Tag: Kinus Hashluchos

Women’s leadership summit

BC emissaries joined the Kinus Hashluchos in February. (photo from chabad.org)

Some 4,000 Chabad-Lubavitch women emissaries and lay leaders from around the globe gathered in February in New York for the 35th annual International Conference of Chabad Women Emissaries, the largest Jewish women’s leadership gathering in the world. BC shluchot (emissaries) who attended were Chanie Baitelman (Richmond), Malky Bitton (Downtown Vancouver), Matti Feigelstock (Richmond), Raizy Fischer (Vancouver), Chana Gordon (Richmond), Fraidy Hecht (Okanagan), Chani Kaplan (Vancouver Island), Riki Oirechman (Vancouver) and Blumie Shemtov (Nanaimo).

While the yearly conference has a celebratory atmosphere, uniting women leaders from Alaska to Zambia, this year’s gathering came during a particularly challenging time for Jewish communities worldwide. From local wildfires to ongoing war in Israel and rising antisemitism on college campuses, the women on the frontlines of Jewish communal service are confronting urgent realities.

photo - The Kinus Hashluchos in February included a visit to the Ohel in Queens, NY, the resting place of the Rebbe, as well as the nearby grave of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka
The Kinus Hashluchos in February included a visit to the Ohel in Queens, NY, the resting place of the Rebbe, as well as the nearby grave of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. (photo from chabad.org)

The conference, known as Kinus Hashluchos, ran from Feb. 19 to Feb. 23, uniting women leaders from all 50 US states and more than 100 countries for five days of workshops, networking and spiritual renewal. The conference is annually timed to coincide with the anniversary of the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of righteous memory, the wife of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

The Thursday morning saw the emissaries visit the Ohel in Queens, NY, the resting place of the Rebbe, as well as the nearby grave of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka. The women came to pray for their families, communities and humanity at large, carrying countless prayer requests from people around the world.

Friday morning featured the iconic “class picture,” with thousands of women gathered in front of 770 Eastern Parkway, the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Brooklyn, NY.

The capstone of the conference was Sunday’s gala banquet, held at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Centre in Edison, NJ. This year’s theme, “connection,” highlighted the bonds that unite Jewish people worldwide with each other and with their Creator. 

– Courtesy chabad.org

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.