 | |
 | |
| Type of business | Non-profit |
|---|---|
| Available in |
|
| Founder | Yosef Yitzchak Kazen |
| URL | chabad.org |
| Launched | 1988; 38 years ago (1988) |
| Current status | Active |
.jpg) |
| Part of a series on |
| Chabad |
|---|
| Rebbes |
|
| Places and landmarks |
| Holidays |
| Organizations |
| Schools |
| Texts |
| Practices and concepts |
| Chabad offshoots |
Chabad.org is the flagshipwebsite of theChabad-LubavitchHasidic movement.[1] It was one of the first Jewishinternet sites.[2]
In 1988,Yosef Yitzchak Kazen, a Chabad rabbi, began creating a Chabad-Lubavitch presence incyberspace. With the advent of computer communication technology, Kazen recognized its potential for reaching an almost limitless audience, unlimited by geographic and other constraints. Kazen digitized thousands of documents into what became the world's first virtual Jewish library, and enabling thousands of people to learn about Judaism for the first time. Chabad.org served as a model for other Jewish organizations that created their own educational websites.[3]
Chabad.org has a Jewish knowledge base which includes over 100,000 articles of information ranging from basicJudaism to Hasidic philosophy taught from the Chabad point of view. The major categories are the human being, God and man, concepts and ideas, theTorah, the physical world, theJewish calendar, science and technology, people and events.[4] There are sections onShabbat,Kosher,Tefillin,Mezuzah, the Jewish way indeath and mourning and asynagogue companion.[4]
Chabad.org was the pioneer of “Ask the rabbi” sites. Kazen reached out to thousands of people onFidonet, an online discussion network, as far back as 1988.[5]
In 1994, Kazen launched the first version of Chabad's “Ask the Rabbi” website. Today's version, in which 40 rabbis and educators field questions via e-mail, answered more than 500,000 questions between 2001 and 2006, averaging about 270 a day.[6] Many people take advantage of the Web's anonymity to impart experiences and ask for advice from chabad.org.[6] Chabad.org also operates TheJewishWoman.org's “Dear Rachel”, a similar service which is run by women for women.[6] Questions and answers have been posted online.
Chabad.org provides daily, date-specific information relevant to each day fromJewish history, daily Torah study, candle-lighting times, and forthcomingJewish holidays.[7]
Chabad.org maintains a number of sub-sites, including
Chabad.org and its affiliated sites claim over 43 million visitors per year, and over 365,000 email subscribers.[8]
