Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902-June 12, 1994), referred to by Lubavitchers as The Rebbe, was a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Judaism (which is also part of Haredi Judaism.) He was fifth in a direct paternal line to the third Chabad Lubavitch Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (known as the Tzemach Tzedek), his namesake.

Political activities

United States

Politicians of all stripes came to see him, regardless of their party political affiliations. Be they Democrats or Republicans, they sought his support. Generally, Lubavitch tends to support more conservative politicians such as those who back school prayer, are anti-abortion, pro-Israel, and are generally supportive of Bible values, about which Rabbi Schneerson was publicly vocal. Aspirants for the job of mayor, governor, congressman, senator, in the states of New York and New Jersey would come calling and have their pictures with the rebbe published in newspapers with large Jewish readerships and voters. Towards the end of his life, thousands of ordinary people would line up to receive a dollar bill from him personally, which was to be donated to charity, and a quick blessing from him.

Related Topics:
Democrats - Republicans - School prayer - Abortion - Israel - Bible - Mayor - Governor - Congressman - Senator - States - New York - New Jersey - Newspapers - Voters

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Schneerson predicted, paid close attention to, and rejoiced in, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe starting in 1989. Under the Bolsheviks his father-in-law had been imprisoned and tortured and had his massive collection of writings confiscated, and the movement banned on pain of exile to Siberia. So too his father Rabbi Levi Yitzchock Schneerson was imprisoned and sent to live in exile in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan. His father was never freed and died in Alma Ata. Once the Iron Curtain fell, he wasted no time in flooding the former Soviet Union with hundreds of new shluchim. During the Desert Storm war against Iraq in 1990-1991, messianic fever ran high as Schneerson interpreted events in the light of Torah and midrash, declaring that: "Moshiach is already here, all we need to do is to open our eyes to see him."

Related Topics:
Fall of communism - Eastern Europe - 1989 - Bolsheviks - Siberia - Iron Curtain - Soviet Union - Desert Storm - Iraq - 1990 - 1991 - Torah - Midrash

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Israel

Schneerson never visited the State of Israel, where he had many admirers and critics. One of Israel's presidents, Zalman Shazar, was a religiously observant person of Lubavitch ancestry and his visits to Schneerson were reunions of sorts. Prime Minister Menachem Begin and later Benjamin Netanyahu also paid visits and sought advice. In the elections that brought Yitzhak Shamir to power, Schneerson publicly cajoled his followers and the Orthodox members in the Knesset to vote against the Labor alignment leading to articles in Time and Newsweek and many newspapers and TV programs.

Related Topics:
State of Israel - Zalman Shazar - Prime Minister - Menachem Begin - Benjamin Netanyahu - Yitzhak Shamir - Orthodox - Knesset - Labor - Time - Newsweek - TV

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During the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War of 1973, he called in public for the Israel Defence Forces to capture Damascus in Syria and Cairo in Egypt. He was vehemently opposed to any withdrawals by Israel's armies from captured territories, and was against any concessions to the Palestinians. He lobbied Israeli politicians to legislate on Who is a Jew to declare that "only one who is born of a Jewish mother or converted according to halakha (Jewish biblical religious law) is Jewish". This caused a furor in the United States where Jewish philanthropies cut off their financial support of Lubavitch since most of their members were connected with Reform and Conservative Judaism .

Related Topics:
Six Day War - 1967 - Yom Kippur War - 1973 - Israel Defence Force - Damascus - Syria - Cairo - Egypt - Palestinians - Who is a Jew - Reform - Conservative Judaism

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