How Chabad Saved Russian Jewry — and Forever Changed America

Chabad, Zionism & the Sixth Rebbe: Rabbi David Eliezrie with Rabbi Daniel Levine

Welcome back! I share a quick update on the podcast’s fast growth and my Los Angeles Jewish Journal feature, then dive into a wide-ranging conversation with Rabbi David Eliezrie Chabad/Lubavitch about his new book Undaunted—the gripping story of the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the “Frierdiker Rebbe” who defied Czarist Russia, Soviet communism, and Nazism, built clandestine yeshivot across the USSR, and helped reimagine American Judaism.

We unpack Chabad history and philosophy, women’s learning, the “Rebbe-as-Moshiach” debate, Chabad’s nuanced stance on Zionism/State of Israel & IDF, and how outreach reshaped the American Jewish landscape.

Next week’s guest: Rep. Don Bacon—on bipartisan support for Jews and Israel.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Intro & Jewish Journal shout-out
00:33 Next week: Congressman Don Bacon
00:59 Guest intro: Rabbi David Eliezrie & Undaunted
02:45 What is Chabad? Origins, Baal Shem Tov → Alter Rebbe (Chabad = Chochmah-Binah-Da’at)
07:50 Russia 1880s–1930s: pogroms, revolution, Soviet crackdown on religion
14:10 Underground yeshiva network & the “covenant of mesirut nefesh”
21:00 America 1940: “America is nisht andersh”—changing U.S. Judaism
25:10 Outreach vs. “fortress Judaism”
29:20 Women’s Torah/Talmud learning in Chabad
35:10 Zionism then & now: Religious Zionists, Haredi separation, Chabad’s middle path
46:05 Army/service, apolitical posture, security red lines
53:40 Moshiach question—myth vs. mainstream Chabad belief
57:20 Why no successor after the 7th Rebbe? Ideas - personality cult
1:04:50 Modern challenges, engagement without assimilation
1:10:40 Key legacy of the Sixth Rebbe & today’s relevance

🔑 Key Topics & Takeaways

Sixth Rebbe’s resistance: clandestine Torah education under Soviet rule; survival and global rebuilding.

Chabad philosophy: intellectual Hasidut; personal responsibility; outreach as a religious imperative.

Women & learning: Chabad’s support for advanced study for women, including Talmud & Chassidus.

Zionism & Israel: non-partisan engagement, national security emphasis, robust participation in IDF/community life.

American Jewish renaissance: day schools, youth outreach, and why Chabad became a primary gateway for Jewish return.

📚 Resources

Undaunted by Rabbi David Eliezrie on Amazon

LA Jewish Journal feature: “Rabbi Daniel Levine Wants to Have a Civil Dialogue.”

👤 Guests & Host

Guest: Rabbi David Eliezrie — Chabad rabbi, author, lecturer.

Host: Rabbi Daniel Levine.

👍 If you found this valuable

Like, subscribe, and share with a friend.
Drop your questions for Rep. Don Bacon in the comments for next week’s episode.

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