The story of the rabbi, his family and the legendary rise of Chabad-style Chassidism in the San Francisco Bay Area, dates back to the early ‘70s, when young Jews on college campuses were searching for greater meaning in their lives... Yet the sight of a Chassidic rabbi on a motorcycle, long beard and yarmulke flying in the breeze, rarely fails to turn their heads. Often there’s someone else on the
bike with him. Perhaps it’s a local businessman who needs a ride to morning prayers or it may be a Jewish child having the time of his life. The bike, a symbol of Rabbi Yosef Langer’s innovative outreach style, scampers around the Financial District, putting smiles on people’s faces and breaking down their stereotypes of Chassidic Jews. The story of that rabbi, his family and the legendary rise of Chabad-style Chassidism in the San Francisco Bay Area, dates back to the early ‘70s, when young Jews on college campuses were searching for greater meaning in their lives. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson MH”M, leader of the Chabad movement since 1950, sensed that these young people were ready for a Jewish renaissance, and systematically set about making it happen. The Rebbe’s concept was to create a Jewish “home away from home” for students, community young people and travelers. The first Chabad House opened next to the UCLA campus in Los Angeles in the late ‘60s. The Berkeley Chabad House was the second to follow. Today, Chabad Houses number almost three thousand globally, as part of an international network of educational and social services sponsored by the Lubavitch Chassidic movement.
