Kfar Chabad


Kfar Chabad is a Chabad-Lubavitch village in central Israel. Located between Beit Dagan and Lod, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sdot Dan Regional Council. In it had a population of.

History

Kfar Chabad was established in 1949 by Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. The site had previously been the depopulated Palestinian village of al-Safiriyya, and as late as 1957 it was referred to in Hebrew as Tzafrir or Shafrir.
The first inhabitants were mostly recent immigrants from the Soviet Union, survivors of World War II and Stalinist oppression. Regarding their aliyah, the Jewish Observer reported: “There were several noteworthy aspect of this Aliyah. The Chabad members refused all offers of help from religious and political organizations; they insisted on going on the land. Adapting themselves to modern agricultural methods ... To them it was a point of honor to live as they were taught. This meant subsisting only on what they earned by their own toil".
Kfar Chabad, which is located just outside Lod and about 8 km southeast of Tel Aviv, includes agricultural lands as well as numerous educational institutions. It serves as the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement in Israel. Kfar Chabad is a Lubavitch community.

Replica of "770"

The village features a full-scale replica of "770", the Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. The building, which serves as a synagogue, includes the exact number of bricks as on the original structure; the brickwork was produced by Teracotta Ofakim Clay Industries in Ofakim. The Lubavitcher Rebbe covered the $700,000 building cost.

Terror attack at the synagogue

On 11 April 1956, fedayeens entered the synagogue during evening prayers and started shooting indiscriminately. Five children and one teacher were killed, another ten injured.

Education

Kfar Chabad provides vocational training in printing, mechanics, carpentry, and agriculture for male students, and education for female students. The programs are combined with religious education. Most students, who come from outside the village, are not Hasidic.

Political leadership

Previous mayors include Shlomo Meidanchik and Menachem Lehrer. The current mayor is Nachmen Richman.

Religious leadership

The village rabbi was Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi from 1983 until his death in 2015. The previous rabbi was Shneur Zalman Gorelik, from the town's founding until his death.