Belonging to the Haredi ultra-Orthodox branch of Orthodox Judaism , it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, [ 3 ] as well as one of the largest Jewish religious organizations. Unlike most Haredi groups, which are self-segregating, Chabad mainly operates in the wider world and caters to nonobservant Jews. Between and , Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson transformed the movement into one of the most widespread Jewish movements in the world.
Under his leadership, Chabad established a large network of institutions that seek to satisfy the religious, social and humanitarian needs of Jews across the world.
During his life and after his death, Schneerson has been believed by some of his followers to be the Messiah , with his own position on the matter debated among scholars.
Messianic ideology in Chabad sparked controversy in various Jewish communities and it is still an unresolved matter. Following his death, no successor was appointed as a new central leader. The Rebbe was also known to have never visited Israel, for reasons which remain disputed among the Chabad community. The movement was centered in Lyubavichi for a century until the fifth Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Dovber left the village in [ 8 ] and moved to the city of Rostov-on-Don.
Since , [ 4 ] the movement's center has been in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. While the movement spawned a number of offshoot groups throughout its history, the Chabad-Lubavitch branch is the only one still active, making it the movement's main surviving line. The Chabad movement was subjected to governmental oppression in Russia.
