The year 1983 was a turning point of sorts for Rabbi Menachem Schmidt. That was the year that the Chabad-Lubavitch emissary almost cancelled Passover Seders at Lubavitch House at the University of Pennsylvania.
Rabbi’s Brand of Jewish Outreach Demands Constant Innovation
The year 1983 was a turning point of sorts for Rabbi Menachem Schmidt. That was the year that the Chabad-Lubavitch emissary almost cancelled Passover Seders at Lubavitch House at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Things were very, very hard for us financially,” says Schmidt, 53, who last week was awarded a first-ever fellowship by the Avi Chai Foundation for his work in Jewish outreach. “And that’s an understatement.”
Just before Passover, the young rabbi called up his father to ask for some advice. To run Seders for the Jewish students at the Ivy League school would cost $5,000, and Schmidt didn’t have it.
“What do you think if we just cancelled Passover this year?” he asked. “It’s the end of the year. You can have 800 kids dancing for Purim, and that’s less expensive than 120 kids having Seder.”
