Chabad offshoot groups

Chabad offshoot groups are those spawned from the Chabad Hasidic Jewish movement. Many of these groups were founded to succeed previous Chabad leaders, acting as rivals to some of the dynastic rebbes of Chabad. Others were founded by former students of the movement, who, in forming their own groups, drew upon their experiences at Chabad.

Since the founding of Chabad in 1775, the movement has had seven leaders, or rebbes. There were at least eleven leaders of the offshoot groups, who were either relatives or students of the Chabad rebbes.

The major groups to have split from the Chabad movement, forming their own Chabad-styled Chasidic groups, often positioned themselves as legitimate successors of previous Chabad leaders. Major offshoot groups of the Chabad movement include:

Strashelye was founded after the death of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad movement. The Strashelye branch was formed as the result of a dispute over Rabbi Shneur Zalman's succession. The group also advocated an alternate approach to Chabad thought, rivaling both the leadership as well as the teachings of Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, the second rebbe of Chabad, and Rabbi Shneur Zalman's son. Though the group was founded by a former student of Chabad, it is commonly referred to as "Strashelye" after the town in the Mohilev Province of present-day Belarus where its leaders lived. The Strashelye group had two rebbes:

The Kopust group was founded following the death of the third rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the Tzemach Tzedek. At the time of Rabbi Menachem Mendel's death, several of his sons assumed the title of rebbe, splitting the movement into several groups. Following Chabad-Lubavitch, the Kapust group was the longest surviving group. Kapust appears not to have any major theological disputes with the leaders of Chabad. The group had four rebbes:

Liadi was founded after the death of the third Chabad rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn. The group was one of several groups that sought to succeed Rabbi Menachem Mendel, whose death created a dispute over his succession. Liadi had two rebbes:

Niezhin was founded after the death of the third Chabad rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn. The group was one of several groups that sought to succeed Rabbi Menachem Mendel, whose death created a dispute over his succession. The group had one rebbe, Rabbi Yisroel Noach of Niezhin, son of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, who founded the group.

Avrutch was founded after the death of the third Chabad rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn. The group was one of several groups that sought to succeed Rabbi Menachem Mendel, whose death created a dispute over his succession. The group had one rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Avrutch, son of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, who founded the group.