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The Secret of Chabad: Inside the world's most successful Jewish movement
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson set his sights on creating a worldwide Jewish renaissance. Today his 4,000 Shluchim-emissaries are everywhere.
How was an army of Rabbis and Rebbitzens trained and encouraged to move to the four corners of the earth to fulfill their mission? How could they live so far from friends and family while dedicating their lives to the welfare of others, and at times risking their own safety and security? For the first time Rabbi David Eliezrie, a veteran Chabad Shliach in California and a major player on the national level, goes deep inside the organization to reveal the secrets of Chabad’s success.
"The Secret of Chabad is probably the first book by a Chabad insider - and a major one at that - telling the incredible story of what has clearly become the most dynamic Jewish force in the contemporary world ... After reading the Secret of Chabad you will never see your local Chabad rabbi in quite the same way..." -- Dennis Prager
How was an army of Rabbis and Rebbitzens trained and encouraged to move to the four corners of the earth to fulfill their mission? How could they live so far from friends and family while dedicating their lives to the welfare of others, and at times risking their own safety and security? For the first time Rabbi David Eliezrie, a veteran Chabad Shliach in California and a major player on the national level, goes deep inside the organization to reveal the secrets of Chabad’s success.
"The Secret of Chabad is probably the first book by a Chabad insider - and a major one at that - telling the incredible story of what has clearly become the most dynamic Jewish force in the contemporary world ... After reading the Secret of Chabad you will never see your local Chabad rabbi in quite the same way..." -- Dennis Prager
448 pages, Hardcover
First published August 17, 2015
37 people are currently reading
433 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
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September 17, 2015Oh! So I just won this in the goodreads giveaway and I am so excited to get my hands on this! I love learning about new things and cultures. This sounds so interesting and I'm excited to give it a go!
October 11, 2015
This is a fascinating insider's view of Chabad through the 20th century and into the present. Rabbi Eliezrie has been literally to the ends of the earth to interview all sorts of people who had a hand in making the movement what it is today, or who have been affected by it. Some of the first-person stories told by his interviewees will leave you amazed. This volume is destined to be an instant classic, a must-read for all interested in Judaism, Jewish history and the changes that have taken place within the last century.
April 29, 2017
No juicy secrets, but an interesting history of Chabad and its influence on World Jewry.
August 19, 2015
If you have any interest in Chabad or wonder about the future of American Judaism, this is the book to read.
The Secret of Chabad is the story of the men and women who have made Chabad the largest Jewish movement in the world. It’s compelling reading by a master storyteller.
The book opens with an hour-by-hour account of the tragic terror attack in Mumbai. Beautifully told but very sad. Other chapters cover: the daring escapes of Chabad leaders and followers out of the fire of WWII and Communist Russia; the clandestine Chabad networks that kept Judaism alive in the former USSR; “The Menorah Wars” - the decades long fight in the US to hold public Chanukah celebrations;and the Chabad rabbi as entrepreneur - the sink-or-swim financial situations that consistently demand their time and attention.
Could other groups replicate the billion dollar success of Chabad? I'm not sure, but this book would at least tell you how it's done.
The Secret of Chabad is the story of the men and women who have made Chabad the largest Jewish movement in the world. It’s compelling reading by a master storyteller.
The book opens with an hour-by-hour account of the tragic terror attack in Mumbai. Beautifully told but very sad. Other chapters cover: the daring escapes of Chabad leaders and followers out of the fire of WWII and Communist Russia; the clandestine Chabad networks that kept Judaism alive in the former USSR; “The Menorah Wars” - the decades long fight in the US to hold public Chanukah celebrations;and the Chabad rabbi as entrepreneur - the sink-or-swim financial situations that consistently demand their time and attention.
Could other groups replicate the billion dollar success of Chabad? I'm not sure, but this book would at least tell you how it's done.
Read
November 24, 2015Review by Avraham Bronstein for the Jewish Book Council.
October 19, 2024
I used to read this rabbi's column (and my late wife's in the same pages) in the L.A. Jewish Journal in the '90s. I think he was the only Chabad contributor, from over the border in an affluent Orange County suburb. He wrote there as here, with clarity, no self-aggrandizing, and directly relating the Movement's qualities to real life. Maybe not start here, but for the nuts-and-bolts assembly, yes.
Here, he doesn't get into the deep end as to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. As I reviewed both Heilman and Telushkin's books on him recently, and Sue Fishkoff's on the "Rebbe's Army" of schliachim, or global emissaries sent to make it on their own, without handouts from the central Brooklyn hq "770" in Crown Heights, and for life (all of which I think few outsiders realize, given it's a billion-dollar enterprise relying on donations, 98% not from the wealthy), I find Eliezrie's no-nonsense.
For instance, he relegates any posthumous speculation about "Moshiach" wisely to endnotes; I don't recall even seeing it pop up in the main text. Instead, he examines fundraising, how the children of the emissaries fare, how the network is set up in each location, how Russia in particular serves as a sort of exception to the rule. Whether narrating the "Great Escape" of the last Rebbe's clan and fellow Chasidim from the Soviets around the time WWII erupted, and on Binyomin Katz' undercover missions under the eye of the KGB to set up underground support both to ferry out those wishing to emigrate, and to minister then and now to those preferring to remain in Putin's Russia (this was penned a decade ago, and Eliezrie weighs what then were the pluses and minuses of the President's affection for Chabad since his childhood), this book makes a solid contribution.
Rabbi Eliezrie seems to have grown up in, or early on (1968) went to yeshivah, in Israel's Kfar Chabad, so his life's been wrapped up with the cause. He elucidates how its education trains the heart in Kabbalah and inner transformation, rather than the Lithuanian Talmud mastery as schooled. He's nimble at showing the tensions in his homeland and in the U.S. with the Reform, ADL Jewish (and ACLU) lobbies, and how they opposed such as the "Bill Graham" menorah in San Francisco, as well as keeping Chabad away from JCC Federation funds. He's sharp on power dynamics distinguishing boards and lay committees who direct synagogues and charities vs. the halakah-rules, I work solo Rebbe who in Chabad runs his center. On Linked In, the one I happen to know in SoCal has his title as CEO fittingly. (By the way, he himself is quoted once; an aspect of the book that enlivens it, his colleagues' as well as Eliezrie's responses to Chabad's detractors, as he fairly allows equal time to discuss its dissenters, while stating his own opinions with tact and calm.)
This allows an independence, brashness, and entrepreneurial spirit which as is phrased herein, means Chabad never closes an outpost, only opens more. Certainly this Starbucks-like expansion has risks, as Eliezrie only mentions in passing, but overall, it's key in how it survived the passing of its Rebbe, and how it endures with brio decades now after, increasingly a "brand" where Jews of all persuasions seek services, without the pay-first model imposed by competing Jewish congregations.
This also, contrary to freeloader stereotypes, perhaps enables those who do benefit to give freely, and more than fees for temples down the block, say, as they develop long-standing relationships. For the one-to-one connection the Rebbe, his wife, and family bond with for each Jewish seeker means that they know it's a beginning a tight-knit, personal rather than institutional commitment. Still, Eliezrie wistfully hints that it can be lonely, as people see their rabbi as such, maybe not as a friend to hang out with. But I imagine this eases the longer that the emissaries settle down in town?
I admit I never understood why Chabad made such a big deal about lighting displays for Hanukkah alongside publicly-funded Christmas trees, but Eliezrie defends this statement as announcing the Rebbe's determination to break down stereotypes that corralled many other Hasidim in insularity postwar, and to symbolize the outreach to "any Jew that moves" as the first Chabad campus center put it when I attended UCLA. It's a serious, not sentimental, survey, best perused after the other titles I've reviewed. It's more for those familiar already with Chabad in person, as it demands close attention despite its admirably journalistic (in a positive sense) style, themes, and in-depth range.
Here, he doesn't get into the deep end as to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. As I reviewed both Heilman and Telushkin's books on him recently, and Sue Fishkoff's on the "Rebbe's Army" of schliachim, or global emissaries sent to make it on their own, without handouts from the central Brooklyn hq "770" in Crown Heights, and for life (all of which I think few outsiders realize, given it's a billion-dollar enterprise relying on donations, 98% not from the wealthy), I find Eliezrie's no-nonsense.
For instance, he relegates any posthumous speculation about "Moshiach" wisely to endnotes; I don't recall even seeing it pop up in the main text. Instead, he examines fundraising, how the children of the emissaries fare, how the network is set up in each location, how Russia in particular serves as a sort of exception to the rule. Whether narrating the "Great Escape" of the last Rebbe's clan and fellow Chasidim from the Soviets around the time WWII erupted, and on Binyomin Katz' undercover missions under the eye of the KGB to set up underground support both to ferry out those wishing to emigrate, and to minister then and now to those preferring to remain in Putin's Russia (this was penned a decade ago, and Eliezrie weighs what then were the pluses and minuses of the President's affection for Chabad since his childhood), this book makes a solid contribution.
Rabbi Eliezrie seems to have grown up in, or early on (1968) went to yeshivah, in Israel's Kfar Chabad, so his life's been wrapped up with the cause. He elucidates how its education trains the heart in Kabbalah and inner transformation, rather than the Lithuanian Talmud mastery as schooled. He's nimble at showing the tensions in his homeland and in the U.S. with the Reform, ADL Jewish (and ACLU) lobbies, and how they opposed such as the "Bill Graham" menorah in San Francisco, as well as keeping Chabad away from JCC Federation funds. He's sharp on power dynamics distinguishing boards and lay committees who direct synagogues and charities vs. the halakah-rules, I work solo Rebbe who in Chabad runs his center. On Linked In, the one I happen to know in SoCal has his title as CEO fittingly. (By the way, he himself is quoted once; an aspect of the book that enlivens it, his colleagues' as well as Eliezrie's responses to Chabad's detractors, as he fairly allows equal time to discuss its dissenters, while stating his own opinions with tact and calm.)
This allows an independence, brashness, and entrepreneurial spirit which as is phrased herein, means Chabad never closes an outpost, only opens more. Certainly this Starbucks-like expansion has risks, as Eliezrie only mentions in passing, but overall, it's key in how it survived the passing of its Rebbe, and how it endures with brio decades now after, increasingly a "brand" where Jews of all persuasions seek services, without the pay-first model imposed by competing Jewish congregations.
This also, contrary to freeloader stereotypes, perhaps enables those who do benefit to give freely, and more than fees for temples down the block, say, as they develop long-standing relationships. For the one-to-one connection the Rebbe, his wife, and family bond with for each Jewish seeker means that they know it's a beginning a tight-knit, personal rather than institutional commitment. Still, Eliezrie wistfully hints that it can be lonely, as people see their rabbi as such, maybe not as a friend to hang out with. But I imagine this eases the longer that the emissaries settle down in town?
I admit I never understood why Chabad made such a big deal about lighting displays for Hanukkah alongside publicly-funded Christmas trees, but Eliezrie defends this statement as announcing the Rebbe's determination to break down stereotypes that corralled many other Hasidim in insularity postwar, and to symbolize the outreach to "any Jew that moves" as the first Chabad campus center put it when I attended UCLA. It's a serious, not sentimental, survey, best perused after the other titles I've reviewed. It's more for those familiar already with Chabad in person, as it demands close attention despite its admirably journalistic (in a positive sense) style, themes, and in-depth range.
August 3, 2021
Loved the book.
April 21, 2025
Everything you're supposed to know without being told about the depths of Chabad.
August 7, 2016
Excellent overview of Chabad-Lubavitch, an Orthodox Jewish movement dedicated to outreach and humanitarian work. The author, himself a Chabad emissary in California, discusses what makes Chabad so attractive -- its non-judgmental stance and unconditional love for every Jew -- and what fires up its adherents.
This Hassidic movement, which began over 200 years ago in White Russia by Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the Ba'al Tanya), was transplanted to American shores following the horrors of Hitler and Stalin. From the start the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe Joseph Isaac Schneersohn set out to strengthen Chabad institutions while recruiting followers. It was his son-in-law and successor Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson who truly led the movement into its flowering -- establishing Chabad Houses all over the world, spearheading schools for the unaffiliated or newly Orthodox (ba'alei teshuvah), providing rabbinic services.
Today, Chabad has centers from Brooklyn (its headquarters) to New Zealand, aided or established by dozens of young married couples, themselves children or relatives of emissaries, who go and carry out the Rebbe's work. Each center is semi-autonomous; the couples are given a small salary from the central office but must raise much, if not most, of the funds on their own. Largely on their own, they provide classes, prayer groups, counseling, emergency help, Shabbos meals, or simply places to drop in. Visitors run the gamut from Israeli backpackers to Jewish businesspeople needing kosher accommodations.
The author discusses Chabad's hierarchy and infrastructure: the Rebbe's secretaries, inner offices, and -- unfortunately -- even politics. The book begins with the tragedy at the Chabad House of Mumbai, where the emissaries the Holzbergs, along with five other visitors, were murdered by Islamic terrorists. Like soldiers in the Rebbe's army, the emissaries will not leave their posts. Neither riots nor natural disasters (i.e. earthquakes, hurricanes) will keep them away. On the contrary, they will be there to offer spiritual or practical aid.
What makes it all work? A strong indoctrination into Chabad Hassidic philosophy (wisdom and understanding control the heart and steer the actions toward Torah observance) and an attachment to the Rebbe. Simply, these people have a powerful love for their religion and the desire to hasten the Messianic era, which will be fulfilled once all Jews have returned to their heritage.
While spiritually inspiring, the book reminds me of the current obsession with business and entrepreneurship which, in this secular age, has to a certain degree replaced religion. Young people searching for meaning in both life and employment might do well to read this book for its stress on idealism -- belief in something higher than oneself -- which is ultimately what drives performance, rather than salaries or positions. Some good moral lessons help also, and the reminder that Someone Above is the ultimate CEO.
This Hassidic movement, which began over 200 years ago in White Russia by Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the Ba'al Tanya), was transplanted to American shores following the horrors of Hitler and Stalin. From the start the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe Joseph Isaac Schneersohn set out to strengthen Chabad institutions while recruiting followers. It was his son-in-law and successor Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson who truly led the movement into its flowering -- establishing Chabad Houses all over the world, spearheading schools for the unaffiliated or newly Orthodox (ba'alei teshuvah), providing rabbinic services.
Today, Chabad has centers from Brooklyn (its headquarters) to New Zealand, aided or established by dozens of young married couples, themselves children or relatives of emissaries, who go and carry out the Rebbe's work. Each center is semi-autonomous; the couples are given a small salary from the central office but must raise much, if not most, of the funds on their own. Largely on their own, they provide classes, prayer groups, counseling, emergency help, Shabbos meals, or simply places to drop in. Visitors run the gamut from Israeli backpackers to Jewish businesspeople needing kosher accommodations.
The author discusses Chabad's hierarchy and infrastructure: the Rebbe's secretaries, inner offices, and -- unfortunately -- even politics. The book begins with the tragedy at the Chabad House of Mumbai, where the emissaries the Holzbergs, along with five other visitors, were murdered by Islamic terrorists. Like soldiers in the Rebbe's army, the emissaries will not leave their posts. Neither riots nor natural disasters (i.e. earthquakes, hurricanes) will keep them away. On the contrary, they will be there to offer spiritual or practical aid.
What makes it all work? A strong indoctrination into Chabad Hassidic philosophy (wisdom and understanding control the heart and steer the actions toward Torah observance) and an attachment to the Rebbe. Simply, these people have a powerful love for their religion and the desire to hasten the Messianic era, which will be fulfilled once all Jews have returned to their heritage.
While spiritually inspiring, the book reminds me of the current obsession with business and entrepreneurship which, in this secular age, has to a certain degree replaced religion. Young people searching for meaning in both life and employment might do well to read this book for its stress on idealism -- belief in something higher than oneself -- which is ultimately what drives performance, rather than salaries or positions. Some good moral lessons help also, and the reminder that Someone Above is the ultimate CEO.
January 24, 2020
Fascinating read.
This book discusses the history of "Shlichus" - Chabad emissaries sent all over the globe to spread the messages of Judaism, and chabad thought, boosting Jewish practice and awareness wherever they go.
Written from the perspective of an "insider," Rabbi Eliezrie does a wonderful job of outlining the tailor made "business model" of Shlichus and it's infrastructure, in the various parts of the US, Russia, the UK and beyond.
Ultimately, the "secret" is The Rebbe's incredible foresight. His tailor made "business model" for each location and it's communal needs. Sitting in his office in Brooklyn, the Lubavitcher Rebbe directed an international revolution, treading on eggshells with oppressive regimes, and surfing the waves of modern thought.
One can't help but admire the hours of research clearly put into this work. Most of the information and anecdotal evidence seems to have been gathered from first hand interaction with the people involved .
Highly recommend.
This book discusses the history of "Shlichus" - Chabad emissaries sent all over the globe to spread the messages of Judaism, and chabad thought, boosting Jewish practice and awareness wherever they go.
Written from the perspective of an "insider," Rabbi Eliezrie does a wonderful job of outlining the tailor made "business model" of Shlichus and it's infrastructure, in the various parts of the US, Russia, the UK and beyond.
Ultimately, the "secret" is The Rebbe's incredible foresight. His tailor made "business model" for each location and it's communal needs. Sitting in his office in Brooklyn, the Lubavitcher Rebbe directed an international revolution, treading on eggshells with oppressive regimes, and surfing the waves of modern thought.
One can't help but admire the hours of research clearly put into this work. Most of the information and anecdotal evidence seems to have been gathered from first hand interaction with the people involved .
Highly recommend.
March 31, 2016
A great book for me to learn more about Chabad. It's a pretty interesting book. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating.
I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks for sending me this!
I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks for sending me this!
August 18, 2015
See my review here: http://torahbookreviews.blogspot.co.i...
October 26, 2015
Very informative book about the history of Chabad movement and its success.
Read
November 12, 2015A nice Cover on a Book is out Standing: Your readers will enjoy this book : anytime you have a cover that looks good the book is always a star 5 for your readers to read:
October 23, 2016
Would be more interesting if written by someone objective, but at least helps one see how Chabad sees itself.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews