Nearly 80 Chabad Houses Unite for Tribute Evening Honoring the Rebbe
In honor of the 32nd yahrtzeit of the Rebbe, a remarkable tribute event was held in Paris, bringing together nearly 80 Chabad Houses from across the city and its surrounding suburbs.
Shluchim invited members of their communities and those they have inspired, with approximately 800 participants gathering for an extraordinary evening of unity, inspiration, and appreciation for the Rebbe’s monumental impact around the world.
Guests enjoyed an elegant gourmet dinner prepared by one of France’s premier kosher catering services in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The evening also featured a rich and inspiring program highlighting the spirit of shlichus and the Rebbe’s enduring influence.
The program opened with emcee Rabbi Menachem Mendel Samama, one of the Rebbe’s shluchim in Strasbourg, who led the recitation of the Rebbe’s and Rebbetzin’s chapters of Tehillim.
The keynote address was delivered by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Sabag, the Rebbe’s shliach to Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera.
Rabbi Sabag shared inspiring stories from his shlichus in the popular resort town, where a vibrant Chabad House serves an active local community as well as thousands of Jewish visitors throughout the year. He emphasized the enduring strength of the Meshaleiach—the Rebbe—which is felt tangibly in every Chabad House around the globe.
Throughout the evening, special video presentations highlighted the Rebbe’s spiritual revolution in France, alongside moving testimonials from young men and women who drew closer to Torah and mitzvos through Chabad’s outreach, with some eventually becoming shluchim themselves.
One of the evening’s highlights featured two physicians who shared their personal journeys to the Rebbe and Chassidus through local shluchim. Today, alongside their medical practices, they help countless Jews put on tefillin and offer every Jewish patient who visits their clinic the opportunity to perform the mitzvah.
Perhaps the most emotional moment of the evening came with the personal testimony of Eliya Cohen, who traveled specially to address the gathering. Recounting his harrowing experience of spending 505 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza, Cohen delivered a powerful message of faith, hope, resilience, and spiritual strength even under the most unimaginable conditions.
The musical program featured beloved Chabad niggunim performed by renowned singers Avraham Fried and Moshe Louk, accompanied by Yosef Brami and his orchestra, adding to the uplifting and celebratory atmosphere.
Toward the conclusion of the evening, participants accepted personal hachlatos tovos (good resolutions) in honor of the Rebbe’s yahrtzeit. The response was extraordinary, with more than 2,200 good resolutions recorded, reflecting the audience’s deep inspiration and commitment to increasing in Torah, mitzvos, and acts of kindness.
As they departed, every participant received a French translation of Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson’s bestselling book Think Good and It Will Be Good, published especially in honor of the event.
The evening served as a moving reflection of the Rebbe’s vision and enduring legacy—Ahavas Yisroel, Jewish unity, bringing Jews closer together, and expanding the reach of Torah and Chassidus. Participants left uplifted, inspired, and energized to continue their personal and communal shlichus.
