Chicago Anash Join Shabbaton

“Dear Shabbaton organizers: How wonderful is it when brothers sit together. What an inspiring Shabbos! The only shame was that we couldn’t bottle the Shabbaton and sell it!”

Another E-mail: “Dear Rabbi Moscowitz: Thanks for “dragging me” to the Shabbaton. I thought I would do you the favor of showing up; I was the beneficiary, I am inspired, I’ve always known how special our community is and this Shabbaton was the crowning event. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for convincing me to participate.”

The Rebbe’s emphasis on utilizing the Hakhel message was the inspiration for Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz and Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois to arrange an Anash Shabbaton in nearby Kenosha, Wisconsin. Organized with the help of the Rabbis and Shul representatives of Bnei Ruven, FREE, and Bais Menachem it was opened to men and elementary school age boys of the metropolitan Chicago area.

Rabbi Tzali Wilschansky, Shliach in Kenosha, Wisconsin helped arrange for the Shabbaton be held in a hotel in his area and the Illinois Anash Hakhel Shabbaton was launched. Timed in conjunction with Hey Teves, 100 hundred men and boys trekked up to the Kenosha Conference Center for a Shabbos they would never forget.

Featured guests were Rabbi Yossi Lew of Chabad of Atlanta, GA featured guest speaker and Farbrengen leader for the adults, and Rabbi Zalmy Kudan of Chabad of S. Barbara, CA, who together with a team of bochurim from the Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago operated the concurrent children’s program.

Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the event was purely the participation. Simply being together, young newly marrieds with old timers, teachers and businessmen, shluchim and askanim, all together, davening, learning, singing and saying l’chaim; it was beautiful. Throughout the Shabbos the children had their own daavening, meals and programs with songs, games and divrei Torah.

The formal program began after Mincha, with Rabbi Baruch Hertz of Bnei Ruven giving the opening Dvar Torah and welcome followed by chavrusa learning, and then Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf, Dean of Cheder Lubavitch, taught a maamer. After Kabalos Shabbos, everyone got seated at one huge Shabbos table for a night long Seudas Shabbos, lecture and Farbrengen.

Everyone was encouraged to speak, tell a story, start a niggun, open up and share. During the meal Rabbi Lew spoke on “Chassid, Husband, Parent, Shiurim, Mivtzoim – How Can I Do It All!?!” Then the Farbrengen began in earnest and lasted until 4:00 AM. There was laughter and songs, some tears and much inspiration. There was beauty in that room. As one participant described it “the Rebbe was there; I could feel it.”

At 8:30 AM sharp, there were two Chassidus shiurim offered – one taught by Rabbi Levi Notik of FREE and by Rabbi Aron Wolf. The local Kenosha community joined for Shachris where they daavened with more Lubavitchers then ever in the history of Kenosha and heard a timely inspiring Shabbos drosha by Rabbi Daniel Moscowitz. The ongoing sharing and farbrenging together continued at the datytime Seudas Shabbos and was then was brought to another level when Rabbi Lew related personal stories with the Rebbe, and inspiring stories of his Shlichus.

After Mincha there was a seder nigunim, where R’ Yale Zimmerman chazzered a maamer. Maariv was followed by havdala and a father –son event led by Rabbi Kudan. When the program finally ended everyone headed home, exhausted and uplifted.

Upon returning got home many women shared reports of a number of beautiful Hakhel events that happened in Chicago during that Shabbos. Groups of Anash women, whose husbands and sons had gone to Kenosha, got together for wonderful Shabbos meals and mini-Farbrengens.

Special thanks go to Rabbi Baruch Epstein and Rabbi Yosef Moscowitz for coordinating the event, to R’ Dovid Grossman for his dedication and hard work and to Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois for organizing and sponsoring a wonderful Shabbaton.