Documentary in production about legacy, impact of Chabad leader Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson

“The Rebbe: Emissary of Light” will include archival footage, interviews, and research from the Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization Jewish Educational Media (JEM).

By Shiryn Ghermezian, The Algemeiner

A documentary about the late leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, also known as The Rebbe, and his influence in Jewish life and around the world is currently in production, The Algemeiner has learned.

“The Rebbe: Emissary of Light” will document Schneerson’s legacy and impact on the Chabad movement but also how he counseled, corresponded with, and advised global leaders during his lifetime, including Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush.

Bill Clinton posthumously awarded Schneerson the Congressional Gold Medal for his moral leadership.

Schneerson was the seventh leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and under his leadership, Chabad grew into a global movement dedicated to causes such as Jewish education and outreach.

The spiritual leader, also known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, died in 1994, and hundreds of thousands of people annually visit his gravesite in New York.

The documentary will focus heavily on the Rebbe’s public menorah lighting initiative.

He believed in making Hanukkah candle-lighting as public as possible, which started conversations around the nation about how publicly Jews should display their religion.

After Chabad launched its first public menorah lighting ceremony in America in 1974, which took place in Philadelphia, giant menorahs were erected in public squares around the country.

In New York City every year, the world’s largest menorah, which stretches up 32 feet, is placed across from the Plaza Hotel.

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement now erects roughly 15,000 giant Hanukkah menorahs on public squares around the world, according to Chabad.org.

“What drew me to the Rebbe was the extraordinary influence one man could have on the world,” said the film’s director, Rachel Greenberg.

“The public menorah offers a window into his larger vision: a belief that Jewish identity should be embraced openly and that every person, regardless of faith or background, has a responsibility to make a difference. Through this film, we will explore the man behind that vision, how he inspired others to bring it to life, and what his example can teach us about our own capacity to make a difference.”

The independently produced documentary is being made by Greenberg and Rob Schwartz, the producers of the award-winning documentaries on former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (“Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin”) and former US Senator Joe Lieberman (“Centered: Joe Lieberman”).

Greenberg is directing and producing the documentary about the Rebbe while Schwartz, who founded the nonprofit film production studio Hidden Light Institute, will serve as executive director.

Additional executive producers include George Rohr, Jonathan Tratt, and Igor Tulchinsky. The Marcia and Stanley Reiter Family Foundation serves as a producer.

“My hope is that people will come away understanding not only what the Rebbe accomplished but also something of who he was: an extraordinary generational leader who saw the potential in every human being and understood the power of every individual to bring more light into the world,” said Rohr.

“The Rebbe: Emissary of Light” will include archival footage, interviews, and research from the Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization Jewish Educational Media (JEM), which is dedicated to preserving, curating, and publishing the archives of the Rebbe.

JEM executive director Rabbis Elkanah Shmotkin and Joseph Telushkin—author of the New York Times bestseller, Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History—will be consulting producers on the film.

“The Rebbe’s spiritual energy, bold vision, and unconditional love for the Jewish people transformed Jewish life around the world,” said Barry Gurland, chairman of the Hidden Light Institute.

“With ‘The Rebbe: Emissary of Light,’ we hope to answer the Rebbe’s enduring call to do more and bring more light into the world.”