One of the greatest features of the annual kinus hashluchim held in New York during the winter is that it’s not at all limited to New York during the winter.
Upon the Rebbe’s instruction, each year, the kinus serves as a situation room where big and bold hachlatos are made with global impact. And as much as the kinus has a long-lasting and far-reaching results every year, this year’s kinus took an exponential turn. Standing at the lectern of the gala banquet after a brief hiatus due to an unprecedented pandemic, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice – Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, ambitiously announced a dizzying slew of hachlatos that at the time seemed nothing more than an idealistic dream.
With the inspiration of 120 years since the Rebbe’s birth, the reach may have been lofty, but it was every bit justified. Answering an urgent call from around the world, these bold hachlatos address such fundamental needs like mikvaos and new shluchim and will surely change the dynamic of Jewish life in communities around the world.
And sure enough, about halfway through the year, Merkos is happy to announce that many of those hachlatos are well underway. At this juncture of Chodesh Sivan, a time when the Jewish people famously stood as one people at the foot of Sinai in an unprecedented level of unity, it’s a fitting time to bring the entire Lubavitcher community into the situation room and see for themselves the dizzying progress.
Merkos announced that 42 New Shluchim and 48 Mikvaos have been approved for funding from Keren Hashluchim, bringing the total number to 60 New Shluchim and 60 Mikvaos funded so far this year. As it is halfway between the last Kinus and the coming Kinus, they are also now halfway towards our goal in these two initiatives of supporting 120 New Shluchim and the building of 120 Mikvaos by the end of the Rebbe’s 120th year.
In addition to funding new initiatives, Merkos has worked feverishly in developing an entire framework of support, workshops, training, and other resources for existing mosdos. Seminars such as “Foundations for Shlichus” and detailed training relevant for Taharas Hamishpachah provide even those shluchim who already sport such things as an existing mikvah with a full roster of support.
And it doesn’t stop there. Many of the other hachlatos undertaken at the kinus are on the conveyor belt to the finish line. Six state-of-the-art CTeen lounges are all already in construction around the world. Sixty communities so far have been awarded a full CKids Hebrew School curriculum, along with the accompanying training and resources. An Israeli Desk working with the network of shluchim serving Israelis in the Diaspora is already hard at work.
Arguably one of the most ambitious goals, the “OneMitzvah” campaign, has also launched with much success. With a lofty target of 120 Million mitzvos for the Rebbe, this platform has brought close to 500 communities together with tangible, action-based mitzvah campaigns. All are strongly encouraged to join this tremendous effort by visiting onemitzvah.org and creating a “OneMitzvah” campaign for your community.
With all these programs already in the bank, many more are still in the works, just about ready for roll-out. For example, the 36 Sefer Torahs are in the midst of being written and a large number of grants for new libraries are soon to be announced.
“It goes without saying how monumental these global campaigns truly are, and how much they will change the face of hundreds of communities around the world,” said Rabbi Kotlarsky. “It is our fervent hope that it brings the Rebbe tremendous nachas ruach to see the bold efforts to once and for all, finally bring Moshiach now!”
Merkos acknowledges and gives a hearty blessing to the lead donors of Keren Hashluchim: The Rohr family, the Tabacinic family, the Meromim Foundation, the Yisroel Foundation, the Mashiyev Family Foundation, the Azar family, the Gniwisch family, and the shluchim who have brought their donors on board to support these initiatives.
Grant applications are still open. Anyone interested is encouraged to visit kerenhashluchim.org
For sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to [email protected]
New Shluchim Grant recipients:
Dovid Goldshmidt – Atlanta, GA
Zalman Fischer – Augusta, GA
Dovid Tiechtel – Berlin, Germany
Chaim Shkedi – Billings, MT
Avraham Naparstek – Bordeaux, France
Levi Cohen – Charlotte, SC
Nissen Pewzner – Cumberland County, PA
Berel Groner – Elk Grove, CA
Moshe Yaakov Berkowitz – Fairfax, CA
Levi Danow – Fort Wayne, Indiana
Mendy Plotkin – Fox Chapel, PA
Menachem Attal – Grenoble, France
Mendel Korf – Highland Park, CA
Dovi Levy – Hollywood, FL
Aryeh Sufrin – Ilford, England
Shneur Matusoff – Issaquah, Washington
Mendy Shishler – Johannesburg, South Africa
Levi Yudkin – Larnaca, Cyprus
Tzemach Shemtov – Livonia, Michigan
Levi Goldgrab – London, England
Shmuly Gurary – Maple Valley, WA
Tzvi Alperowitz – Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Zalman Levy – Miami Beach, FL
Mattisyohu Charytan – Mill Basin, NY
Mendy Golomb – Modesto, California
Chaim Loschak – Montecito, CA
Mendy Eisenbach – Naharia, Israel
Avraham Minsky – Newark, NJ
Shimon Bergman – Shimon Bergman
Yitzchok Kuperman – North New Zealand
Eliyahu Tenenbaum – Omaha, Nebraska
Moshe Caytak – Ottawa, Ontario
Mendy Barash – Prague, Czech Republic
Chaim Schwartz – Roswell, GA
Tzemach Feller – S Paul, Minnesota
Berel Dubinsky – Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Mendel Leibovitz – St Petersburg, FL
Levi Mintz – Tiburon, CA
Mendel Chein – Trafford, England
Mendy Weinfeld – Vienna, Austria
Shimon Partouche – Westmount, Canada
Mendel Gordon – Woodmere, NY
Mikva Grant Recipients
Rabbi Ahron and Chaya Blasberg, Noord, Aruba
Rabbi Mendy and Mushka Krasnjansky, Kihei, HI
Rabbi Ari and Mushkie Rubin, Trinity Beach (Cairns), Australia
Rabbi Mendy and Shternie Deitsch, Chandler, AZ
Rabbi Mordechai and Shoshana Morozow, Shymkent Kazakhstan
Rabbi Arie Zeev and Chaya Mushka Mendelzon, Batumi, Georgia
Rabbi Aryeh and Rosie Weinstein, Newtown, PA
Rabbi Moshe and Mushka Cohen, Huntsville, Alabama
Rabbi Asher and Dini Hecht, Mcallen, TX
Rabbi Oshy and Oshy Deren, Blouberg, South Africa
Rabbi Avraham and Channy Lapine, Columbia, MO
Rabbi Pinchus and Esther Ciment, Little Rock, Arkansas
Rabbi Avremi and Nissa Yarmush, Bellingham, WA
Rabbi Shimon and Devorah Heidingsfeld, Moorpark, CA
Rabbi Baruch and Chaya Rozmarin, St Georges, Grenada
Rabbi Shlomi and Racheli Tabib, Taipei, Taiwan
Rabbi Chaim and Nechama Dina Bar Sella, Kigali, Rwanda
Rabbi Shmuel and Chaya Berkowitz, Providenciales Turks and Caicos
Rabbi Chanan and Tuba Chernitsky, St. John’s, Newfoundland
Rabbi Shmuel and Bella Lepkicker, Kochav Hatzafon Neighborhood, Israel
Rabbi Chmouel and Shtema Lubecki, Rouen, France
Rabbi Shmuel and Chaya Mushka Greenberg, Wichita, KS
Rabbi Shneur and Chavi, Segal Baku, Azerbaijan
Rabbi Daniel and Raiszel Huebner, S Miguel De Allende, Mexico
Rabbi Dov Ber and Fraidy Orgad, Cluj Napoca – Klausenburg Romania
Rabbi Yaacov and Devora Halperin, Allentown, PA
Rabbi Eli and Sterna Chaikin, Barbados, Barbados
Rabbi Yakov and Hana Poliwoda, Boquete, Panama
Rabbi Elimelech and Goldi Perman, Pucon, Chile
Rabbi Yankel and Mushkee Raskin, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Rabbi Isroel and Hana Soriano, Concordia, Argentina
Rabbi Yehoram and Shterna Ulman, Sydney, Australia
Rabbi Kushi and Fraida Schusterman, Bel Air, MD
Rabbi Yehuda and Dvonye Korf, Los Feliz, CA
Rabbi Menachem and Adina Landa, Novato, CA
Rabbi Yekusiel and Devorah Alperowitz, Hyannis, MA
Rabbi Menachem and Dvora Levine, Weurt, Netherlands
Rabbi Yizchak and Chana Eisenbach, Paphos, Cyprus
Rabbi Mendel and Chana Zajac, Pai, Thailand
Rabbi Yonasan and Natanya Abrams, Temecula, CA
Rabbi Mendel and Esther Lifshitz, Boise, ID
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and Zehava Golda Slonim, Israel
Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman, Omaha, NE
Rabbi Yossi and Manya Lazaroff, College Station, TX
Rabbi Mendy and Chaya Singer, Bristol, United Kingdom
Rabbi Zalman and Raizy Mendelsohn, Jackson, WY
Rabbi Mendy and Devora Ita Lewis, Old Tappan, NJ
Rabbi Zvi Yaakov and Chanie Zwiebel, Blacksburg, VA
עלו והצליחו!!!