It’s not every day that the mayor of a Texas city, a public school teacher, and the rov of Crown Heights, headline an event in tribute to the Rebbe.

The event, organized by Chabad of Lubbock, Texas, was held in honor of the Rebbe’s birthday, officially recognized as Education and Sharing Day, and focused on the Rebbe’s enduring impact on the world today.

Lubbock (pronounced “luh·buhk”) is located in the northwestern part of the large state of Texas, about five hours away from the nearest Chabad house (Fort Worth to the East, Oklahoma City to the NE, and Santa Fe, NM to the NW). With a population of 250,000, Lubbock was the largest remaining U.S. city without a shliach until two years ago. The city is home to Texas Tech University, home to 40,000 students, of whom some 400 are Jewish.

A sizable crowd gathered at the Chabad House, which was set up beautifully, with an elegant buffet. The program opened with a documentary about the Rebbe.

“The crowd was glued to the screen, and people were blown away,” Lubbock shliach Rabbi Zalman Braun told Anash.org. “Even the mayor told me he knew about Chabad, but he didn’t realize how much there is to the Rebbe and the Rebbe’s tremendous impact.”

Mayor Mark McBrayer was then invited to address the crowd. He first read the official Lubbock proclamation marking the Rebbe’s birthday as Education and Sharing Day before presenting the signed proclamation to Rabbi Braun. He continued by speaking about what education really means and the role of public office in helping foster it.

Mr. Seth Cartwright, a teacher in a local public school who is also Jewish, then addressed the crowd. Drawing on the Rebbe’s teachings, which he has come to learn and appreciate, he spoke eloquently about what education truly is.

“Education is not about the subject – it’s about the student. You have to teach the student, make him into a mensch, and care about him.”

His words were interwoven with stories and letters from the Rebbe, and he concluded with a personal story that deeply moved those in attendance.

A video of the Rebbe singing “Tzomo Lecha Nafshi” was then shown, after which Rabbi Braun spoke. He shared how, despite being born after Gimmel Tammuz, the Rebbe was always a strong presence in his home growing up, something he credits to the chinuch he received from his parents.

He then invited his father, Rabbi Yosef Braun of Crown Heights, who flew in from New York, to deliver the keynote address.

In a passionate half-hour speech, Rabbi Braun spoke about the deep, lifelong impact the Rebbe had on him, describing how a brief encounter at age nine became the beginning of his journey and set him on a path of dedicating his life to the Rebbe.

He shared how the Rebbe’s authenticity and truth stood out, and described the Rebbe’s unique vision.

“World leaders would marvel at the Rebbe’s eyes – how penetrating the Rebbe’s blue eyes were,” Rabbi Braun said. “It’s not the eyes – it’s the vision. Where people saw bodies, the Rebbe saw souls; where people saw reality, the Rebbe saw potential.”

He also described how that early impression stayed with him for years and continued to shape his decisions and outlook, and how the Rebbe’s influence remained constant even after Gimmel Tammuz, emphasizing that the shlichus continues stronger than ever and that the Rebbe empowers every individual to live up to their full potential.

“People tell me I’m obsessed with the Rebbe. It’s true – I acknowledge that. But the Rebbe was obsessed with every single person. The Rebbe believed in me much more than I believed in myself,” he said, highlighting how that belief inspires a life of purpose.

The event concluded with practical hachlatos. Attendees were given the opportunity to write down what they would take upon themselves in honor of the Rebbe. There was also a selection of seforim about the Rebbe available, which many purchased to take home.

“The mayor picked up the book Toward a Meaningful Life and ‘happened’ upon a possuk from Yirmiyahu quoted in the section on government,” Rabbi Zalman Braun said. “It was the exact possuk he had used when he was sworn in as mayor. He was very excited about it and bought a copy for himself to read.”

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