Australian celebrations mark the memory of the most influential rabbi in modern history
Internationally renowned author and scholar, Rabbi Simon Jacobson, will be the guest speaker at two major events to mark the passing of the Rebbe.Events will be held on Thursday 4 July in Sydney at Chabad Double Bay and on Sunday 7 July in Melbourne at Chabad Malvern.
Rabbi Jacobson is best known as author of “Toward a Meaningful Life: the wisdom of the Rebbe”, which expounds on basic themes of the Rebbe’s teaching in ways that are relevant and pertinent to everyday life.
In addition to his unparalleled role in the Jewish community as both a preeminent scholar and leader, the Rebbe was the most influential rabbi in modern history, and was the only rabbi ever to receive the United States Congressional Gold Medal, and to have an American national day, Education and Sharing Day, proclaimed in his honor.
His teachings about the inherent goodness of all mankind and the infinite potential of every individual and each good deed, continue to be a guiding force as a generation of both Jews and non-Jews seeks to positively change the world for the better.
Throughout his lifetime the Rebbe was remarkably accessible, and counseled countless individuals from a wide array of backgrounds, including statesmen and artists as diverse as Ronald Reagan, Robert F. Kennedy, Yitzchak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Elie Wiesel, and Bob Dylan, as well as countless “nameless” individuals who were each showered with his individual attention and love.
Here in Australia, the Rebbe was the driving force behind the establishment and growth of a wide range of Chabad Institutions which now consist of more than 100 Synagogues, schools and social welfare organizations throughout the country, serving Jews and non-Jews alike.
In keeping with the Rebbe’s lifetime goals and teachings, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are redoubling their efforts at personal prayer, study and acts of loving kindness in preparation for his Yahrtzeit, as well as increasing their personal and communal efforts to encourage others to do the same.
The special events with Rabbi Simon Jacobson are open to the public and all are welcome to attend.
Times: Sydney 7:30pm Melbourne 7:30pm
A nice promotion for the event honouring the memory of the Lubavitcher Rebbe ztz”l, but it’s rather presumptuous to suggest that he was “the most influential rabbi in modern history”.
A more accurate epitaph would be, “one of the most influential rabbis in the last generation.”
After all, while his greatness is widely acknowledged, particularly his influence on American Jewry since the 1950s, there are also many other notable rabbinic personages who played immensely important roles during this time.
For instance, two notable towering rabbinic figures in America in the last generation were R Moshe Feinstein and R JB Soloveitchik. The former was the “posek hador” and the latter was the guiding force for modern orthodoxy. And this is aside from the numerous other rabbis whose influence impacted Jews and Judaism in the land of Israel, e.g. the Brisker Rav and the Chazon Ish.