The Secret of Chabad

The Secret of Chabad is a terrific journalistic work that tells the story of Chabad from the perspective of an insider. Two things are most significant. First, David Eliezrie interviewed dozens of people involved in the story and weaved their perspectives into the narrative. Second, he really understands the significance of the role the Rebbe played in the development of Chabad and made that a key part of the story.In short, he explains with great insight how a supposedly dying artifact of history, traditional Orthodox Judaism, has transformed itself into the largest and fastest growing Jewish organization in the world today. Almost everywhere you go today in America, you’ll find a Chabad nearby. You’ll be surprised to find out that Chabad centers are worldwide in places you’d never imagine. It’s a great story that anyone interested in the development of Judaism should read.

Excellent. It was very interesting for me because I found out about covert operations regarding communist Russia that were going on with people I knew at that time and I had no idea of what was going on in the background. Very well written.Update: I just finished the book and was continually inspired and amazed. It was so well written and came straight from the heart. You can feel it in his writing. Thank you for providing us with all this information, inspiration and understanding from an insider's point of view. I was sad when it ended and hope to reread it soon. I have told countless people about the book.

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. Pacey writing. Fascinating history. Great life lessons. Useful in conversations. Highly recommend. No doubt, the book is biased toward Chabad. If I were so inclined, I could find lots of books and articles critical of the movement. That said, I’d rather take away key life-enhancing lessons and messages. My favorite chapters are “Gabie and Rivkie” recounting terrorist attacks on the Chabad house in Mumbai, “The Menorah Wars” discussing Chabad’s interaction with American Jews in the 2nd half of the 20th century, “Dancing with the KGB” which discusses Chabad’s role in the USSR, and “Every Shliach Is an Entrepreneur”.I was hooked by the end of chapter 1. The author, a Chabad insider working in California, tells the story of the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai’s Chabad House. The writing is journalistic and compelling, introducing readers to the characters who become Chabad shluchim, the Chabad global family turning out for a tragic funeral, and Chabad’s global influence/organization as the “Chabad Command Center” often had better information that US, Indian, or Israeli authorities attempting to rescues hostages.What is Chabad? We think of Chabad today as a worldwide Jewish movement enabling travellers to get a Kosher meal and maintaining Jewish communities around the world. It has been, and remains spectacularly successful in bring Jews to Judiasm. The book documents in far more detail the ideological elements of the movement. I like the characterization attributed to Moshe Feller (Minnesota in 1952) “In Torah Vodaath [more traditional] it was ‘us’ and ‘them’. The small yeshiva world was ‘us’ and the rest of the community was ‘them’. In Chabad Lubavich, all Jews were ‘us’. … but first you must attend a farbrengen” (page 98). The fabrengen is a free-flowing combination of song, learning, and inspiration hosted by Chabad Rabbis and leaders.Philosophically, I take away (i) consistency of message, (ii) a focus on individual Jewish souls, and (iii) spiritual pursuits rather than purely academic. … “the Rebbe told young people ‘you can change the world…you can do something that has cosmic implications’” (119). “When a young man goes off to a classical style Lithuanian-style yeshiva in Israel or the US, he will be told … that his greatest inspiration is to become a great Torah scholar. … In Chabad yeshivas, this attitude is frowned upon. The purpose of learning is to become closer to G-d by studying torah. Aspiring to be great could be driven by ego.” (273)The lessons of this book go far beyond Jewish thought. The Rebbes are business geniuses with scalable lessons across commercial enterprises. The 7th Rebbe taught the value of thinking BIG, developing a vision that drove Chabad to the ends of the Earth. He didn’t micro-manage, rather leaving his delegates to identify and address local problems within the context of broader goals and approaches. He embraced the free market, forcing the shluchim to program within their own budgets and fund-raise largely independently. Ultimately, the fact that the organization remains so strong without a living Rebbe is a testament to its staying power. For what its worth, Chabad also does pretty well on real estate, moving into neighborhoods, making them more attractive places to live, and therefore owning relatively valuable property.Within American Jewry, Chabad has certainly faced its challenges. I was shocked to learn that the giant menoras that we see today in city centers and even on top of minivans only date back to the 1980’s. The book details Chabad’s challenges from both left and right. The left primarily feared loss of funding among finite resources from the likes of Jewish Federation and Birthright Israel. In the early days Chabad camps and schools, for example, received far less funding per child than other groups. In addition, the left feared mingling of religion/state (like menorahs in public squares) for fear that public schools would use this to justify becoming increasingly Christian in practice. The right also had concerns. They feared Chabad was making it “too easy” to participate. “Celebrating a bar or bat mitzvah in synagogue should require preparation and serious training” (174). There was also a financial motive with other traditional synagogues afraid of losing paying members.Chabad also has profound global influence. Benjamin Netanyahu quoted the Rebbe at the UN in 2011 (252). George W Bush credited Chabad for amazing work after Hurricane Katrina. When Golda Meir and Mossad wanted better access to Russia and better understanding of Russian Jews trapped behind the iron curtain, they found “a clandestine Jewish network already in place, directed by the Rebbe in Brooklyn.” (189) The book spends a lot of pages as well on the detailed history of Chabad in Russia, escaping in the early 1900’s and setting up in Brooklyn. Personally, there was a bit too much detail to keep me interested but the core message is powerful: “Shaped by years of battle against the Soviets, Chabad policy was not to retreat when faced with pressure” (139).The shlochim are fascinating in themselves. They move as young married couples far from family in exchange for the opportunity to change the world one Jew at a time. They often struggle to find funding, schools for their children and Kosher meat for their tables. Yet, the (almost always) persevere and succeed. Sometimes, they get creative (internet learning for the kids). Sometimes they get lucky (finding an unlikely patron). In any case, the numbers speak for themselves. From zero after WWII, there were 1242 shluchim couples in the world by 1994. By 2004, it was 2,097 with demand for placements far outstripping viable communities.Bottom-line: Read this book.

Rabbi David Eliezrie's book, "The Secret of Chabad", is a very important resource for anyone interested in Judaism. It is easy to read, filled with stories and anecdotes, yet delves into deep philosophic and religious issues while providing a thorough history and background to the Chabad movement. Eliezrie explains how many Hasidic groups pursue what they consider to be their holy purpose by turning inward, protecting themselves from outside influences, in contrast to Chabad’s philosophy that holiness is pursued by turning outward, so that G-d’s light is spread throughout the world. He explains the relationship of Jews with Israel in a unique way, noting that “the diasporic state of the Jewish people, is not just a physical removal of the Jews from their land, but a spiritual one.” In the 20th Century, Zionism has addressed the bridging of the physical diaspora, but not the spiritual diaspora. The bridging of the latter chasm has been at the core of Chabad’s mission. This is pursued by Chabad, one Jew at a time, one mitzvah at a time, with the expectation that each little step increases the holiness of our material world, enhances the recognition of G-d’s presence, and hastens the coming of Moshiach and redemption. Because any movement closer to G-d makes a difference in our world, Chabad never gives up on a Jew, He cites author Yossi Klein Halevi for reasons why Chabad seems to be viewed positively, even by those Israelis who resent religious Jews. Among the reasons given by Halevi is that Chabad has the courage to confront the real issues, including the transformation of the Jewish world in the last century by four upheavals: the Holocaust, seventy years of Communism, Zionism, and the emergence of a self-confident American Jewish community. Eliezrie also explains the difference between the classical Lithuanian type yeshiva where the prime object is to become a Gadol (great scholar of Torah) versus Chabad’s prime object to learn Torah in order to form a spiritual bond with G-d. How this came about, and how Chabad has grown into what Rabbi Eliezrie describes as “the world’s most successful Jewish movement” is all part of the secret of Chabad, revealed in an intriguing, captivating way by Eliezrie’s delightful book.

I'm not Jewish, but I've become fascinated by Chabad after hearing Rabbi Jonathan Sacks talk about it. I visited their headquarters at Crown Heights in New York. I picked this up because I have an interest in reviving religion and social movements.I learnt about the worldwide network that Chabad has built from Novosibirsk to Nevada. I discovered about how Judaism survived through the European pogroms and how the different groups of religious Jews manage their rivalries. I got an idea of the 'schlichus' and how young couples were sent across the world to bring Jews back into the fold.The author made the story compelling. I finished the book knowing a lot more about the 'Rebbes', the strategies of Chabad and Judaism in general.

Great book! The Secret of ChabadThe Secret of Chabad

Very informative and gives very interesting information about those who have worked to hard to make a success of Chabad's work to spread the words and works of Judaism around the globe. Also, it was fascinating to learn how "The Rebbe" built an empire, not to conquer anyone or bring anyone under his heel, but to bring Jewish thoughts to the world.