It is remarkable testament that Rabbi Schneerson made a worldwide impact that continues to reverberate beyond the Jewish community. He not only believed in bringing Jews back to Judaism, but also bringing all human beins closer to the Noachide laws (the seven laws that both Jews and Non-Jews are obligated to keep).
Education and Sharing Day, originally created in 1983 by presidential proclamation, is timed each year to coincide with his birthday on the Jewish calendar, 11 Nissan. Members of both parties in the United States Congress awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously. The date of his passing, 3 Tammuz, is also marked by many, and thousands continue to visit his gravesite.
Today, there are 4,000 thousand Chabad emissaries and over 3,300 institutions all over the world who continue to fulfill his mission. His lasting legacy are the countless number of Jews that are touched by their programs and outreach.
Sources:
- http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/default_cdo/jewish/The-Rebbe.html
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYkSt3WIWrA&feature=related
- http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020325-4.html
- http://ftp.resource.org/gpo.gov/bills/103/h4497eh.txt
- http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/nyregion/thecity/25rebb.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menachem_Mendel_Schneerson
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