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Founder
Founded in response to the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s call in 1972 to establish 71 institutions in honor of the his 70th birthday, Machon Chana was the first and remains the only full-time women’s baalas-tshuva Yeshiva in America. Chosen by the Rebbe to carry on the legacy of his saintly and illustrious mother, Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, Machon Chana has stood the test of time, enlightening tens of thousands of women in the beauty and power of Torah, Judaism and a Chassidic life. Machon Chana has not only ensured the survival and revival of Jewish values around the globe, but has built thousands of Jewish homes on the tenets of Torah and Chassidus.
There are many stories and anecdotes that express the Rebbe’s affection and unique bond towards the institution he founded to continue his mother obm’s legacy. Here are just a few:
“Now I’m going home!” As the Rebbe approached the dorm on the first night of Pesach after visiting several other institutions.
“Thank you for raising my daughters!” to the dorm parents (Rabbi & Mrs Gansburg) during a yearly Pesach visit to the dorm.
“Since the girls are continuing in her footsteps, her presence is always here.” In response to Rabbi J.J. Hecht’s question: “Since Machon Chana is your mother’s home, when is she here?”
“Where are the mirrors and radios?” (alluding to the importance of women remaining grounded throughout their spiritual journey) When the Rebbe toured the dorm and inspected the furniture that arrived.
“Anyone who suspects me of being prejudiced towards Machon Chana is right!” In a sicha said in honor of a Machon Chana dinner.
Early Beginnings
Yud-Alef Nissan 5732 (1972), was the Rebbe’s 70th birthday. The Rebbe asked his chassidim to establish 71 new institutions around the world to correspond to his age. 770 seethed like a cauldron as chassidim tried to think of ideas for new mosdos. A committee was formed in the U.S. and Eretz Yisroel to serve as a clearinghouse for the ideas for 71 new mosdos.
Rebbitzen Sara Labkowski, a young mother of two children, heard the Rebbe’s sicha from her seat in the ezras nashim, and was deeply affected. With the ardor of youth and with unusual daring, one can say, she sat down to write to the Rebbe about her idea for a new mosad: a school where women and girls who wanted to learn about Judaism could do so. Back then, this idea was radical.
This was the beginning of the 70’s, at the tail end of the hippie era. Self-indulgent American youth had rebelled and were searching for meaning in life. They yearned for spirituality, and anarchy prevailed.
Religious Jewry was a world unto itself, and it feared contact with the outside world. The only movement that opened its doors to these thirsty neshamos was Chabad. Chabad actually went on the offensive in order to be mekarev the “lost ones in the land of Ashur and the outcasts in Egypt.” Slowly, more and more young men and women were seen in Crown Heights schools. They had come for answers.
At that time, 770 was frequented primarily by Anash from Russia and Poland, old-time chassidim. Baalei t’shuva were not a common sight, and suddenly longhaired hippies had appeared and wanted to know what Chabad was all about. It was definitely a unique phenomenon.
N’shei Chabad in the U.S. asked Labkowski to give a class to women once a week on Sunday. Rebbitzen Labkowski relates:
“We started small. I gave a halacha class and a young man gave a class in chassidus, in the small shul on Montgomery St. That winter, the Rabbi left, so I gave both classes. I moved the shiur to my house. We served coffee and cake and the atmosphere was homey and warm. Despite the limitations we had great success. One woman brought another, and the group began to grow. We had quality in addition to quantity. We had a student who attended N.Y.U. who progressed at an amazing pace. Whatever topic was raised, she immediately implemented. We spoke about kashrus and she began keeping kosher. When we learned about tznius and the separation between men and women, she immediately left the co-ed dormitory. Thanks to her, I suddenly realized the vast potential that lay in these classes. By the way, today that student runs a beautiful chassidic home and is assistant principal in a school in Chicago.”
“So it wasn’t surprising when the Rebbe called for new mosdos that I thought this was the time to expand our horizons. I didn’t know how or what, but I dearly wanted to do something. The Rebbe’s answer to my letter arrived shortly thereafter, and it showed me how the Rebbe took women’s education so seriously: “This mosad, its importance, and perhaps even its responsibility, is greater than that of the men.“ Then the Rebbe went on to lay down a number of founding principles: to take a representative from N’shei Chabad (Mrs. Leah Klein was chosen), not to open a dormitory at that time; and to be particular about the social milieu of the girls.
I Am Partial
This was the small beginning of a mosad which grew to an impressive size, both in quality and quantity. The beginning was difficult but there was lots of enthusiasm and excitement. They were all volunteers and saw this as a great z’chus. Classes were held on Sundays, plus two evenings a week, and they used different shuls in the neighborhood. There was no funding, and when the founders wrote about this to the Rebbe, they were told to devote themselves solely to the ruchnius, and that they should turn to the Merkaz L’Inyonei Chinuch for the gashmius. Thus, every month, Rabbi Chadakov covered the bill he was given.
The mosad still didn’t have a name. A month after they had begun, the founders asked the Rebbe for permission to name the school after the Rebbe’s mother, Rebbetzin Chana, a”h. The Rebbe asked that they wait until the mosad had proven itself and was firmly established. The school was more firmly established after two months. There were three classes on different levels, with 80 students. They asked about the name again, offering three suggestions (“Chana,” “Beis Chana,” and “Machon Chana”), and the Rebbe chose “Machon Chana.”
From that point on, the mosad enjoyed a warm and fatherly relationship with the Rebbe. The Rebbe often inquired about even the smallest details, and received detailed reports about the school. Not a move was made without the Rebbe’s approval. The Rebbe once said, “Der vos iz mir choshed az ich bin a nogei’a b’davar tzu Machon Chana iz gerecht” (Whoever suspects me of being partial to Machon Chana is right).
Hearing about the success of the new school, in the summer of 5733, Rabbi J.J. Hecht (who ran the men’s school for baalei t’shuva, Hadar HaTorah), offered the Machon Chana administration, the use of the Pearl House, a property adjourning Camp Emunah, in the Catskills, for theirbbsummer program.
At that time, Rebbitzen Labkowski asked the Rebbe how they should proceed being that things had to be formalized and teachers had to be paid. The need for a dormitory had grown, and they had the opportunity to buy a beautiful four-story home on President Street. The Rebbe responded with a detailed two-part letter (Igros Kodesh, vol. 27, p. 343). The first part suggested working with Rabbi Hecht. In the second part, the Rebbe suggested that they plan a dinner for the school.
Upon receiving the Rebbe’s answer, Machon Chana held a very successful dinner which enabled them to raise the $90,000 (a fortune at that time ) to buy the building, so that the girls could live in a Jewish-chassidic environment 24-hours a day. Members of the committee (which included Mrs. Tema Gurary, Mrs. Rivka Chitrik, Mrs. Sara Katzman, Mrs. Korik, and Mrs. Riva Teleshevsky) as well as Rabbi Yosef Weinberg worked on the dinner.
The dinner took place on Vav Tishrei, the yahrtzeit of Rebbetzin Chana, and as the Rebbe had promised, “it would certainly pay,” it was a great success, and by the end of the evening, they had the money to buy the house. Most of the money came from members of the kollel who lent their wedding money, while Rabbi Avrohom Parshan of Toronto guaranteed the loans.
Once the dinner was over, the women’s committee turned to the second part of the letter and established a working relationship with Rabbi JJ Hecht. Rabbi Hecht who also received a letter from the Rebbe in which the Rebbe asked him to take on the “Z’vulun’ role”, undertook the challenge that would enable Rebbitzens Sara Labkowski and Leah Klein to devote themselves to the ruchnius. A formal contract was signed in Rabbi Hodikovs room Rabbi Hecht’s devotion to the school. contributed towards the school’s progress.
A Surprise Visit
On 10 Shvat 5734, the purchase of the building was completed. Five days later, the Rebbe surprised the hanhala of the school. Rebbitzen Labkowski relates:
“On Chamisha-Asar B’Shvat, Rabbi Chadakov called my mother, Mrs. Tema Gurary, and asked whether I felt strong enough to host the Rebbe at the new building (I had given birth two weeks before). My mother called me immediately, and naturally, I said yes! R’ Hecht received a similar phone call, and of course he said yes, too. The pressure was enormous. I gathered a group of ladies who were involved with the school, and we ran over to the building to prepare it for this special visit. We hadn’t yet entered the building, which had been neglected. Snow covered the path that led to the entrance. We began shoveling the snow and tidying up the building. Someone ran to get a picture of the Rebbe, while another woman brought a picture of Rebbetzin Chana.”
“In the meantime, there was another surprise at 770. In the afternoon, with no prior warning, the Rebbe came out to the large shul, washed his hands for a meal, and began farbrenging. There was great excitement, and some of those present went out to inform their friends and family of the farbrengen. The place was quickly packed with people. Right after the farbrengen, the Rebbe left 770, accompanied by Rabbi Hecht, and instead of turning left, as he generally did on his way home, the Rebbe turned right and walked towards Kingston. The men and Tmimim standing there were curious about this, and they followed behind the Rebbe and Rabbi Hecht to see where they were going. So an impressive parade of men accompanied the Rebbe on his visit to Machon Chana.”
“In the meantime, we had finished cleaning the building and we waited at the window to see the Rebbe arrive. The Rebbe came in and looked around and gave us many brachos. He wished us mazal tov on the acquisition of the house, and before leaving, he gave a packet of dollars for me, and a packet of dollars for R’ Hecht (which we used to buy a bookcase and a chandelier) and said, “This is for the ruchnius and this is for the gashmius.” The dollars were distributed to the girls at the end of each year. When the dollars were used up, I asked the Rebbe for more, and got them every year.”
Right after the visit, the Rebbe wrote a letter addressed to the group of women mentioned above and to Rabbi Hecht, in which he expressed his great pleasure in the visit.
A Unique Treatment
from the Rebbe
It was the first visit, one of many at Machon Chana. Over the years, one could see the special relationship the Rebbe had with the school. The Rebbe was involved with the smallest details, and insisted on the school being dignified and elegant, and said that all expenditures for this purpose were worthwhile.When the library was established, the Rebbe contributed a Chumash, Tanya, Tehillim, Kesser Shem Tov, and Magid Devarov L’Yaakov. A tradition was established among kallahs from all over to come to the dorm on their wedding day to daven in the Tehillim the Rebbe gave them.
When the furniture arrived, the Rebbe came to inspect and said the chandelier wasn’t elegant enough. The Rebbe went through the building and commented. He suggested that there be a door dividing the dining room and the living room, so the girls would have privacy. He also asked why there weren’t any mirrors and radios in the rooms. We saw that despite the emphasis on ruchnius, the Rebbe wanted the girls to have both feet firmly planted on the ground.
The concern and caring for the girls themselves was also unusual. One Friday night on his way home, the Rebbe stopped by the dorm and went in unexpectedly. The door wasn’t locked, so the Rebbe walked towards the dorm parents (Pinchas and Chana Kurinsky’s) apartment, and alerted her to the importance of ensuring the girls’ safety and to making sure the door was always locked. Each year, the Rebbe came before the seder in order to bless the girls. The Rebbe visited other mosdos too, like F.R.E.E., Hadar Hatorah, the orchim and the kitchen of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim. One year, when he went to Machon Chana after visiting the other mosdos, the Rebbe said to Rabbi Hecht with a smile, “Now, I’m going home.”
The Rebbe insisted that each girl have her own cup for Kiddush, and a matza cover. Each year, the Rebbe gave a package of matzos to Rebbitzen Labkowski to be distributed to the girls. When the Rebbe visited the seder at the school, he blessed the girls that they should have the privilege of making a seder in their own homes the following year. The line that best expressed the Rebbe’s feelings about Machon Chana was what he said to the devoted housemother, Mrs. Gansburg, “Thank you for raising my daughters.”After inspecting the kitchen The Rebbe asked Mrs. Mera Galperin obm, the cook, whether she prepared food for the girls like she prepared at home. Each year, on Erev Yom Kippur, the Rebbe sent lekach for the girls, matzah on Erev Pesach and on Chamisha-Asar B’Shvat, the girls received a basket of fruit. The Rebbe requested that they send him a picture of the girls each year. The Rebbe once said that his mother’s presence is constantly at Machon Chana because the girls follow in her ways.