Congressional Gold Medal Recipient

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

(April 18, 1902 - June 12, 1994)

The Lubavitcher Rebbe

President Clinton spoke these words at the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in 1995 that took place after the Rabbi's death: "The late Rebbe's eminence as a moral leader for our country was recognized by every president since Richard Nixon. For over two decades the Rabbi's movement now has some 2000 institutions; educational, social, medical, all across the globe. We, (The United States Government) recognize the profound role that Rabbi Schneerson had in the expansion of those institutions." 

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Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the leader -"the Rebbe"- of the Lubavitch movement of Chassidic Judaism for forty four years, was a paradoxical man. While he barely set foot outside his neighborhood during his entire leadership, his influence was felt worldwide. While he was considered one of the worlds foremost religious scholars, he was also recognized as a brilliant scholar in mathematics and science. While he appeared to be an Old World leader whose community was somewhat cloistered, he was thoroughly knowledgeable about the modern world and reached out enthusiastically to society at large, to Jew and non-Jew alike, encouraging the pursuit of virtuousness education, and unity. Menachem Mendel Schneerson was born on April 18, 1902 (the eleventh day of Nissan, 5662), in Nikolayev, a town in the southern Ukraine. His father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchock Schneerson, was a renowned scholar, his mother, Rebbitzen Chana Schneerson, was an aristocratic women from a prestigious rabbinic family. He had two younger brothers, Dovber and Yisroel aryeh Leib.. When Menachem Mendel was five years old, the family moved to Yakaterinoslav, now Dnepropetrovsk, where his father was appointed chief rabbi. From early childhood, Menachem Mendel displayed prodigious mental acuity, leaving school for private tutoring. By the time he reached bar mitzva, he was considered a Torah prodigy, and during his teenage years, he immersed himself in the intricacies of Torah study. In 1923, he met Rabbi Yosef Yitzchock Schneerson - then the Lubavitcher Rebbe- who drew him into his inner circle giving him various responsibilities; five years later, in Warsaw, he married the Rebbe's second eldest daughter, Chaya Mushka (1901-1988). A short while later, the couple moved to Berlin, where Rabbi Menachem Mendel had already begun studying mathematics and science at the University of Berlin, Because of the Nazi rise, the young Rabbi and his wife left Berlin in 1933 for Paris, and he continued his studies at the Sorbonne. Primarily, however, he immersed himself in prayer and religious study, and was referred to by his father-in-law on various matters, including the preparation of Lubavitch publications. He also served as his father-in-law's private secretary and traveled on his behalf to visit various Jewish leaders in Europe. When the Nazis occupied Paris, the couple was forced to escape the city. On June 23, 1941 they arrived in New York, where Rabbi Yosef Yitzchock Schneerson appointed his son-in-law head of Lubavitch's educational arm, as well as the movements social-service organization and its publishing house. In 1950, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchock passed away. Although Rabbi Menachem Mendel was the obvious successor, he was initially reluctant to accept the mantle of leadership. A year later he formally assumed the title of Rebbe, explaining to members of the movement that while he would be devoted to his work as leader, each man and women was ultimately responsible for his or her own actions, and for his or her pursuit of G-dliness. The ensuing forty-four years of the Rebbe's leadership saw Lubavitch grow from a small movement nearly devastated by the Holocaust to a worldwide community of 200,000 members. The Rebbe, recognizing the unique needs of the current generation and anticipating the societal needs of the coming decades, began to establish education and outreach centers, offering social-service programs and humanitarian aid to all people, regardless of religious affiliation or background. He established a corps of Lubavitch emissaries (shluchim) and sent them out to build Chabad - Lubavitch centers worldwide, to serve the spiritual and material needs of the local communities. Today there are more than fourteen hundred Chabad-Lubavitch institutions in thirty-five countries on six continents. By blending his intense religious and secular training with deep compassion and insight, the Rebbe quietly became a leader to whom other leaders - those in politics, business, and religion - turned for advice. Beginning in 1986, he would personally greet thousands of visitors each Sunday, distributing dollar bills that were meant to encourage the giving of charity; many people saved the dollar bills as a memento of their visit with the Rebbe, a testament to being moved by his presence. With the fall of communism and the miracles during the gulf war, the Rebbe stated that these are heralding a time of peace and tranquillity for all mankind, the time of Moshiach (messiah). To this end the Rebbe placed much emphasis on the traditional Jewish teachings regarding the time of Moshiach, placing great emphasis in the studying of these concepts. The Rebbe also oft repeated the statement of our sages that through doing just one good deed we can usher in the era of Moshiach. May it be speedily in our days. In 1992, at the age of ninety, the Rebbe suffered a stroke; he passed away two years later, on June 12, 1994. Shortly thereafter, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen Charles Schumer, John Lewis, Newt Gingrich, and Jerry Lewis to bestow on the Rebbe the

Congressional Gold Medal. The bill passed both Houses by unanimous consent, honoring the Rebbe for his "outstanding and lasting contributions toward improvements in world education, morality, and acts of charity".


Within the sorrow at the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, lies a deep and everlasting gratitude for all that he inspired and inspires in the lives of his followers and in his work. The Rebbe, who was born in Nikolaef, Russia, studied at the University of Berlin and at the Sorbonne in Paris. He escaped the Nazis to arrive in the United States in 1941. He assumed the leadership of the Brooklyn based Chabad Lubavitch movement in 1950. It is today a center of more than 2000 educational, social and rehabilitative institutions touching millions of people from all walks of life in every part of the world. The first institution created by the Rebbe was Tzerei Agudat Chabad, the Chabad Youth Organization in Israel. His tremendous love and concern for the people of Israel, particularly the school aged children who would grow to be its future leaders and citizens, inspired the founding of an organization that today, because of the Rebbe's blessing, supports over 195 Chabad Houses throughout Israel and dozens of institutions that serve Israeli's from every walk of life. No Jew falls outside the Rebbe's embrace. And the Rebbe falls within the embrace of most every Jew in Israel. His picture hangs in the windshields of cab drivers, behind the counters of street corner pubs and fast food stands; his visage is tucked in the corner of barber shop mirrors, selflessly gazing back at patrons as they vainly examine their newly coiffed hair. School children know that the Rebbe remembered their birthdays, and expectant mothers carry his picture with them to the hospital, to assure the welfare of their newborns and of themselves. The Rebbe has elevated the Israeli soldier to the level of tzadik, a righteous person risking his life for the protection of another Jew. He sent his Shiuchim into battlefields and remote army posts to care for the physical and spiritual needs of these brave defenders of Israel. And their widows and orphans are remembered many times each year with special programs instituted by the Rebbe. The elderly and the immigrant; the drug addict and prisoner; the statesman and scholar; all fell under the Rebbe's concern,; all have benefited from the Rebbe's programs and guidance. A child cries out. And though the Rebbe's schedule is crammed with the work of running the largest Jewish organization in the world, with the task of answering thousands of letters and requests, with the burden of responding to the needs and requests of politicians and heads of state, of preparing his sermons, he stops everything to listen to this cry and to respond. In 1990, parents of the Chernobyl children began a desperate search for help. Their request was beyond the bounds of every Jewish organization to which they turned. In truth, the burden which their pleas contained exceeded the capacity of Chabad to fulfill. Or so it was thought. Chabad could not afford the task. It had no system in place to deal with the problem. Nothing was known about delivering medical care to irradiated children. It seemed beyond their capability. But the parents persisted, and finally, their request found its way to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe did not hesitate. A Jewish child was in danger. A Jewish parent needed help. And the Rebbe said "Yes". He wrote a letter to Chabad in Israel with one simple, clear directive: "Take responsibility for the Chernobyl children," he said. "Bring them to Israel." The Rebbe knew full well what his directive would mean to an already overburdened staff, to a bank account already stretched almost beyond its capacity. But he also knew that a Jewish child was in danger. And this he could not tolerate. The Rebbe was involved in the first flight of children on an almost hourly basis. When the departure of the children was obstructed by the caprice and malice of Moscow, he offered his advice on obtaining their release. After waiting in the Minsk airport for nearly three days, the children were finally given permission to leave on the day Iraq invaded Kuwait, blocking every plane and flight path. Yet, following the Rebbe's guidance, a clear pathway was found through the morass created by this military crisis When finally the children arrived safely in Israel, the Rebbe sent a communiqu: "When are you bringing the next flight?" he asked. Words of praise had been expected for a difficult job well done. But again the Rebbe was concerned with only one thing: the cry of another Jewish child, one still left behind in the contaminated lands of Belarus and Ukraine. One after the other they came. Young frail children, who just hours before bade farewell to families and friends, bicycles and play- mates. Sent by their parents who feared for the lives of their children, they stepped from the plane led by a Chabad guide to places where they devoured bags of candy, fruits and juices. Eventually they will be reunited with parents and other family members in Israel. On June 5th, 1994, the 1001st child rescued by the Chabad's Children of Chernobyl Project arrived to a dramatic airport welcome. Celebration 1001 and beyond exceeded the wildest dreams. "The most memorial arrival I have ever attended" were the words of the Chief Rabbi of Israel. And the children are still coming, and their parents are now arriving and families are being united. This is the Rebbe's greatness: he loved and he inspired others to love. He cared, and he inspired others to care. He had great faith that the Almighty would provide all the resources necessary to do His will, and he transmitted this faith to others. He had, above all, great confidence in the Jewish people-in the Godly nature of the Jewish people. The Rebbe knew that this nature, filled with compassion and generosity, would break through the chains of self-centeredness when faced with the challenge to save the life of another Jew especially a child. As always, the Rebbe was right. When Iraqi scuds rained down terror on Israel during the Gulf War, people clamored to the Rebbe for his wisdom and advice. His words of assurance and encouragement and predictions were that everything would turn out well and that Israel would be protected. As usual, the Rebbe was correct. The group assembled in the caucus room of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington last August witnessed the awarding of Congressional Gold Medal to the late Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Bronze duplicates became available from the United States Mint on June 28th, the day of International Tribute marking the one year anniversary of his death at the age of 92. Mint Sculptor-Engraver John Mercanti designed the obverse of the Congressional Medal, which is a portrait of the Rabbi in incused lines rather than the traditional relief. The inscription RABBI MENACHEM is incused while M. SCHNEERSON and THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE are raised.


Mint Sculptor Engraver Edgar Z. Steever IV executed the reverse which was based on a sketch by professional illustrator John Payne. The reverse features a book which represents study and contains the inscription BENEVOLENCE/ ETHICS; LEADERSHIP/ SCHOLARSHIP. The torch represents enlightenment and the globe represents world education. The rabbi's home in Brooklyn is in the background of the reverse. The Hebrew inscription reads "To improve the home." Some would question the highly unusual resolution of the United States Government to posthumously award a Congressional Medal to a leader of a religious sect. But then, the Rebbe was a most unusual person.

"Rebbe" means a teacher. It is a term also used to refer to a master of the mystical path of Chassidic Judaism, as taught by the Baal Shem Tov. "Lubavitch" refers to many things: A town in Belorussia, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, and an international association. Lubavitch, the town, was the seat of a line of chassidic masters, rabbis who followed in the practical/mystical path of the Baal Shem Tov, as his teachings were elaborated by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi. At the outset of World War II, Lubavitch moved to Brooklyn. "The Rebbe" is the title by which Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson has come to be known worldwide. Or, sometimes, "The Lubavitcher Rebbe". Menachem Mendel Schneerson was born in 1902 to Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson and the kabbalist and legalist, Rabbi Levi Yitzchaak Schneerson, chief rabbi of Dniprepetrovsk in the Ukraine. He studied at home, because the teacher at the Jewish school complained he had nothing to teach him. In his teen years, his father gave him permission to study science, mathematics and languages but with the warning, "G-d forbid any of this should take away from your sixteen hours a day of Torah study." Young Menachem passed the government matriculation exams six months later. He also acquired a working knowledge of English, Italian, French, Gruzian and Latin. From the years 1932 to 1940, the Rebbe studied the sciences and humanities at the University of Berlin and at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1941, he fled Nazi-occupied France for the U.S.A. For a short time he was employed as an engineer with the U.S. Navy. His work was labelled as "classified". When the previous rebbe of Lubavitch passed away in 1950, the surviving remnants of Lubavitchers around the world turned immediately to his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Although he hid himself by dressing in modern clothes and avoiding any sort of prestige, they knew him as a great scholar and leader. He was begged to take the leadership. He refused, repeatedly. He claimed he knew himself too well to imagine he might be fit for the job. When a delegation of elders came with a petition accepting Rabbi Schneerson as their Rebbe, he placed his head in his hands and began to cry. "Please, leave me alone," he pleaded. "This has nothing to do with me." It was only after one complete year of such episodes the Rebbe finally accepted the position. Even then it was with a condition: "I will help," the Rebbe announced, "But each of you must carry out your own mission. Dont expect a free ride, holding on to the fringes of my prayer shawl." For the next 42 years, the Rebbe never missed a day at his office. Seven days a week, 365 days a year. When in 1977 he suffered a heart attack, he went to his office and stayed there until he recovered. For many years, the Rebbe granted private audiences three nights a week. Just about every kind of person you could imagine activists, businessmen, scientists, politicians, journalists waited their turn until two, three occasionally even nine o clock in the morning. The Rebbe talked warmly with each one, providing guidance and advice when solicited, blessings whether solicited or not. Letters came from everywhere. Bags of letters, daily. But the Rebbe wouldnt allow anyone else to open letters to him. He read each one and instructed his personal secretary, Dr. Mindel, what to write back and then edited after him. Much of this book is derived from those letters. But the central fountain from which we drank in the Rebbes wisdom was the "farbrangen". This was when we all packed tightly together as the Rebbe spoke for timeless hours, filling the interludes with song and lchaim. Those who came with questions left with answers and those who came knowing all the answers left understanding just how much there is to ask. The Rebbes words were broadcast live over a network of telephone lines and later, by satellite to listeners all over the globe and then transcribed into print, often to be heavily edited by the Rebbes hand. All the time, the trappings were conspicuously absent. No majestic, flowing robes. No magnificent estate. No private jet. A modest home in good taste and a bare bones office. Nothing on the outside to distinguish him from any of his admirers. The Rebbe didnt need the big show. There was no ego involved. He was a master of simplicity, at being nothing and just allowing the essential G-dliness of the soul to shine through. And so he was able to guide others without consuming them. The Rebbe was an orthodox rebel, a traditional radical. In the sixties, the rest of the Jewish Establishment looked on in disdain at what was happening to their youth and cried, "Student unrest! Hippies and Freaks! This is certainly a deranged and lost generation." The Rebbe declared, "Finally the iceberg of America is beginning to melt! Finally, its young people realize they do not have to conform!" The Rebbe told his students to go out and bring Jewish youth in touch with their roots. He was ridiculed for it for years. Only after the strategy began to work did those who had mocked him jump on the band wagon as well. He was always a maverick, not consulting with others on his strategies and campaigns, often ridiculed for what they considered outrageous decisions. There were never any followers of the Rebbe followers couldnt keep up. The Rebbe has only leaders. Those who rebel with him. Perhaps most controversial and least understood was his vision of a new era dawning upon the world. Almost uniquely, the Rebbe mixed messianic vision with a down to earth embracement of the here-and-now. There were others in the past who shouted "The Messiah is coming! Sell your homes and leave to the Holy Land!" The Rebbe shouted, "A new time is on its way! Build homes! Build institutions! Find meaning in all that is today. Be in that new time now." In 1983, on the occasion of his 80^th birthday, U.S. Congress proclaimed the Rebbes birthday, "Education Day U.S.A." and awarded him the National Scroll of Honor. In 1995, the Rebbe was (posthumously) awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, an award granted only 130 Americans since Thomas Jefferson, for "outstanding and lasting contributions". Perhaps I should write here something about the Rebbes passing. But how can I, when for me, as for any of his students, the Rebbe never passed on? His life was never the physical body. It was his words, his wisdom, his spirit we felt inside us. That is all still here with us, as vibrant as the day we heard it from his mouth. And if enough people read this book and recognize what great wisdom lived amongst them, he will be even more alive than ever before.

Tzvi Freeman, Tammuz 5757, Vancouver

April 19, 2005

Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2005
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America As we enjoy the great freedoms of our country, we are mindful of our obligation to pass on to our children the values that sustain our liberty and our democracy. On Education and Sharing Day, we reaffirm our commitment to teach young people the lessons they need to preserve and strengthen our Nation, and to reach as far as their vision and character can take them. Education and Sharing Day honors the memory of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who established education and outreach centers that offer social services and humanitarian aid around the world. Commemorating his life and legacy teaches the next generation that a single life of conscience and purpose can touch and lift up many lives. By helping to heal a broken heart, surrounding a friend with love, feeding the hungry, or providing shelter for the homeless, we can change America for the better, one heart, one soul, and one conscience at a time. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 20, 2005, as Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A. I call upon all our citizens to dedicate their time and talents to help our rising generation grow into caring and responsible adults. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty ninth. GEORGE W. BUSH # # #