By Yonit Tanenbaum
It was Shabbos morning and the Torah was being read. One by one, men were being called up to the Torah. Hearing the Hebrew names being called out as each man was invited to the bimah, Allison and Maya wondered about their own names. Did they have Hebrew names? After thinking for a while, they realized that they did not.
That day, the two students from Philadelphia were named before the Torah. Allison chose the name Sarah because she wanted to emulate the matriarch and Maya chose the name Michal, like that of her Chabad Shlucha.
The “Russian Shabbaton,” organized by Chamah and Lubavitch Youth Organization, had a lasting impression on both women who went on to find their year most spiritually fulfilling.
For some, it’s a Jewish name. For others, it’s a spouse.
Alex, a baal teshuva from New Jersey, walked into the hotel for the Shabbaton last year and immediately caught the eye of Marina, a Jewish woman from Staten Island who had become observant a few years prior while learning with her Shliach.
It didn’t take long for the two Russian Jews to realize that they were meant for each other and they were soon wed, as reported on COLlive.com.
MAGAZINE’S FAR REACH
Amazing things happen when you open yourself to opportunity. This is precisely what Chamah is all about.
Since its founding as an underground organization in Russia 50 years ago, and with its activities spiritually and financially supported by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Chamah has been offering opportunity to Russian Jews in the way of social and educational events, as well as humanitarian aid to those who are less fortunate.
One of the many projects of Chamah is the Jewish Russian magazine Alef which is distributed internationally to Russian speaking Jews. One such a subscriber, Alex, residing in Honolulu, Hawaii, had been reading Alef for a few years.
The magazine had been Alex’s only connection to other Russian Jews for so long. When he read about the “Russian Shabbaton,” he longed to participate in a weekend with other Russian Jews. He immediately booked a $1,300 ticket to New York City and knew that the experience would be well worth the cost.
The Shabbaton organizers report that parents who had previously resisted sending their children to Jewish day schools, after experiencing the Shabbaton with its dynamic children’s program, made the leap to send their children to Jewish schools.
Many men began putting on tefillin for the first time in their lives and many families accepted upon themselves to begin observing the mitzvah of taharas mishpacha after attending the Shabbos retreat.
WHO’S COMING
Hailing from Toronto to California, and from New York to Honolulu, about 700 adults, students, and children will gather once again for the third annual Russian Shabbaton next month. The retreat in will take place over Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 17-19, at the beautiful Stamford Plaza Hotel in Connecticut.
The past two Shabbatons are still raved about. People are returning for their second or third time. This is an unmatched opportunity for Shluchim and, in truth, all members of our community, to reach out to anyone who can benefit from a weekend filled with the most sought-after speakers and entertainment that offer encouragement for living a life of Torah.
The Shabbaton features the most highly-acclaimed lecturers and personalities in the Jewish world today, including Rabbi Chaim Miller, author and lecturer on spirituality and kabbalah; Esther Segal, Russian-Israeli TV host and author of books on reincarnation and kabbalah; Dr. Gill Heart, former undercover IDF Special Forces operative, author of Mind in Control and lecturer on stress management; Mordechai Zigelbaum, cantor and family therapist; Zlata Razdolina, internationally acclaimed Israeli composer and singer with the participation of Chedva Federman; and Pinchus Bobrovsky, multi-talented Klezmer singer together with the Rambam orchestra.
Chamah and Lubavitch Youth Organization especially encourage young professionals and young families to attend. These two organizations have subsidized the weekend rates; it would be wise to jump on board right away to take advantage of the “early bird” discount that ends tomorrow.
Join hundreds of Jews for “A Weekend to Remember.” Know someone who might enjoy such a unique experience? More information can be found on www.Chamah.org or by calling the Chamah offices at 212-943-9690.
For posting such beutifull and positive stories!
It was an amazing and unforgettable experience! First of all, when you see hundreds of Russian Woman light the Shabbos candles together, and some of them even have tears in their eyes. There is a warm feeling you get in your heart. Kol Hakavod to the Rabbis who put this Shabbaton together, I have never experienced such an amazing weekend full of amazing lectures. Some of these lectures from Rabbi Eli Kogan, Rabbi Dovid Okonov, Rabbi Boruch Lepkivker, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Levin, Rabbi Dovid Karpov from Moscow, and others really gave me, and many other bal tshuvas the chance to… Read more »
This is AMAZING! Thank you Chabad!
I am calling to register!
Great, amaizing !!!! Shabbaton for Russian community.
Rabbi laskin u r the best
u never cease to amaze me 🙂