A Schneerson Family Chronology

Every Schneerson lifecycle milestone, ordered by date

This is a list of every documented birth, marriage and death of a descendant of the Alter Rebbe and their spouses, excluding those born after World War II.

Some notes on dating:

If an original document or testimony dates an event on the Jewish calendar, then the secular date to which it corresponds will be in parathesis, and vise versa.

Of course, a Jewish day starts at sundown and a secular one starts at midnight. So “11 Shvat, 5625” could correspond to both February 6, 1865 (if the event occurred between sundown and midnight) or Feb 7 (if it occurred after midnight). The same is true in reverse. In this list, all events will be assumed to have taken place between midnight and sundown, (the majority of the day). In the above example, it’ll be displayed as “11 Shvat, 5625 (Feb 7, 1865)”.

Prior to 1917, the Russian Empire used the Julian calendar, which was 11 days behind the standard Gregorian calendar from 1700-1800, 12 days behind from 1800-1900, and 13 days behind from 1900-2100. So if a Russian document dates an event on “March 3, 1860”, that’ll correspond to March 15, 1860 on the Gregorian calendar.¹

But what if, after 1917, a Russian document dates someone’s birth to “March 3, 1860”? Does that necessarily mean March 15? Or did they retroactively convert pre-1917 events? I don’t (yet) know what was standard; for now, I will make note of such occurrences as they crop up.

This is an ongoing project, which will be regularly updated. If you have any notes or suggestions, please leave a comment.

The Jewish Calendar Year

Shvat

7

• R Sholom Shlomo (b. Boruch Schneur b. Levi Yitzchok b. Boruch Sholom b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 7 Shvat, 5686 (Jan 22, 1926)²

10

• Rebbetzin Rivka (b. (Chaya) Sara b. Miteler Rebbe b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 10 Shvat, 5674 (Feb 6, 1914)³

• Hadassa Miriam Carlebach (b. Schneur Zalman b. Menachem Mendel b. Levi Yitzchok b. Boruch Sholom b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Birthday, 10 Shvat, 5687 (Jan 13, 1927)⁴

• Frierdiker Rebbe, R Yosef Yitzchok (b. Rebbe Rashab b. Rebbe Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 10 Shvat, 5710 (Jan 28, 1950)⁵

13

• Rebbetzin Shterna Sara (b. Yosef Yitzchok b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 13 Shvat, 5702 (Feb 9, 1952)⁶

16

• R Boruch Sholom (b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 16 Shvat, 5629 (Jan 28, 1869)⁷

• Abraham D. (have yet to place him in the broader family) — Yahrtzeit, Jan 18, 1957 (16 Shvat, 5717)⁸

21

• Menachem Mendel “Eduard” (b. Menachem Mendel b. Shmuel b. Boruch Schneur b. Levi Yitzchok b. Boruch Sholom b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Birthday, 21 Shvat, 5701 (18 Feb, 1941)⁹

22

• Moussia (b. Menachem Mendel b. Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Birthday, Jan 12, 1889 (Julian) [= Jan 24, 1889] (22 Shvat, 5649)¹⁰

• Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (b. Frierdiker Rebbe b. Rebbe Rashab b. Rebbe Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 22 Shvat, 5748 (Feb 10, 1988)¹¹

24

• Rebbetzin Menucha Rochel Slonim (b. Miteler Rebbe b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 24 Shvat, 5648 (Feb 6, 1888)¹²

• Boruch Sholom (b. Schneur Zalman b. Mordechai b. Boruch Sholom b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) & Ester Gitl (nee Arkin) — Marriage, Feb 2, 1909 (Julian) [= Feb 15, 1909] (24 Shvat, 5669)¹³

• Levi Yitzchok “Liuba” (b. Schneur Tzvi b. Levi Yitzchok b. Boruch Shmuel b. Chaim Avrohom b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 24 Shvat, 5735 (Feb 5, 1975)¹⁴

25

• Sholom Ber “Barry” Gourary (b. Chana b. Frierdiker Rebbe b. Rebbe Rashab b. Rebbe Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Birthday, 25 Shvat, 5883 (Feb 10, 1923)¹⁵

26

• R Schneur Zalman (b. Sara Rivka b. Moshe b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 26 Shvat, 5642 (Feb 15, 1882)¹⁶

30

• R Pinchas Eliyahu (b. Sara Rivka b. Moshe b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 30 Shvat, 5665 (Feb 5, 1905)¹⁷

Adar

4

• Sholom Ber “Barry” Gourary (b. Chana b. Frierdiker Rebbe b. Rebbe Rashab b. Rebbe Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 4 Adar II, 5765 (Mar 14, 2005)¹⁸

5

• R Levi Yitzchok “Levik der Kleiner” (b. Avrohom b. Levi Yitzchok b. Boruch Sholom b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, Mar 12, 1943 (5 Adar II, 5703)¹⁹

6

• R Menachem Mendel (b. Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Birthday, 6 Adar [II], 5627 (Mar 13, 1867)²⁰

• R Shmaryahu “Rashag” Gurary (m. Chana b. Frierdiker Rebbe b. Rebbe Rashab b. Rebbe Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 6 Adar I, 5749 (Feb 11, 1989)²¹

15

• Hadassa Miriam (b. Schneur Zalman b. Menachem Mendel b. Levi Yitzchok b. Boruch Sholom b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) & R Eliyahu Chaim Carlebach — Marriage, 15 Adar, 5709 (Mar 16, 1949)²²

• Chana Gurary (b. Frierdiker Rebbe b. Rebbe Rashab b. Rebbe Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 15 Adar, 5751 (Mar 2, 1991)²³

22

• Sara Rivka (b. Moshe b. Alter Rebbe) — Yahrtzeit, 22 Adar II, 5624 (Mar 30, 1864)²⁴

25

• Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (b. Frierdiker Rebbe b. Rebbe Rashab b. Rebbe Maharash b. Tzemach Tzedek b. Devorah Leah b. Alter Rebbe) — Birthday, 25 Adar, 5661 (Mar 16, 1901)²⁵

Nissan

1. I use this Julian to Gregorian calendar converter.

2. Source: His gravestone in Har HaZeisim, here.

3. Source: Her gravestone in Lubavitch, here.

4. Source: She told me? We all know? Sorry for the lack of written documentation, but this should be good enough.

5. Source: His gravestone in Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, here.

6. Source: Her gravestone in Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, here. (The findagrave site erroneously lists her Yahrtzeit as Jan 31, 1942)

7. Source: His gravestone in Lubavitch, here.

8. Source: His gravestone in Hillside, Illinois, here.

9. Source: His gravestone in Fuerth, Germany, photographed by Rabbi Mendy Chitrik and posted here.

As noted in the ensuing discussion, the secular date given on the gravestone is Oct 18, 1941, which corresponds to 27 Tishrei, 5702. Obviously one of the two dates must be incorrect.

10. Source: Her birth certificate, translated into French, cited and pictured in R Yosef Yitzchok Melul’s “Toldos HaRav Menachem Mendel” (2019), pp. 92-93, here.

In “HaRaza” (p. 248), however, it says 10 Shvat. I believe—and Melul confirmed—that this is a mistake. It seems that the editors used the date “Jan 12” from the original document without first converting it to “Jan 24”, its corresponding date on the Gregorian calendar.

11. Source: Her gravestone in Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, here.

12. Source: Her gravestone in Chevron, here.

13. Source: Kiev’s “metric book”, uploaded to Geni by Chaim Weissburd, here.

14. Source: His gravestone in Chadera, Israel, here.

15. Source: His gravestone in Paramus, NJ, here, and “Sefer HaSichos Rayatz 5696” pp. 48 ff., from Barry’s Bar Mitzvah Seudah on 25 Shvat, 5696.

16. Source: His gravestone in Har HaZeisim, here.

17. Source: His gravestone in Har HaZeisim, here.

18. Source: His gravestone in Paramus, NJ, here.

19. Source: His daughter Margolia’s 2003 write-up about her family, here. Tzemach translated it into English on his Substack, here.

Evidently, this is his gravestone in Chelyabinsk, but only the year (1943) is engraved.

20. Source: “Sefer HaToldos Maharash” (p. 34).

In “Shalsheles HaYachas” (p. 8), however, it says 7 Adar.

In the Rebbe Maharash’s “Likutei Torah - Toras Shmuel 5640” vol. 1 (p. 89), there’s a Maamer “Naaseh Adam” from Reb Menachem Mendel’s Bar Mitzvah. The headline states: “On 6 Adar 5640, my son Menachem Mendel recited this Maamer at his Bar Mitzvah feast.” Similarly, the Rebbe Rashab’s handwritten copy of that Maamer states “On Wednesday, Parshas Tetzaveh [= 6 Adar] 5640 by the Bar Mitzvah of my brother R Menachem Mendel” (ibid p. 298).

Regarding the month:

5627 was a leap year, and the sources don’t specify which Adar Reb Menachem Mendel was born in. However, there’s reason to assume that it was Adar II:

1. Official documents date his birth to “March 1866”. While the year is incorrect (as he was born in 1867), perhaps the month, March, is accurate. 6 Adar II 5627 took place in March (on both the Julian and Gregorian calendars), while 6 Adar I took place in February.

2. If born on 6 Adar II, then his Bris was on Taanis Esther, which may explain why no Maamer was said at his Bris (as was usually the case).

— Note of Rabbi Sholom Ber Kubitshek (“HaRaza” p. 233 fn. 6 & 7)

21. Source: His gravestone in Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, here.

22. Source: “Mekadesh Yisroel” (pp. 46-49).

23. Source: Her gravestone in Washington Cemetery, South Brunswick, NJ, here.

24. Source: Her gravestone in Har HaZeisim, here.

25. Source: The Rebbe Rashab’s letter to his son and daughter-in-law congratulating them on the birth of their daughter the previous day, “Igros Kodesh Rashab” vol 3, pp. 218-219, as well as her father’s birthday letters to her on 25 Adar of numerous years. (See, for example, “Igros Kodesh Rayatz” vol. 15, pp. 2, 82, 103).

Additionally, on 25 Adar, 5748 (1988), one month after her passing, the Rebbe marked the Rebbetzin’s 87th birthday campaign very publicly by introducing a campaign to celebrate Jewish birthdays. (See “Sefer HaSichos 5748” pp. 331-333).

Notably, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka’s official documents, such as her Russian passport, list her date of birth as Aug 13, 1901 on the Julian calendar, corresponding to Aug 26, 1901 on the Gregorian calendar — 11 Elul, 5661.

The Early Years team’s attempts to search the government records of birth for the city of Babinovitch during this period (which, generally, are held in Minsk) were unsuccessful, and they were told that these records no longer exist.

— Note from “Early Years”, p. 472, “Important Dates in the Rebbe’s Family”, fn. 6