Thread by @BluegrassRabbi

Tonight, the 28th of Sivan is a remarkable day that changed the face of Judaism, in America & around the world.

82 years ago today, a ship arrived in New York Harbor. On board was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the future Lubavitcher Rebbe & 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.

The Rebbe immediately began his work.

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 in Europe, or "America iz Nisht Andersh", the Rebbe immediately set to transform the "Treife Medina" into a center 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 the Kehos printing house, Machane Yisroel's social services, and Merkos L'inyonei Chinuch, Chabad's education arm. With a team of passionate, remarkably young followers, the Rebbe set out to change the face of Judaism.

The Rebbe also recognized the unique nature of America. Having lost his brother, grandmother, & uncle to the Nazi scourge, and his father to Stalin's venomous hatred, The Rebbe saw America as a Kingdom of kindness, a Medina Shel Chessed, & a force for good that could be utilized.

Today the Rebbe’s influence is felt in every state & over 100 countries around the world. The largest & most vibrant Jewish organization in Judaism, the Rebbe’s students & emissaries reach over 6 million Jews each year!

This historic phenomenon began 82 yrs ago tonight.
Lechaim!

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