The religious concept of Jewish "chosenness" (the curse of the Levant) has been...

Editor's note: ...interpreted by Orthodox Jews and Zionist Christians as justification for political and cultural dominance. Within that critique, the global Hasidic movement Chabad-Lubavitch is singled out as an influential network promoting messianic ideology and expanding its reach through thousands of institutions worldwide. The growing awareness of these doctrines and the movement's perceived influence is fueling rising public awareness and criticism, with many people increasingly unwilling to accept or tolerate the influence of this archaic aggressive religious cult operating on a global scale.
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The Expanding Influence of Chabad-Lubavitch and Why Critics Are Increasingly Angry

March 14, 2026

The global religious cult network known as Chabad-Lubavitch has spent decades building a powerful presence in over 100 countries including in Japan. Through thousands of outreach centers and emissaries operating in more than 100 countries, the movement has become one of the most visible and influential branches of modern Judaism.

Supporters describe Chabad as a community organization that helps Jews reconnect with religious tradition. Critics, including many Jews in Israel and across the wider Jewish world, see something more troubling. They point to ideological controversies, internal power struggles, and a global network that has accumulated influence far beyond the religious sphere.

At the center of the movement's rise was its longtime leader Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who led Chabad from 1951 until his death in 1994. Schneerson built an aggressive international outreach campaign that placed rabbis and Chabad centers around the world. Today those centers often serve as the primary Jewish institutions in cities where few other organizations operate.

But the movement's expansion has not been without controversy.

Public discussion about the connections of Howard Lutnick to Jewish religious networks has largely centered on indirect associations rather than formal membership. Lutnick, a prominent financier and philanthropist, has participated in events connected to Jewish and pro-Israel causes and was present during a visit by Donald Trump to the gravesite of Menachem Mendel Schneerson at the Ohel in New York, a site revered by followers of Chabad-Lubavitch. While such appearances have fueled speculation online about deeper ties, mainstream reporting has not established Lutnick as a member of the movement or as holding an official role within its institutions. Instead, the connections that are publicly documented fall largely within the broader sphere of philanthropic support for Jewish organizations and engagement with political and community leaders who maintain relationships with Chabad's global outreach network.

The widely publicized January 2026 incident in which a car struck the entrance of Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway was prematurely portrayed as an antisemitic attack before basic facts were known. Early media reports claimed Dan Sohail intentionally rammed the building in a hate crime, prompting condemnations from officials and headlines about rising antisemitism. However, subsequent police statements indicated Sohail had previously attended gatherings at the site, was reportedly interested in converting to Judaism, and may have lost control of the vehicle rather than carrying out an ideological attack. Critics argue the episode illustrates how quickly dramatic claims of antisemitic violence can be amplified around Chabad-linked institutions before investigations are complete, creating what they view as a misleading narrative that collapses once fuller details emerge.

One of the most persistent disputes involves messianic beliefs surrounding Schneerson himself. After his death in 1994, some followers continued to insist that Schneerson was the Jewish Messiah and would return to complete his mission. Critics inside Orthodox Judaism have argued that this belief contradicts centuries of Jewish teaching. Some adherents even claim Schneerson never truly died or will return from the grave as Messiah.

The controversy became so significant that prominent Jewish scholar Rabbi David Berger wrote an entire book examining the phenomenon, arguing that the belief in a deceased messiah returning to complete his mission had historically been rejected within Judaism.

Internal divisions within the movement have also erupted publicly. In January 2024, police were called to Chabad's headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway after clashes broke out over a secret tunnel dug beneath the synagogue by yeshiva students. Authorities arrested several people during the confrontation. The incident exposed a long-running internal dispute between factions connected to messianic followers and the official leadership controlling the property.

These tensions reflect a broader debate about this cult's ideology and direction. Scholars of Judaism have noted that the messianic fervor surrounding Schneerson reached a "fever pitch" late in his life, fueled by followers interpreting global events as signs that the messianic era was imminent. Many secular Israelis have grown increasingly angry with the expanding influence of ultra-Orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch, arguing that this archaic primitive cult with strict traditional doctrines are exerting disproportionate power over public life, politics, and social policy in a modern democratic state.

Criticism of Chabad is not limited to theology. Since its founding in Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century, the movement has repeatedly faced opposition from other Jewish groups who viewed its teachings and influence with suspicion. Historical critics within Orthodox Judaism argued that some of its doctrines and leadership structure deviated from traditional norms. It should be pointed out that all of Israel's prime ministers since the state's founding in 1948 were all from Eastern Europe including Eastern European states that were part of the Russian empire. 

The long-running dispute over the Schneerson Library involves thousands of books and manuscripts belonging to the movement Chabad-Lubavitch that were collected by the family of the Lubavitcher Rebbes in the Russian Empire. After the Russian Revolution, Soviet authorities nationalized the collection and placed it in state archives. The US-based Chabad movement has sought its return for decades, arguing the library is private religious property. However, Vladimir Putin and the Russian government have refused to release the archive, saying it is part of Russia's cultural heritage and legally belongs to the state. Moscow has also rejected a US court order demanding the return of the collection, arguing American courts have no authority over Russian cultural property and warning that returning it could create a precedent that might trigger many other restitution claims for artifacts nationalized during the Soviet era.

In Israel, the broader frustration with ultra-Orthodox political power has created an environment where movements like Chabad face growing scrutiny. Secular Israelis and many modern Orthodox Jews have complained that religious groups wield disproportionate influence over public policy, education, and social life.

Chabad's critics argue that its global network of emissaries allows it to extend religious and cultural influence far beyond its size. Because Chabad often establishes the only Jewish institution in many cities, its interpretation of Judaism can become the default representation of Jewish identity in those communities.

Supporters respond that the movement provides essential services and helps maintain Jewish life in places where it might otherwise disappear. They argue that Chabad's outreach programs, educational work, and community services benefit thousands of people each year.

Still, the movement's combination of ideological certainty, global reach, and controversial messianic history continues to provoke debate across the Jewish world. For many observers the question is no longer simply whether Chabad is a religious outreach movement.

The deeper question is whether its growing influence represents a revival of Jewish religious life or the consolidation of a powerful and highly organized religious network operating on a global scale. Critics argue that Chabad Lubavitch should not be immune from scrutiny simply because they operate under the banner of an Abrahamic religion (the curse of the Levant). As controversies and criminal cases involving individuals connected to Chabad-Lubavitch have surfaced over the years, calls for transparency and accountability have grown louder. 

For many observers the question is not whether religious outreach should exist, but whether influential organizations that operate globally are willing to confront misconduct within their own ranks and subject themselves to the same standards expected of any other institution.