The 28th of Sivan 5701 (1941), a ship arrived in New York harbor. On board was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the future Lubavitcher Rebbe, and his wife Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. The Rebbe and Rebbetzin had survived the horrors of Communism in the USSR, the rise of Nazi Germany, life in Poland and Vichy France, and had miraculously made it to America.
Embracing the philosophy of his father in law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, that Jewish life in America need be no different than it had been for 2000 years of exile, or "America iz Nisht Andersh", the Rebbe immediately set to transform a country once called the Impure country, or the Treife Medina, into a fountain of Jewish life.
The Rebbe arrived in an America where religious Jews could not find work, were ostracized and ignored, and where Kosher, Mikvah, and Jewish education, the foundations of Jewish life, were near impossible to come by.
The Rebbe was tasked with three Chabad initiatives, including Kehos, their printing house, Machane Yisroel, social services, and Merkos L'inyonei Chinuch, Chabad's education arm. Surrounded by a dedicated team of passionate, remarkably young followers, the Rebbe set out to change the face of Judaism in America, and around the world.
The Rebbe also recognized the unique nature of America. Having lost his beloved brother, grandmother, and uncle to the Nazi scourge, and his father and much of his community to Stalin's venomous hatred, The Rebbe saw in America as a Kingdom of kindness, a Medina Shel Chessed, and a force for good that could be utilized.
Today the Rebbe’s influence is felt in every state in United States and over 100 countries around the world. The largest and most vibrant Jewish organization in Judaism, the Rebbe’s students, and emissaries reach over 6 million Jews every year.
This historic phenomenon and a large portion of modern Jewish history began when that ship arrived in New York Harbor.
Lechaim!
Source: Rabbi-Shlomo Litvin, Chabad.org and Jewish Educational Media
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