Social Vision

Book excerpt: He has been described in many ways, including a prophet, a scholar, and the most influential Rabbi in modern history. Regardless, the influence of Jewish Mystical Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, popularly known as the "Lubavitcher Rebbe," cannot be underestimated. Among his many accomplishments, he was an advisor to every U.S. president from Richard Nixon to George H.W. Bush and received a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously. In one of the first works of its kind, authors Philip Wexler, Michael Wexler, and Eli Rubin explore the neglected social vision of a leader whose movement and followers span more than 50 countries and 250 colleges and universities worldwide. The book provides a window into the previously undisclosed wisdom of the Rebbe. Modern Prophet is a tour de force that provides striking and revolutionary insights into a breathtaking array of topics championed by the Rebbe. Treating each with an equal amount of passion, Rabbi Schneerson focused on such wide-ranging concerns as public education, social justice, prison reform, technology, feminism, green energy, and, of course, the hope and possibility of a new and "mystical" society.