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Anecdotal story time……………………….
At the extreme edge of my small town there is a small Chabad operation with a little shul attached. In all these years I have never been there, as It is far too long a walk and they don’t hold weekday services.
During my shloshim for Mrs. CTL, the Chabad rabbi was called for a tenth for a evening minyan at my regular Litvish minyan. He arrived, no questions asked. I had met him about town over the years, but have had no personal relationship.
Sunday at 6 PM my cell phone rang and it was the same local Chabad Rabbi. He had yarhzeit starting that night and could I come at 9PM for Maariv. I explained that I’d be 15 minutes further away at Mincha-Maariv starting at 8:15 and could not guaranty arriving for 9. He replied, I know we are on you way home, if you commit, we’ll hold off until you arrive, as we can’t start without 10.
Upon arrival, I noticed large Melech HaMoshiach posters on the rear wall of the shul. there were no posters or pictures that could be construed as icons on the eastern wall. I stood for Borchu, sat to learn, and made the appropriate responses and made recited the mourner’s kadish. At the end of the minyan, the rabbi asked if I could attend Monday morning. I replied that I’d be at my regular minyan and that my talis and tephiilin were there. He asked what time we daven and I said 6:30, he replied, great we’ll daven at 8. So Monday morning after my regular minyan, I drove to Chabad. I walked in sat down with a sefer to learn at a side table. I got up to look for a sefer on their shelves and the rabbi rushed over to assist, asked what I was looking for and handed me an all Hebrew and another with translation if I so desired. I thanked him and sat down. Turns out two others from my regular minyan showed up at 8 to make sure there was a minyan. They sat with me. I mentioned the posters on the wall and both said that they have seen the posters in the past, but never has one word been uttered when they were present about the Rebbe as Moshiach.
After minyan, I has a coffee and sat and talked with the Rabbi for half an hour. Again, no mention of the posters or the Moshiach agenda. I certainly did not question it.
If this is a belief within their sect, but no attempt is made to spread it, I cannot be publicly critical. Nothing about the minyan seemed odd, the men there were either old or college students, all with the same purpose in mind. To make sure there was a minyan for the Yahrzeit and daven.
This was not the in your face Chabad I know from the big cities.