This was the small beginning of a mosad which grew to an impressive size, both in quality and quantity. The beginning was difficult but there was lots of enthusiasm and excitement. They were all volunteers and saw this as a great z’chus. Classes were held on Sundays, plus two evenings a week, and they used different shuls in the neighborhood. There was no funding, and when the founders wrote about this to the Rebbe, they were told to devote themselves solely to the ruchnius, and that they should turn to the Merkaz L’Inyonei Chinuch for the gashmius. Thus, every month, Rabbi Chadakov covered the bill he was given.

The mosad still didn’t have a name. A month after they had begun, the founders asked the Rebbe for permission to name the school after the Rebbe’s mother, Rebbetzin Chana, a”h. The Rebbe asked that they wait until the mosad had proven itself and was firmly established. The school was more firmly established after two months. There were three classes on different levels, with 80 students. They asked about the name again, offering three suggestions (“Chana,” “Beis Chana,” and “Machon Chana”), and the Rebbe chose “Machon Chana.”

From that point on, the mosad enjoyed a warm and fatherly relationship with the Rebbe. The Rebbe often inquired about even the smallest details, and received detailed reports about the school. Not a move was made without the Rebbe’s approval. The Rebbe once said, “Der vos iz mir choshed az ich bin a nogei’a b’davar tzu Machon Chana iz gerecht” (Whoever suspects me of being partial to Machon Chana is right).

Hearing about the success of the new school, in the summer of 5733, Rabbi J.J. Hecht (who ran the men’s school for baalei t’shuva, Hadar HaTorah), offered the Machon Chana administration,  the use  of the Pearl House, a property adjourning Camp Emunah,  in the Catskills, for theirbbsummer program.

At that time, Rebbitzen Labkowski asked the Rebbe how they should proceed being that things had to be formalized and teachers had to be paid. The need for a dormitory had grown, and they had the opportunity to buy a beautiful four-story home on President Street. The Rebbe responded with a detailed two-part letter (Igros Kodesh, vol. 27, p. 343). The first part suggested working with Rabbi Hecht. In the second part, the Rebbe suggested that they plan a dinner for the school.

Upon receiving the Rebbe’s answer, Machon Chana held a very successful dinner which enabled them to raise the $90,000 (a fortune at that time ) to buy   the building, so that the girls could live in a Jewish-chassidic environment 24-hours a day. Members of the committee (which included Mrs. Tema Gurary, Mrs. Rivka Chitrik, Mrs. Sara Katzman, Mrs. Korik, and Mrs. Riva Teleshevsky) as well as Rabbi Yosef Weinberg worked on the dinner.

The dinner took place on Vav Tishrei, the yahrtzeit of Rebbetzin Chana, and as the Rebbe had promised, “it would certainly pay,” it was a great success, and by the end of the evening, they had the money to buy the house. Most of the money came from members of the kollel who lent their wedding money, while Rabbi Avrohom Parshan of Toronto guaranteed the loans.

Once the dinner was over, the women’s committee turned to the second part of the letter and established a working relationship with Rabbi JJ Hecht. Rabbi Hecht who also received a letter from the Rebbe in which the Rebbe asked him to take on the “Z’vulun’ role”,  undertook the challenge that would enable Rebbitzens Sara Labkowski and Leah Klein to devote themselves to the ruchnius. A formal contract was signed in Rabbi Hodikovs room Rabbi Hecht’s devotion to the school.  contributed towards the school’s progress .

On 10 Shvat 5734, the purchase of the building was completed. Five days later, the Rebbe surprised the hanhala of the school. Rebbitzen Labkowski relates:

“On Chamisha-Asar B’Shvat, Rabbi Chadakov called my mother, Mrs. Tema Gurary, and asked whether I felt strong enough to host the Rebbe at the new building (I had given birth two weeks before). My mother called me immediately, and naturally, I said yes! R’ Hecht received a similar phone call, and of course he said yes, too. The pressure was enormous. I gathered a group of ladies who were involved with the school, and we ran over to the building to prepare it for this special visit. We hadn’t yet entered the building, which had been neglected. Snow covered the path that led to the entrance. We began shoveling the snow and tidying up the building. Someone ran to get a picture of the Rebbe, while another woman brought a picture of Rebbetzin Chana.”

“In the meantime, there was another surprise at 770. In the afternoon, with no prior warning, the Rebbe came out to the large shul, washed his hands for a meal, and began farbrenging. There was great excitement, and some of those present went out to inform their friends and family of the farbrengen. The place was quickly packed with people. Right after the farbrengen, the Rebbe left 770, accompanied by Rabbi Hecht, and instead of turning left, as he generally did on his way home, the Rebbe turned right and walked towards Kingston. The men and Tmimim standing there were curious about this, and they followed behind the Rebbe and Rabbi Hecht to see where they were going. So an impressive parade of men accompanied the Rebbe on his visit to Machon Chana.”

“In the meantime, we had finished cleaning the building and we waited at the window to see the Rebbe arrive. The Rebbe came in and looked around and gave us many brachos. He wished us mazal tov on the acquisition of the house, and before leaving, he gave a packet of dollars for me, and a packet of dollars for R’ Hecht (which we used to buy a bookcase and a chandelier) and said, “This is for the ruchnius and this is for the gashmius.” The dollars were distributed to the girls at the end of each year. When the dollars were used up, I asked the Rebbe for more, and got them every year.”

Right after the visit, the Rebbe wrote a letter addressed to the group of women mentioned above and to Rabbi Hecht, in which he expressed his great pleasure in the visit.

A Unique Treatment from the Rebbe

It was the first visit, one of many at Machon Chana. Over the years, one could see the special relationship the Rebbe had with the school. The Rebbe was involved with the smallest details, and insisted on the school being dignified and elegant, and said that all expenditures for this purpose were worthwhile.When the library was established, the Rebbe contributed a Chumash, Tanya, Tehillim, Kesser Shem Tov, and Magid Devarov L’Yaakov. A tradition was established among kallahs from all over to come to the dorm on their wedding day to daven in the Tehillim the Rebbe gave them.

When the furniture arrived, the Rebbe came to inspect and said the chandelier wasn’t elegant enough. The Rebbe went through the building and commented. He suggested that there be a door dividing the dining room and the living room, so the girls would have privacy. He also asked why there weren’t any mirrors and radios in the rooms. We saw that despite the emphasis on ruchnius, the Rebbe wanted the girls to have both feet firmly planted on the ground.

The concern and caring for the girls themselves was also unusual. One Friday night on his way home, the Rebbe stopped by the dorm and went in unexpectedly. The door wasn’t locked, so the Rebbe walked towards the dorm parents (Pinchas and Chana Kurinsky’s) apartment, and alerted her to the importance of ensuring the girls’ safety and to making sure the door was always locked. Each year, the Rebbe came before the seder in order to bless the girls. The Rebbe visited other mosdos too, like F.R.E.E., Hadar Hatorah, the orchim and the kitchen of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim. One year, when he went to Machon Chana after visiting the other mosdos, the Rebbe said to Rabbi Hecht with a smile, “Now, I’m going home.”

The Rebbe insisted that each girl have her own cup for Kiddush, and a matza cover. Each year, the Rebbe gave a package of matzos to Rebbitzen Labkowski to be distributed to the girls. When the Rebbe visited the seder at the school, he blessed the girls that they should have the privilege of making a seder in their own homes the following year. The line that best expressed the Rebbe’s feelings about Machon Chana was what he said to the devoted housemother, Mrs. Gansburg, “Thank you for raising my daughters.”After inspecting the kitchen The Rebbe asked Mrs. Mera Galperin obm, the cook, whether she prepared food for the girls like she prepared at home. Each year, on Erev Yom Kippur, the Rebbe sent lekach for the girls, matzah on Erev Pesach and on Chamisha-Asar B’Shvat, the girls received a basket of fruit. The Rebbe requested that they send him a picture of the girls each year. The Rebbe once said that his mother’s presence is constantly at Machon Chana because the girls follow in her ways.

Deep, Personalized Hashpo’oh

The new dormitory was a breakthrough in the development of the school. It enabled the girls to study without concerns, and to be in a holy atmosphere 24-hours a day. The first dorm parents were the Kurinskys, who merited to be present when the Rebbe paid a surprise Friday night visit to ensure the safety of the girls.  A young couple with a baby, they had just made kiddush, when there was a knock from an unexpected vistor. The Lubavitcher Rebbe was standing on the threshold of their diningroom, wishing them a Gut Shabbos and warning them to keep the front door locked at all times.

Mrs. Gita Gansburg obm  and her husband, R’ Itche Gansburg obm, moved into the dorm in the mid 70’s and became the girls’ “father and mother” for close to 40 years. Mrs. Gansburg’s devotion to the girls spiritual and physical needs was legendary and the amount of lives she touched is astonding. She was always ready to offer her sage advice. With her life experience and innate wisdom, she is able to help the girls overcome the difficulties inherent in the transition to a new life. The girls reciprocated her love and greatly respected her.

The teaching staff is always available to the girls, ready to listen, advise, and to provide direction on this new path. The staff models what a Jewish-chassidic life is all about. The fact that the students are in a chassidic neighborhood, the Rebbe’s sh’chuna no less, also contributes its share in shaping the girls. The girls are invited to different homes on Shabbos, where they can see a chassidic life being lived.

Mrs. Adelman is a former student of Machon Chana. She studied there in 5636, today is the mother of ten children, and runs a Chabad house in Amherst. She wrote the following and it was published in an article by Richard Greenberg under the heading, “A Spiritual Garden of Eden”: I was amazed by the tremendous spiritual wealth bestowed upon me at Machon Chana. From the special atmosphere, the chassidic light and warmth, from the friends in the dormitory with whom we dealt with the various difficulties together. I realized that every good thing I do connects me to G-d, to my people. The special image of Mrs. Labkovski was a model and example as opposed to the usual stereotype of a chassidic woman who is always in the kitchen with the pots. We saw an amazing woman with great power who was the driving force of the place, who identified a need and filled it.”

Sparks That Became A Torch

The school experienced great hardship, but it continued to expand from year to year regardless. Dozens of girls who come from homes bereft of Judaism find their way each year to the school. Most of them ultimately build chassidic homes. Shluchim around the world know about Machon Chana’s success, and when they discover a girl who is interested in Yiddishkeit, they send her to Machon Chana, where she learns about a whole world previously unfamiliar to her.

Over one hundred girls attend the school each year for the two semester program, which prepares them for a full chassidic life, including a recognized teaching certificate. The curriculum includes a wide variety of topics such as Chumash, Navi, Halacha, T’filla, and the Jewish Home, with the primary emphasis placed on p’nimius ha’Torah and the teachings of the Chabad Rebbeim.

Some of the best lecturers have considered it a privilege to take part in this important work. Rabbi Shmuel Wudowsky, a’h, was a beloved figure to the girls. He was one of the school’s mashpiim who was completely devoted to the students.

Rebbitzen Sara Labkowski: Over 15,000 women from around the world, have learned in our various programs. Baruch Hashem, most of them have established chassidic homes, including many who devote themselves to the Rebbe’s work in various mosdos or on shlichus. The shluchim around the world ignite the spark in their mekuravim, and then Machon Chana fans the spark into a huge flame. Looking back, we see how Chabad has grown tremendously, and I dare say that Machon Chana shares the credit for this.

What are the plans for the future?

Thanks to the generosity of the Gelman and Gurary families, the 4 story, 50000 square feet apartment building at 556 Crown Street’was purchased in 2001. One floor was immediately renovated to house the school complete with classrooms, offices,  library and lounge.  In honor of Rebbitzen Chana’s 30th Yahrzeit, Machon Chana built the Levi Yitzchok Shul which became the first Chabad House in Crown Heights and under the capable     Leadership of Rabbi Mendel and Chaya  Lerman successfully acts as a spiritual home to hundreds of families in the community.

In 2010, the beautiful Machon Chana lounge was built on the first floor which serves as a social and educational  gathering place for young women and hosts weekly Shabbos programs, Farbrengens,   Chevrusa Programs and lectures. AdditionallShul was built on the first floor which adjourns  a Morrocan Shul.

In 2014, order to serve the additional need of dorming , several apartments were renovated.

Once the campus is built, our work will expand, and will deal year-round not only with students, but with families and young girls from Chabad homes who need help and spiritual direction. We’ll have Shabbatons that we’ll plan in conjunction with shluchim who will be able to bring their mekuravim to Crown Heights, and we’ll provide them with a tailor-made program.

All this and more will be available to women and girls of all ages and all backgrounds, so that they can prepare themselves and their households to greet Moshiach. As the Rebbe said more than once, “In the merit of the righteous women our fathers were redeemed from Egypt, and in their merit we will be redeemed in the future.”