W
hen the Rebbe, Rabbi
Menachem Mendel
Schneerson, passed away
30 years ago on the 3rd of Tammuz
5754 — June 12, 1994 — it was unclear
what would happen to his legacy and to
the institutions he spearheaded across
the globe. However, in the past three
decades, Chabad has continued to
flourish in Michigan and beyond.
Chabad in Michigan, which was
launched in 1958 when Rabbi Berel
and Batsheva Shemtov were sent by the
Rebbe to represent Chabad and bring
local Jews closer to their
yiddishkeit, continues to
expand into all corners of
the state, says their son,
Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov,
vice president and exec-
utive director of Chabad
Lubavitch of Michigan.
Today, it has grown to
include some 30 Chabad
centers and 50 emissary couples under
Chabad’s Michigan umbrella, including
those in Toledo and Windsor.
Five new Chabad centers, led by
eager young emissaries, fueled by
the Rebbe’s charge to dedicate their
lives for the love of the Jewish people
and live in their service, have opened
in the last five years, and the rapid
growth continues, he says. “It shows
that there are young people ready to
carry the message of the Rebbe, the
growth of Chabad, and that the com-
munity is responding.”
The Chabad movement marks the
Rebbe’s 30th yahrzeit with continued
growth in Michigan and beyond.
Rabbi
Kasriel
Shemtov
KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHABAD
12 | JULY 4 • 2024
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Legacy
Lives On
Miriam Ferber visiting the Rebbe
Rebbe’s
the