When Rabbi Aryeh and Leah Lang moved to Camarillo, California, 18 years ago to open a new Chabad Center, they were told that their place of Shlichus was best known for its Leisure Village retirement community that housed many elderly Jews. The Langs immediately set up shop adjacent to the Village so that the seniors could walk to shul on Shabbos.
It did not take long for the energetic and passionate couple to realize that Camarillo offered many more challenges. As young families continued to leave the L.A. hub for the suburbs, Leah Lang opened Gan Camarillo, an award-winning pre-school together with a Mommy and Me program.
The Langs, however, were not content on serving only the Jewish community. They founded Saving Lives, a diverse community coalition to fight substance use. Their groundbreaking efforts were credited for the significant decrease in underage drinking in Ventura County.
As the workload increased, so did the need to hire additional shluchim. Rabbi Yaacov and Tiferes Cahnman implemented “A Quiet Moment” in the Pleasant Valley School District heeding the Rebbe’s call to initiate a Moment of Silence in public education.
With covid lockdowns continuing in California, Rabbi Yosef and Shira Muchnik’s Smile on Seniors program took on herculean importance. Unable to offer their well-received gamut of in-person activities, the Muchniks now make regular, socially distanced home visits and have a team of volunteers who deliver 70 challahs every Friday. “We are the only faces some of these seniors see all week,” exclaims the bubbling Rabbi Yosef.
“The work of Rabbi and Mrs. Lang and their co-shluchim is beyond description,” say Lee and Leora Lewis, who moved to Camarillo to be close to Chabad. “We’ve never seen such dedication and concern. Not even a pandemic can stop them.”
This past Motzoei Shabbos, Leah Lang and her fellow shluchos Sarah Latowicz (Ventura), Racheli Muchnik (Oxnard) and Rochel Nemtzov (Ojai) were honored by The Jewish Federation of Ventura County, California. In a well-attended zoom event, the rebbetzins were praised for their incredible contributions to their respective communities.
The Lewis’s are being joined by other community leaders in helping Chabad of Camarillo raise the necessary funds to continue their life-saving work. During their 36 hours for $360,000 campaign, all contributions will be tripled. Click here https://chabadcamarillo.raisegiving.com to do a mitzvah and help Chabad of Camarillo.
Click here to see a 30-second promo on the quiet moment during the pandemic.
https://www.aquietmoment.org/copy-of-connect
Click here to download a quiet moment guide for teachers.
Click here for a video promo on how the quiet moment empowers youth to make good decisions. https://www.aquietmoment.org/connect
Click here to join the quiet moment email list
The Langs and crew do an amazing job spreading Yiddishkeit. Please support generously!