An extraordinary collection of previously unseen black-and-white photographs of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson זי"ע, from the mid-1960s has been revealed by JEM – The Jewish Educational Media, stirring deep emotion across Chabad communities worldwide.
The images, captured beginning in 5726 (1966), were taken by Rabbi Chaim Baruch Halberstam, a scion of the Sanz dynasty who arrived from Eretz Yisrael that year and quickly became one of the Rebbe’s trusted mashbakim (personal attendants).
For decades, Rabbi Halberstam accompanied the Rebbe and Rebbetzin at their home on President Street. Using a discreet Minox subminiature camera, uncommon and unnoticeable in an era when photography inside 770 was rare, Rabbi Halberstam documented intimate moments with no known parallels.
JEM, based in Crown Heights, recently rediscovered dozens of these tiny negatives – some as small as 8 mm, scratched and aged. Over the past month, technicians carefully stabilized the fragile film, scanned at high resolution, and restored details while preserving authenticity. Each frame was researched to identify exact dates, locations, and individuals
Among the images:
- The Rebbe performing kapparos with a chicken on the morning of Erev Yom Kippur
- Former Israeli President Zalman Shazar, a known admirer and frequent visitor, arriving at 770 for a private audience
- Interior views of 770 before its major expansion and renovation, showing the beis medrash in its earlier, more modest form.
“These are not just photos, they are windows into the Rebbe’s early leadership,” a JEM spokesperson said. “Every restored image is a gift to future generations.” The full collection is being cataloged and will be made available through JEM’s digital archive in the coming months.
