Today marks 30 years since the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, widely known as “The Rebbe.” Born in 1902, in Nikolaev, Ukraine, he grew up during the Russian pogroms, Jewish persecution, and World War I. In November 1928, he married Chaya Mushka Schneersohn in Warsaw, Poland, the daughter of the sixth Lubavitch Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn.
Fleeing the Nazis in occupied Paris, the couple arrived in the US in 1941, settling in Brooklyn where Chaya Mushka’s father was developing Chabad-Lubavitch’s headquarters, ‘770’ Eastern Parkway, purchased in August 1940. This site became a synagogue, yeshiva, residence, and office for the Rebbe until his passing in 1950. The following year, Rabbi Schneerson succeeded his father-in-law as the seventh Rebbe.
Today, ‘770’ remains a central hub for Chabad and its global Jewish outreach movement, hosting the annual Kinus event attended by thousands of Chabad rabbis worldwide. It houses one of the largest private Jewish libraries and hosts numerous Jewish wedding ceremonies annually, playing a pivotal role in Jewish life.
Upon his passing on the 3rd of Tammuz (Hebrew calendar) in 1994, the Rebbe’s death was mourned globally, yet his legacy continues to shape Jewish life today. The Rebbe’s resting place in Queens, known as the Ohel, attracts 400,000 visitors annually, Jews and non-Jews alike, including world leaders seeking spiritual inspiration, guidance, and blessings.
Image of the Rebbe on a billboard in Times Square surrounded by Jewish teens from around the world.
Photo: Bentzi Sasson
