The Moldovan-Israeli rabbi murdered in Dubai was a member of a Hasidic group that, although not the largest, is known for its “apostolate.” It has almost 5,000 members—shluchim, or emissaries—who administer nearly 3,500 institutions or “Chabad-Houses.” Israeli activist: it is “limited” to characterize his death as a result of an anti-Semitic attack. His movement is “very important”, although it has critical elements.
Jerusalem () – The murder in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of the Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan, 28, in a probable kidnapping attempt for which the authorities of the Jewish State accuse Iran (which denies it), puts the spotlight back on Chabad Lubavitch, a Hasidic movement that currently has influence throughout the world. Rabbi Kogan was born in Jerusalem and moved to Abu Dhabi in 2020 after the signing of the Abraham Accords mediated by the United States. He was married to Rivky Spielman, granddaughter of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, murdered in Mumbai in 2008 in the Nariman Chabad House attack. The body was identified in the city of Al Ain, near the border between the Emirates and Oman, although there is no certainty about the place of death. Together with his wife, he ran a kosher grocery store in Dubai (Rimon), which in the recent past had already been the subject of online protests by pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli protesters.
“It is a homicide that must be framed in the context of war,” and describing it as an “anti-Semitic attack” is evidently a reflection of a “lack of knowledge of what is happening in the world, because many Israelis have a vision and very limited narrative,” Hana Bendcowsky, an expert in interreligious dialogue, head of programs at the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations and a prominent member of the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, explains to . The death of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, and its implications, must be contextualized in what has happened in the last year in Gaza (and in Lebanon). “Those who speak of an anti-Semitic attack – he says – reveal a disconnection from reality and motivations, which are much more complex.”
His death, in addition to raising a possible involvement of Iran in a kidnapping attempt that degenerated with the death of the hostage, once again puts Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish sect based in the United States, but with ramifications for everyone. Also known as Lubavitch, after the name of the Russian city where it was based for much of the 19th century, although not the largest Hasidic group by number, it is by far the best known and most visible. In particular, for the work of decades of raising Jewish awareness of the roots of the faith. In fact, it is the only one that uses modern technologies and communication tools to spread its message and its global presence. From Memphis to Mumbai, Bangkok to Boston, there is virtually no major city on the planet that doesn’t have a permanent presence.
“It is a very important group – confirms Hana Bendcowsky – for several reasons: it encourages more Jews to practice the Torah, it promotes messianic idealism, it also provides support at a concrete level so that Judaism can be practiced, from kosher food to Shabbat , and it also leads them to do good works. In almost every corner of the world there is a house, which has become a more accessible support than consulates and embassies, a less bureaucratic place to ask for help.” But the currency also has another house to be able to carry out a very “material” work of “apostolate” in whose perspective “everyone must be religious, they do not admit secularism or secularism among Jews, who must be practicing.” One of the main goals of their “mission” is to convince them to “follow the 7 universal laws” because this is what the Talmud teaches them.
Chabad’s influence is largely the result of the commitment of nearly 5,000 members – known as shluchim, or emissaries, who run some 3,500 institutions in 100 countries. Typically, shluchim are a married couple who live in and run a “Chabad house,” offering meals, classes, prayer services, and (depending on location) tourist support. In some countries, Chabad is the only organized Jewish presence. The group is highly visible on the Internet and operates (among other websites) chabad.orgwhich claims to have 52 million visitors a year. Added to this is one of the most prolific Orthodox publishing houses in the United States, an international youth group, and a global network of dozens of yeshivas.
Chabad was founded in 1775 in present-day Belarus by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (also known as the Alter Rebbe). Shneur Zalman was a disciple of Dov Ber of Mezritch (also known as Magghid of Mezritch), who in turn was the main disciple of the Ba’al Shem Tov, founder of the Hasidic movement. Zalman was considered a prodigy, so much so that according to chronicles he received the title of rabbi at the age of 12. The name Chabad is an acronym, coined by himself, that represents the three components of the intellect: chochma (wisdom), binah (understanding), and da’at (knowledge). While Hasidism emerged as a reaction to what was seen as an overly erudite, yeshiva-centered form of Judaism, Shneur Zalman taught that the heart must remain subordinate to the mind.
However, it was thanks to Menachem Mendel Schneerson that the movement grew from an isolated Hasidic sect to the highly influential Jewish force it is today. Born in 1902 in present-day Ukraine and universally called by his followers simply “the Rebbe”, he was considered a gifted scholar from an early age. Schneerson saw the high rates of exchange and assimilation of the Jews as a kind of spiritual Holocaust. According to their teachings, bringing Jews closer to their heritage and the observance of biblical commandments would hasten the coming of the Messiah. His efforts were focused on, but not limited to, Jews: Schneerson also asked his followers to encourage observance of the 7 “universal” laws (Noahide), the universal moral obligations that Judaism teaches are incumbent on all humanity. . The “rebbe” died without children and without designating a successor, leaving the movement without a leader, but to this day he remains its “guiding light.”
In the decades since his death, Chabad’s expansion around the world has continued at a rapid pace. Between 1994 and 2002, more than 610 new emissaries were sent and 705 new institutions were opened, as journalist Sue Fishkoff records in her book The Rebbe’s Army. In those same years, Chabad’s presence in the former Soviet bloc grew from eight Russian cities to 61 throughout the region. Chabad operates not only in large urban areas, but also in smaller cities and rural areas. In some places it exists primarily to serve the needs of Jewish travelers, becoming what has been called the “face of modern Judaism.”
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