German Newspaper Picks Shlucha as Citizen of the Week

By COLlive reporter

The prestigious German newspaper Rundblick Niedersachsen has honored Shterna Wolff, the Chabad Shlucha in Hanover, Germany, with the title of “Lower Saxonian of the Week,” honoring her for her outstanding resilience, courage and accomplishment as the Rebbe’s Shlucha in Hanover.

Shterna Wolff, whose husband Rabbi Binyamin Wolff a”h passed away last year after a brief illness, inspired the Jewish world with her firm decision to remain in Hanover to continue the Rebbe’s Shlichus which she merited to embark on with her husband 15 years earlier.

The Rundblick editorial team has honored Shterna Wolff with the title “Lower Saxonian of the Week” because she courageously and resolutely continues her husband’s dedicated work – and because she serves as the only woman who heads a Chabad center alone.

“Shterna is a teacher by profession, has eight children, and lost her husband a year ago, who died after a serious illness. She slipped into his role – and in the future, she will head the Chabad Center in Hanover, a Center for the Orthodox Chabad movement, which is open to the dialogue between cultures and wants to help preserve the diversity of Jewish culture,” the newspaper said.

The newspaper also noted that she continues the work in the newly opened “Bais Binyomin,” the Chabad Center named after her husband.

“The former station hall serves as a synagogue, a kitchen for kosher food and rooms for meetings and events. The Chabad House is also open to people who want to learn more about Jewish life. Young people in particular should be able to experience all about Jewish culture in the center,” they said.

“For Israeli-born Shterna Wolff, who came to Hanover with her husband 16 years ago, the project is also an important part of keeping the memory of her husband alive. She studied in Israel and obtained a degree in education, then worked for five years as a teacher in Odessa (Ukraine) and came to the capital of Lower Saxonian in 2005. Today she is currently the only woman in the world to run a Chabad center on her own.”

Shterna is grateful for the award, and says that she can feel that her husband lives on with the Chabad Center, which brings her happiness.

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