More than 350 community members, friends, supporters, public officials, and shluchim gathered at the Pasino Grand in Lyon on Monday, June 29 (14 Tammuz) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the shlichus of Rabbi Shmuel and Mrs. Sorah Gurewitz, who were sent by the Rebbe to Lyon in 1976 to establish and strengthen Jewish life throughout the region.

The gala evening paid tribute to five decades of unwavering dedication to Jewish education, outreach, and community building, while highlighting the remarkable growth of Chabad across Lyon and the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes region.

Recalling the early years of his shlichus, Rabbi Shmuel Gurewitz shared a personal memory from a yechidus with the Rebbe:

“The Rebbe told me something I have never forgotten: ‘If I were in Lyon, I would make every effort so that one more child, and another child, would receive a kosher Jewish education.’ (‘Noch a kind un noch a kind…’)”

Those words became the guiding vision of the Gurewitz family’s lifelong mission.

Today, Chabad’s presence throughout the region includes 15 shluchim families, 8 Chabad Houses, and Beth Menachem, which now educates more than 750 children. Having long outgrown its facilities, the school is preparing for a major expansion that will include new classrooms, an early childhood center, a boys’ high school, both Ashkenazi and Sephardic synagogues, youth facilities, and sports areas.

A particularly emotional moment came during the evening when the master of ceremonies, Rabbi Zalman Gurewitz, Rabbi of the Beth Menachem Sephardic Shul and son of Rabbi and Mrs. Gurewitz, announced that on that very day, after years of planning and anticipation, the long-awaited building permit for the new Beth Menachem campus had finally been granted. The announcement was met with prolonged applause and tremendous excitement, transforming the celebration into a historic milestone for the future of Jewish life in Lyon.

The musical program featured renowned Israeli singer Yichai Lapidot together with the young musical prodigy Bnaya Granot, whose performances added warmth and inspiration to the evening.

The Rebbe’s Kapitel Tehillim and the Rebbetzin’s Kapitel Tehillim were recited by distinguished guests, including Chief Rabbi Daniel Dahan, Chief Rabbi of the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes region, Rabbi Yosef Y. Matusof, Shliach of Toulouse, and Rabbi Shlomo Aouizerat, Shliach of Shanghai. Rabbi Aouizerat and his wife are themselves proud graduates of Beth Menachem, a fitting reminder of the institution’s far-reaching impact.

One of the highlights of the evening was a moving video presentation showcasing more than 65 shluchim and shluchos serving around the world who were educated in the Beth Menachem institutions of Lyon before going on to establish Jewish communities across the globe.

The evening also featured moving video presentations and heartfelt tributes reflecting on the extraordinary journey from the first years of shlichus to today’s flourishing network of institutions serving Jews throughout the region.While celebrating the accomplishments of the past fifty years, the gala also looked toward the future, reaffirming the commitment of Lyon’s growing network of shluchim to continue fulfilling the Rebbe’s vision—reaching “one more child, and another child” with Torah, authentic Yiddishkeit, and a warm Jewish home for every Jew.