Friends!

Today is 115th birthday of Menachem Mendel Schneerson- prominent Jewish figure of the twentieth century, the spiritual leader of Chabad Hasidic movement, the seventh and last Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Menachem Mendel, was born in Nikolaev, was the son of one of the most prominent rabbi of that times - Levi-Yitzhak Schneerson. His father was very educated and wise man, was an opponent of Bolshevism. Menachem's mother also came from a prominent family, was the daughter of Nicholas Meyer rabbi Shloymo Yanovsky. The family was happy – common faith and outlook on life united couple.

The boy grew up a true child of prodigy, could learn for 18 hours, but he was not interested in children's games. Therefore, parents had to take him to school and deal with his individual training. Teachers agreed with this and assured parents that Menachem Mendel, "was born to become a great man."

Menachem Mendel had two brothers. One of them had serious health problems. Because of that family could not move abroad. Soon there was a disaster - his father was arrested for anti-Soviet activities and exiled to Kazakhstan. There Mendel’s brother could not get decent treatment because he stayed in Dnipropetrovsk. There he was killed by the Nazis, as many others, during the Second World War.

In 1923, Joseph met Yitzhak Schneerson, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, the leader of Hasidism and joined the movement. Later, Joseph-Isaac moved to Leningrad, Menachem Mendel went to visit him. There he fell in love with daughter of Rabbi, later they married. Together in 1927 they emigrated from the Soviet Union, were fleeing from the Bolsheviks. At first the family moved to Latvia and later - to Berlin. At the University of Berlin Menachem Mendel studied mathematics and natural sciences. In 1933, when the Nazis came to power, Schneerson moved to France. There he studied at the Sorbonne, graduated shipbuilding faculty. After graduation, he moved again - now to the US for experienced dangers looming over Europe. In America, he worked in the shipyards Navy US. In 1942, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson Menachem appointed head of the educational network on the territory of the United States. He was extremely sought and put maximum effort in order to movement went out of Europe and has become known everywhere. In 1951, Menachem-Mendl Schneerson was elected the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe. For 44 years, the leadership of Menachem Chabad movement created more than 2,000 educational, social, medical organizations worldwide. He was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Congress.

Some interesting facts about the Rebbe: he had never been to Israel, before his death lived in New York, and for he had never gone on vacation. Recently in the honor of Menachem Mendl Schneerson were named streets in Dnipro and Mykolaiv.

Friends! Menachem Mendl, was a wise man. Remember one of his sayings: "When a person spends time for nothing, he or she kill the moment in some way, lose an irreplaceable opportunity. But when you use the time in dignified manner, fill its purpose and performance, it lives forever. "