collive com

October 7, 2025

COLlive.com – News, Community, and Life Around Chabad-Lubavitch

COLlive.com is the central news hub for the Chabad-Lubavitch world. It publishes breaking stories, event coverage, and community updates that matter to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and the global network of Chabad emissaries. It’s less about big media spectacle and more about being a daily pulse for those connected to Jewish life and outreach. Here’s a close, factual look at what COLlive.com does, how it operates, and why it’s such a fixture within Orthodox Jewish media.

What COLlive.com Actually Is

COLlive.com is an independent Orthodox Jewish news service that reports on events, people, and issues related to Chabad-Lubavitch communities. It started in 2008 and built its identity around reliability and relevance to its audience. The site publishes news from Crown Heights and beyond, including updates from Chabad centers around the world. Its focus is consistent: Jewish community life through the lens of Chabad.

Unlike mainstream Jewish outlets that mix secular and religious coverage, COLlive stays close to its core mission. It gives space to local simchas (celebrations), engagement announcements, weddings, and community milestones. You’ll also find photo galleries, Torah essays, op-eds, and event recaps. It’s part news agency, part bulletin board, and part community archive.

The Core Audience

The audience is largely made up of Shluchim (Chabad emissaries), anash (members of Chabad communities), and people who live in or maintain ties with Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Many Chabad followers scattered across the world—Australia, Israel, South America—rely on COLlive to stay connected to the center of Chabad life. For them, it’s not just about the headlines. It’s a touchpoint with home.

Non-Chabad readers show up too, especially those curious about Jewish community trends or religious affairs. But COLlive doesn’t try to water things down for outsiders. The language and coverage assume you’re already familiar with Chabad culture—terms like farbrengen or Tishrei at 770 aren’t explained, because the readers already know what they mean.

What You’ll Find on the Site

The homepage cycles through breaking news, event photos, and videos. During major Jewish holidays—Sukkos, Chanukah, or Tishrei—you’ll see posts about community events and live updates from 770 Eastern Parkway. That address, the Lubavitch headquarters, appears constantly because it’s where most global Chabad activity points back to.

Regular categories include:

News: Reports on community developments, Chabad projects, rabbinic conferences, and reactions to world events.
Videos: Livestreams, Torah classes, tributes, or footage from celebrations.
Simchas: Engagements, weddings, births—shared publicly with photos and names.
Opinion: Thought pieces and commentary on internal community issues, like education, modesty, or leadership.
Gegent: A classifieds section used by locals to rent apartments, find jobs, or advertise services.
Magazine: Feature-length community stories, personal profiles, and essays.

COLlive also covers global issues—such as Israeli politics or antisemitism—but always filters them through a Chabad lens. When an event happens in Israel, they’ll often include commentary or reactions from Chabad representatives.

How It Operates

COLlive is privately run and not officially part of Chabad headquarters. That independence gives it freedom to publish opinionated content or report on sensitive topics within the Orthodox world. But it still operates with deep respect for rabbinic values and communal norms.

The editorial tone is factual and direct. Articles are short and focused—usually under 800 words—and nearly all come with photos or videos. Coverage of holidays or local events tends to appear within hours, showing that the site values speed and community responsiveness.

Behind the scenes, COLlive relies heavily on user submissions. People email the editors their event photos, simcha announcements, or letters. It’s a participatory model that works because the readers are also the content providers. That structure builds trust and relevance.

COLlive on Social Media

COLlive maintains an active presence on multiple platforms:

X (formerly Twitter): Posts breaking news, photos, and live event updates throughout the day.
Instagram (@colliveofficial): Shares user-tagged event photos, engagement announcements, and festive moments. Over 60,000 followers.
Facebook: Mirrors most of the web stories, extending discussion in the comments section.
YouTube & Vimeo: Host video content, interviews, and Torah lectures.

The social media feeds aren’t side projects—they’re real extensions of the news cycle. For example, before a large celebration like Simchas Beis Hashoeva, COLlive will post videos of the setup, quotes from organizers, and live footage once it begins. That immediate coverage builds an ongoing community narrative.

Why It Matters

For the Chabad world, COLlive isn’t optional—it’s the main communication line between communities. When you live in Alaska, Argentina, or Ghana as a Chabad emissary, you’re physically far from Crown Heights. COLlive brings you daily contact: seeing what’s happening at 770, who got engaged, what new Chabad house opened, or what the Rebbe’s emissaries are accomplishing.

It’s also become a record of Chabad’s global expansion. Scrolling through years of archives gives a timeline of Jewish activity growth, event photos, and leadership changes. That documentation makes COLlive a historical asset, not just a news site.

Strengths and Weak Spots

Strengths:

Consistency. COLlive updates constantly, especially during major holidays or global events.
Community focus. Every section reinforces Chabad’s collective identity.
Visual coverage. Nearly every story includes photos or short videos, often taken by contributors.
Independence. It operates outside the Chabad central administration, allowing for some editorial freedom.

Weak Spots:

Limited perspective. The coverage assumes insider familiarity and sometimes skips context for outsiders.
Resource constraints. Being independent means fewer staff reporters and reliance on submissions.
Potential bias. Reporting from within a tight-knit community risks soft coverage on sensitive internal issues.
Competition. Sites like CrownHeights.info and ChabadInfo target similar audiences, splitting attention and advertising reach.

Despite these, COLlive remains the dominant platform by volume and engagement, especially in English.

Common Features Readers Use

The “Simchas” section is heavily trafficked—people check it daily to see who got engaged or married. The classifieds and “Gegent” section serve as local infrastructure for job postings, apartment rentals, and services. These sections quietly keep the community functioning day-to-day.

Another major draw is the “Magazine” segment, where longer stories live. Pieces about historical figures, family legacies, or Chabad milestones get attention across generations. Some are written by staff, others by guest contributors.

The “Videos” category is also key. It archives lectures, interviews, and coverage of major religious gatherings. For viewers who can’t attend events, these clips are how they stay connected.

The Broader Role in Jewish Media

COLlive’s existence shows how niche media can thrive when it’s specific. Instead of chasing traffic from general audiences, it invests in one group and becomes essential to them. For Orthodox Jewish readers, particularly Chabad followers, COLlive is a trusted daily source. It doesn’t replace traditional Jewish newspapers like Hamodia or Yated Ne’eman—it fills a different role: immediate digital connection.

Other Orthodox news platforms often cite or reference COLlive when covering Crown Heights or Lubavitch news. Its speed and photo access make it a reliable first source. That credibility came not from institutional backing, but from showing up, consistently, for over a decade.

How Readers Interact

Readers contribute directly. Engagement photos, mazal tov announcements, and community letters are submitted through email. Many use social media tags like #COLlive or mention the account to get featured. The website’s editors encourage that participation because it keeps the content fresh and authentic. It’s a collaborative newsroom shaped by its readers.

During large Jewish holidays—especially in Tishrei—COLlive’s traffic spikes sharply. Thousands visit daily to see live photos from Crown Heights: crowds outside 770, sukkahs being built, parades, and children’s gatherings. Those visuals create shared memory and emotional connection, even for people thousands of miles away.

FAQs About COLlive.com

Is COLlive officially part of the Chabad organization?
No. It’s an independent Orthodox Jewish news site that serves the Chabad community but operates separately from official Chabad institutions.

Who owns COLlive?
It’s privately managed, though details about ownership are not heavily publicized. It identifies itself as an independent community media outlet.

Does COLlive cost money to use?
No, the website is free to access. It runs on advertising and sponsored placements.

Can anyone submit announcements or photos?
Yes. The site accepts user submissions through email. Many community members send event photos, simchas, and public notices.

Where is COLlive based?
It’s primarily based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, which is the heart of the global Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Is COLlive active on social media?
Yes. It’s active across X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo, often posting faster than the website itself.

Does COLlive only cover religious topics?
Mostly, but not entirely. It includes human-interest stories, obituaries, leadership visits, and sometimes general Jewish world events when relevant to Chabad readers.

COLlive.com is less about clicks and more about continuity. It’s a communication lifeline for thousands who live Chabad life every day, whether in New York or somewhere halfway around the globe. It shows how a digital platform, when tied to real community rhythm, becomes more than a website—it becomes a shared space of identity and record.