Rare Photo of Chabad Rebbetzin Without Head Covering Sparks Controversy

Yesterday, a previously unseen photo circulated through WhatsApp groups across the Haredi world - particularly within Chabad circles. The image shows the Lubavitcher Rebbe in his early 30s, likely taken around 15 years before he assumed leadership of the Chabad movement, during his years as a student of electrical engineering and mathematics in Paris.

In the photo, the Rebbe appears alongside his wife, seemingly skiing in the French Alps. So far, nothing controversial. Even a revered Rebbe is allowed a ski trip.

But one detail caused a storm: the Rebbetzin appears without any head covering.

To understand the sensitivity surrounding the image, one needs to dive into Chabad’s historical context - and that of the broader Haredi world before the Holocaust. In the early 20th century, many young Jews abandoned religious observance, especially ultra-Orthodox norms. Even among those who remained religious, a relaxation of halachic standards was not uncommon. It wasn’t rare, for example, to see Hasidic women in prewar Europe without head coverings.

The tension in this case arises from the fact that just a decade and a half after the photo was taken, it was none other than the Lubavitcher Rebbe himself who waged a fierce campaign against headscarves, arguing they didn’t fully cover a woman’s hair. He instructed Chabad women to wear only wigs - today, a hallmark of Chabad female dress.

The idea that the religious-feminine ideal of Chabad - the Rebbetzin herself - may not have adhered to head-covering norms in her youth is nothing short of shocking to the thousands of Chabad women who won’t even take out the trash without wearing a wig.

In truth, this isn’t the first photo of the Rebbetzin from her younger years to surface showing her with partial or no head covering. Throughout her life, the Rebbetzin maintained an extremely low profile. She never participated in women’s gatherings, drove her own car, and worked as a secretary in the New York Public Library. Only after her passing in 1988 - when the Rebbe praised her as a paragon of piety - did she retroactively become a sanctified figure and the symbolic model for Chabad women. Thousands of Chabad girls have been named after her in the 37 years since.

Unlike her husband, who was known to be stringently observant even during their time in Paris, the Rebbetzin was reportedly more open to the broader world. She loved European culture and was deeply knowledgeable in Russian literature.

What happened yesterday is yet another clash between the historical persona of the Rebbetzin and the mythologized version that developed after her death.

It will be interesting to watch how this controversy unfolds within the Chabad community - especially among the women who revere her as their spiritual role model.