International supermodel Naomi Campbell on Sunday remembered Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on the 25th anniversary of his death, which this year corresponded to July 6.
“An inspirational leader, scholar and teacher, the Rebbe taught that we are all inherently good, and we each have the potential to change the world for the better, one good deed at a time,” posted Campbell on Instagram below a picture of the Chabad icon. “I have personally learned so much from his wisdom and teachings, and while I never met him, I’ve visited his resting place in Queens to gain blessing and inspiration.”
Over the anniversary weekend, as many as 50,000 people visited the Ohel—the Rebbe’s resting place in Queens, N.Y. An estimated 400,000 people, Jews and non-Jews alike, visit the resting place annually.
Schneerson was born in present-day Ukraine in 1902.
In 1941, he escaped Europe via Lisbon, Portugal. He and his wife, Chaya Mushka, arrived in New York on June 23, 1941.
He became head of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in January 1951, leading the community based in Brooklyn, N.Y., until his death in 1994 at the age of 92.
During his lifetime, world leaders often turned to him for advice and were inspired by his teachings, including statesmen and artists as diverse as Ronald Reagan, Robert F. Kennedy, Mario Cuomo, Shirley Chisholm, Elie Wiesel, Herman Wouk, Arthur Miller, Joseph Papp and Bob Dylan.