With a spring in his step, the rabbi rouses the group and leads them half a block down to the main synagogue. Congregation Lubavitch was led by Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, the group s spiritual leader, until his death three years ago. A plain rectangular building with benches the color of Band-Aids, the architecture is anything but impressive. No stained-glass windows, no fancy drapes. But peering down from the balcony, we see a room buzzing with dozens of men in big, black hats bent over their books, talking, arguing, waving their arms.
Little boys dash through.
While these men are fervently debating the holy books, it sounds for all the world like a poker game. While the movement does not seek to convert non-Jews, it is eager to get all Jews practicing their religion. From here we walk a couple of blocks to the scribe s home, and then it s back to a gift shop on the main drag. A few years ago, we had a group from West Point here. The visit to the scribe s studio captivated all of us, and we felt honored to be there as the scribe neared completion of the Torah in front of him.