The wooded campus of the Suffield Yeshiva was transformed into an incubator for Jewish life across New York and New England as Shluchim from across gathered for the regional Kinus Hashluchim.
Held over Shabbos, Farbrengens stretched late into the night, forging fresh mentorships and partnerships between pioneers who moved out decades ago and the newer leaders who arrived this year.
“One of the key ingredients of Chassidishe life is the farbrengen,” said Rabbi Yosef Wolvovsky of Glastonbury, Connecticut. “Put Chassidim in one room, and powerful things happen. Half the faces were first-timers, half were familiar. The blend of experience and new energy is exactly what’s needed today and it defined the whole Shabbos,”
The Kinus opened with welcoming remarks from Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, director of the International Kinus Hashluchim. “Shluchim are the lifeline for Jewish life in the region,” said Rabbi Kotlarsky. “When Jews face unprecedented challenges, they turn to their Chabad Rabbi and Rebbetzin. This Kinus lets those leaders draw strength from one another, exactly as the Rebbe envisioned.”
Throughout Shabbos, discussions moved from formal sessions to spontaneous circles. A lively shiur by Rabbi Yitzchok Raskin sparked debate on contemporary halachic questions, while an in-depth Chassidus discussion drew a standing crowd of bochurim. Between learning blocks, senior Shluchim compared notes with those who had moved out in recent years, fine-tuning plans for new initiatives, and a vision for the future.
A highlight was when a bochur—a young Shliach—delivered a Sicha before Musaf. “Speaking in front of tens of Shluchim is nerve-racking,” Wolvovsky said. “He was passionate and authentic; it showed the next generation of Shluchim are already stepping up.”
The main farbrengen ran from Musaf straight through Havdalah, and sustained give and take.
“A Shabbos Kinus is an entirely different experience,” said Rabbi Lavy Kosofsky of Longmeadow, Massachusetts. “Focused on learning, davening, and farbrenging, it gave me time to speak with incredible Shluchim. By the time Shabbos was over, a shliach had made a ‘shidduch’ between me and another to learn daily.”
Meals doubled as workshops. Rabbi Yosef Wolvovsky emceed the seudah, where every Shliach had the opportunity to share guidance from their experiences and a snapshot of life in their communities. Throughout Shabbos, Rabbi Simon Jacobson gave shiurim, led the farbrengens, and shared his personal Yechidusin and Horaos from the Rebbe’s.
Rabbi Gershon Eichhorn welcomed the gathering at the Suffield Yeshiva, its open grounds offered an ideal backdrop. Bochurim helped with setup and logistics, while Chef Danny Arroyo’s home-style menu kept the farbrengens alive late into the night.
The visiting Shluchim enjoyed comfortable dorm rooms, a quiet campus shul, expansive green lawns allowed them ample headspace to gain strength and brainstorm for the future. Sights of bochurim gathering around Shluchim for impromptu farbrengens were seen throughout Shabbos, and a late-afternoon Seder Niggunim led by Rabbi Sholom Ber Baumgarten echoed across the grounds. Shabbos closed with a Rebbe video and a Melaveh Malka farbrengen that lingered past midnight.
The Kinus was dedicated l’ilui nishmas Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, whom the Rebbe entrusted with facilitating these regional gatherings. His signature round-table discussion, now led by his son, Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, embodied the spirit of “ish es chavero yazoru,” helping one another advance, guiding every conversation in Suffield.
By Sunday morning, fresh collaborations were already underway and plans for the months ahead were taking shape. In Rabbi Wolvovsky’s words, “Achdus is an understatement; the flavor of the whole weekend was shared mission.”
