NYC Shluchim Meet on Special Day

By COLlive reporter
Photos by Marco Dashev

An electrifying Kinus Celebration marked the 62st anniversary of the founding of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad Hamerkozis (“Tzach”) – Lubavitch Youth Organization, by the Rebbe in 1955.

The celebration at the Jewish Children’s Museum in Crown Heights was timed with Beis Iyar, the birthday of the fourth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, known by the acronym the “Rebbe Maharash.”

It was the Rebbe Maharash’s staple motto of “Lechatchilah Ariber” (“Go above from the start”) that was the theme of the festive farbrengen that united Chabad Shluchim from around the New York Metropolitan area.

A video of the Rebbe speaking about this motto was the opening salvo of the event, invigorating participants to continue their mission to rekindle the holy spark in the hearts and minds of the Jewish people.

The emcee was Rabbi Aron Ginsburg Shliach in Boro Park Brooklyn who welcomed both the Shluchim and members of the board of Lubavitch Youth Organization which oversees Chabad’s outreach activities in New York.

Rabbi Moshe Pesach Goldman, secretary of Tzach from the very beginning, recalled how the organization was founded and its first activities to awaken American Jews to Torah and Mitzvos.

Rabbi Goldman remembered the Rebbe’s Chief of Staff Rabbi Mordechai Hodakov telling him and the late Tzach Chairman Rabbi Dovid Raskin that the Rebbe initially wanted to participate in the organization’s first gathering.

“Rabbi Hadakov notified that the Rebbe’s Simchas Beis Hashoeva Farbrengen will, therefore, be considered a continuation of the first gathering and the Rebbe asked for a report from us,” he said. “I was privileged to deliver that report.”

Rabbi Goldman added that in the following years, the chairman of the annual gathering would provide a report of the event in the presence of the Rebbe during the Sukkos Farbrengen.

Rabbi Shmuel Butman, Executive Director of Tzach, highlighted the organization’s pivotal role, quoting what Rabbi Raskin, said in the name of the Rebbe that although the Rebbe spoke about the founding of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad on Shabbos Mevorchim Iyar, 24 Nissan 5715, nevertheless, the Rebbe wanted that the founding should be on Beis Iyar.

Stressing that since this is the birth day of the Rebbe Maharash, Tzeirei Agudas Chabad should be in the manner of “Tiferes Shebitferes” and “Lechatchile Ariber.”

Rabbi Butman emphasized that the Shluchim in the New York Metropolitan area have a special Z’chus of being Ligyono Shel Melech – the Shluchim in the Rebbe’s city and the Rebbe’s specific directive that being part of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad is a Tzinor, conduit, to spiritual and material Hatzlocho.

Rabbi Kasriel Kastel, program director at Tzach, spoke about the high success rate of the Shluchim with more than 65 Chabad centers offering an array of programs, classes, and activities for Jews of all backgrounds.

Rabbi Kastel stressed that in his experience one of the most successful activities of Shluchim is Mivtzoim. He suggested that Mivtzoim should be a steady part of the day of the Shliach,

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, Shliach in Clinton Hill and Pratt Institute spoke about his communal and personal experiences as a Shliach.

Two new Shluchim addressed the gathering: Rabbi Dovi Begun, a new Shliach to Baruch College, spoke of how the Rebbe guides Shluchim on a constant basis.

Rabbi Aharon Loshak, a new Shliach serving Young Jewish Professionals in Prospect Heights East stressed the great success he saw in his Shlichus.

The Guest Speaker of the grand Farbrengen and celebration was Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet, the high profile rabbi of the Mill Hill Synagogue in London and one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world.

He enthralled the participants with a uniquely personal experience and with deep thoughts of what Lechatchila Ariber means on a practical level in our daily activities. “The Rebbe gave you great powers and unlimited possibilities,” he said. “You are Shluchim in New York the largest population of Jews in the entire world.”

Rabbi Schochets’s words, with his unique form of delivery, had a deep and profound effect on the participants.

This was a great uplifting kinus of enthusiasm, unity and dedication. “This was an electrifying and warm event,” one Shliach commented. “We were uplifted by what we heard and empowered to take the Rebbe’s messages back to our Chabad centers and communities with greater enthusiasm, resolve and energy.”

The Shluchim left with a great feeling of strength and determination in their unity and commitment to the Rebbe’s Shlichus of preparing the world for the coming of Moshiach.