Spirited 19 Kislev in Boston

More than 200 people turned out last Sunday for a Yud Tes Kislev farbrengen and Siyum HaRambam at Shaloh House Jewish Day School and Jewish/Russian Center.

Rabbi Levi Garelik delighted the audience, which included school parents, shluchim, Anash and Jews from the Greater Boston community. More than 20 years ago, Rabbi Garelik served as rabbi of the Boston Chabad community. Rabbi Garelik engaged his diverse audience by using both humor and scholarship to document how novel scientific findings by secular world were commonplace knowledge to Torah scholars long before they were discovered by the outside world.

Rabbi Moshe Bleich of Wellesley MA made the Siyum HaRambam and spoke about the importance of learning Rambam daily. Rabbis Dan Rodkin and Ilan Meyers of Shaloh House were masters of ceremony at the event, which included a video. An informal farbrengen followed, lasting late into the night.

While the adults enjoyed a festive dinner with exotic catering, dozens of children were elated with a separate children’s program with stories, a raffle, art projects, games and pizza.

Four days earlier on Yud-Tes Kislev, more than 150 children of shluchim and Anash from around Massachusetts gathered for a concert, which included a fleishig seudah, organized by several area shluchos and hosted by Shaloh House.

The evening began with a Fleshing dinner, followed by a spirited rally of Pesukim, stories and L’Chaims led by Rabbi Yisroel Freeman, Shliach to Sudbury, MA. The evening also highlighted the printings of the Tanya in Massachusetts. There was a display table with Tanyas that were printed all over the state as well as a Map of the State highlighting the thirty towns where Tanya’s were printed in Massachusetts.

The highlight of the night was when Chaim Fogelman took the stage. With his guitar and flashing lights he led an electrifying concert. The children were riveted to their edge of their seats. They clapped and sang along in a spirit of Shevas Achim Gam Yachad.

Chaim Fogelman sang heartfelt nigunnim and fast songs that got the children off their seats and involved everyone young and old. The best part of the night was when the children jumped up and began spirited dancing and singing! The joy and the dancing with their friends and parents created a special occasion that the children will never forget.

Yasher Koach to the organizers of the event: Chanie Krinsky from Needham, Shayna Freeman from Sudbury, Tzivi Kivman from Mansfield, and Geni Bleich from Wellesley. A special thanks to Rabbi Dan Rodkin from Shaloh House for hosting this event in his spacious Chabad House and to Rabbi Moshe Bleich from Wellesley for helping to facilitate this event.