R’ Yisrael (Larry) Caroline, known as “the Rebbe’s revolutionary,” who went from making “propaganda for the revolution” to making “propaganda for the other revolution,” and devoted his life to Torah and chinuch, passed away suddenly on Friday night, 17 Cheshvan.

He was 85.

Born in upstate New York, Yisrael grew up in a Yiddish-speaking home that valued Jewish identity but was not observant. The experience of facing discrimination as a Jewish child awakened in him a lifelong drive to stand up for those who were mistreated.

While studying philosophy at the University of Rochester, he became president of the NAACP chapter and a leader in the campus movement for civil rights. He organized protests against racist fraternities and became an outspoken advocate for equality and peace. His early ideals, deeply rooted in justice and moral clarity, shaped his work as a professor and public speaker.

After earning a fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, he taught at Kentucky State College during the civil rights struggle. Later, as a professor at the University of Texas, he became known for his passionate opposition to the Vietnam War. His remarks at a protest rally, calling for “a revolution” to end the war, made front-page news across Texas and ultimately led to his dismissal from the university.

It was after that turning point that his life began to change direction. In Buffalo, where he and his wife Dina moved, they attended Yom Kippur services at a small Chabad House under Rabbi Noson Gurary. The sincerity he witnessed there moved him deeply. “For the first time in my life,” he later recalled, “I saw people acting like they should act if they really believed in G-d.”

He soon became involved with Chabad and began to learn about the Rebbe and his teachings. In 1974, during his first private yechidus, he shared his background in left-wing activism. The Rebbe told him, “You used to make propaganda for the revolution. Now you will make propaganda for the other revolution.”

Those words became the guiding mission of his life.

Settling in Philadelphia, Rabbi Caroline joined Beth Jacob School, first as a fundraiser and later as director. He was known for his deep belief in Jewish education and for his commitment to every child. When Russian Jewish immigrants began arriving in large numbers, he made sure their children were welcomed into the school, often on full scholarship, despite serious financial strain. He often said that if the Rebbe wanted every Jewish child in a Torah school, then there was nothing left to discuss.

In his later years, he devoted his time to writing a book addressing the weaknesses of atheistic philosophy. Drawing on his academic training, he set out to show how reason itself points toward belief in G-d.

He is survived by his wife Dina Caroline, and their children Rabbi Yoel, Daniel, Ari, David, Civia, and Rafi Caroline, Reuven, and Omid Niknam.

Boruch Dayan Hoemes