By COLlive reporter
Yaakov Hagoel, the Acting Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency, paid a visit to the Rebbe‘s Ohel during a visit to New York this past week.
Hagoel came to the Old Montefiore Cemetery in Cambria Heights to pray for the success of his prestigious role to which he was appointed this year, following the appointment of the former head of the Jewish Agency, Isaac Herzog, as president of Israel.
Hagoel is well acquainted with Chabad from his previous positions, at the World Zionist Organization, Executive CEO of World Betar, and Chairman of World Likud.
Accompanying him at the Ohel were Shluchim in Queens, Rabbi Zalman Zvulonov and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Wolowik. Hagoel shared with them his warm feelings for the tremendous work of the Rebbe’s Shluchim throughout the world — who are often active in places that are unreachable by the official Israeli institutions.
“In all my roles and in my many years of serving the community,” he said, “the organizations in which I have been active have always had a strong recognition and sense of appreciation for the heroic and historic role of the Shluchim in strengthening Jewish identity and Jewish tradition among the Jews of the Diaspora and the Jews of Israel, as well as their role in combating antisemitism.”
On the morning of his visit, Hagoel davened Shachris in the beautiful sanctuary of the Bucharian Jewish Community Center not far from the Ohel, where he had the opportunity to be amazed by the phenomenal engagement of Rabbi Asher Vankin with the next generation of the community.
He then joined a breakfast reception with the community leaders, where he heard about the outreach with Bucharian Jews throughout the United States from Leon Nektalov, the community president, and Boris Kandov, the president of the Bukharian Jewish Congress of the United States and Canada.
Greetings were also conveyed by the Bukharian Chief Rabbi of the United States and Canada, Rabbi Baruch Babayev.
In the early hours of the afternoon, the guest and his entourage — which included Mr. Refael Cohen, the foreign-affairs director for the World Zionist Organization — were given a tour of the campuses which make up the educational empire of Jewish Queens founded by famed philanthropist Lev Leviev.
One after another, the guests were witness to the successes of the Ganeinu Academy preschools, elementary schools for boys and girls, the Bukharian Chai Center high school for boys, Or Chana highschool for girls, and more. Rabbi Shmuel Kagan, Shliach and educational director of the institutions, showed the guests the spacious classrooms and the most up-to-date equipment. The students at the schools made an indelible impression.
The tour was joined by Leviev’s daughter and son-in-law, Chagit Sofiev-Leviev and Gavriel Sofiev.
The school is currently working in full gear to prepare for the annual dinner which will take place on Chanukah this year.
Organizers said it will allow the institutions obtain additional buildings to meet the needs of the stream of new students which constantly apply, in light of the amazing name the institutions have gained for their strong Jewish and secular education.
