There is no doubt that establishing a Chabad House in Varanasi is quite a challenge. The hectic, crowded city is a labyrinth of ancient, winding, narrow streets, located on the banks of the River Ganges, a river that the Indians believe is of mystical importance. The city is also known as the largest traditional Indian music center in the country, and its location in the center of north India turned it into a major transportation crossroads. Rabbi Shmuel first got to know Varanasi as a music student who stayed there for ten years. At the end of that time he was looking for a more inner tune to his life and eventually he became a dedicated Chassid of the Rebbe King Moshiach. Rabbi Shmuel and Aviva Izhar founded the Chabad House at the end of the thirty days of mourning for Bombei’s Chabad House emissaries, murdered by Muslim terrorists. Ever since, the Chabad House has been functioning as a lighthouse of pure Judaism for the backpackers arriving at Varanasi.
