Chabad Lubavitch of Japan
Chabad-Lubavitch in Japan: the Sudakevich centre in Tokyo listed by Chabad headquarters, Chabad of Kansai in Kobe, and a separate Tokyo Chabad House run by Binyomin Edery
| Chabad Lubavitch of Japan
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Chabad-Lubavitch emissary operations |
| Founded | 1999–2001 (Tokyo) |
| Founder(s) | Mendi Sudakevich; Chana Sudakevich (Chabad Lubavitch Tokyo-Japan); Binyomin Edery (Chabad House Tokyo) |
| Headquarters | Chabad Lubavitch Tokyo-Japan, 1-5-23 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0074 |
| Area served | Japan |
| Key people | Mendi Sudakevich; Shmuel Vishedsky (Kobe) |
| Website | chabad.jp |
Chabad-Lubavitch in Japan covers two strands. The first is the centres listed by Chabad headquarters: Lubavitch.com lists four institutions, in Tokyo, Kobe, Kyoto and Takayama.[1] The second is a separate Tokyo Chabad House founded by Rabbi Binyomin Edery, which is not in that directory.[2] The Tokyo centre run by Rabbi Mendi Sudakevich (also Sudakevitch) and Chana Sudakevich dates itself to 2000.[3] According to Lubavitch.com, Rabbi Mordechai Avtzon of Hong Kong invited Sudakevich to take the post full-time in 2001.[4]
Emissaries and centres
| Centre | Emissaries | Address (directory) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chabad Lubavitch Tokyo-Japan | Mendi Sudakevich and Chana Sudakevich | 1-5-23 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo | Lubavitch.com listing |
| Chabad of Kansai | Shmuel Vishedsky and Batya Vishedsky | 4-12-12 Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe | Lubavitch.com listing |
| Chabad of Kyoto | — | 12-101 Uzumasa Yasui Mitodencho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto | Lubavitch.com listing, no named emissary |
| Chabad of Takayama | — | 3-chome-173 Kiriumachi, Takayama, Gifu | Lubavitch.com listing, no named emissary |
| Chabad House Tokyo (Edery) | Binyomin Edery and Efrat Edery | — | Not in the Lubavitch.com directory |
| Chabad Kyoto (Edery network) | Mordechai Gurmach | — | Founded 2015 by the Ederys; not in the directory |
Sources: Lubavitch.com;[1] chabadjapan.org.[2][5][6]
Two Tokyo houses
- Sudakevich. Sudakevich first came to Japan in 1997 as a rabbinical student to run Passover seders. At that time, close to 500 Israeli backpackers fresh out of the army were working at street kiosks in Tokyo. The Sudakevichs first worked with the Jewish Community Center. When it closed for renovation in 2008, donors helped buy a building in Takanawa. In 2009 Lubavitch.com put Tokyo's Jewish population at about 2,000, mostly business people on temporary postings.[4] Sudakevich also advocates for Jewish prisoners: "There's no official Jewish chaplain here and Jewish prisoners need religious and legal help."[4]
- Edery. Rabbi Binyomin Y. Edery says he arrived "a day before Chanuka 1999" to "build the first Chabad center" in Japan. His site describes the Rebbe as "the Lubavitcher Rebbe King Moshiach".[2] The site says the house's "main focus is to help the Japanese society" through the Seven Noahide Laws. It also states: "We encourage families to have more children, and help to prevent women from doing abortions."[2]
Relations with the state, business and Israel
Funding
Lubavitch.com says donors helped buy the Takanawa building and that the 2008 financial crisis delayed a mikveh.[4] No accounts were found.
Controversies
The Edery house's Noahide outreach to Japanese people and its anti-abortion work are stated on its own site.[2][5] No press coverage of controversy was found.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Mendi Sudakevich runs Passover seders in Tokyo as a student |
| Dec 1999 | Binyomin Edery arrives in Tokyo (his own account) |
| 2000–01 | Chabad Lubavitch Tokyo-Japan founded; Sudakevich takes the post full-time in 2001 |
| 2008 | Takanawa building bought after the Jewish Community Center closes for renovation |
| 2015 | Ederys found Chabad Kyoto |
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Japan
- Chabad Lubavitch of Korea
- Chabad Lubavitch of Hong Kong
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lubavitch.com centres directory, Japan (Tokyo, Kobe, Kyoto and Takayama listings), accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Chabad Tokyo Japan, "About us", chabadjapan.org, accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Chabad Lubavitch of Japan, "About Us", chabad.jp, accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Chabad Reaches Out To Japan's Jewish Inmates", Lubavitch.com, 26 May 2009. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chabad Tokyo Japan, "What is Chabad House", chabadjapan.org, accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Chabad Tokyo Japan, "Celebrating Chabad of Japan 22nd anniversary", chabadjapan.org, accessed October 2026. Chabad-side.