Hundreds of people flocked to the resting place of the First Chabad Rebbe on occasion of the anniversary of the leader’s passing.

Known as the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi gained recognition for composing foundational texts in the realms of Jewish law and Chasidism. The Tanya, which he published in 1798, revolutionized Jewish life with its focus on the connection between spiritual reality and the roles of Torah and human action in the physical world.

On Shabbat and Sunday, visitors joined Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries and Rabbi Chaim Sholom Deitsch – dean of yeshiva at Jerusalem’s historic Tzemach Tzedek Synagogue – for Chasidic gatherings in Haditch, a small town four hours from Kiev where the Alter Rebbe was interned following his 1812 passing in Piena.

At exactly 10:30 Saturday night, the exact time that the Alter Rebbe passed away on the 24th day of the Hebrew month of Teves, the group said a special prayer for the spiritual and physical welfare of the Jewish people worldwide.


A small building in Haditch, Ukraine, houses the resting place of the First Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, who passed away in 1812 while fleeing Napoleon’s advancing armies.


Known as the Alter Rebbe, he composed foundational texts in the realms of Jewish law and Chasidism.


Visitors to Haditch, who included Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries and Jerusalem Rabbi Chaim Sholom Deitsch, conduct a service marking the conclusion of Shabbat. The anniversary of the Alter Rebbe’s passing began Saturday night.


At 10:30 Saturday night, the exact time the Alter Rebbe passed away on the 24th day of the Hebrew month of Teves, the Haditch crowd said a special prayer for the spiritual and physical welfare of the Jewish people worldwide.


The gathering marked the 197th anniversary of the Alter Rebbe’s passing.


A series of Chasidic gatherings in Haditch drew inspiration from the Alter Rebbe’s teachings.