EXCLUSIVE: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, better known as the Rebbe, is having his story told in a documentary feature from the team behind The Journey of Menachem Begin and Centered: Joe Lieberman.
The doc, The Emissary of Light, has rolled cameras and will document the transformative leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. The Rebbe’s teachings influenced millions and he was recognized with awards by both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
The documentary film will tell the Rebbe’s story through one of his most visible, and most contested, ideas: the public menorah. To the Rebbe, Hanukkah’s light was meant to be seen, not kept behind closed doors. When giant menorahs began rising in public squares across America, they ignited a national fight over how visible Jewish life should be, placing both the question and the man behind it at the center of American public life.
The Rebbe met Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Clinton posthumously awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal for his moral leadership and Bush invited a group of Rabbis to the Oval Office to recognize him for his commitment to education, also posthumously.
“What drew me to the Rebbe was the extraordinary influence one man could have on the world,” said director Rachel Greenberg. “The public menorah offers a window into his larger vision: a belief that Jewish identity should be embraced openly and that every person, regardless of faith or background, has a responsibility to make a difference. Through this film, we will explore the man behind that vision, how he inspired others to bring it to life, and what his example can teach us about our own capacity to make a difference.”
The Rebbe: Emissary of Light is directed and produced by Greenberg, the producer behind Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin and Centered: Joe Lieberman. Rob Schwartz, who also produced Upheaval and Centered and founded non-profit film production studio Hidden Light Institute, serves as an executive producer on The Rebbe, as well. Additional executive producers include George Rohr, Jonathan Tratt, and Igor Tulchinsky, with The Marcia and Stanley Reiter Family Foundation serving as a producer.