Yud Shvat 5720 (1960) marked the 10th year of The Rebbe’s Nessius, and together with the celebration worldwide, Brazil had a fresh start that would change its community forever.

Rabbi Hersh Leib Begun, together with his wife Rivka a”h had come to the country months prior on The Rebbe’s Shlichus to bring Yiddishkeit to a place locals dared to call “a desert of Judaism”. The Beguns were devoted to proving otherwise.

After their wedding on 14 Kislev 5719, where the Rebbe was the Messader Kidushim, the newly married couple, committed to joining the very few families of Shluchim at the time, embarked on a mission sent by the Rebbe himself to bring warmth and light to the southern hemisphere.

Coming to the tropical country, they encountered various jews of all walks of life and saw a desperate need to bring to life a vision for a Jewish School. They aimed to provide an authentic Yiddisheeducation with the care and love that Chabad gives.

After writing to The Rebbe, an immediate response was given, for the role of Shlichus altogether, with a special focus on Chinuch.

They waited no time, and within days, in a small house in the old Jewish neighborhood of Bom Retiro, a school started with 6 students, on the exact day of Yud Shvat 5720. The Rabbi and Rebbetzin were the teachers of all subjects.

Today we stand after 66 years, and that little house has grown to be the well-known 12,000 square ft. Campus, housing a Kindergarten, Girls’ Elementary, Middle and High School, a Seminary Program, Boys’ Elementary, Middle School, and a Mesivta.

With over 2,000 students throughout this period, students are educated to be happy and proud to be Jewish, having a direct impact on the education of a generation.

The thousands of alumni have warm feelings and sweet memories of these golden days, a formative time for those who are now Shluchim serving their own communities, from Brazil to Sydney, Thailand to Utah, Ukraine, Israel, and all over.

“We see with open eyes the difference the School makes in our community, and cannot imagine a life in Brazil without it. The programs and community involvement enhance our day-to-day lives in this foreign place,” said one of the Community leaders of S. Paulo.

It is no coincidence that following the secular calendar, the welcome back to the first day of school is being held on the exact day as 66 years prior, Yud Shvat.

Decades have passed, and the school only grew, years of dedication and care, times of difficulty and ease, smiles and familiar faces.  Though it all, the Shlichus continues and the commitment is only stronger.

“We have seen an incredible amount of the Rebbe’s brochos in the hard work that we do,” shares Rabbi Moti Begun, director of Lubavitch Schools of Brazil, and the son of Rabbi HL Begun. “The Hiskashrus to our Nassi is behind every step we take.  This day means a lot to us, and a lot to the school, the students, and alumni. Every year, we rededicate ourselves, and this year, even stronger. Our work is only beginning.”

66 Years to the day, students and teachers embrace, as their learning conveys, the generation they grace.

66 years of impact, as people connect, and a community of leaders, in fact.

66 years growing strong, the days filled with bond, education, and dedication, we continue on!