Dear Reader,
The year 5785 has been marked by profound challenges, as Jewish communities worldwide navigated war and antisemitism with resilience, expressions of Jewish pride and a commitment to growth.
Chabad Emissary Inspires After His Murder
The murder of Chabad Rabbi Zvi Kogan in Dubai sent shockwaves through the worldwide Jewish community. The 28-year-old Chabad-Lubavitch emissary was abducted and subsequently murdered by terrorists in the United Arab Emirates in November 2024 (Cheshvan 5785). His funeral took place in a torrential downpour in Israel, with thousands mourning a young rabbi remembered for his kindness and dedication to helping Jews perform mitzvot. At the time, Rabbi Levi Duchman, director of Chabad of the UAE, vowed to continue his legacy, and in the aftermath of the murder the UAE Jewish community honored Kogan’s memory with an ambitious tefillin project. During the holiday of Passover his widow, Rivky, welcomed a daughter months after his death, bringing light amid the darkness.
G‑d Protects Israel
Israel’s war against Palestinian terror groups following the brutal massacre of Jews on Oct. 7, 2023, and the fate of the hostages taken captive on that awful day, has been front of mind.
On the first anniversary of the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump visited the Ohel, the resting place of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, joined by the parents of hostage Edan Alexander, who prayed at the holy site for their son’s release. Months later, their prayers were answered when Alexander was freed, after 584 days in captivity. Edan later returned to the Ohel himself to express gratitude. Other released hostages also made pilgrimages to the Ohel to praise G‑d for the blessing of their freedom, and give thanks to the Rebbe for his intercession on High. Other former hostages held in Gaza, including Omer Shem Tov, Agam Berger, Eli Sharabi, Sasha Troufanov, Ohad and Raz Ben Ami likewise made pilgrimages to the Rebbe’s resting place following their release after hundreds of days of torture and abuse. The year also brought the heartbreaking recovery of several hostages’ bodies, including Gad Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai, finally allowing for proper Jewish burials after more than 615 days.
The long-simmering conflict between Israel and Iran escalated dramatically in October 2024, when Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel. Millions took shelter as rockets rained down, but the response was remarkable: Communities doubled down on Torah study, prayer and mitzvot. Operation Rising Lion—what became known as the 12-Day War—began on June 13, 2025, after Israel successfully attacked Iran’s hostile nuclear facilities. Iran launched a massive missile barrage at Israel just as Shabbat was beginning. The timing seemed calculated to cause maximum psychological damage, but it had the opposite effect.
In shelters across Israel, millions sang and prayed, finding strength in their faith. Jewish communities worldwide responded with an outpouring of support, turning to Torah and mitzvot as their source of strength. Ben-Gurion International Airport closed, stranding Jewish passengers in Cyprus and Rome, where local Chabad emissaries raced to arrange Shabbat accommodations. The ancient city of Hebron echoed with prayers and song as Jews gathered at the ancient site of King David’s capital. A ballistic missile struck Rehovot, injuring 42 people, while another targeted Soroka Hospital in Beersheva. An Iranian cluster bomb struck a Chabad daycare center in Beersheva, and the rabbi vowed it would “again be filled with laughter and learning.”
By the war’s end, the miracle of survival was evident: though every loss of life is tragic and unforgivable, the 550 Iranian missiles that targeted hospitals, schools and communities did not cause the devastating destruction logic would dictate, undoubtedly due to Divine protection and the power of prayer.
Antisemitism Rises, but Jewish Pride Shines Through
The year saw a disturbing rise in antisemitic incidents worldwide. In Amsterdam, Israeli soccer fans were attacked on the streets, while the rest of Europe witnessed similar challenges. In France, a rabbi’s home in Grenoble was destroyed in a Shabbat-morning firebomb attack; miraculously, the family was spared. A rabbi in Orleans was attacked, prompting his community to strike back with a mitzvah: building their first mikvah in centuries. Despite these attacks, Jewish life continued to flourish. Australia faced a particularly dark period: a historic Melbourne synagogue was burned to the ground as part of a plot hatched in Iran, while another was targeted by arsonists during Shabbat, part of a string of attacks that included burned synagogues, torched cars, and graffiti vandalism. One community leader observed, “I don’t recognize this Australia.” Yet local Jewish communities remained unbroken.
In the face of overt antisemitism, many world leaders stepped forward in solidarity. Berlin State Parliament President Cornelia Seibeld visited the New York Jewish community and Chabad World Headquarters to voice support for Israel and Jews worldwide. New York City Mayor Eric Adams shared the Rebbe’s message of the triumph of light over darkness when he joined the lighting of the world’s largest menorah. Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir joined dignitaries and the Jewish community in Reykjavik to remember the Holocaust, and Prime Minister Mike Eman of Aruba wrapped tefillin and heard the shofar before Rosh Hashanah.
The Rebbe’s Continued Impact
President Trump marked several significant occasions with tributes to the Rebbe, proclaiming April 9 as “Education and Sharing Day, USA” and writing moving letters commemorating both the Rebbe’s birthday and the 31st anniversary of his passing. The president wrote that the Rebbe’s “unwavering example” was “woven into the very fabric of our nation and its character.” During one visit between the two world leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu gifted Trump a dollar bill from the Rebbe. The Rebbe’s influence continued to resonate globally, with Argentina’s President Javier Milei gifting Netanyahu a picture of the Rebbe and swearing in his Jewish Foreign Minister with words of Torah.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog began his U.S. diplomatic visit with prayer at the Ohel, evoking memories of a childhood visit with his father to the Rebbe 48 years earlier. Brazilian Governor Tarcísio de Freitas made an emotional pilgrimage, declaring that his mother had told him to “protect Jews.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) spent an hour at the holy site on Election Day, praying for New York, while Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), a passionate advocate of Israel and the Jewish people, visited the Ohel before the holiday of Purim. Even before taking office, Mike Huckabee, incoming Ambassador to Israel, prepared for his posting with a visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel. The Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel David Yosef continued the long tradition of Israeli chief rabbis seeking the Rebbe’s blessing at his resting place.
New publications brought the Rebbe’s wisdom to fresh audiences. Your Unique Purpose by Rabbi Tuvia Teldon distilled the Rebbe’s teachings into a personal purpose guide, while On Purpose by Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson offered timeless wisdom for the modern quest for meaning. A Chinese translation of My Prayer, specifically requested by the Rebbe decades earlier, hit the shelves this year, demonstrating his prescient vision for spreading Torah wisdom globally, and the iconic weekly Hebrew publication Sichat HaShavua celebrated its milestone 2,000th edition, after 38 years.
Growth and Revitalizing Communities
Chabad’s global expansion continued with unprecedented momentum, establishing new centers from American college campuses to the European principality of Andorra, which received its first rabbi in its 1,000-year history. New emissaries arrived in communities ranging from Canada’s historic Trois-Rivières, the country’s oldest Jewish community, to Falmouth, Mass., and Olathe, Kan.
Significant milestones included the opening of Vancouver Island’s first Jewish school in over a century and a $30 million Torah center in Sydney’s Bondi Beach after a decade-long wait. Architectural achievements reached new heights with an award-winning 23,000-square-foot center in rural New Jersey and the installation of the world’s largest mezuzah at a new facility in South Brunswick.
The movement’s growth extended to previously unreached territories, with Jewish revival beginning in historically Jewish Los Angeles neighborhoods and new centers opening in places once closed to Jews.
Devotion and Courage Under Fire
As the war between Russia and Ukraine continued into its third year, Chabad’s commitment to serving the Jewish community, both spiritually and materially, remained unwavering. Ukrainian Jewish communities showed incredible resilience, with rabbis staying to serve their congregations.
The Mishpacha Children’s Home in Odessa continued caring for 124 Ukrainian orphans, while massive Passover aid operations brought hope to war-torn communities. Tragically, the war has claimed many lives, including of members of the Jewish community, among them teachers and graduates who died defending their country. A number of Chabad centers were damaged by munitions as well.
Despite ongoing blackouts and bombardments, Ukraine’s handmade matzah factories continued operating, and communities celebrated Shavuot with remarkable determination. In one miraculous incident, a Chabad rabbi and his family survived a direct drone strike on their car in Kherson.
Standing With Their Communities
The year brought multiple natural disasters across the world, and Chabad rabbis and rebbetzins stood on the front lines to aid in the response. Hurricane Helene ravaged North Carolina, leaving communities without food, water or power, while Hurricane Milton threatened Jewish communities in northern Florida just before Yom Kippur. Rabbis chose to stay with their communities even as the storms approached.
Flash floods in Texas killed more than 80 people, prompting Chabad to marshal comprehensive aid efforts. California wildfires created mass evacuations affecting historic Jewish neighborhoods, with Chabad centers racing to offer food, shelter and emotional support.
A massive 7.7 earthquake struck Thailand just as Chabad prepared to host 11,000 guests for Passover, and when Cyclone Alfred threatened Australia’s idyllic coastal regions, Chabad centers welcomed the displaced. And in Argentina a rabbi coordinated rescue efforts as floodwaters rose in his own home, with the Jewish community rallying to support each other ahead of Purim.
The Souls We Lost
The year brought the loss of a number of towering souls including Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar, 78, who revolutionized Jewish Miami and served prisoners and soldiers worldwide through his founding of The Shul of Bal Harbour and the Aleph Institute. Rabbi Avraham Korf, 92, who built Florida’s statewide network of Jewish life during 65 years of service, bringing hundreds of Chabad emissaries to the Sunshine State. Rabbi Moshe Herson, 90, the pioneering dean of the Rabbinical College of America and head of Chabad in New Jersey. And Rabbi Moshe Gurkow, 90, who taught Jewish public schoolchildren in Boston since 1959 after being educated in the Soviet Chassidic underground.
Other losses included Rabbi Yehuda Leib Posner, 97, a pioneer of Chabad expansion; Charlie (“Buttons”) Nassofer, 80, beloved for bringing joy to generations; and Rabbi Levi Wolosow, 43, a quintessential Chabad rabbi and father of eight.
The Jewish people mourned Sandy Landes, 92, the driving force behind Chabad of Palo Alto, Calif.; Max Chiswick, 39, an explorer who maintained a deep connection with the Chabad emissaries he met on his travels; and Chava Edelman, 41, a young rebbetzin in Milwaukee who inspired with joy even while battling cancer.
As the Jewish year 5785 draws to a close, Chabad’s mission continues expanding across six continents, with communities finding strength through Torah study, mitzvah observance and unwavering commitment to Jewish life. From the Arctic Circle of Alaska to the wine regions of California, from war-torn Ukraine to peaceful Pacific islands, Chabad emissaries continue bringing light to Jewish communities everywhere, ensuring that even in the darkest times, the flame of Judaism burns bright.
Ushering in 5786, may the Jewish people and the entire world be inscribed for a year of peace and prosperity. May the hostages finally be freed, and we extend our prayerful wish that with the arrival of this new year, it brings with it only good news.
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