last=O'Connor|date=April 28, 1993|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
* ''[[The Return of Sarah's Daughters]]'' – a 1997 documentary film contrasting three Jewish women, one of whom joins Chabad.<ref>[|url=pbs.org/alifeapart/returnofsd.html|title=A Life Apart: Hasidism In America – Filmography|publisher=PBS}}</ref>
* ''[[Blacks and Jews (film)|Blacks and Jews]]'' – A 1997 documentary written and directed by Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow on the [[Crown Heights riot]] and other incidents involving intergroup conflict.<ref>[|url=jwa.org/thisweek/jul/29/1997/deborah-kaufman|title=Broadcast of Deborah Kaufman's "Blacks and Jews" &#124; Jewish Women's Archive|website=jwa.org}}</ref>
* ''[[Welcome to the Waks Family]]'' – a 2003 documentary of a Chabad family in Australia.<ref>[|url=shop.nfsa.gov.au/welcome-to-the-waks-family|title=Welcome to the Waks Family|website=NFSA Online Shop}}</ref>
* ''[[Leaving the Fold]]'' – a 2008 documentary on young men and women who left the Hasidic Jewish community. The film was directed by [[Eric R. Scott]] and the stories featured include former Hasidic Jews living in the [[United States]], [[Israel]] and [[Canada]].<ref>[|url=smh.com.au/national/leaving-the-fold-20080623-2vlh.html|title=Leaving the fold|first=Rachelle|last=Unreich|date=June 23, 2008|website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref><ref>[ |title=Leaving The Fold |url=7thart.com/press/leavingthefold/Leaving%20the%20Fold_PRESSKIT.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20230907113013/7thart.com/press/leavingthefold/Leaving%20the%20Fold_PRESSKIT.pdf |archive-date=2023-09-07 |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=SEVENTH ART RELEASING}}</ref> Featured in the [[film]] are two young men from a Chabad family in [[Montreal]] as well as a French Lubavitch rabbi.
* ''[[Gut Shabbes Vietnam]]'' – a 2008 [[Documentary film|documentary]] on a Chabad family in Vietnam. Written and directed by Ido and Yael Zand.<ref>[|url=loc.gov/film-and-videos/?fa=location:vietnam%7Csubject:vietnam%7Clanguage:hebrew&all=true|title=Search results from Film, Video, Vietnam, Vietnam, Hebrew|website=Library of Congress}}</ref>
* ''[[Shekinah Rising]]'' – a 70&nbsp;min, 2013 documentary exploring the perspectives of the female students of a Chabad school in [[Montreal]]<ref>[|url=theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/film-reviews/secrets-and-lives-of-hasidic-women/article18703691/|title=Secrets and lives of Hasidic women|work=The Globe and Mail}}</ref><ref>[ |url=thesuburban.com/news/articles/?id=article02642 |title=New film Shekinah provides unprecedented access to the world of young Hasidic women |publisher=TheSuburban.com |date=October 11, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=archive.today/20131220142040/thesuburban.com/news/articles/?id=article02642 |archive-date=December 20, 2013}}</ref><ref>[ |url=cjnews.com/index.php?q=node/116289 |last=Arnold |first=Janice |title=Film presents chassidic women's attitudes to intimacy |work=The Canadian Jewish News |date=October 20, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>
* ''[[Kathmandu (TV series)|Kathmandu]]'' – a 2012 television series aired on Israeli television based on the lives of the Chabad emissaries in Kathmandu, Nepal.<ref>[|url=newvoices.org/2012/12/05/zany-heartfelt-kathmandu-evokes-the-soul-of-jewish-culture-in-nepal/|title=Zany, Heartfelt 'Kathmandu' Evokes the Soul of Jewish Culture in Nepal|date=December 5, 2012}}</ref>
* ''[[Project 2x1]]'' – a 30&nbsp;min, 2013 documentary on the Chabad Hasidim and [[West Indian]] residents of Crown Heights, using [[Google Glass]] in place of conventional camera techniques<ref name="patch">[ |url=prospectheights.patch.com/groups/arts-and-entertainment/p/crown-heights-google-glass-doc-premieres-next-month |last=Hampton |first=Matthew |title=Crown Heights 'Google Glass' Doc Premieres Next Month |work=Prospect Heights Patch |date=November 26, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>[ |url=psfk.com/2013/10/google-glass-documentary-crown-heights.html/ |archive-url=archive.today/20131219031938/psfk.com/2013/10/google-glass-documentary-crown-heights.html/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 19, 2013 |last=Piras |first=Lara |title=Google Glass Filmed Documentary Goes Where Normal Camera Crews Can't. |publisher=psfk.com |date=October 9, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Gotham">[ |url=gothamist.com/2013/10/07/crown_heights_documentary_shot_on_g.php |last=Evans |first=Lauren |title=Intrepid 20-Somethings Examine Crown Heights Through Google Glass |publisher=Gothamist |date=October 7, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=web.archive.org/web/20141225022808/gothamist.com/2013/10/07/crown_heights_documentary_shot_on_g.php |archive-date=December 25, 2014}}</ref><ref name="DNA glass">[ |url=dnainfo.com/new-york/20131007/crown-heights/crown-heights-documentary-shot-completely-with-google-glass |last=Sharp |first=Sonja |title=Crown Heights Documentary Claims to be First Ever Shot With Google Glass |publisher=DNAInfo |date=October 7, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url-status=dead [web.archive.org/web/20141104174025/dnainfo.com/new-york/20131007/crown-heights/crown-heights-documentary-shot-completely-with-google-glass. Archived November 4, 2014].</ref>
* ''[[The Rabbi Goes West]]'' – a 2019 documentary on a Chabad rabbi who moves to Montana.<ref>[|url=jfi.org/watch-online/jfi-on-demand/rabbi-goes-west-the|title=Rabbi Goes West, The|website=jfi.org}}</ref>
* ''Guns and Moses'' – a 2024 film produced by Salvador Litvak and Nina Litvak. The film portrays Rabbi Mo (played by Mark Feuerstein), a Chabad emissary, and his wife, Rebbetzin Hindy (played by Alona Tal), whose community is targeted by a white supremacist who shoots and kills a congregant. Rabbi Mo later trains in the use of firearms and seeks to find the killer. The film was released to Jewish film festivals in 2024.<ref>[jewishjournal.com/cover_story/372432/guns-and-moses-the-heroic-hasid/ "Guns and Moses: The Heroic Hasid"]. ''Jewish Journal''. Accessed 22 June 2024.</ref> The film's original title was ''Man in the Long Black Coat''.<ref>[variety.com/2022/film/actors/mark-feuerstein-neal-mcdonough-among-leads-announced-for-man-in-the-long-black-coat-upcoming-western-exclusive-1235461546/ Mark Feuerstein, Neal McDonough, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Lloyd Starring in ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’ (EXCLUSIVE)]. ''Variety''. Accessed 22 June 2024.</ref>
 
====Other television====
* ''Religious America: Lubavitch'' – a 28-minute, 1974 PBS documentary series episode focusing on a day in the life of a Lubavitcher man.<ref name="PBS hasid"/>
* ''Outback Rabbis'' – (2018) 50 min television segment by Australian TV network, SBS, covering the regional and rural Australia (RARA) program of Chabad. Directed by Danny Ben-Moshe. Featured on the SBS "Untold Australia" series.


== References ==
== References ==

Latest revision as of 20:02, 6 March 2025

Chabad-Lubavitch
The Chasidic Founders
Baal Shem Tov • The Maggid
The Seven Rebbes of Chabad
Alter Rebbe • Mitteler Rebbe • Tzemach Tzedek • Rebbe Maharash • Rebbe Rashab • Rebbe Rayatz • The Rebbe
General Topics
Chassidus • Beis HaRav • Chasidim • Music • Mivtzoim • Geography
V – T


Chabad-Lubavitch is the Chassidic movement founded by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe) dedicated to spreading the teachings of Rabbi Yisrael ben Elizer (the Baal Shem Tov) and Rabbi Dovber ben Avraham (the Maggid of Mezritch). Including the Alter Rebbe, there are seven Rebbes of Chabad-Lubavitch. The teachings of Chabad focus on the transformation of the individual to serve the Almighty with one's mind and heart, and on the mission of bringing the Jewish People from Galus (Exile) and to the Geulah (final redemption).

Overview[edit | edit source]

The Chabad movement was founded in Tsarist Russia by the Alter Rebbe. It is a main offshoot of the general Chassidic movement founded by the Baal Shem Tov, and his successor, the Maggid of Mezritch. The name "Chabad" (חב״ד) is an acronym formed from the three Hebrew words Chochmah (חכמה "Wisdom") , Binah (בינה "Understanding"), Daas (דעת "Knowledge") which are the first three of the Ten Sefiros (a fundamental concept in Kabbalah). These three aspects of the intellect represent the focus of Chabad teachings.[1] The name Lubavitch refers to the town in which the Alter Rebbe's son and successor, Rabbi Dovber Schneuri (the Mitteler Rebbe), relocated the movement after the war between Napoleon and Russia. The succeeding Rebbes of Chabad resided in the town until the First World War. Following the rise of Communism in Russia, the sixth Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (the Rebbe Rayatz), moved the center of the Chabad movement from Russia to Poland. After the outbreak of World War II, he moved the center of the movement to 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn (New York, USA). There, following the histalkus of the Rebbe Rayatz in 1950, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe), became the leader of the worldwide Chabad movement exactly one year later. In the following decades, the Rebbe transformed the Chabad movement into one of the most widespread Jewish movements in the world. Under his leadership, Chabad established a large network of institutions to Spreading the Wellsprings (Hafatzat HaMayanot) of the teachings of Chassidus, as well as to provide for the religious, social and humanitarian needs of Jews across the world. Chabad institutions provide outreach to unaffiliated Jews and humanitarian aid, as well as religious, cultural and educational activities. The impact of the Chabad movement on non-Chassidic Jews is widely recognised. In a 2020 study, the Pew Research Center found that 16% of American Jews from different backgrounds participated in Chabad services or activities at least semi-regularly.[2] From the first maamer of the Rebbe's nesiyus (Basi LeGani 5711), The Rebbe's focus on the immediate coming of the Moshiach, a foundational Jewish belief, was made clear. This approach continued throughout the Rebbe's sichos (talks), maamarim (discourses), igros kodesh (letters), horaos (instructions). This culminated in the Moshiach Campaign which mandated Chabad Chassidim to bring Moshiach now.

The Alter Rebbe was born in 1745 in the city of Liozna. He soon became a student of the Maggid of Mezritch, the successor of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement. Following the histalkus of the Maggid and the departure of Rabbi Meachme Mendel of Vitebsk and other Chassidic leaders to Eretz Yisroel, the Alter Rebbe became the leader of the Chassidim in Russia, later moving to the town of Liadi. The Alter Rebbe developed the teachings of Chabad in the book of Tanya which emphasised the use of one's intellectual faculties. This distinguished the Chabad movement from other branches of the Chassidic movement (and are often referred to the Rebbes as Chagas, after the emotive faculties). Following the war between Napoleon and Russia, and the histalkus of the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe settled in Lubavitch. His son-in-law and successor, the Tzemach Tzedek led the Chabad movement for many years. His son, the Rebbe Maharash, continued to lead in Lubavitch. His son, the Rebbe Rashab, founded Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim and fought to strengthen Chassidus Chabad during a time of mass secularization. At that time, many Chassidim moved away from Russia, and many settled in the United States where they soon created Agudas Chasidei Chabad ("Association of Chabad Hasidim"). His son, the Rebbe Rayatz, fought to preserve Judaism under the rule of the Communists. In 1927, the Rebbe Rayatz was arrested by the Russian Secret Police and was sentenced to death. The sentence was averted and the Rebbe Rayatz left Russia, visiting Latvia, America, Eretz Yisroel, before relocating to Poland, near Warsaw. With the start of the Second World War, the Rebbe Rayatz was saved from the hands of the Germans and arrived in America.[3] After the histalkus of the Rebbe Rayatz, the Rebbe became the seventh leader of Chabad-Lubavitch. Under the Leadership of the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe, the influence of Chabad among world Jewry became very far-reaching. New institutions were created around the world under the banner of Chabad-Lubavitch. During the period of the "counterculture", the Rebbe pioneered the effort to inspire young, unaffiliated Jewish men and women to become baalei teshuva ("returnees" to Judaism). The very first Yeshivas for such baalei teshuva was Hadar Hatorah for men and Machon Chana for women. Following the Yom Kippur War, the Rebbe initiated the use of Public Menorah lightings which attracted thousands of Jews to celebrate Judaism in public. It is reported that up to a million Jews attend Chabad services at least once a year.[4]

Chabad Chassidus focuses on religious and spiritual concepts such as the creation of the world, the soul, and the meaning of Torah and mitzvos. The Zohar and the Kabbalah of the Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, form the basis for the teachings of Chabad Chassidus. The Tanya is a work of Chassidic thought by the Alter Rebbe first published in 1797. The book's original title was Likkutei Amarim ("Collected Teachings") as the Alter Rebbe compiled ideas from his teachers. The informal name "Tanya" ("It was taught") comes from the first word of the first chapter. The final edition of the Tanya has five sections, the first and most prominent section is Sefer Shel Beinonim ("The Book of the Intermediates") and emphasized that the goal of every Jew and every Chasid is to maintain the spiritual level of the Benuni ("Intermediate Person"). The Alter Rebbe analyzes the inner struggle of such an individual and the path to resolution. Citing the pasuk (biblical verse) "the matter is very near to you, in your mouth, your heart, to do",[5] the teaching is based on the notion that the human is not inherently evil; rather, every individual has an inner conflict that is characterized by a struggle between two different souls, the Nefesh HaElokis (G-dly Soul) and the Nefesh HaBehamis (Animal Soul).[6] While other branches of Hasidism primarily focused on the idea that Rachamana liba ba'ei ("the Merciful One desires the heart"), Shneur Zalman argued that the Almighty also desires the mind, and he also argued that the mind is the "gateway" to the heart. With the Chabad Chassidus, the mind is elevated above the heart, and that "understanding is the mother of fear and love for G-d".[7] Emotions are not merely a reaction to physical stimuli, such as dancing, singing, or beauty. Instead, the emotions must be led by the mind, and thus the focus of Chabad thought was to be Torah study and prayer rather than mere cleaving to the Tzaddik.[6]

Geography[edit | edit source]

Shluchim from around the world

The geography of the Chabad movement spreads across the world. Chabad maintains a strong presence in every significant Jewish community across the world. Although the Chabad movement was founded and originally based in the Russian Empire and Eastern Europe, various Chabad communities span the globe, including Crown Heights in Brooklyn, and Kfar Chabad in Eretz Yisroel. Chabad communities are present in many other countries, as are Chabad shluchim in many more remote places.

  • Russia and Eastern Europe - Initially, Chabad was based in Liozna and Liadi before being centered in Lubavitch. The Chabad movement was at times subjected to governmental oppression in Russia. The Russian government, first under the Czar, later under the Bolsheviks, imprisoned all but one of the Chabad rebbes. The Bolsheviks also imprisoned, exiled and executed many Chabad Chassidim. And many were sent to Siberia for years of hard labor. Between the two World Wars, Chabad communities were reestablished and strengthened across Eastern Europe, including in Poland, where the Rebbe Rayatz settled. During the Second World War, the Rebbe Rayatz was rescued and came to America. Many Chabad Chassidim evacuated to the Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Tashkent where they established small centers of Chassidic life, while at the same time seeking ways to emigrate from Soviet Russia due to the government's suppression of religious life.[8] The reach of Chabad in Central Asia also included earlier efforts that took place in the 1920s.[9] Following the war, and well after the center of the Chabad movement moved to the United States, the movement remained active in Soviet Russia, aiding the local Jews known as Refuseniks who sought to learn more about Judaism.[10] And throughout the Soviet era, the Chabad movement maintained a secret network across the USSR.[11] Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, state persecution of Chabad ceased, and the Chabad movement openly leads the rebuilding of Judaism in Russia. Similarly, the Chabad presence in other Eastern European countries have grown since the fall of the Soviet Union.
  • North America: The presence of Chabad in the United States of America dates back over a century, with the migration of Chabad families to America following the pogroms in Tsarist Russia. The most notable community is in Crown Heights where the Rebbe Rayatz chose to be the new center of Lubavitch. The community has its own Beis Din (rabbinical court), Vaad Hakahal (Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC)), many shuls, yeshivas and schools. Other communities in America include Boro Park, Monsey, Miami and many others. Similarly, Chabad in Canada includes communities in Toronto and Montreal which also date over a century. Two Chabad congregations participated in first Canadian Jewish Conference of 1915. One congregation is listed as "Chabad of Toronto", and the other is listed as "Libavitzer Congregation". A Chasid named Rabbi Menashe Lavut who passed away in 1931 is listed as the founder of both Anshei Chabad in Montreal and the Nusach Ari synagogue.[12]
  • Israel: The most notable Chabad community is Kfar Chabad which was established following the direction of the Rebbe Rayatz. The Chabad community in Tzfas originated during the wave of Eastern European immigration to Eretz Yisroel from 1777–1840. The Chabad community established synagogues and institutions in Safad. The early settlement declined by the 20th century but it was renewed following an initiative by the seventh rebbe in the early 1970s, which reestablished the Chabad community in the city.[13] Rabbi Yeshaya HaLevi Horowitz (1883–1978), a Safad-born direct descendant of Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz, author of the Shnei Luchot HaBrit (Shelah), served as the rabbi of the Chabad community in Safad from 1908 until his immigration to the U.S. during World War I.[14] Other notable communities include Yerushalyim and Chevron, where members of the Beis HaRav lived many years ago, as well as other locations, such as Lod, and Nachlat Har Chabad in Kiryat Malakhi.
  • France – The Chabad community in France includes many of the descendants of immigrants from North Africa (specifically Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) who moved to France during the 1960s.[15]

Spreading of the Wellsprings[edit | edit source]

Mivtzoim[edit | edit source]

President Ronald Reagan recognising the Noahide Laws

Chabad outreach includes activities promoting the practice of Jewish commandments in the form of the Mivtzoim (Campaigns), and this call is aimed all Jews: "Even if you are not fully committed to a Torah life, do something. Begin with a mitzvah—any mitzvah—its value will not be diminished by the fact that there are others that you are not prepared to do".[16] The original campaigns, included Jewish women and girls from the age of three lighting candles before Shabbos, Jewish men putting on Tefillin, affixing a Mezuzah to all doorways of the home, regular Torah study, giving Tzedakah (Charity), filling one's home with sefarim (holy Jewish books), observing Kashrus (Kosher dietary laws), keeping the Laws of Family Purity (Hilchos Niddah), loving every Jew, supporting Jewish education. A special campaign for non-Jews aimed at educating the masses about the Noahide Laws. In addition, the Rebbe emphasized spreading awareness of preparing for and the coming of the Moshiach, and that it was the responsibility to reach out to teach every fellow Jew with love, and implore that all Jews believe in the imminent coming of the moshiach as explained in the halachik writings of the Rambam (Maimonides). In honor of the Rebbe's efforts in education the United States government established the Rebbe's Hebrew birthday of Yud Aleph Nissan (11 Nissan) as "Education and Sharing Day".

Holidays and customs[edit | edit source]

The Rebbe's Takanos
Takanos for Torah Study
Limud Inyonei Geulah U'Moshiach • Limud Inyonei Beis HaBechirah • Limud Perek Tanya before Tefillah • Limud Shiurei Rambam • Tahalucha • Writing Haoros • Siyum Mesechtas (Nine Days) • Limud Chassidus (Kislev) • Limud Likutei Torah

Holidays[edit | edit source]

There are a number of days marked by the Chabad movement as special days. Major holidays include the dates of the release of the Rebbes of the movement from Russian persecution, others corresponded to Yom Huledes (birthday), histalkus (passing), and other life events. The days marking the leaders' release, are celebrated by the Chabad movement as Yemei Geulah ("Days of Liberation"). The most special day is Yud Tes Kislev—the liberation of the Alter Rebbe, the founder of the Chabad movement. The day is also called Rosh Hashanah LaChassidus ("New Year of Chassidus").[17] The birthdays celebrated each year include Chai Elul (18 Elul), the birthday of the Alter Rebbe,[18][19] and Yud Aleph Nissan (11 Nissan), the birthday of the Rebbe, the seventh rebbe of Chabad.[20] The days of passing (histalkus or yartzeit) celebrated each year, include Yud Shvat, the histalkus of the Rebbe Rayatz, the sixth rebbe of Chabad,[21] and Chof Beis Shvat (22 Shvat), the yartzeit of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, the wife of the Rebbe.[22]

Minhagim (Customs)[edit | edit source]

Chabad Chassidim follow Chabad minhag as established by the Rebbes of Chabad.[23] The Alter Rebbe established a siddur based on the teachings of the Arizal and various other rulings of Jewish Law, including the use of stainless steel knives for the slaughter of animals before human consumption (now universally accepted by all Jews). Some of the main Chabad customs are minor practices performed on traditional Jewish holidays:

  • Yom Kippur – The custom is to hand out lekach (honey cake) before Yom Kippur.
  • Yud Tes Kislev – The custom is to eat kasha (Buckwheat) on the Chabad holiday of Yud Tes Kislev.
  • Chanukah – It is the custom of Chabad Hasidim to place the Chanukah menorah against the room's doorpost (and not on the windowsill).[17][24][25]
  • Pesach – It is customary in Chabad communities to limit contact of matzah (unleavened bread) with water. This custom is called gebrokts. However, on the last day of Pesach, it is customary to intentionally have matzah come in contact with water.[26]
  • Shavuos – The custom is to ensure that everyone, including children of all ages, hear the Aseres Hadibros (Ten Commandments) read in Shul.
  • Tefillah (Prayer) – One of the Chabad customs relating to Tefillah include giving a coin to tzedakah.

The Arts[edit | edit source]

  • Art – Notable Chabad artists include Hendel Lieberman and Zalman Kleinman who painted a number of scenes depicting Chabad Chasidic life, including ceremonies, study and prayer. Chabad artist Michoel Muchnik has painted scenes of the Mitzvah Campaigns. Artist and shaliach Yitzchok Moully has adapted silkscreen techniques, bright colours and Jewish and Chasidic images to create a form of "Chasidic Pop Art".[27]
  • Music – Notable Chabad singers include Avraham Fried and Benny Friedman who included recordings of traditional Chabad songs in their music albums. Bluegrass artist Andy Statman has also recorded Chabad niggunim. Reggae artist Matisyahu included portions of Chabad niggunim and lyrics with Chabad philosophical themes in some of his songs.
    • Non-observant musical productions that focus on Chabad include a 2022 Israeli musical HaChabadnikim which follows two young men from Kfar Chabad who go to Tel Aviv.[28]
  • Literature – Chabad poet Zvi Yair (Rabbi Zvi Meir Steinmetz) authored poems on Chabad Chassidus topics including Ratzo VaShuv (spiritual yearning). Chabad poet Yehoshua November has published books of poetry with Chasidic themes.[29]
    • Non-observant writings include a Yiddish novel by Dr Fishl Schneersohn, a psychiatrist, pedagogical theorist, and descendant of the Alter Rebbe, who authored Chaim Gravitzer: The Tale of the Downfallen One from the World of Chabad. The novel explores the spiritual struggle of a Chabad Hasid who doubts his faith and finally finds peace in doing charitable work.[30] And American Jewish novelist Chaim Potok authored a work My Name is Asher Lev in which a Chasidic teen struggles between his artistic passions and the norms of the community. The "Ladover" community is a thinly veiled reference to the Lubavitcher community in Crown Heights.[31][32]

Film and television[edit | edit source]

The Chabad-Lubavitch community and its outreach is featured in many films produced by others. These films include films made in 1966 (Chassidism - the Joyful path to G-d),[33] 1974 (Religious America: Lubavitch[34] and The Spark),[34][35] 1979 (The Return: A Hasidic Experience)[36][37][38][35] 1989 (What Is a Jew?),[39] 1993 (King of Crown Heights[34] and Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities),[40][41] 1997 (The Return of Sarah's Daughters[42] and Blacks and Jews),[43] 2003 (Welcome to the Waks Family),[44] 2008 (Leaving the Fold[45][46] and Gut Shabbes Vietnam),[47] 2012 (Kathmandu),[48] 2013 (Shekinah Rising[49][50][51] and Project 2x1),[52][53][54][55] 2018 (Outback Rabbis),[56] 2019 (The Rabbi Goes West),[57] 2024 (Guns and Moses).[58][59]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "About Chabad-Lubavitch" Chabad.org.
  2. ↑ Pew Research Center, "Jewish Americans in 2020", pewforum.org.
  3. ↑ Altein, R, Zaklikofsky, E, Jacobson, I: Out of the Inferno: The Efforts That Led to the Rescue of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch from War Torn Europe in 1939–40. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2002.
  4. ↑ Chabad Lubavitch centre set for River Heights area. 5 August 2007. Sharon Chisvin. Winnipeg Free Press.
  5. ↑ Devarim 30:14.
  6. ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, "Tanya", Jonathan Sacks, pp. 475–477 (15682–11236)
  7. ↑ Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Chapter 13.
  8. ↑ Estraikh, G. (2018). Escape through Poland: Soviet Jewish Emigration in the 1950s. Jewish History, 31(3-4), 291-317.
  9. ↑ Levin, Z. (2015). 1 "The Wastelands": The Jews of Central Asia. In Collectivization and Social Engineering: Soviet Administration and the Jews of Uzbekistan, 1917–1939 (pp. 7–26). Brill.
  10. ↑ Beizer, M. (2007). The Jews of struggle: the Jewish national movement in the USSR, 1967–1989.
  11. ↑ Gitelman, Z. (2007). Do Jewish Schools Make a Difference in the Former Soviet Union?. East European Jewish Affairs, 37(3), 377–398.
  12. ↑ Lapidus, Steven. "The Forgotten Hasidim: Rabbis and Rebbes in Prewar Canada" Canadian Jewish Studies. 2004. Volume 12.
  13. ↑ www.safed.co.il. The Chabad Hassidic Community in Tzfat. Accessed September 14, 2014.
  14. ↑ www.kedem-auctions.com. "Sefer HaZohar – Including Glosses by Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz of Safad and His Son Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz Author of 'Yemei Shmuel.'" Judaica Auction no. 27- Books and Manuscripts. October 6, 2016. Kedem Auction House. Retrieved September 14, 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016
  15. ↑ Gutwirth, Jacques. 2005. Hassidim in France today. Jewish Journal of Sociology 47(1–2). pp.5–21.
  16. ↑ Chabad.org "The Rebbe's 10-Point Mitzvah Campaign" Accessed 2010-05-12.
  17. ↑ Jump up to: 17.0 17.1 Shabbat Candle-Lighting Times. www.chabad.org.
  18. ↑ September 6, 2012. Dalfin, Chaim. Chabad Elul Customs. Shmais.com. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  19. ↑ Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. chabad.org. Chai Elul: Breathing New Life Into Our Divine Service. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Dade Jews throw birthday party for New York Rabbi", David Hancock, The Miami Herald, April 14, 1992
  21. ↑ Yahrtzeit Observances. Chabad.org. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  22. ↑ www.chabadinfo.com. Chof Beis Shvat. Chabad.info.Archived December 16, 2013.
  23. ↑ Nissan Mindel. www.chabad.org. Rabbi Isaac Luria – The Ari Hakodosh Accessed January 13, 2015.
  24. ↑ Schneersohn, Shalom Dovber. Tanu Rabbanan: Ner Chanukah Sichos In English, N.Y., 1990.
  25. ↑ November 24, 2013. www.crownheights.info. Laws and Customs: Chanukah. CrownHeights.info. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  26. ↑ www.chabad.org. Gebrokts: Wetted Matzah. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  27. ↑ 'Under the Black Hat' Pop Art in Jerusalem Focuses on Chassidim – Rabbi Yitzchok Moully brings spiritual and emotional depth to a new exhibit. chabad.org.
  28. ↑ "HaChabadnikim." cameri.co.il. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.
  29. ↑ "Yehoshua November". Chabad.org.
  30. ↑ Chaim Gravitzer (The Tale of the Downfallen One): From the World of Chabad. ingeveb.org.
  31. ↑ Hirsch Succeeds with Theatrical Production of 'My Name is Asher Lev'. 29 August 2012. Atlanta Jewish Times.
  32. ↑ Cochrum, Alan Morris. CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: JACOB FIGURES AND THEMES IN THE NOVELS OF CHAIM POTOK. Accessed 22 October 2023. ResearchCommons.
  33. ↑ Sunday, February 6, 2011 A moving picture is worth many thousands of words. Eli Rubin.
  34. ↑ Jump up to: 34.0 34.1 34.2 Documentary Films about Hasidism. PBS. Archived May 3, 2015.
  35. ↑ Jump up to: 35.0 35.1 Movies: Theater Guide. New York Magazine. September 15, 1986. 176.
  36. ↑ www.thejewishreview.org. “An Interview with the Slopeover Rebbe”
  37. ↑ www.jta.org. The return a Hassidic experience a documentary focusing. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 29 April 1981.
  38. ↑ The Return: a Hassidic experience. June 18, 2020. OCLC: 50902286.
  39. ↑ Everyman: What Is a Jew? Sun 29th Jan 1989. BBC One London (genome.ch.bbc.co.uk).
  40. ↑ Smith, Anna Deavere. Fires in the Mirror. New York City: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1993.
  41. ↑ www.nytimes.com. 1993-04-28. Review/Television; One-Woman Show on Black vs. Jew. John J. O'Connor. April 28, 1993. The New York Times.
  42. ↑ www.pbs.org. A Life Apart: Hasidism In America. PBS.
  43. ↑ [|url=jwa.org/thisweek/jul/29/1997/deborah-kaufman|title=Broadcast of Deborah Kaufman's "Blacks and Jews" | Jewish Women's Archive|website=jwa.org
  44. ↑ www.shop.nfsa.gov.au. Welcome to the Waks Family. NFSA Online Shop.
  45. ↑ www.smh.com.au. Leaving the fold. Rachelle Unreich. June 23, 2008. The Sydney Morning Herald.
  46. ↑ Leaving The Fold. www.7thart.com. Archived 2023-09-07. SEVENTH ART RELEASING.
  47. ↑ www.loc.gov. Search results from Film, Video, Vietnam, Vietnam, Hebrew. Library of Congress.
  48. ↑ www.newvoices.org. Zany, Heartfelt 'Kathmandu' Evokes the Soul of Jewish Culture in Nepal. December 5, 2012.
  49. ↑ www.theglobeandmail.com. Secrets and lives of Hasidic women. The Globe and Mail.
  50. ↑ www.thesuburban.com. New film Shekinah provides unprecedented access to the world of young Hasidic women. TheSuburban.com. October 11, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  51. ↑ www.cjnews.com. Arnold, Janice. Film presents chassidic women's attitudes to intimacy. The Canadian Jewish News. October 20, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  52. ↑ Hampton, Matthew. Crown Heights 'Google Glass' Doc Premieres Next Month. Prospect Heights Patch. November 26, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  53. ↑ Piras, Lara. Google Glass Filmed Documentary Goes Where Normal Camera Crews Can't. www.psfk.com. October 9, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015.
  54. ↑ Evans, Lauren. Intrepid 20-Somethings Examine Crown Heights Through Google Glass. The Gothamist. October 7, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015. www.gothamist.com.
  55. ↑ www.dnainfo.com. Sharp, Sonja. Crown Heights Documentary Claims to be First Ever Shot With Google Glass. DNAInfo. October 7, 2013. Accessed January 13, 2015. Archived November 4, 2014.
  56. ↑ Meet the two rabbis bringing Jewish people together in the Aussie outback. SBS. Gavin Scott. 25 July 2018. www.sbs.com.au.
  57. ↑ "The Rabbi Goes West". www.jfi.org.
  58. ↑ www.jewishjournal.com. "Guns and Moses: The Heroic Hasid". Jewish Journal. Accessed 22 June 2024.
  59. ↑ The film's original title was Man in the Long Black Coat. see www.variety.com. Mark Feuerstein, Neal McDonough, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Lloyd Starring in ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’ (EXCLUSIVE)]. Variety. Accessed 22 June 2024.

Further reading[edit | edit source]

Chassidus:

  • Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. On the Essence of Chasidus: A Chasidic Discourse by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Chabad-Lubavitch. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2003.
  • Mindel, Nissan. The Philosophy of Chabad (Vol. 1-2). Chabad Research Center, 1973.

On the Life and Teachings of the Rebbe:

  • Jacobson, Simon. Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe, William Morrow, 2002.
  • Miller, Chaim. Turning Judaism Outward: A Biography of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe. Kol Menachem, 2014.
  • Oberlander, Boruch and Elkanah Shmotkin. Early Years: The Formative Years of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as Told by Documents and Archival Data, Kehot Publication Society. 2016.
  • Steinzaltz, Adin Even Israel. My Rebbe. Koren Publishers, 2014.
  • Telushkin, Joseph. Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Shneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History. Harperwave, 2014.

Chabad history and community

  • Rodkinson, M. L. Toldot Amudei HaChabad, Konigsberg, 1876.
  • Heilman, C. M. Beit Rebbe, Berdichev, 1902.
  • Challenge: An Encounter with Lubavitch-Chabad, Lubavitch Foundation of Great Britain, 1973.
  • Harris, Lis. Holy Days: The World Of The Hasidic Family, Summit Books, 1985.
  • Hoffman, Edward. Despite All Odds: The Story of Lubavitch. Simon & Schuster, 1991.
  • Morris, Bonnie J. Lubavitcher Women in America: Identity and Activism in the Postwar Era, SUNY Press, 1998.
  • Feldman, Jan L. Lubavitchers as Citizens: A Paradox of Liberal Democracy, Cornell University Press, 2003.
  • Fishkoff, Sue. The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch, Schocken, 2003.
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