Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A. is an annual observance established by Congress in 1978 that honors Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, and emphasizes education, moral development, and ethical instruction. It falls each year on the Gregorian date corresponding to Rabbi Schneerson’s Hebrew birthday, the 11th of Nissan, and every sitting president since Jimmy Carter has issued a proclamation marking it.
When Education and Sharing Day Falls
Because the 11th of Nissan is a date on the lunar-based Hebrew calendar, the equivalent date on the Gregorian calendar shifts from year to year. In 1978 it fell on April 18. In 2025 it fell on April 9. In 2026 it fell on March 29.1Chabad.org. The Start of Education Day USA2The White House. Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2025 The American Friends of Lubavitch, the movement’s Washington, D.C.-based advocacy arm, coordinates with the White House each year so the presidential proclamation lands on the correct day.3Jewish Washington. Education and Sharing Day, USA
Who the Day Honors
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, widely known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was born on the 11th of Nissan in 1902. He escaped Nazi persecution in 1941 and fled to the United States, and he assumed leadership of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in 1950.4The White House. Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2026 Over the next four decades he built Chabad-Lubavitch from a small Hasidic community into a global network of educational and humanitarian outreach centers.
Schneerson viewed teaching as a sacred calling rather than a profession, and he taught that education should build spiritual connection and moral character alongside intellectual growth. He championed the practical application of ethical values over purely theoretical study, and he encouraged individual leadership and entrepreneurship. Within Orthodox Judaism he supported a broad educational curriculum for women that included Oral Torah and Talmud, a position described as revolutionary in that tradition.5The Lehrhaus. The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Theory of Education
Schneerson died on June 12, 1994. The annual observance has continued without interruption, and his teachings, correspondence, and image remain central to the movement’s work worldwide.6Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The Chabad Rebbe Died 25 Years Ago
How Congress Created the Observance
The day traces back to a joint resolution introduced in the House on March 1, 1978, by Rep. Benjamin S. Rosenthal of New York. H.J.Res. 770 asked the president to designate April 18, 1978, as “Education Day, U.S.A.,” matching the 11th of Nissan that year. The House passed it on April 12, the Senate followed on April 13, and President Carter signed it as Public Law 95-262 on April 17.7Congress.gov. H.J.Res.770 – 95th Congress8Congress.gov. Public Law 95-262
Carter’s proclamation was brief. It recognized “the importance of education in the lives of our citizens” and asked Americans to observe the day “in such manner as reflects their commitment to education.” It did not mention Rabbi Schneerson by name.9The American Presidency Project. Proclamation 4562 – Education Day, U.S.A., 1978 For years the observance required a fresh joint resolution each spring, and presidents have continued issuing proclamations every year since.1Chabad.org. The Start of Education Day USA
The Noahide Laws Reference
One year of the observance carried a distinct ethical framing. Public Law 101-267, approved on April 6, 1990, designated that date as Education Day, U.S.A. and named the Seven Noahide Laws, a set of universal moral principles in Jewish tradition, as the “bedrock of society” and the foundation of civilized life. The resolution cited a “recent weakening of these principles” and stated that civilization was in “serious peril” without them. It designated 1990 as a year to return the world, through education, to those values, and it credited the Lubavitch movement with fostering and promoting them globally.10Congress.gov. Public Law 101-267
How the Proclamations Have Evolved
The text of the annual proclamation has changed considerably across administrations. Carter’s 1978 version was spare and secular. By the Reagan years, the proclamations began explicitly honoring the Rebbe and his moral vision.11Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Proclamation 5463 – Education Day, U.S.A., 1986 George H.W. Bush’s 1992 proclamation, issued for what would have been Schneerson’s 90th birthday, argued against “value-neutral” curricula, said moral education was essential to self-government, and cited President Eisenhower on faith and “the dignity of man.”12The American Presidency Project. Proclamation 6421 – Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 1992
George W. Bush tied the day to his domestic agenda. His 2002 proclamation highlighted the No Child Left Behind Act and framed education alongside “compassionate outreach” and volunteering,13George W. Bush White House Archives. Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A. Proclamation and his 2007 version emphasized “courage and compassion” and a “commitment to kindness.”14The American Presidency Project. Proclamation 8116 – Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2007
The Trump administration’s recent proclamations have used the day to press specific policy positions. The 2025 text referenced the president’s visit to the Ohel, the Rebbe’s resting place in Queens, on the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, where he prayed with family members of hostage Edan Alexander and Auschwitz survivor Jerry Wartski. It reaffirmed commitments to fighting antisemitism and securing the release of hostages.2The White House. Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2025 The 2026 proclamation, signed on March 28 for observance the next day, pledged to “bring back common sense to our classrooms,” to “end left-wing indoctrination,” and to shift educational control from “unelected bureaucrats” to states, local communities, and parents. It also vowed to “eradicate the scourge of anti-Semitism” and set the observance against the 250th anniversary of American independence.4The White House. Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2026
State and Local Proclamations
The observance is not confined to the federal government. Governors, mayors, county executives, and school boards issue their own proclamations, coordinated in large part by the American Friends of Lubavitch.15Jewish Washington. Education and Sharing Day – American Friends of Lubavitch Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy proclaimed March 29, 2026, as Education and Sharing Day, encouraging residents to pursue education and to foster “character, values, and morality” in youth.16State of Alaska Governor’s Office. Education and Sharing Day 2026 North Carolina Governor Josh Stein designated April 9, 2025.17Office of the Governor of North Carolina. Governor Proclaims Education and Sharing Day in North Carolina Vermont issued a similar proclamation in 2018.18Office of the Governor of Vermont. Education and Sharing Day Proclamation 18-033 The mayor of Oro Valley, Arizona, proclaimed the day in 2026, marking 124 years since the Rebbe’s birth and the 76th anniversary of his leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch.19Town of Oro Valley. Education and Sharing Day 2026