The 30th yahrzeit of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, widely known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, marks a significant date for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and Jewish communities worldwide. As the seventh and last Rebbe of the Lubavitch dynasty, his influence extended far beyond his passing on June 12, 1994 (3 Tammuz 5754 in the Hebrew calendar).

Thousands gathered at the Rebbe's Ohel (grave site) in New York for a memorial event, where prominent Chabad rabbis told memorable stories of the late Rebbe. Jon Polin, father of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, joined the shluchim (emissaries) at Kever Rochel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Chabad on Campus shluchim in Jerusalem, praising their role as ambassadors for the Jewish people amidst rising antisemitism. Netanyahu's close relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe is well known. The Rebbe had told him to "light a candle of truth" in his dealings with the UN in 1984.

Happening now: thousands are gathered to remember the life and legacy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. https://t.co/9vOYKjjEuE pic.twitter.com/aZaxpJTPOt

— Yaacov Behrman (@ChabadLubavitch) July 9, 2024

Widely regarded as one of the most influential Jewish leaders of modern times, the Rebbe's teachings continue to inspire and guide people worldwide. His legacy is carried on by the work of Chabad and its numerous shluchim, who promote Jewish education and outreach. His teachings on Jewish mysticism, his emphasis on acts of kindness, and his vision of preparing the world for the Messianic era continue to inspire followers and admirers.

Tonight, Gimel Tamuz marks 30 years since the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

His absence is felt every day—but so is his presence.

He transformed Jewish life—showing how this cold modern world can still be a warm vibrant home for divinity. pic.twitter.com/uqbUakg85G

— David/Dovid Bashevkin (@DBashIdeas) July 8, 2024

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In keeping with Schneerson's lifetime goals and teachings, millions throughout the world will be participating in prayers, lectures, gatherings, tributes and the additional performance of good deeds in Schneerson's memory.

Rabbi Elie Mischel of Livingston, NJ, often talks about Schneerson and his impact from the pulpit of the Suburban Torah Synagogue, a Modern Orthodox congregation. Mischel sums up Schneerson's impact this way: "The rebbe was not only the rebbe of Chabad but also the rebbe of the entire Jewish people."

"The rebbe's concern transcended the specific needs and issues of his devoted Hassidim and extends to every last Jew in the world," he says. "The rebbe was truly the … 'leader of the generation,' and his legacy remains essential to all Jews."

In California, the dozen Chabad Houses that comprise Chabad of Conejo Valley and Ventura County will jointly host "An Evening of Unity and Inspiration" on July 10, which will unite a cross-section of people from all Jewish backgrounds.

"There is so much doom and gloom and friction in the world, but the rebbe taught us to look on the brighter side and see the good in everyone," says Rabbi Yitzchok Sapochinsky, director of Chabad of Westlake Village, California. "He believed in each individual, and we need to believe in ourselves."

The power of positivity and Schneerson's thoughts on the subject are at the heart of a new book, "Positivity Bias" by Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson, who will be one of the keynote speakers at the "Evening of Unity and Inspiration." Also scheduled to speak is Salvador Litwak, a Hollywood screenwriter.

Like many other communities, the Southern California program is being held under the banner of "One Heart, One People." That banner, says Sapochinsky, exemplifies what Schneersohn was all about: being one.

"We are trying to bring everyone together under one roof. At the core, we are one people, and the rebbe taught us that," he said.

A display of unity will also be seen down under as a standing-room-only crowd in Sydney, Australia, comes together to remember the rebbe during a community gathering. Rabbi Simon Jacobson, the NY-based author of "Toward a Meaningful Life" and other works will join them to discuss five transformative and enduring lessons from Schneersohn."

According to Rabbi Elimelech Levy, director of Chabad Youth New South Wales, "We all get caught up in the day-to-day grind of life and rarely have the chance to be deeply inspired," continues Levy. "We hope that through Rabbi Jacobson, we will be able to bring people from all walks of life and give them the chance to be inspired by the rebbe's work."

The largest gathering is expected to take place in Queens, at the resting place of both Schneersohn and his father-in-law – the sixth Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, with some 50,000 men expected to arrive there over the week.

A focus on education, welfare, students and soldiers

Throughout the year, hundreds of thousands of individuals, both Jews and non-Jews, frequent his resting place seeking blessings, spiritual guidance and inspiration. In addition to personal visits, Schneerson's resting place annually receives more than 500,000 prayer requests via email and fax, and virtually all of the visitors this week will be bringing petitions for blessings from friends and family around the world.

While men have gathered at Schneerson's burial place to mark the yahrtzeit, the anniversary of his death, every year since his passing, this will be the first time there is a concurrent program for women and girls. Some 400 women are estimated to have attended the "Shabbat of Reflection, Connection and Action" program led by Chabad emissaries from South Africa, Australia, and Hawaii, at a hotel a few miles from the burial site.

Though he is known for his work in ensuring Jewish continuity and his love for the Jewish people, Schneersohn also made a significant mark on the world as a whole. His dedication to children with special needs – he advocated for the term years before it became part of the common lexicon – and his focus on education, welfare and those in the military who defend their countries earned him respect from world leaders. He was awarded a Congressional Medal, and the US National Education and Sharing Day was established in his honor.

Online, Schneerson's visionary approach to many of the questions and challenges faced by society has been made available on the Chabad.org website, which combines hundreds of transcripts, clips of original footage and personal correspondence with Schneerson, highlighting how he applied the wisdom of hassidic philosophy to real-world issues.

Among the topics addressed are mass incarceration, the importance of renewable energy and the imperative of transforming public education for the greater good.

In the 25 years since his passing, Schneerson's influence continues to grow – extending to an ever-increasing number of people from across the religious and political spectrum. Writing this week in Tablet magazine, author Liel Leibovitz articulates the importance of learning and adopting what Schneerson has to teach, in principle and in practice.

"We need to follow in the footsteps of our elders," whoever those elders might be, writes Leibovitz, "and listen to the rebbe."

"The lesson he bequeaths us isn't an easy one to learn," concludes Leibovitz, "but it's one we can't afford to ignore. For Jewish life in America, more imperiled now than ever before, to continue, we need to relearn how to love – each other, ourselves, and our tradition. It takes a very great rabbi to teach us that."

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The men and women, young and old, have made their way from around the city, the country and the world to this unassuming site, the burial place of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to pay their respects to the leader of Judaism's Chabad-Lubavitch movement who died 25 years ago.

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While visitors come year-round, the crowds grow tremendously around the anniversary of his passing, which according to the Hebrew calendar falls this year on July 6, with people sometimes waiting a few hours to spend even a couple of moments at his mausoleum, where they pray and leave notes.

"If you're coming here, you're coming here for the real deal," said Rivky Greenberg, 19, of Anchorage, Alaska, who timed her summer travel plans to coincide with visiting around the anniversary.

Greenberg, raised in Chabad-Lubavitch, an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic movement, has come to the site several times in her life for the connection to the rabbi that it gives her.

"It's not a tourist site," she said. "It's very rare that people will come and not feel something."

Schneerson led Chabad-Lubavitch for more than four decades as the seventh rebbe, or spiritual leader, following the death of his father-in-law, whom he is buried next to at the Montefiore Cemetery in Cambria Heights in eastern Queens. His wife's and mother-in-law's graves are a short distance away.

In those years, he was one of the most influential global leaders in Judaism, reinvigorating a small community that had been devastated by the Holocaust and pushing for all Jews to become more deeply connected to their faith and do more good in their everyday lives. He sent Chabad representatives to live all over the world.

The 25th anniversary of his passing has been widely noted, especially on Israeli social media, which is filled with tributes from politicians and commentators.

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, who spent three years in Soviet prison in the 1980s before immigrating to Israel, said he "was a model of love for Israel and instilled in the Jewish nation a belief in its eternal values that protected us for thousands of years and will protect us forever."

Following Schneerson's death, a member of the community bought the home next to the cemetery, assuming it would become well visited, which it has been. Chabad-Lubavitch representatives estimate there are now about 400,000 visitors a year, with about 50,000 in the period surrounding the anniversary. The majority are Jewish, both Lubavitchers and otherwise.

The facility is simple – the home's backyard and driveway were enclosed with a white corrugated metal roof and turned into a climate-controlled space where visitors can sit on benches and write notes. From there, they can walk outside to the rabbi's mausoleum, a small structure built out of gray stone walls surrounding two stone markers and a white stone pit where people can leave their notes for the rabbi. The notes are periodically collected and burned.

Around the time of the anniversary, white tents with fans and video screens are erected in the cemetery roadway next to the mausoleum, where men and women can wait their turn during busy times.

It's a low-key setup, with no pomp or lavishness, but that fits in with who the rabbi was, said Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, a spokesman for Chabad-Lubavitch.

He "served God with the holiness of simplicity, eschewing opulence and pomp, choosing instead to live a simple, almost meager existence," Shmotkin said.

Mark Stein, 66, visiting from Johannesburg, South Africa, agreed. The real estate entrepreneur is not a Lubavitcher but admired the rabbi and his teachings and has visited the site several times.

"It's authentic. … It's not contrived," said Stein, who included his stay in New York City on this trip specifically to visit the grave. "There's no pretense here."

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