The Rebbe

A Life of Vision and Service

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, the seventh leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, is considered to have been the most phenomenal Jewish personality of modern times. To hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of admirers around the world, he was — and still is — "the Rebbe."

The Rebbe was born on the 11th day of Nissan, 1902, in Nikolaev, Russia, to the renowned kabbalist and talmudic scholar Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson and Rebbetzin Chana. From an early age, his brilliance was evident — by nine years old, he was already saving lives, as told in stories of his courage diving into the Black Sea to rescue a drowning child.

He studied in various Torah academies across Europe, and in 1928 married Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, daughter of the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. After escaping Nazi-occupied Europe in 1941, he arrived in America and began his transformative work from the Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn.

Upon accepting leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch in 1951, the Rebbe launched an unprecedented global campaign. He sent emissaries (Shluchim) to every corner of the globe — today over 5,000 Chabad centers operate in more than 100 countries, serving millions of Jews and their communities.

The Rebbe's philosophy was rooted in the infinite worth of every human soul. His famous "dollar distributions" — where he personally gave a dollar to each person who came to him, to give to charity — became a symbol of this belief.