11 Nissan
Yud Aleph Nissan, the 11th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar (Hebrew: י"א ניסן) is the birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994), the last leader of the Chabad dynasty of Hasidism until his passing in 1994, and is celebrated by his followers as a festival.
| Yud Aleph Nissan | |
|---|---|
 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson | |
| Official name | Hebrew: י״א ניסן |
| Observed by | Chabad and USA |
| Significance | Birthday of the seventh Rebbe of Chabad Hasidism, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson |
| Celebrations | Parades and public gatherings |
| Date | 11 Nissan |
| 2020 date | Sunset, 4 April – nightfall, 5 April |
| 2021 date | Sunset, 23 March – nightfall, 24 March |
| 2022 date | Sunset, 11 April – nightfall, 12 April |
| 2023 date | Sunset, 1 April – nightfall, 2 April |
| Frequency | annual |
The day has been marked by public parades since 1992, when Rabbi Schneerson, was in 770 Eastern Parkway recovering from a stroke.[1]
The first public recognition of Rabbi Schneerson's birthday was by his personal envoy to Washington DC, Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, who urged congresspersons to persuade President Jimmy Carter to declare the day Education and Sharing Day in his honor in 1978.[2] The day has been declared Education and Sharing Day by all succeeding U.S. presidents.
The day is marked with many Mitzvah Tank parades around the world and with an annual official Tzivos Hashem rally, particularly in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.[3]
References
- "Dade Jews throw a birthday party for New York Rabbi, David Hancock", Miami Herald, April 14, 1992.
- "The Rabbi on the hill", David O'Reilly, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 28, 1984
- Tzivos Hashem annual events page. Archived 2007-12-17 at the Wayback Machine