The name of the movement is Chabad-Lubavitch.

  • Chabad (“Ha-Bah-d”) is a Hebrew acronym for our three intellectual faculties of chochmah—wisdom, binah—comprehension and da’at—knowledge. It represents the movement’s system of Jewish philosophy which encourages intellectual apprehension and cognition as key to Jewish religious life. Please find more about it here.
  • Chabbad (with two “b”) is inaccurate.
  • Habad or Ḥabad (with or without the diacritic; without a leading “C”) is rarely used outside of academia. Please use it sparingly.
  • ChaBaD and HaBaD are ungainly and should also be avoided.
  • Lubavitch (“Loo-Bah-Vitch”) is the name of the town in White Russia where the movement was based for more than a century. Please find more about it here.

When writing about Chabad-Lubavitch, please follow these guidelines:

  • In first reference, use the full name “Chabad-Lubavitch.” Thereafter, “Chabad” or “Lubavitch” are both acceptable, with “Chabad” being the more popularly used name. Chabad can be referred to as a “movement” or as an “organization.”
  • When referencing the Rebbe, please use full name and title on first reference “The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson,” and “the Rebbe,” or “Lubavitcher Rebbe” thereafter (“rabbi” and “rebbe” are not duplicate titles). If linking for more context on the Rebbe, a good place to link to is to is this brief bio of the Rebbe , and if you seek something more extensive, there’s the full website: www.TheRebbe.org, which can be accessed also as www.chabad.org/rebbe
  • Individuals can be referred to as a “Chabad Chassid” or “Lubavitch Chassid,” or more casually as a “Lubavitcher.” “Chabadnik” is also acceptable, though more typical in Israel than in America.
  • Shluchim can be referred as “Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries,” “Chabad emissaries” or “Lubavitch emissaries.” Both men and women are referred to as “emissaries” and are “co-directors” unless otherwise specified. In Hebrew it’s “shliach” for the men and “shluchah” for the women and in the plural it is “shluchim” and “shluchos.”

- As above, Shluchim is the accepted plural usage for Chabad emissaries. Shlichim (note “i”) is not used.

  • Chabad-Lubavitch centers are many times referred to as a “Chabad House” but may be referred to as a “Chabad Center” or “Lubavitch Center,” depending on the local usage.
  • The term Chabad or Lubavitch may also be used to modify the title rabbi. As in “Chabad Rabbi John Doe stated...”

Terms to Avoid:

  • When referring to the group, please avoid using the term “sect.” Better synonyms include “movement” or “organization.”
  • When referring to the group, please avoid using the term “ultra-Orthodox” or “Hareidi.” Instead, please consider the more accurate “Chassidic” or “Traditional Orthodox.”
  • There are but two central Chabad-Lubavitch websites — Chabad.org and Lubavitch.com — alongside thousands of websites that represent local Chabad Centers. Other websites and blogs that cover aspects of the community are private for-profit ventures and should not be confused with sites affiliated with the movement. Hence, the moniker 'Lubavitch web site' ought to be used sparingly.

Website Address Usage:

Like many large websites, Chabad.org’s links are long and do not lend themselves easily to be manually copied, digit by digit, from a book or article. We therefore recommend that instead of providing the long full url to your readers or users, you provide them with the short article id number from within the long address, which they can type easily and arrive directly to that very article.

For example, in the case of the article you are currently reading, instead of publishing www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2346205/jewish/Proper-Spelling-and-Suggested-Language.htm, you provide your readers with: www.chabad.org/2346205.