Chabad Leadership Formation Menachem Mendel Schneerson from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson Lu
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Chabad Leadership Formation Menachem Mendel Schneerson From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson Lubavitcher Rebbe Lubavitcher Rebbe Synagogue 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY Began 10 Shevat 5711 / January 17, 1951 Predecessor Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn Personal details Born April 5, 1902 OS (11 Nissan 5662)[1] Died June 12, 1994 NS (3 Tammuz 5754) (aged 92[2]) Buried Queens, New York, USA Dynasty Chabad Lubavitch Parents Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Chana Yanovski Schneerson Spouse Chaya Mushka Schneerson Semicha Rogatchover Gaon America and leadership[edit] Escape from EuropeIn 1941, Schneerson escaped from Europe on the Serpa Pinto, which embarked from Lisbon, Portugal. It was one of the last boats to cross the Atlantic before the U-boat blockade began,[33] and joined his father-in- law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. Seeking to contribute to the war effort, he went to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, drawing wiring for the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63),[34][35] and other classified military work.[36] Rise in AmericaIn 1942, his father-in-law appointed him director of the Chabad movement's newly-founded central organizations, placing him at the helm of building the movement's Jewish educational, social services, and publishing networks across the United States, Israel, Africa, Europe and Australia. However, Schneerson kept a low public profile within the movement. He would speak publicly only once a month, delivering talks to his father-in-law's followers.[12] During the 1940s, Schneerson became a naturalized US citizen. For many years to come, he would speak about America's special place in the world, and would argue that the bedrock of the United States' power and uniqueness came from its foundational values, which were, according to Schneerson, '"E pluribus unum'—from many one", and "In God we trust."[37] In 1949, his father-in-law would become a U.S. citizen, with the Rebbe assisting to coordinate the event. A special dispensation was arranged wherein the federal judge came to "770" to officiate at Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak's citizenship proceedings, rather than the wheelchair-bound Rebbe travel to a courthouse for the proceedings. Uniquely, the event was recorded on color motion film.[38] Candidate for RebbeYosef Yitzchok Schneersohn died in 1950. The two main candidates for leadership were Schneerson and Rabbi Shemaryahu Gurary, Schneersohn's elder son- in-law. Schneerson actively refused to accept leadership of the movement for the entire year after Schneersohn's death, but was eventually cajoled into accepting the post by his wife and followers.[39] On the first anniversary of his father-in-law's passing, 10 Shevat 1951, he delivered a Hasidic discourse, (Ma'amar), and formally became the Rebbe.[40] "770"Main article: 770 Eastern Parkway 770 Eastern Parkway.Schneerson rarely left Crown Heights in Brooklyn except for frequent lengthy visits to his father-in-law's gravesite in Queens, New York. A year after the death of his wife, Chaya Mushka, in 1988, when the traditional year of Jewish mourning had passed, he moved into his study above the central Lubavitch synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway. It was from this location that Schneerson directed his emissaries' work and managed the movement's development. His public roles included celebrations called farbrengens (gatherings) on Shabbats, Jewish holy days, and special days on the Chabad calendar, when he would give lengthy sermons to crowds. In later years, these would often be broadcast on cable television and via satellite to Lubavitch branches around the world. Honors On March 25, 1983, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, the United States Congress proclaimed Rabbi Schneerson's birthday as "Education Day, USA," and awarded him the National Scroll of Honor.[52] "Sunday Dollars"As the Chabad movement grew and more demands were placed on Schneerson's time, he limited his practice of meeting followers individually in his office. After his heart attack in 1977, he reduced the frequency of his twice-weekly practice of all-night Yechidut—private audiences with whomever would request an appointment, and from then until 1982 only foreign visitors, and families with a momentous occasion such as a wedding or bar-mitzva were allowed private meetings —though community leaders and Israeli government officials would also still occasionally meet with the Rebbe in private for lengthy discussions. These private audiences had generally taken place on Sundays and Thursdays, starting at 8pm and often continuing until 8am. At such private audiences he would meet over three thousand people.[53] In 1986, Schneerson again began to regularly greet people individually. This time, the personal meetings took the form of a weekly receiving line in "770". Almost every Sunday, thousands of people would line up to meet briefly with Schneerson and receive a one-dollar bill, which was to be donated to charity. People filing past Schneerson would often take this opportunity to ask him for advice or to request a blessing. This event is usually referred to as "Sunday Dollars."[54] Beginning in 1989, these events were recorded on videotape. Posthumously, hundreds of thousands these encounters have been posted online[55] for public access. Final years[edit] "Moshiach" (Messiah) fervorSee also: Chabad messianism Some of Schneerson's followers believed he was the Jewish Messiah, the "Moshiach," and have persisted in that belief since his death. The reverence with which he was treated by followers led many Jewish critics from both the Orthodox and Reform communities to allege that a cult of personality had grown up around him.[58] Moshe D. Sherman, an associate professor at Touro College wrote that "as Schneerson's empire grew, a personality cult developed around him... portraits of Schneerson were placed in all Lubavitch homes, shops, and synagogues, and devoted followers routinely requested a blessing from him prior to their marriage, following an illness, or at other times of need."[59] Final declarationsIn 1991, he declared to his followers: "I have done everything I can [to bring Moshiach], now I am handing over to you [the mission]; do everything you can to bring Moshiach!" A campaign was then started to usher in the Messianic age through "acts of goodness and kindness," and some of his followers placed advertisements in the mass media, including many full-page ads in the New York Times, declaring in Rabbi Schneerson's name that the Moshiach's arrival was imminent, and urging everyone to prepare for and hasten it by increasing their good deeds. Death and burialMain article: Ohel (Chabad) The Rebbe's Tomb: Rabbi Schneerson's burial place next to his father-in-law and predecessor in Queens, NY.Schneerson died at the Beth Israel Medical Center on June 12, 1994 (3 Tammuz 5754) and was buried at the Ohel next to his teacher and father-in- law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, at Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, New York,[66] in 1994.[67][68] The Ohel had been built around the Previous Rebbe's grave in 1950. [edit] Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch CenterSoon after Schneerson's death, philanthropist Joseph Gutnick of Melbourne, Australia established the Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch Center on Francis Lewis Boulevard, Queens, New York, which is located adjacent to the Rebbe's Ohel. Following the age-old Jewish tradition of turning the resting place of a tzadik into a place of prayer, thousands of people flock to the Rebbe's resting place every week.[69] Many more send faxes and e-mails with requests for prayers to be read at the grave site. [edit] U.S. Government awardsStarting with President Carter in 1978,[70] the U.S. Congress and President have issued proclamations each year, declaring that Schneerson's birthday — usually a day in March or April that coincides with his recognized Hebrew calendar birthdate of 11 Nissan — be observed as Education and Sharing Day in the United States.[71] The Rebbe would usually respond with a public address [72] on the importance of education in modern society, and holding forth on the United States' special role in the world. Honored by CongressAfter Schneerson's death, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives—sponsored by Congressman Charles Schumer and cosponsored by John Lewis, Newt Gingrich, and Jerry Lewis, as well as 220 other Congressmen—to posthumously bestow upon Schneerson the Congressional Gold Medal. On November 2, 1994 the bill passed both Houses by unanimous consent, honoring Schneerson for his "outstanding and enduring contributions toward world education, morality, and acts of charity".[73] President Bill Clinton spoke these words at the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony: ― The late Rebbe's eminence as a moral leader for our country was recognized by every president since Richard Nixon. For over two decades, the Rabbi's movement now has some 2000 institutions; educational, social, medical, all across the globe. We (the United States Government) recognize the profound role that Rabbi Schneerson had in the expansion of those institutions. ‖ Other posthumous commendationsIn 2009, the National Museum of American Jewish History[74] selected Schneerson as one of eighteen American Jews to be included in their "Only in America" Hall of Fame. ControversyMain article: Chabad-Lubavitch related controversies#Menachem Mendel Schneerson [edit] WillsThere is considerable controversy within Chabad about Schneerson's will. It is widely accepted that two wills exist, the first will was signed by Schneerson and transferred stewardship of all the major Chabad institutions to Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky.[75] This will is indisputable as it was officially filed and a record of its signing exists in the archives of New York State. The second will gave the bulk of control to three senior Chabad rabbis, Rabbis Mindel, Pikarski and Hodakov (contemporary of Schneerson) and gave Krinsky only a minor role.