Chabad-Lubavitch

Conference invigorates

In New York for the 2018 International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries. (photo from Lubavitch BC)

Last month, nine shluchos (female emissaries) of Chabad-Lubavitch in British Columbia – Henia Wineberg, Rivki Yeshayahu, Chanie Kaplan, Shainy Wineberg, Fraidy Hecht, Chanie Baitelman, Blumie Shemtov, Chaya Rosenfeld and Malky Bitton – joined more than 3,000 women leaders from all 50 U.S. states and 100 countries at the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchos) in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The annual event is aimed at reviving Jewish awareness and practice around the world. At this year’s gathering, thousands of women – hailing from as far away as Laos and Angola, Ghana and Uzbekistan – came together for five days of brainstorming about the future of world Jewry and their roles as representatives of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

The leaders, who embrace multiple roles and responsibilities, explored numerous issues and learned from professionals and colleagues with years of experience. The topics covered ran the gamut: understanding troubled relationships; adult education and inclusion; responding to tragedy; fundraising; the opioid epidemic; and mental health. There was also a conference within the conference for Hebrew school and preschool directors, as well as one for those who serve students on college campuses. The meeting included a parallel track for lay leaders.

“The Kinus is my yearly dose of inspiration,” said one of the shluchos. “It gives me strength and motivation for the whole year, to continue bringing light to everyone around me.”

Additional highlights of the five-day conference were a visit to the gravesite of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, in the New York City borough of Queens; the “class picture,” where they posed for a group photo; as well as the gala banquet, where they were joined by admirers, supporters and influential women leaders for a sit-down dinner.

The conference is a tribute to the legacy of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, the esteemed wife of the Rebbe, and is timed to the anniversary of her passing. Rebbetzin Schneerson’s deep care for and insight into their work remains a source of inspiration to the Chabad women emissaries.

The conference also serves another vital purpose: it represents an opportunity to connect with colleagues and recharge their personal energy. This gives the participants, especially those going back to isolated outposts, an exhilarating send-off, coupled with the sense that they are not alone.

Celebrating our unity

Left to right, Anna Karatchun, Malka Pischanitzkaya and Jenya Friedman at the N’Shei Chabad Unity Event on Feb. 22. (photo by Esti Loeub)

On Feb. 22, Chabad Lubavitch of Vancouver hosted the N’Shei Chabad Women’s Unity Event. Introduced by Henia Wineberg, it was organized to coincide with similar gatherings taking place in 50 cities in 15 countries on six continents in honor of Hakhel, a year of gatherings.

photo - Left to right: Shula Klinger, Pamela Shapiro, Miki Mochkin with Anya, and Genny Krikler — Left to right: Shula Klinger, Pamela Shapiro, Miki Mochkin with Anya, and Genny Krikler (photo by Esti Loeb)

The local dinner and lecture was attended by more than 120 women. The meal, prepared by Menajem Peretz of FortyOne Catering, was followed by the talk given by Freidy Yanover.

Yanover spoke about joy in the days leading up to Purim. Given that we have two months of Adar this year – being a Jewish leap year – we have two opportunities to consider what it means to live with joy, she explained. Her talk was illustrated with reference to the Torah and her own anecdotes and personal stories. It was followed by live music by Adina Selfinger and her singers.

Every seat came with a party bag containing pamphlets from mikvahcampaigns.org about Shabbat candles and the role of the mikvah. To illustrate the scale of the event, each table carried a globe with stickers showing where the events were taking place.

The atmosphere was relaxed and light-hearted, with diners being encouraged to mingle with new acquaintances. Introductions were helped along by a Connect 4 game provided at each seat, along with conversation starters, such as “Talk to someone who bakes challah” or “Talk to someone from out of town.”

Shula Klinger is an author, illustrator and journalist living in North Vancouver.

Rabbis join thousands

Eight of 11 B.C. shluchim joined 5,200 other Chabad rabbis and guests in New York City Nov. 4-9 for the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries. (photo by Shneor Shif)

Eight local B.C. rabbis made their way to New York City Nov. 4-9, joining a group of 5,200 Chabad rabbis and guests from 86 countries for the annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchim).

The conference, now in its 32nd year, offered a chance for the rabbis to recharge their batteries in an atmosphere of camaraderie and inspiration before returning to their communities. It also gave community members the opportunity to better appreciate the global impact of Chabad-Lubavitch and its underlying philosophy, and spend some quality time with fellow Jews from around the world.

Known as shluchim – the plural of shaliach, which means agent or emissary – these rabbis were dispatched by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, zt’l, to communities all over the globe to dedicate their lives to serving the Jewish people. They work to connect Jews to their heritage, raise Jewish awareness and mitzvah observance, and teach Torah. Yet their mission is not only a spiritual one; the Rebbe charged them to discover what the unique needs of their respective communities are and to meet those needs by opening their hearts and homes to help every Jew in any way they can.

The rabbis arrived on Nov. 4 for five jam-packed days, which included extensive Torah classes, prayer with thousands, a range of workshops and talks and, of course, a visit to the Ohel, the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his father-in-law, the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, zt’l.

This year’s conference carried added significance, being a Hakhel year, a year focused on unity gatherings in rededication to Torah and mitzvot. The biblical Hakhel took place once every seven years at the conclusion of the Sabbatical (Shmitah) year, and brought Jewish men, women and children to the Temple in Jerusalem to be inspired by the Torah, which was read by the king. During Hakhel in years past, the Rebbe would regularly urge Jews worldwide to assemble and inspire one another to increase their Torah observance and study.

This unity and rededication was perhaps best exhibited at the gala dinner on Sunday night in the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Powerful presentations on Hakhel were given by a Chabad Hebrew school student, a CTeen participant, an active student leader in Chabad on Campus, a middle-aged professional who first met the Rebbe as a young man and is now a member of his local Chabad community, and a Holocaust survivor. They all mentioned increasing their observance as a result of interaction with Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries.

Moshe Holtzberg, who is nearly 9 years old, is the surviving child of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, shluchim who were murdered in a November 2008 terror attack on their Chabad House in Mumbai, India. Moshe led the crowd of thousands in the recitation of psalms during the banquet.

The eight B.C. shluchim who traveled to New York were Rabbi Yitzchak Wineberg, executive director of Chabad-Lubavitch BC, Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman of Chabad of Richmond, Rabbi Binyomin Bitton of Chabad of Downtown Vancouver, Rabbi Meir Kaplan of Chabad of Victoria, Rabbi Schneur Wineberg of Chabad of East Vancouver, Rabbi Chalom Loeub of Chabad of the University of British Columbia, Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld of Chabad-Lubavitch BC and Rabbi Mendel Mochkin of Chabad of the North Shore. Rabbi Falik Schtroks of Chabad of Surrey, Rabbi Bentzi Shemtov of Chabad of Nanaimo, and Rabbi Shmuly Hecht of Chabad of Kelowna were unable to attend the conference this year.