The “Kvutzah” year, in which hundreds of bochurim from Eretz Yisroel come to spend a year learning in the Rebbe’s Daled Amos, is a longstanding and fundamental concept in Chabad.
This year, with the outbreak of COVID-19 that hit Crown Heights particularly hard, it was clear that a solution would need to be found that would preserve this sacred tradition while also protecting the health and well-being of Crown Heights residents. This was undertaken by the Iggud Talmidei Hakvutzah, an organization founded by 770 Alumni and Yungerleit, which, with great effort, succeeded in finding a beautiful resort campus in Connecticut which the incoming Talmidim with use for their two-week quarantine, beginning this past Sunday. The plan was conceived together with the Gedaliah Society, headed by Dr. Eli Rosen, and also received the blessing of the Crown Heights Beis Din.
The 20-acre grounds contain an Olympic-sized swimming pool, recreational fields, and lake – all of which will provide the tranquil atmosphere perfect to enable them to properly prepare for this important year in their lives. The Bochurim, upon their arrival in New York, boarded buses directly for the campus, where they will remain for two weeks, as per medical guidelines.
770 Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Shneur Zalman Labkowski expressed full support for the effort, which will enable the Talmidim to come to Kvutzah in a manner which is safe and comfortable for all.
The bochurim are using out the time there itself for in-depth Chavrusa learning, all the while enjoying the accommodations and delicious food provided by the organizers. As night falls on the campus, they gather for a Chassidishe Farbrengen – Talmidim of the different Israeli Yeshivos, united around the great Z’chus to spend a full year with the Rebbe.
Parents of the Kvutzeh bochurim have expressed their great thanks to the Iggud for this remarkable effort, and in particular to the group of Crown Heights residents who got the project off the ground.
