By COLlive reporter
The Ambassador of Peru to Israel Carlos Daniel Chavez-Taffur Schmidt paid a visit to the village of Kfar Chabad on Wednesday evening, learning about Chassidic life and the international Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
He opened his visit with a tour of the 770 building, a replica of Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, and sat down to write a personal request for prayer which was sent to the Ohel gravesite of the Rebbe in Queens.
Accompanying him on the tour were Chabad Shluchim for Spanish speakers in the Holy Land, among them Rabbi Yehuda Cohen, Rabbi Abrami Sheingarten, and Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Farkash, as well as the bochur Shneur Zalman Halperin.
During the late-hour visit to the Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim of Kfar Chabad, the ambassador found the zal study hall humming with Torah study. He joined one of the chavrusas and studied with Shamai Chein, a student of the yeshiva.
Before leaving, he received a blessing from the Mashpiim of the Yeshiva – Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gurevitch and Rabbi Eliyahu Kirschenbaum that he be a good influence on others. The ambassador also met with Rabbi Yaakov Halperin who represents Chabad in the Jerusalem City Hall.
Rabbi Farkash mentioned the great loss experienced by the Jewish community in Lima over the passing of Peru’s Head Shliach Rabbi Schneur Zalman Blumenfeld OBM earlier this year. The ambassador expressed his sorrow.
They then spoke about the concept of a Moment of Silence which is practiced in many public schools in the United States. The Rebbe advocated for its practice as a chance for children to begin their day silently praying or thinking about their Creator. The rabbis recommended that Peru considers adopting the practice.
