CHABAD-LUBAVITCH

A philosophy, a movement, and an organization. It is widely considered to be the most dynamic force in Jewish life today, with over:

3,500 centers in 85 countries, dedicated to the welfare of the Jewish people worldwide.

THE MOVEMENT

Following its inception 250 years ago, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement — a branch of Hasidism — swept through Russia and spread to the surrounding countries as well. It provided scholars with answers that eluded them and simple farmers with a love that had been denied of them. Eventually, the philosophy of Chabad-Lubavitch and its adherents reached almost every corner of the world and affected almost every facet of Jewish life.

 

LEADERSHIP

The movement is guided by the teachings of its seven leaders ("Rebbes"), beginning with Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, of righteous memory (1745-1812). These leaders expounded upon the most refined and delicate aspects of Jewish mysticism, creating a corpus of study thousands of books strong. They personified the age-old, Biblical qualities of piety and leadership. And they concerned themselves not only with Chabad-Lubavitch but with the totality of Jewish life, spiritual and physical. No person or detail was too small or insignificant for their love and dedication.

In our generation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known simply as "the Rebbe," guided post-holocaust Jewry to safety from the ravages of that devastation.

 

THE ORGANIZATION

The origins of today’s Chabad-Lubavitch organization can be traced to the early 1940s, when the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory arrived on the shores of the United States, and took the lead of the newly founded educational and social service arms of the movement.

Motivated by his profound love for every Jew and all of humanity, and spurred by his boundless optimism and self-sacrifice, the Rebbe set into motion a dazzling array of programs, services, and institutions worldwide.

Today over 5,000 full-time emissary families (2,000 in the United States) apply 250-year-old principles and philosophy to direct more than 3,500 institutions (and a workforce that numbers in the tens of thousands) dedicated to the welfare of the Jewish people worldwide.