A Messiah from the Dead: Cultural Performance in Lubavitcher Messianism

Abstract

The scholarly literature on millennialism commonly employs Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance to understand how groups deal with failed prophecy. For many years Lubavitcher Hasidim held that their spiritual leader, Menachem Schneerson—the Lubavitcher Rebbe—was the Jewish Messiah and that he would reveal himself as such, ushering in the redemption. He died, however, in 1994 without fulfilling his followers’ messianic expectations. The author presents recent ethnographic data from fieldwork among Lubavitcher Hasidim illustrating the role of ritualistic performances and modern communication media (television, radio and the internet) in maintaining a sense of the Rebbe’s continuing presence. This ritualised reaffirmation of belief—a collective experience of symbolic fulfilment—provides disappointed followers with social and psychological support to render such an experience less cognitively distressing.