The popular Chabad resource COLlive.com published an article about a unique discovery from the archives of JEM – Jewish Educational Media, which offers a fresh perspective on what the month of Tishrei with the Lubavitcher Rebbe was like during the 1960s–1970s. We are delighted to share this story with our readers.
Long before the era of mass photography, before the hall at 770 was filled with thousands of chassidim and guests from around the world, the Tishrei holidays with the Rebbe had a completely different atmosphere. Cameras were rare, crowds were much smaller, and every snapshot taken near the Rebbe held special significance.
Now, thanks to the restoration of old films and the meticulous archival work of JEM, these rare images have been brought back to life, revealing the vibrant history of those years.
How It Began
In 1966, Rabbi Chaim Baruch Halberstam arrived in New York and began discreetly documenting life in Crown Heights and 770 with a tiny Minox camera that fit easily in the palm of his hand. For decades, these films remained largely unknown. Recently, dozens of these miniature negatives, just a few millimeters wide, were discovered and sent for restoration.
Many of them were scratched, faded, or damaged by time, but the JEM team undertook the painstaking work of restoring each frame. Each negative was stabilized, scanned in high resolution, and carefully retouched with utmost attention to authenticity.
JEM researchers then identified the exact dates, locations, and even the faces in the photographs—resulting in a stunning visual chronicle of the early period of the Chabad movement in Brooklyn.
Among the restored images are photos of the Rebbe’s meal after Yom Kippur in the Previous Rebbe’s apartment, farbrengens, and the distribution of “Kos Shel Bracha” in the large sukkah behind 770, as well as rare photos of Israeli President Zalman Shazar’s nighttime visit to the Rebbe in 1971.
These images are not only of historical value but also convey the atmosphere of spiritual elevation, warmth, and chassidic joy that filled every moment near the Rebbe.
Special thanks were extended to Rabbis Mendel Gourarie, Motti Hazan, and Memkeh Schmukler for their dedicated work on this project.
The full gallery of photos can be viewed here.
