9 years ago

Why is Chabad So Successful?

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin’s newest book, Chabad’s Secret: Inside the most successful Jewish Organization, is now available. The book is endorsed by leading professors, rabbis and professionals. It takes one into the “behind the scenes” of Chabad worldwide, including the how and why of its success • More Details

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin’s newest book, Chabad’s Secret: Inside the most successful Jewish Organization, (JEP Press, May 2015, 240pp) is now available.

It’s an in-depth 20-year study, 1994-2014, of Chabad. It’s endorsed by leading professors, rabbis and professionals. It’s much more than another book. It takes one into the “behind the scenes” of Chabad worldwide, including the how and why of its success.

Topics discussed include:

Who are today’s Movers and Shakers of Chabad?
Who is the most influential person within Chabad?
What do Journalists, Academics and non-Chabad professionals say about the organization?
Who are some of main financial supporters of the movement?
What’s Chabad relationship today with YU, Modern Orthodox, Satmar, etc?
Interviews with some Chasidic Jews who became Chabad adherents, but kept their non Chabad garb.
Chabad and Hillel- a Change for the good.

Praise for Chabad’s Secret:

Chaim Dalfin has written a fascinating and revealing account of what makes Chabad so successful. It explains how this unique combination of commitment and organization has become the largest force in the revival of Jewish life all over the world.

– Lawrence H. Schiffman, Ph.D., Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies New York University

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin is a learned Chabad “insider” with an eye for the ethnographic and an ear for the stories that make history more than just dry recounting of facts. “Chabad’s Secret” is a sympathetic and well-informed portrait of a movement that has been changing the shape of world Jewry in profound ways. This book may raise as many questions as it answers, but those questions will be smarter and better informed by virtue of having engaged Rabbi Dalfin’s passionate account of what makes Chabad so successful in today’s open religious marketplace.

– Don Seeman, Ph.D., Department of Religion, Jewish Studies, Emory University

From shuls to schools, from rehab centers to online libraries, the Chabad movement has flourished. This book describes the movement’s dizzying array of programs and institutions, as well as the wealthy individuals who finance them. Based on his own experiences as a lifelong member and keen observer of Chabad, Rabbi Chaim Dalfin offers an insider’s take on his beloved movement, supplemented by others’ journalistic and academic analysis, as well as the voices of many people who have been touched by Chabad. Anyone interested in Jewish education and community building will find this book enlightening.

– Sarah Bunin Benor, Author of Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism

Any observer of the world Jewish scene will readily notice the growth and expansion of the Chabad movement. Chabad institutions serve the Jewish community worldwide. The secret of the success of Chabad evades many Jewish leaders. Close observation reveals these secrets and Rabbi Chaim Dalfin has spent many years as both an insider of Chabad and a keen observer of its work. This book aims to portray what Chabad is about and how it so successfully impacts world Jewry.

– Zalman Alpert, Judaica Reference Librarian at the Gottesman Library of Yeshiva University from 1982–2014

In the insightful, well-footnoted and engaging book titled, Chabad’s Secret, Rabbi Chaim Dalfin raises the question, “what is the secret of the success of Chabad?” His answer includes an in-depth penetrating look at both the intellectual and practical aspects of contemporary Chabad. In addition to it being an “outreach” organization, Chabad is the most intellectual form of Hasidus. It harmonizes the intellectual, emotional-spiritual (mystical), and practical better than any other Rabbinic stream. Rabbi Dalfin’s work represents a crown of Rabbinic scholarship. It is a blessing that once again he has shared his carefully thought out insights with the general public. Recommended without reservation.

– David B Levy PhD; MLS

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin has given us an insightful portrait of Chabad. This work is unique as it is written by an insider who was born and raised in this Chabad world. Dalfin details the secrets, the individuals and the infrastructure that enables the international movement to retain its coherency and achieve its goals. This work is infused with the Rebbe’s insights and guidance. The author also details many of his own experiences as Chabad interacts with the milieu in which it functions. Chabad’s Secret is a fascinating read and a must for all, devotees and admirers, antagonists and the inquisitive.

– Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rakeffet, Professor of Rabbinic Literature – Gruss Kollel of Yeshiva University in Israel

I find Rabbi Dalfin’s book very interesting. It offers readers a sober yet admiring account of Chabad’s success, with many details that unveil the simple yet effective network of the movement throughout the world.

– Professor Dov Schwartz, Head of the Interdisciplinary Unit, Bar-Ilan University

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