By COLlive reporter
Photos by Bentzi Sasson
Over 2000 people participated in the Colel Chabad International Awards Dinner held at the New York Hilton Grand Ballroom in New York City on December 6 – 18 of Kislev.
The eclectic crowd of attendees hailed from all walks of life. Religous Jewish businessmen alongside personalities from the legal and financial sectors all united to provide food security in Israel.
Colel Chabad is the oldest continuous charitable organization in Israel, having been established by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe and founder of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi and has been overseen by each successive Lubavitcher Rebbe since.
It was the 34th gala benefit and it has been the largest crowd yet, organizers proudly noted as they showcased the charity’s remarkable operations the include 23 soup kitchens around Israel.
Executive Director Rabbi Sholom Duchman reported that Colel Chabad serves 3,000 meals a day in addition to providing the Blavatnik Food Bank for 10,800 families a month.
The organization also runs an orphan intervention program that served 1,023 children this past year and distributes clothing to 25,000 families in partnership with the Keren L’Yedidut (JFCJ) headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.
Honorees of this year’s dinner included attorney Perry Weitz, partner at the Manhattan law firm Weitz & Luxenberg and diamond dealer Saul Goldberg.
Opening the evening was an annual tradition at the Colel Chabad dinner in the last 8 years: The recital of a chapter of Tehillim in the merit of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, the former executive of the nation’s largest kosher meat-processing plant.
Rubashkin, who founded the Jewish community in Postville, Iowa, where the factory was located, has been a staunch philanthropic supporter of Colel Chabad and its activities over the years.
He and his wife Leah Rubashkin would regularly sit on the dais of the dinner. In fact, the family’s patriarch Avrohom Aaron Rubashkin is an Honorary Chairman of the dinner and Sholom’s brothers Heshy Rubashkin and Moshe Rubashkin sit on the honorary committee.
While Sholom was serving in prison for a harsh sentence of 27 years which many questioned its validity and motive, the dinner each year honored his son Getzel Rubashkin with reciting the opening Tehillim.
This year was no different with participants adding their personal wishes for Rubashkin’s immediate release. That happened on Wednesday when President Donald Trump commuted Rubashkin’ sentence citing bipartisan support.
Now, along with rejoicing over the news, regulars of Colel Chabad’s dinner can expect Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin back in the crowd at the 2018 Colel Chabad International Awards Dinner. He’s certainly invited.
The story you quoted (about the dreams etc.) was made up by someone who was playing around…
Please insure that it doesn’t get passed on.
you are a big fool.
how often news like this occur? or you want continue hearing about the fires, robberies, OTD children, boruch dayan haemes, etc news r’l, which unfortunately fill the jewish news sites?
how many times a day we mention Yetzios Mitzraim?
may we continue to see, every day, pics of Reb Rubashkin free and smiling, together w family and friends a nd continue to say HODU LA’HASHEM KI TOV…. ad bli dai
Many many events throughout these 8 years prayed for Rubashkin. That is why his father house nearly broke down – way too many brothers, and they don’t fit.
BS”D Nice but in my Shul the Rav said I mishaberach for Sholem Mordechai’s release every Shabbos and I said (as did others) Kepital 20 every day
This man is amazing, truly a shlach in every sense of the word.
he keeps plugging. he keeps working. he doesn’t stop despite setbacks and heartache.
because he was given this job by the Rebbe and by golly he is going to do the job
look at the number of tables there… every single one is his hard work to fill
Sholom may you go from strength to strength! you are a role model for shluchim everywhere
This is amazing news, Boruch HaShem! But so many articles about what happened to Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin? Am I the only one that thinks it’s a bit excessive? Also, what happens when all the hype dies down??? Will our life be changed???? Why when a tragedy strikes do we all of a sudden say how can we change even a little? Let’s start with the basics of adding in acts of goodness and kindness, a little bit every day. It can be like Yosef when he asked the chief butler and chief baker why there were so upset? Or saying… Read more »
The Duchman family are all tzadikkim nistorim.The magnificent work they do is only surpassed by the things we don’t hear about.Led by their father OBM YISROEL HALEVI DUCHMAN is right now screaming at the Rebbe to be misgaleh as we are just millimeters away from the GEULAH.The Rubshkin release was directed by President Trump who was told in a dream to pardon him by the Rebbe Shlita who heard it by the kesay hacavod from Hakadosh Boruch who himself👍👂👀