Monumental Book of Shluchim Stories on Press

In 2006, Malka Touger unveiled a literary gem titled “Excuse Me, Are You Jewish?” Nearly two decades later, Chabad has witnessed an extraordinary surge, both in the number of dedicated shluchim and the vibrant activity within the Chabad community. Each shliach carries a treasure trove of awe-inspiring miracles, moments of profound inspiration, captivating tales of Baal Teshuva transformations, and remarkable accounts of triumph over adversity.

In January 2022, DollarDaily.org’s Executive Director, Reb Yosef Shidler, joined hands with COLLIVE to introduce “Illuminations.” This visionary initiative was designed to capture and disseminate these remarkable stories through a meticulously conducted series of interviews with shluchim from all corners of the globe. The latest edition, the 85th installment, has grown beyond its origins in the shuls of Crown Heights to find a place in synagogues worldwide, Chabad Houses, and even in the hearts of readers across multiple countries.

As the newsletter chronicling these narratives garnered acclaim, a transformative vision began to take shape. It became clear that the 2,000 words of the newsletter were insufficient to encapsulate the wealth of stories shared by these dedicated shluchim. Thus, the idea to craft not just a book, but possibly a series of books, began to crystallize.

“We embarked on our journey with a layout designer at the time of the Kinus Hashluchim in 2022,” Shidler shared. “Our initial concept was promising, but refining it proved to be a challenging endeavor. Our aim was to create a magazine-style book, keeping things simple, a work of high professionalism. We meticulously studied similar publications, seeking inspiration for the vision we had in mind. Developing a concept that could resonate with shluchim and their communities, engage the average Torah-observant reader, and elicit pride from Lubavitchers alike was a laborious process. It took us months of exploration, experimenting with various design ideas and layouts.”

Rabbi Yosef Kantor from Chabad of Thailand had a similar aspiration, but for years, the right approach eluded him. “When I saw what had been accomplished, I realized it was light-years beyond anything I had ever envisioned.”

Finally, in early May of 2023, the process of assembling this monumental book commenced. Our anticipation was high because we possessed the concept, most of the text was already prepared, and we had a collection of images. We optimistically believed that we could bring everything together within 6 to 8 weeks. I had envisioned sending the book to the printer around Gimmel Tammuz,” says Shidler, “with the ultimate goal of having it on store shelves by Chai Elul. During this period, I sought the Rebbe’s blessing through the Igros Kodesh and received a response, mentioning an organization’s inauguration dinner scheduled for the 18th of Elul.

As we immersed ourselves in the project, investing hundreds of hours alongside a dedicated team of individuals, including Chaya Chazan, who skillfully directed the writing team, and a review team led by two shluchim, Rabbi Mendel Heidingsfeld of Manchester and Rabbi Chayim Friedman from Milwaukee, we soon realized that meeting our original deadline before Tammuz was an almost insurmountable challenge. Nonetheless, we persisted, meticulously preparing the book for its imminent printing.

“One of the most daunting challenges we faced was refining the images,” Shidler admitted. “It goes without saying that many shluchim provided images that were not suitable for the average Torah-observant consumer. Following the guidance of a Rav, we painstakingly photoshopped hundreds of images to ensure the book could be comfortably shared with all audiences.

The stories underwent extensive editing to make them accessible to readers from all backgrounds. Each chapter contains numerous previously unreleased stories and intimate details about each shliach, details that were not featured in the original ‘Illuminations.’ “I must confess,” Shidler continued, “that when we began, I had hoped to include 30 to 40 of the initial ‘Illuminations’ in the book. However, as we witnessed the layout taking shape, and the growth of the writing, we understood that we were dedicating 15 to 25 pages to each shliach, and this quickly accumulated. The culmination of months of tireless effort is a phenomenal 430-page book, encompassing the narratives of 25 remarkable Shluchim.”

In July, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to help cover the exorbitant printing costs of this book. Remarkably, it successfully raised the $40,000 needed to bring the book to print, thanks to the generosity of over 250 donors from around the world.

The book entered pre-press during the first week of Elul. By the middle of the past week, most of the preparations with the printer had been completed. However, we received word that we would need to exercise a bit more patience as we awaited the press to become available. After Shabbas, as I checked my phone, Shidler exclaimed, “I received the message I had been fervently hoping for: the book is scheduled for printing this week.” It was at that moment that I glanced at the calendar and had a sudden recollection of the blessing I had asked for – the 18th of Elul. The book is now in the process of being printed and bound, and it will then be shipped to us.

With the divine assistance of Hashem, we anticipate that the book will be available in stores and online just in time for the Kinus Hashluchim, allowing us to share these remarkable stories with the world. The distribution of the book will be managed by Zissel Elonson of CIS publications.

We continue to encourage shluchim worldwide to share their stories for Illuminations, and we are conducting new interviews regularly. For more information, contact DollarDaily.org via [email protected].