5 Things We Like About the Kinus

By COLlive reporter

1. MORE “HEIMISH” THAN THE GA

The General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America is held in hotels with plastic keycards. Most of the participants of the Kinus, on the other-hand, are hosted in private homes.

They may be family, family of family, a childhood friend or a total stranger – Crown Heights residents are known to open their brownstone homes (and basements) to guests year-round – especially during the Kinus.

When your house guest only speaks a foreign language, it may present some challenges. But hey, who doesn’t understand what “tissue” means? (Same pronunciation in Hebrew, Spanish, French and Portuguese!)

And it’s all done with a warm smile and open heart. And between work and meals, hosts get to hear some fascinating tales from those at the forefront of the global Jewish revival.

2. MORE COMMERCE THAN THE G8

The G8 summit is the forum for world’s leading economies, but isn’t Brooklyn a separate universe? Kinus-time is one of the highest commerce periods of the year for local shops and merchants.

With each Shliach holding a key position in a synagogue, community center or educational institution, shopping is the unofficial must-do task for most of those flying in for the weekend.

Siddurim, new games for youth programs, kosher specialty foods, a memorial plaque for a community member, original artwork for a donor… and the list goes on. They can all be found in Crown Heights and sold by our very own.

“It’s a good opportunity to put a face to the name and meet our Shluchim customers in person,” says Rabbi Eliezer Lipa Schapiro of Hamafitz Stam. His bestselling items are “Mivtzoim” pairs of Tefillin and Mezuzos.

And don’t forget the rabbi’s wife and children back home who are expecting him to come back bearing gifts.

“It’s really nice how the Shluchim come in with shopping lists from their wives for specific items they can’t get back home. They are very particular to try to get the exact requested item,” says Tully Kahan of Kahan’s Superette on Kingston Avenue.

3. THE FRIDAY NIGHT SINGING

On Friday night of the Kinus, a group of 1,000 boys enter the main shul at Lubavitch Headquarters – 770 Eastern Parkway and hold their own Kabbalos Shabbos davening.

“Every year I tell everyone from Crown Heights, and even Shluchim – you must stop by to see it for yourself,” says Rabbi Moshe Pinson, head of the Kinus Tzeirei Hashluchim, the kid-friendly version of the conference, held parallel to their fathers’ convention.

They begin davening at 6:45 pm, filling the wooden benches up front, near where the Rebbe’s shtender and chair are placed. In unison, they sing Lecha Dodi and other parts of davening to the tune of joyous and heartfelt Lubavitch niggunim.

“The singing and davening by the Shluchim’s children is a most inspiring and incredible sight,” Pinson states. The counselors appointed by the Shluchim Office give out prizes, and once davening has ended, maintenance workers come to prepare the shul for Shabbos morning.

4. SHABBOS WITH THE GUESTS

Having an abundance of scholarship and oratory in the neighborhood is never a missed opportunity.

Close to 40 Crown Heights shuls get to host a Shliach or two who deliver a thoughtful sermon during davening and later lead a Chassidic farbrengen that often lasts for hours.

Lubavitch Youth Organization (Tzach), in conjunction with the Kinus Hashluchim, coordinates this effort “to bring the energy of the Kinus to shuls throughout the Shechuna.”

Israel Clapman, President of the Besht Center on Empire Blvd., says he looks forward to the Shabbos of the Kinus. “We get to feel how special the Kinus is and live it,” he says. “We look forward to an inspiring Shabbos with Shluchim speaking at each Tefilah.”

The guest speaker at the Besht this Friday night, for the fourth year in a row, will be Rabbi Dov Greenberg, co-director of Chabad at Stanford University, who delivered the keynote address at last year’s Kinus Banquet.

5. THE GLITZY BANQUET

Whether you have family on Shlichus or not, the glitzy banquet culminating the Kinus packs within it enough Lubavitch pride to last for a while. It might even motivate you to do your part.

In a well-choreographed evening, a crowd of around 5,000 Shluchim, supporters and family members come to a warehouse-turned-banquet hall to feast, dance and get inspired.

This year’s guest speaker is Yuli Edelstein, the Speaker of the Knesset, who will share his incredible story of how the underground Lubavitch network assisted (and married him off) as a refusenik in the former Soviet Union.

Even if you aren’t physically at what is considered the largest sit-down dinner in New York City, an experience is still promised for you if you tune in to the live video broadcast here on COLlive.com. It’s on Sunday, 1 Kislev – November 23, at around 5:00pm.

Happy Kinus!