Chabad-Lubavitch is a major movement within mainstream Jewish tradition with its roots in the Chassidic movement of the 18th century. In Czarist and Communist Russia, the leaders of Chabad led the struggle for the survival of Torah Judaism, often facing imprisonment and relentless persecution for their activities. After the Holocaust, under the direction of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchaak Schneerson and his successor, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, Chabad became a worldwide movement, caring for the spiritual and material needs of all Jews, wherever they could be found.

Today, over 3,500 Chabad institutions are located in more than 85 countries, with a new center opening on the average every ten days. In South Africa, South America, Russia, Australia, Asia, the UK, and many parts of the USA, Chabad has become the most dynamic and dominant force within the Jewish community.