Street Beat

My guide today is my close friend Crown Heights insider Chana Devorah. She starts our tour — where else — at “770.” Located at the top of Kingston Avenue just opposite the modern gray Jewish Children’s Museum this is the original red-brick castle-like edifice bought by Lubavitcher chassidim in 1941 for the Frierdiker Rebbe Rav Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn when he came from Russia. 

It continued to be used as the court’s headquarters by his son-in-law and successor Rav Menachem Mendel Schneersohn referred to in these parts simply as “the Rebbe.” 770 holds the Rebbe’s office — once the humming locus of the chassidus where blessings and dollars were distributed — and the courtyard outside still hosts local weddings.

The Rebbe has long departed this earth but as I make my way among the iconic stores on the avenue I find that his imprint is very much alive. In this particular shopping venue the proprietors seem to share a mission from their Rebbe: to dispense respect genuine concern and a dash of spiritual uplift to every individual who enters their doors.