Chabad Kollel

Chabad Kollel is one of the charitable institutions most closely associated with Chabad Hasidism and with the long Jewish tradition of supporting the community in the Land of Israel. It was founded in 1805 by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe and founder of Chabad, at a time when Jewish residents of the Land of Israel often faced severe poverty and economic insecurity. From its beginning, the Kollel worked to transfer support from Jewish communities in the Diaspora to individuals, families and institutions in the Holy Land. Over the generations, its work expanded into a broad social, communal and charitable network.

Origins in the Time of the Alter Rebbe

In the sacred letters included in the Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman referred to the organization as Tzedakat Rabbi Meir Baal Haness. The name expressed the institution’s aspiration to continue a tradition of charity, mutual responsibility and practical assistance to Jews in need.

Before 1805, the Alter Rebbe headed the charity fund known as Kupat Ma'ot Eretz HaKodesh, which supported the Jewish community in the Land of Israel. Following a dispute between him and Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk, support for Chabad Hasidim in the Land of Israel was disrupted. According to the recorded tradition surrounding the Kollel’s history, this hardship contributed to the movement of Chabad residents from Tiberias to Safed. In response, the Alter Rebbe established a new independent fund, which became known as Chabad Kollel.

Leadership, Collectors and a Global Fundraising Network

Over the years, the Kollel was headed by successive Chabad-Lubavitch leaders, including the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, the Maharash, the Rashab, the Rayatz and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Alongside this rabbinic leadership, the organization’s practical work was carried out by collectors and emissaries who raised funds in Jewish communities around the world.

Those associated with the Kollel’s fundraising and administration included Rabbi Yitzchak Avigdor Ornstein, Rabbi Avraham Chaim Naeh, Rabbi Shneur Zalman Fradkin, Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, Rabbi Ezriel Zelig Salomon, Rabbi Eliezer Nanes and Rabbi Yosef Gedalia Ralbag. Rabbi Shalom Duchman served as chief collector and operated under the leadership of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Their work demonstrated how a charitable institution could endure across generations through the combination of spiritual leadership, practical administration and sustained relationships with Jewish communities in the Diaspora.

Chabad Kollel Ha’Meuchad and the Restoration of Unity

After the death of the Tzemach Tzedek, a dispute arose over the presidency of the Kollel between the followers of the Maharash and Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Schneerson, the Tzemach Tzedek’s nephew. In 1911, Rabbi Shmaryahu Noach Schneerson, the Chabad-Kapust rebbe and son of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Schneerson, established Chabad Kollel Ha’Meuchad and appointed Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Bickowski as its collector.

After Rabbi Shmaryahu Noach Schneerson died in 1923, the separate Kollel merged with the main organization. The unified institution adopted the name Chabad Kollel LeTzedakat Rabbi Meir Baal Haness and operated under the leadership of the Rayatz. The merger preserved the institution’s continuity and returned its charitable work to a central Chabad framework.

Social Assistance in Israel

Over time, Chabad Kollel grew from an organization supporting the Jewish community in the Land of Israel into a network serving people in a wide range of circumstances. According to the archive material, it operates thirteen soup kitchens and distributes food in more than forty Israeli cities. This work provides direct assistance to people facing poverty and food insecurity, expressing a transition from traditional charity to sustained community services.

The Kollel also operates day-care centers, dental clinics for people in need and facilities for people with disabilities. The Graveski Institute in Migdal HaEmek serves people with severe disabilities, while the Finger Center in Jerusalem is a facility for people with disabilities. In addition, the organization provides financial assistance to struggling families, maintains support funds for widows and orphans, and assists families affected by terrorism.

Community, Family and Jewish Life-Cycle Events

In Jerusalem, Chabad Kollel operates Gutnick Halls, two subsidized wedding halls. The halls make it possible for families to celebrate at a more accessible cost, and over the years they have hosted weddings and other celebrations for Chabad families from Israel and Jewish communities around the world. The facility therefore functions not only as a social service but also as a meeting place that strengthens connections among Jewish communities.

The organization also holds an annual Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebration for one thousand boys and girls from families who immigrated from the former Soviet Union. The event takes place at the Western Wall near the eleventh of Nissan, the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The participation of ministers and public figures gives the celebration a public dimension, but its deeper significance lies in creating a shared Jewish experience for immigrant children and families and strengthening their sense of belonging to Israeli society and Jewish tradition.

Preserving Prayer, Tradition and Memory

Chabad Kollel is responsible for a Chabad section in the cemetery on the Mount of Olives, making it part of the preservation of one of Jerusalem’s most important historic Jewish burial sites. The organization also operates the Worldwide Tehillim Society near the Tomb of King David on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, an institution that connects prayer, study and a tradition of Jewish participation from around the world.

Another contribution to communal life is the publication of the Chabad Kollel Luach. The calendar serves as a practical reference for Jewish customs, festivals and times, and is distributed in synagogues as well as in a pocket edition. For many Chabad communities and worshippers, it provides a shared framework for religious practice throughout the year and helps preserve customary practices and timetables across geographically distant communities.

Why Chabad Kollel’s Legacy Belongs in Moreshet

Chabad Kollel merits inclusion in Moreshet because it represents more than two centuries of practical Jewish responsibility: from the fund established by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi for Jews in the Land of Israel to a contemporary network providing food, health, welfare and disability services. Its history shows how Jewish communities in the Diaspora organized around the needs of the Jewish community in the Land of Israel and built institutions whose influence remains visible in everyday life.

The Kollel is also important as evidence of institutional continuity within Chabad Hasidism. Leadership changes, internal disagreements and subsequent mergers did not erase the commitment to assistance. Through charity programs, Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations, communal halls, burial sites, the Worldwide Tehillim Society and a calendar of Jewish practice, Chabad Kollel connects social welfare, Jewish identity and historical memory. For these reasons, its place on Moreshet.com belongs to the broader record of institutions that have shaped Jewish life and Israeli society.