Chabad plans to open 100 new centers worldwide after murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan

The Chabad movement says it will open one hundred new centers in underserved areas around the world in response to the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, its emissary to Abu Dhabi.

The announcement comes following the end of the traditional Jewish seven-day mourning period. The Keren Hashluchim fund will provide seed funding for fifty initial centers, with an additional fifty to be announced in the coming months, Chabad says.

“When the most heinous evildoers want us to cower in fear, the Rebbe taught us that strong positive action is the only response,” says Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, director of Keren Hashluchim. “By supporting new centers in locations near and far, we honor Rabbi Kogan’s memory and fulfill the Rebbe’s vision of transforming grief into action.”

Among the locations chosen for new centers are Algarve, Portugal; Tatarstan, Russia; and Andorra.

Kogan, 28, was killed last month in the United Arab Emirates in what Israel has said was an antisemitic terror attack. He worked to expand Jewish life in the UAE, including ensuring the wide availability of kosher food and opening the first Jewish education center in the country, Chabad said.