Free Chabad Kids Video Site Passes 15,000 Plays in Its First Ten Days, Now Daily in Eight Languages

ChabadKidsVideos.com, a free library of 256 animated videos for Jewish children, adds a daily show in eight languages, a new series of meshalim from Chassidus, Chassidishe games, and sister sites for bochurim and adults.

A free website of animated Chassidishe videos for children has recorded more than 15,000 video plays in the ten days since it opened, nearly 10,000 of them in the past week alone, according to the site’s own counter. Its daily show now comes out in eight languages.

ChabadKidsVideos.com began as material for one melamed’s classroom. Today it holds 256 videos, all free and without advertising, and a banner across the top of its homepage thanks visitors “for making us the fastest-growing Jewish kids website.”

“Our goal is to spread Chassidus,” said the site’s founder, a Chabad melamed in New York. “The most important thing is to put the content out there and make it available to every child, for free.”

A daily show in eight languages

The centerpiece is “Today in Chabad,” a short show for each day of the Jewish calendar: the day’s Hayom Yom, the day’s mitzvah in Sefer HaMitzvos, a lesson in Inyonei Moshiach u’Geulah, a Maaseh Rav, a story our Rebbe told, and a moment with our Rebbe. Each episode now comes out in English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, German and Dutch, and every language has its own section of the site.

New this week is “Meshalim: Parables from Chassidus.” Each episode tells a mashal in full and then shows what it teaches a child today. The first episode, “The King’s Magic Walls,” is featured at the top of the homepage.

Tanya from start to finish, and our Rebbe’s sichos

The largest series covers Tanya: all 53 perakim of Likkutei Amarim, each in short animated parts, with summary episodes and printable question booklets in student and teacher editions for the classroom. The series has now continued into Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah. A weekly video brings a sicha of our Rebbe from Sefer HaSichos 5752 on the week’s parsha, and 25 more videos explain Likkutei Sichos.

Stories, history and the special days

“Stories the Rebbe Told” has reached 21 episodes in English, with 20 in Hebrew and Spanish and 15 in French and Russian. Other series include “Our Rebbe,” on the life of our Rebbe; the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Memoirs; a five-part series on the Rebbe Rashab for Chof Cheshvan; Tales of Tzaddikim; stories from Likkutei Sippurim; 24 short lessons in Inyonei Moshiach u’Geulah; “Kamocha: Lessons in Ahavas Yisrael”; and a section for women and girls with “Our Rebbetzin” and “Mother of Royalty.”

Each Chabad special day gets its own page with a story, “What our Rebbe says” about the day, and the day in depth. A Kislev page gathers the month’s special days, starting with Rosh Chodesh Kislev and Beis Kislev.

Points, a scoreboard and two games

Children who answer the review questions after a video earn points, move up through levels, can print a certificate, and appear on an anonymous scoreboard. Points unlock two Chassidishe games: “Mivtzoim: Tefillin Run,” and “Shliach in a New Town,” in which a child helps people with mitzvos and builds up a Chabad House across four towns.

“Every video is made with care for our children: tznius, accuracy, and a real lesson in each one,” the founder said. Every video has a feedback box underneath that goes straight to the team, and corrections are usually made the same day.

For bochurim and for adults

Two sister sites follow the same approach. ChabadBochurim.com is a daily screen for yeshiva bochurim: the day’s Rambam, one perek a day, in a narrated video that goes through every halacha in order, then the day’s Chumash with Rashi, Tanya, Hayom Yom and Tehillim. ChabadChassidusVideos.com presents Chassidus and the teachings of our Rebbe for adults in short, sourced, illustrated videos, beginning with “Chassidus on Marriage.”

Full episodes are also being added to the Chabad Kids Videos channel on YouTube.

All of the sites are free. Families can dedicate a video and sign up for an email when new videos come out. A “Share with friends” button on the homepage sends the site to a friend or a WhatsApp group in one tap.

“Please share it with every family and every classroom you know,” the founder said.