Back in April, Faigy Zwiebel organized a Jewish book event for kids at a Barnes & Noble store near Ashland, Oregon, and waited and waited for families to come.
But nobody showed up.
She was about to pack her things and go when one woman arrived with her 3-year-old daughter. The Chabad-Lubavitch emissary recognized the pair from a December Chanukah story-time program, also at the bookstore.
As they talked, the mother mentioned her 15-year-old son—at home on his iPad all day with nothing to do as summer approached.
“How about overnight camp?” suggested Zwiebel, co-director of the Chabad Jewish Center of Southern Oregon with her husband, Rabbi Avi Zwiebel.
The mother was open to the idea, but camps were so expensive.
The Zwiebels offered to help raise funds for him, and of the many available Jewish experiences, the mother and son chose a CTeen trip to Israel and Poland, now in its second year.
“This was a teen who had no idea about Yiddishkeit—about kosher, Shabbat—he didn’t even know who Moses was. He only knew that he was Jewish. But he left excitedly for Israel, and just celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall,” reports Faigy Zwiebel. “It’s a spark. Hopefully, it’s a start for more to come.”
She pauses before adding: “That’s the thing about living out here. You never know who you’re going to reach.”
Rabbi Zwiebel concurs.
“Ashland is isolated from any larger Jewish community, so our presence is so important and so pronounced. Most Jews we encounter haven’t met a religious Jew their entire lives or in the 40 years since they left the big city,” he says.
He adds that they now have a regular Shabbat and Sunday minyan from their initial attendance of… one.
You r the ones to bring Moshiach NOW!!!
Mendi Bistritzky (the bochur in the photo), you are an insparation. Keep up the great work! love the pinczowers
…what’s written in HaYom Yom that a soul can descend into this world for 70 years to perform a single good deed.
the rebbe mh’m is having sooo much chasidishe nachas looking down at his kinderlach
keep up the good work
When life gives you lemons make the rebbe proud
Rabbi avi and faigy are true examples of a pure shliach. Their dedication and hard work are admirable
תלכו מחיל אל חיל!
Keep up your amazing work. You are an inspiration to us all!
Thanks for sharing this story and much revealed good and hatzlacha in the future!
This is a sure sign that many more Ashland Jews will emerge from their hiding places! Chazak v’Emotz!!!
So impressed!! I’m sure your mother has great nachos from you!!
Keep up your excellent work in Ashland. You are touching more lives than you’ll ever imagine.
Wow wow Faigy.
A real example of:אתם תלוקטו אחד אחד.
Beautiful! This is so special. What a Zechus these Shluchim have. I heard that the Rebbe told R’ Chaim Gutnick (who mentioned that “only” one mother showed up to a Taharas Mishpocho seminar) “How many mothers did Moshe Rabainu have?” Never underestimate your work.
Hatzlocho Rabbo.
This is the essence of what small town shlichus is all about and this is why it’s so important to send willing and able couples out to the middle of nowhere to establish Chabad Houses to make stories like this possible.