July 3, 1999
Source: The Washington Post
On July 3, 1999, The Washington Post reported that the American Friends of Lubavitch has opened a $2 million center in Washington's embassy district. The 10,000-square-foot building houses an Orthodox synagogue, a large meeting room, and a library with more than 2,000 books on Chabad Lubavitch and Jewish mysticism that will be open to the public. The new center also draws attention to its director, Levi Shemtov, who is considered by many to be the "unofficial rabbi of Capitol Hill." Chabad Lubavitch has about 250,000 followers in 44 states and other countries, which is approximately 3 percent of the world's Jewish population.