By COLlive reporter
1. Sorrow in midst of celebration
In the midst of the International Kinus Hashluchim convention in Brooklyn, NY, came the news about the passing of Mrs. Soro Tema Gerlitzky, wife of Rabbi Avrohom Gerlitzky, a beloved teacher at Beis Medrash Oholei Torah.
The funeral on Friday morning was attended by many of Rabbi Gerlitzky’s former students who were gathered in Crown Heights, as well as her brother from Seattle, Rabbi Sholom Ber Levitin, Head Shliach of Washington State.
2. Keynote Prep
Rabbi Dovid Hazdan, Dean of the Torah Academy and the rabbi of the Great Park Synagogue in Johannesburg, South Africa, prays with intensity at the main shul of 770 Eastern Parkway on Sunday morning.
He’ll need all the prayers he can get as he prepares to deliver the annually anticipated keynote address at the gala banquet of the Kinus Hashluchim with over 4,000 rabbis and lay-leaders in the crowd watching.
3. Exchanging Hats
NYPD Deputy Chief Charles Scholl was on-hand to oversee order at the Shluchim group photo, which gathered some 3,000 Chabad rabbis from around the globe in front of Lubavitch Headquarters – 770 Eastern Parkway.
Scholl, who was in an upbeat mood, met his match in Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff, the jolly Head Shliach of Texas. They express their joy with switching their uniform hats for posed for the COLlive photographer.
4. Family project
When Rabbi Chaim Grossbaum set out to build a Mikvah for his Chabad House of Stoney Brook on New York’s Long Island, he didn’t look further than his own family.
His older brother from Minnesota, Rabbi Gershon Grossbaum is a world renowned expert on Mikvahs. They used the Kinus as an opportunity to sit down and finalize plans. Asked how it is to work together, the elder answered: “So far so good. He’s listening…”
5. Street Fair
In parallel to the rabbis’ conference, their sons are attending their own Kinus Yaldei Hashluchim walking proudly the streets of Crown Heights with their specialized tshirts and high spirits.
Every soon often, they meet a chossid inspired by their year-round dedication to the Rebbe’s mission and together they join in a song and dance. Passers-by always take notice and even join in.
