Rebbes Army

Moishe Alexander is a proud member of the Rebbes Army

Moish Alexanders Report

I grew up in what was probably a typical mid-century Jewish family - both parents raised in the U.S. and thoroughly Americanized. A secular conservative household. I received a fairly typical religious education for that time and culture - the minimum necessary. In retrospect, I probably learned more about Judaism after I left home than I did before. For Jews such as me, the world of Hasidism - intensely and often excitedly religious - is often something mysterious. As well as a source of guilt when we compare it to out own wobbly religious observance. Most of my acquaintance with the thinking of the Hasid, and with the Lubavitch movement in particular, is bookish, rather than experiential.

Which is why I was delighted with Sue Fishkoff's "The Rebbe's Army," a close and honest look at the Lubavitchers as a social and cultural phenomenon. She is a well respected member of the Jewish Press who has taken the time to pick up the threads of this small but influential group who gently, but persistently work not to broaden Judaism, but to deepen it. In countless cities both here and abroad are the slichim - young couples who leave the comfort and shelter of their own religious center in Brooklyn to seek to re-establish the traditional core of Judaism. This is their story.

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Excellent look at the current state of the Chabad movement

Through hillarious stories mixed together with explanations of Chabad mysticism, Sue Fishkoff takes the reader around the world to understand what Chabad actually does and why they do it.
From spreading Judaism in Alaska, to attending to Jewish inmates, to influencing US government policy, the reader learns about the wide reach of Chabad.
The book generally gives the reader a favorable impression of Chabad. I continually understood from all the stories and interviews that Chabadnicks genuinely want to improve the world we live in. They do this by bringing God into the public arena (with such controversial actions such as public Menorah's and advocacy for school prayer) and specifically by making Jews more aware of their heritage.
Ms Fisckoff does an excelleng job in conveying to the reader the deep and passionate drive that Chabnicks have in carrying out these missions. More from Moishe Alexander HERE

Moish Alexander loves this book

This remarkable ethnographic profile goes behind the scenes of Lubavitcher Judaism to explore how the movement's enthusiastic young emissaries, or schlihim, carry the Rebbe's message throughout the world. Armed with pamphlets, Shabbos candles and the dream of making all Jews more observant, these idealistic young married couples set up shop in unlikely locales like Peoria, Ill.; Anchorage, Ala.; or Salt Lake City, Utah. There they will tirelessly teach and fundraise-not just for a year or two, but for the rest of their lives. Fishkoff, a regular contributor to Moment and The Jerusalem Post, draws upon dozens of interviews with these schlihim, their supporters and their detractors. Traversing the country to do her research, she attended Shabbos dinners, mikvah demonstrations, Friday afternoon street proselytizing sessions and even a star-studded Chabad telethon in Los Angeles. (The telethon, Fishkoff rightly points out, is the perfect symbol for the way these Hasids have simultaneously eschewed and engaged with American culture, using technology to further their outreach.) Most interestingly, she includes interviews with Reform and Conservative Jews who, surprisingly enough, are often the chief financial backers of local Chabad initiatives.

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Moishe Alexander Review on The Rebbe's Army by Sue Fishkoff

The Rebbe’s Army by Sue Fishkoff: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch, a book review by Moishe Alexander

This comprehensive review by Sue Fishkoff is acclaimed and heralded by Samuel G. Friedman of the New York Times Book Review where Samuels states “A comprehensive, fluent, and accomplished book [that] shows a tenacious reporter and an intellectually curious person on the case.”

The book chronicles the beginning of the outreach program to dissociated Jews from their religious roots starting from a living room in Brooklyn, New York.

The book sets out how the Chabad Chassidim applied the literal approach to the observance of G-d and how the followers of Chabad Chassidim only drink (as an example) Chalav Yisrael milk and cheese products in order to keep strict adherence to Jewish Law.

This book chronicles how the Rebbe OB”M initiated the shluchim (agent) program sending out Rabbis and their wives to areas where there was little or no Judaism and where there were disenchanted Jews who needed to come back to yiddishkite. In particular, Chabad went to areas where there were young people disconnected from their Jewish roots like at Columbia University.

The book continues as the writer sets out how the Chabad Lubavitch reached out to over 700,000 Jewish people in South Florida including Miami and Palm Beach. As the book moves forward, it discussed in depth Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson OB”M, who is the Rebbe/leader of this Chabad movement.

Ms. Fishkoff gives examples of what tools and outreach steps are taken by the various young Rabbis demonstrating how they have Friday night Shabbos dinners and how they establish Chabad Houses at various state universities giving out chicken soup and serving other kosher food to the young Jewish population of those universities.

Ms. Fishkoff sets out in detail the difficulty and the challenges facing these young Rabbis when they move into a new area or town, even experiencing resistance from other Jewish organizations. Ms. Fishkoff sets out how the majority of the challenges for these young Rabbis is the non-religious Jew and how they take them through their journey to be a ba’al teshuvah in order to continue their education for the next generations.

This book gives excellent details and true stories after the Rebbe’s death along with clear examples of the difficulties that the Chabad Rabbis have had even when simply trying to place a menorah in a public place to celebrate Chanukah

Finally, the author deals with how the Rabbis not only brings Jews to yiddishkite, but also helps Jews struggling with alcoholism, drugs, incarceration, etc.

This book is a must-read for all people who want an insight into the Chassidic Lubavitch movement.

As Stephen Fried of the Washington Book Post Book World said, “American Jews, whether observant or secularly involved, are rarely neutral on Lubavitch activities. Fishkoff’s book will inform both sides of the discussion.”

Moishe Alexander

Thank you for reading another book review by Moishe Alexander