Remembering Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson: A Quiet Legacy

Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson was born on the 25th of Adar, 1901, in the town of Babinovitch near Lubavitch, to the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, and his wife, Rebbetzin Nechama Dina.

Her parents named her Chaya Mushka, after the wife of the Tzemach Tzedek (the third Rebbe of Chabad).

In 1929, she married Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in Warsaw, Poland, and they moved to Berlin, Germany. When the Nazis rose to power, the Rebbe and Rebbetzin fled to Paris. In 1941, as France fell under Nazi occupation, they escaped to the United States.

In the U.S., the Rebbe and Rebbetzin joined her father, the sixth Chabad Rebbe, in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. After the passing of the sixth Rebbe, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka's father, her husband, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was appointed as the seventh Chabad Rebbe.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka

Throughout her life, the Rebbetzin remained a mystery, and even after her passing, much about her life remains undisclosed. As the wife of a revered leader, she could have embraced public recognition and honor but chose to live behind a veil of privacy. Despite numerous requests from Chabad women for her to visit educational institutions and take ceremonial roles, she insisted on maintaining her quiet life away from the public eye.

She was incredibly intelligent, well-educated, and knowledgeable about both sacred and secular matters, fluent in seven languages. Those close to her describe her as having an exceptional ability to understand deeply, always accompanied by a delicate and witty sense of humor. She held clear and firm opinions on various subjects, yet if informed that the Rebbe had a differing stance, she would immediately defer to his view.

Rabbi Chasdai Halberstam, who managed the Rebbe's household affairs for 18 years, shared fascinating insights about the Rebbetzin with the weekly 'Kfar Chabad' magazine. He described the extraordinary mutual respect between the Rebbe and Rebbetzin. She would wait patiently for his return, even if it was late at night, and he would always sit and share experiences with her regardless of the time or his schedule. From snippets of conversations he overheard, Rabbi Halberstam believed that the Rebbe consulted with her frequently.

It is astonishing how descriptions of the Rebbetzin so closely align with those of the Rebbe's character. Like him, she had an aversion to the word 'compromise' and a radical devotion to truth. She could not tolerate anything that smelled of deceit, cynicism, or especially disrespect towards others. Like her husband, a boundless warmth and love for every Jew radiated from her.

Her strength as a righteous woman was evident on several occasions when emergencies arose during the Rebbe's rare rest periods. In such cases, Rabbi Halberstam reported significantly, "The Rebbetzin handled the matter!" Once, the Chabad women sent her a bouquet of flowers for her birthday, accompanying it with an envelope containing the names of people requiring blessings. Rabbi Halberstam delivered the flowers to the Rebbetzin but handed the envelope to the Rebbe. The Rebbe saw her name on it and asked why it wasn't given to her. Rabbi Halberstam explained it contained a list of people needing blessings, to which the Rebbe seriously replied, "She can bless them, too!"

On the 22nd of Shevat, 1988, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka passed away at the Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan after a brief illness. She was laid to rest at the Montefiore Jewish Cemetery in Queens, alongside her parents and later, her husband, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Her passing left a profound void among Chabad chasidim worldwide.

Since her passing, hundreds of institutions bearing her sacred name have been established globally, primarily focusing on spreading Torah and Judaism among women.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe at Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka's funeral