New Volume on Chabad History Published

The Chabad-Lubavitch publishing house, Kehot Publication Society, has announced the publication of an important new book on the history of Chabad.

The Hebrew volume: “History of Chabad in Czarist Russia – Selected Chapters – 1770-1920,” was compiled by Chabad historian Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levine, director of the Central Chabad-Lubavitch Library and Archive Center.

In its 166 chapters, the book presents an eclectic overview of historical events and personalities connected to Chabad-Lubavitch since its establishment by the Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812) until the passing of the fifth Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Dovber Schneersohn, in 1920.

The historical sketches in the book are presented in chronological order, and cover details such as family lineage and marriages in the Schneersohn dynasty to more major themes such as the publication of classic Chasidic texts; the establishment of the central Chabad Yeshiva in the town of Lubavitch, in 1897, and a description of its various branches; the major Rabbinic conferences on Jewish affairs in Russia in 1843 and 1910, and following the Russian revolution.

The well-researched book is based on original documents and memoirs, housed in the Central Chabad-Lubavitch Library, making it an invaluable resource for the historian and layman alike.

Some of the chapters include:

·         The lineage of the first Chabad leader, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

·         His years as a disciple of Rabbi Dovber of Mezherich

·         His published works: the Shulchan Aruch, Siddur, Tanya, and Discourses

·         Published works of the second leader of Chabad, Rabbi Dovber; his establishment of  the town of Lubavitch as the movement’s headquarters; his imprisonment by the Czarist regime in 1826

·         Descriptions of the town of Lubavitch during the eras of the second through the fifth generation of Chabad

·         Biographical sketches of several prominent Chasidim of the fourth and fifth Rebbes

·         The social services activities of the fifth Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Dovber Schneersohn, on behalf of Russian Jewry

·         The 1906 move of the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters from Lubavitch to Rostov-on-Don, Russia

The handsome 8 ½” x11” 370 page volume is nicely complemented by photos and facsimiles of various historic manuscripts and documents.

Other books in this series, by the same author, and also in Hebrew, include:

History of Chabad in Soviet Russia—1918-1940; History of Chabad in the Holy Land—1776-1940 and History of Chabad in the United States—1900-1940.

The books are available online, at: www.kehot.com.