Shofar Association of America

Shofar Association of America
Shofar Association of America Inc.
ארגון שופר אסוסיאיישן דאמריקה
FormationJuly 10, 1979
FounderRabbi Yitzchok Springer
Founded at770 Eastern Parkway
TypeNonprofit organization
Tax ID no.0568207
Legal statusNon-profit
Location
SubsidiariesTruePeace.org, SOS-Israel.com
AffiliationsChabad messianism

Shofar Association of America or Shofar Association of America Inc. (Hebrew: ארגון שופר אסוסיאיישן דאמריקה) is a Chabad messianism-affiliated religious and political advocacy organization based in the Crown Heights, neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States. The organization was founded on July 10, 1979[1][2] by Yitzchok 'Itche' Springer, a Chabad activist involved in several public campaigns promoting the teachings and political positions of The Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson.[3][4][5] After Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson's death in 1994, the organization became one of the first Meshichist organizations.[6][2]

The organization is known for sponsoring public campaigns and newspaper advertisements promoting Schneerson's teachings on Jewish identity, Israeli territorial policy, and messianic redemption and his status as Moshiach. Following Schneerson's death in 1994, the organization became associated with activists within Chabad messianism who continued to promote Schneerson as the Jewish Messiah and encouraged the spread of the Besurat HaGeulah ("message of redemption").[7][8][9]

History

Throughout Menachem Mendel Schneerson years as the 7th Rebbe of Chabad he gave numerous extensive Sichas on many religious, spiritual and political topics at Chabad Headquarters; 770 Eastern Parkway. During the 1970's around the time of The Camp David Accords the Rebbe spoke extensively against returning any land belonging to Israel. and particularly in Chabad, the concept of a complete Israel is referred to as Shleimus HaAretz.[10] During this era, as the question of "Who is a Jew?" was being discussed and legislated in the Israeli Government for Aliyah and citizenship status, the Rebbe promoted the strict acceptance of only Halachic Jewish status and Ultra Orthodox conversions.

Given the Rebbe's talks, in 1979 Rabbi Yitzchok Springer,[11] a Chabad activist who held several communal roles within the movement founded the organization. Springer served as chairman of the association and was involved in various Chabad-related initiatives and committees advocating for Shleimus HaAretz. According to Chabadpedia (A project of Chabad Info) Israeli politician Avner Shaki founder of the Religious Education Movement in Israel also helped found the Shofar Association of America in the United States. Other Chabad Hasidim involved were Rabbis Avraham Shlomo Sharf,[12] Yekutiel Menachem Rapp, Shalom Horvitz and Avraham Shmuel Levin.[13][14]

Springer and other activists sought to raise awareness and opposition to territorial concessions by Israel as well as oppose what they viewed as recognition of non-Orthodox conversions in Israeli civil law. The organization's name was chosen because its activities were compared to the blast of a shofar, publicly sounding an alarm about perceived threats to Jewish identity and Israeli national security.[10][15]

The organization's work is part of The Three Integrities, Shleimus HaTorah (Integrity of the Torah) Shleimus Ha'Am (Integrity of the People) and Shleimus Ha'Aretz (Integrity of the Land).[16]

Post Rebbe's death

After the death of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson in 1994, some followers of Chabad, who became known as Meshichists, rejected the Rebbe's death and began spreading word that he is the Jewish Messiah. The Shofar Association of America became one of the first Meshichist organizations, it published multiple ads announcing the rebbe's status as living Moshiach, most controversial and well known was a full page ad in The New York Times in 1997, "The third of Tammuz is not The Rebbe's yahrzeit. – 1997" claiming that the Rebbe did not die on June 12, 1994.[6][17][18][19]

Newspaper ad campaigns

One of the association's bigger campaigns was the publication of full page and half page advertisements in national newspapers in the US and Israel including most prominently The New York Times. Between the 1980s and the 2000s the group sponsored numerous ads supporting and raising awareness for the Rebbe's positions most prominently, in the New York Times, and after the Rebbe's death many more ads supporting Chabad messianism.[20][21][22]

  • "Moshiach is coming and we must make the final preparations." - 1992[23]
  • The third of Tammuz is not The Rebbe's yahrzeit. – 1997[6]
  • On Gimmel Tammuz the sun did not set - 1998[24]
  • Think Moshiach Bring Moshiach – 1999[25]
  • In Honor of the Rebbe on his 102nd Birthday – 2004[19]
  • What do you call someone who truly believes in Moshiach?" – 2006[18]
  • A single good deed will change the world forever. Will it be yours? – 2007[26]
  • Attention Prime Minister Shimon Perez! – 2007[15]
  • "Do everything you can to bring Moshiach" – 2008[17]

True Peace

TruePeace.org was a website and initiative by the Shofar Association of America active between in 1998 and 2025 described a s a pro Israel think tank.[27][28] The movement was "dedicated to educating the public regarding the current situation in Israel" Meshichist websites torah4blind.org and Moshiach.net describes it as: "Dedicated to educating the public regarding the current situation in Israel, based on Torah sources, with special emphasis on the opinion and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe." Resources about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict from TruePeace.org are used and citied by the primary Chabad educational organization, Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch in its materials for via the Chabad Youth and Teen Club.[29] The organization also operated sos-israel.com leading up to Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip.[30][31]

Publications

  • Who is a Jew? : 30 questions and answers about this controversial and divisive issue 1987 by Jacob Immanuel Schochet.[32]

References

  1. ↑ "SHOFAR ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC". New York Company Directory. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Shofar Association of America, Inc. · 1 East 42 St, New York, NY 10017". opengovny.com. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ חדשות חבד. old2.ih.chabad.info. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  4. ↑ מנחם (May 4, 2024). "זכרון להולכים: הרב יצחק שפרינגר ע"ה". Chabad Info (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Rabbi Itche Springer, 81, OBM". COLlive. April 7, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Display ad 4 -- The third of Tammuz is not The Rebbe's yahrzeit". The New York Times. July 8, 1997. ProQuest 109689256.
  7. ↑ מנחם (May 4, 2024). זכרון להולכים: הרב יצחק שפרינגר ע"ה. Chabad Info (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  8. ↑ "News Item". 770live.com (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Site News". 770live.com (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "When Silence is a Sin: Index of the Rebbe's Talks Concerning Shleimus Haaretz From the Years 5728 – 5752 (1968 – 1992)". www.sichos-in-english.org. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  11. ↑ חדשות חבד. Chabad Info. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  12. ↑ אברהם שלמה שארף. Chabadpedia (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  13. ↑ "אברהם שמואל לוין". Chabadpedia (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  14. ↑ "אבנר חי שאקי". Chabadpedia (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Display Ad 38 -- ATTENTION PRIME MINISTER SHIMON PERES!". The New York Times. October 24, 1985. p. 1. ProQuest 111204803.
  16. ↑ "And He Will Fight The Wars of Hashem". Chabadpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  17. 1 2 "Display ad 9 -- "Do everything you can to bring Moshiach". The New York Times. April 29, 2008. ProQuest 897115014.
  18. 1 2 ""What do you call someone who truly believes in Moshiach..."". New York Times. April 7, 2006. ProQuest 93077898.
  19. 1 2 "Display ad 19 -- In Honor of the Rebbe on his 102nd Birthday". The New York Times. April 2, 2004. ProQuest 92892749.
  20. ↑ "⁨⁨מעריב⁩ 7 פברואר 1986⁩ העתק קישור קבוע עבור ⁨מאמר⁩ זה".
  21. ↑ תוכן, עורך (June 18, 2024). "הרב שפרינגר ע"ה: הרבי אישר לי לפרסם שהוא מלך המשיח". Chabad Info (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  22. ↑ "ברוך דיין האמת: בכפר חב"ד נפטר הרב יחזקאל שפרינגר ע"ה". חב״ד און ליין (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Display ad 20 -- "Moshiach is coming and we must make the final preparations". The New York Times. June 19, 1992. ProQuest 108853976.
  24. ↑ Springer, Yitzchok (June 28, 1998). "ON GIMMEL TAMMUZ THE SUN DID NOT SET". ProQuest 109804277.
  25. ↑ Display ad 11 -- no title. (April 5, 1999). New York Times (1923-) A17. Think Moshiach Bring Moshiach
  26. ↑ "Display ad 13 -- A single good deed will change the world forever. Will it be yours?". The New York Times. March 30, 2007. ProQuest 848106025.
  27. ↑ "True Peace". www.truepeace.org. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Keeping Pace With A New Generation of Russian Jewry". Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (F.R.E.E.). Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  29. ↑ "The Youth & Teen Club Guide a project of The Shluchim Office a division of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch" (PDF). shluchim.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  30. ↑ "SOS ISRAEL". www.sos-israel.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2004. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Site News". 770live.com. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Who is a Jew? : 30 questions and answers about this controversial and divisive issue". test.nypl.org. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
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