Rabbi Yisroel Rubin, the longtime Chabad-Lubavitch leader in Albany, N.Y., who spent more than five decades building Jewish institutions and communities across the region, died on Shemini Atzeret, the holiday that follows Sukkot. He was 78.
Rubin died after participating in hakafot, dances with Torah scrolls held as part of the holiday celebrations, COLlive reported. (JNS sought comment from Chabad about whether Rubin died on Oct. 2 or 3.)
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, told JNS that the rabbi was instrumental in shaping the region’s Jewish community.
“I extend my deepest condolences to the Rubin family and the Chabad-Lubavitch community on the passing of Rabbi Israel Rubin,” the governor said.
“Rabbi Rubin leaves behind a tremendous legacy, serving as a Chabad emissary for the capital region for 52 years and playing an instrumental role in shaping the capital region’s Jewish community,” she told JNS. “May his memory forever be a blessing.”
The governor told JNS that she hosted Rubin in her office in March to mark the 124th birthday of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. That same day, Hochul presented a proclamation declaring “124 Days of Education” across New York in Schneerson’s honor.
Rubin and his family also celebrated Chanukah at the governor’s residence in Albany annually, Hochul told JNS.
Rubin arrived in Albany on Sukkot in 1973 as a shaliach, or emissary, of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He became the movement’s head emissary for Albany, the capital region and northeastern New York, overseeing a growing network of Chabad centers and rabbis in the area.
In 1980, he helped found Maimonides School in Albany and remained involved in the school and the region’s Chabad network until a recent illness, COLlive reported.
He was also known for his approach to Jewish education and outreach. Over the years, Rubin produced religious publications and campaigns aimed at making Jewish practice more accessible, including the Torah Times, which he began as a student, and educational materials promoting Jewish observance.
Rubin continued teaching and writing about Jewish law and tradition during his illness, according to COLlive. He authored “Marbeh L’Saper,” a work on two passages in the Passover Haggadah, and had completed a more than 600-page, unpublished Torah manuscript titled “Hirhurei Torah.”
