Chabad Headquarters marks the 123rd birthday of the Rebbe—with Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky announcing the next round of thirty-five new Shluchim couples who will be supported with seed grants to expand the Rebbe’s life’s work in some of the most unexpected corners of the world.
From Mykonos to Kenya, West Adams to Tanzania, they are planting seeds of Jewish life—some where Jewish infrastructure once existed, others where it never did.
Each of these couples is receiving seed funding from Keren Hashluchim to help establish new Chabad centers and build Jewish communities, carrying forward a vision that has, for generations, redefined what it means to be there for another Jew.
Yud Aleph Nissan has long served as a catalyst for expansion. In 1972, on the Rebbe’s 70th birthday, the Rebbe famously requested that Chassidim establish 71 new institutions—one for each year. It was a transformative moment. The Rebbe personally contributed ten percent of the initial costs for each project, and reports streamed in from across the world as schools, mikvahs, and Chabad Houses were launched in response.
Today’s initiative builds on that same momentum.
“Today, as many Jews face uncertainty, despair, and disconnection, these new Shluchim are offering the opposite: stability, hope, and belonging,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Director of the International Conference of Shluchim, and oversees the New Shluchim department of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch. “This Yud Aleph Nissan, as antisemitism rises and more Jews feel isolated, the Rebbe’s response continues to guide us: build. The answer is always to build—more light, more connection, more Jewish homes in the places they’re needed most.”
The initiative also follows through on a commitment made by Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, who announced at the Kinus Hashluchos last year that Keren Hashluchim would fund 100 new Shluchim couples, this is the second segment announced bringing the total to 85 so far.
After being approved by the board of Merkos, many of the couples have already begun laying down roots. Rabbi Michoel and Hindy Zajac are now in West Adams, a historic Los Angeles neighborhood where Jewish life once thrived in the early 20th century but has since faded, leaving beautiful old synagogues derelict.
But Rabbi Michoel Zajac, together with his wife Hindy, recipients of the grant, have been working hard to change that. “While preparing for our permanent move to West Adams, we’ve spent the past few months going door-to-door and have connected with over 80 Jewish people in the area,” Michoel shares. “Located just outside the Los Angeles eruv, West Adams has the potential to return to its past as a bustling Jewish community. We aim to develop the Jewish infrastructure needed to make that happen and to provide a home for the many Yidden already living here. Especially in these challenging times for the Jewish community, the Jews we’ve met have been grateful to be welcomed by Chabad, and we are honored to do our part for the Rebbe’s greater vision.”
Over ten thousand miles away, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Rabbi Shimon Menachem and Chana Aziza are working to meet a very real need—one that has never been addressed in the country’s history: building the first-ever mikvah.
“We’ve seen a deep thirst among the Jews here to reconnect to their identity,” said Rabbi Aziza. “There are around 150 Jews living permanently in Tanzania, plus thousands of Israeli and Jewish tourists who come for safari or business. Until now, there was no Jewish infrastructure to support them. Today, we have a synagogue, a kosher grocery, a restaurant—and soon, with G-d’s help, a mikvah.”
In recent months, the Aziza’s have hosted Shabbos meals, formed a growing Hebrew school, and even celebrated the first Jewish wedding in the country—between two members of their local community who met at the Chabad Shabbos table.
These are not isolated stories. In Didsbury, UK; in the Dominican Republic; in emerging neighborhoods and remote towns—young Shluchim are quietly building the Jewish infrastructure of the next generation. They are doing so with heart, resolve, and in many cases, against the odds.
The initiative is made possible by the generous Keren Hashluchim visionary partners, including the Kholodenko family, the Meromim Foundation, Yisroel Foundation, the Rhor family, and the Tabacinic family who have empowered this new cohort of couples to dedicate themselves fully to their mission from day one.
As Rabbi Kotlarsky noted, “The Rebbe’s birthday marks the tremendous gift Hashem gave the world—the Rebbe himself. These couples are the Rebbe’s answer to today’s challenges. Their work ensures that Jewish life won’t just survive—it will thrive, in places few imagined it could.”
This Yud Aleph Nissan, as families prepare their Pesach tables, these 35 couples are preparing Jewish homes—some in places where Jewish life once thrived and is now returning, others in areas where it’s just beginning to take root. In the spirit of the Rebbe’s lifelong mission to reach every Jew—including the ‘fifth son,’ the one who doesn’t even know to show up—they’re making sure no one is left behind.
The New Shluchim:
- Rabbi Nochum & Mrs. Rivka Freedman – Chabad of Resistencia, Resistencia, Argentina
- Rabbi Tzemach & Mrs. Hindy Lerman – Nova YJP, Fairfax, Virginia
- Rabbi Pinny & Mrs. Shterny Spiero – Chabad of Alkmaar, Alkmaar, The Netherlands
- Rabbi Moshe & Mrs. Chaya Harlig – Chabad of Kendall, Miami, Florida
- Rabbi Dovi & Mrs. Devorah Leah Paltiel – Chabad Jewish Center of Laguna Niguel, Laguna Niguel, California
- Rabbi Shimon Menachem & Mrs. Chana Aziza – Chabad of Tanzania, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
- Rabbi Zalman & Mrs. Chana Liba Braun – Chabad of Lubbock, Lubbock, Texas
- Rabbi Menachem & Mrs. Rivkah Cunin – Chabad Wilshire Corridor, Wilshire Corridor, Los Angeles, California
- Rabbi Mendel & Mrs. Mussy Deitsch – Chabad of Midtown East, Toronto, Canada
- Rabbi Asher & Mrs. Sara Denebeim – Chabad of Ridgewood, Ridgewood, New Jersey
- Rabbi Dovid & Mrs. Esther Geisinsky – Bais Chabad Menlo Park, Menlo Park, California
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel & Mrs. Miriam Greenberg – Chabad of Schaumburg, Schaumburg, Illinois
- Rabbi Levi & Mrs. Mushka Krinsky – Chabad Libertyville, Libertyville, Illinois
- Rabbi Mendel & Mrs. Libby Potash – Chabad Midtown Business Community, Miami, Florida
- Rabbi Yosef & Mrs. Esther Rapoport – Chabad of the Abingtons, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
- Rabbi Berel & Mrs. Sara Shur – Chabad Collingwood, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel & Mrs. Chaya Mushka Vilenkin – Chabad of Didsbury, Didsbury, United Kingdom
- Rabbi Michoel & Mrs. Hindy Zajac – Chabad West Adams, West Adams, California
- Rabbi Mendel & Mrs. Sara New – Chabad East Cobb, East Cobb, Georgia
- Rabbi Levi Yitzchak & Mrs. Chaya Mushka Notik – Chabad of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Rabbi Ouziel Moshe & Mrs. Shterna Sara Friedland – Chabad of Mykonos, Mykonos, Greece
- Rabbi Yankel & Mrs. Mushky Katzman – Chabad of Colindale, London, England
- Rabbi Mendel & Mrs. Mussy Vogel – Chabad Sunshine Circle, Rochester, New York
- Rabbi Meir & Mrs. Chani Pape – Chabad of Jackson Heights, Jackson Heights, New York
- Rabbi Avrohom & Mrs. Chani Deitsch – Chabad of Media, Media, Pennsylvania
- Rabbi Chaim Dovid & Mrs. Chaya Paer – Jewish Community of Naberezhny Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia
- Rabbi Sholom Ber & Mrs. Mushka Pevzner – Chabad Israeli Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Rabbi Mendel & Mrs. Chani Gurkow – Chabad of London, Ontario, Canada
- Rabbi Levi & Rochel Teldon – Chabad of Downtown San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
- Rabbi Lipa & Mrs. Heni Gurewitz – Chabad of Part D.ieu, Lyon, France
- Rabbi Mendy & Mrs. Shterna Goldstein – Chabad of Buckeye, Buckeye, Arizona
- Rabbi Laivy & Mrs. Goldy Mochkin – Chabad of SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, New York
- Rabbi Yossi & Mrs. Leah Zlata Moscowitz – Chabad of West Surrey, West Surrey, United Kingdom
- Rabbi Chaim & Mrs. Shaina Muskal – Chabad of Westlake and Loxahatchee, Loxahatchee, Florida
- Rabbi Daniel & Mrs. Esther Silco – Chabad of the North Coast, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
May moshiach come speedily