World’s Longest Zoom Meeting of Shluchim Ran for 136 Hours

By COLlive reporter

All good things must come to an end…

A virtual farbrengen that began during the International Kinus Hashluchim and continued to become the world’s-record longest Zoom meeting running for 136 hours has ended on Thursday night.

It was originally intended to be a melave malka gathering that would begin on Motzoei Shabbos in Australia and make its way around the world as Shabbos concluded in each time zone, concluding with Hawaii and Alaska.

The virtual conference united thousands of Chabad-Lubavitch Shluchim from all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries, from as far away as Laos and Angola, Ghana and Uzbekistan.

Among the themes discussed during the call were the importance and immense potential of each individual; how best to safely serve communities during the ongoing lockdowns; as well as an exchange of ideas on how to celebrate Chanukah, Chabad.org said in a press release.

Over the week, Shluchim logged onto Zoom during any spare moment they had to hear thoughts on Torah and Chassidus and personal stories from the Rebbe and the world of Shlichus shared by Shluchim of all ages.

The record-setting virtual meeting was reported about by the JTA news agency, the Jerusalem Post and on this week’s cover of the Jewish Chronicle published in England.

“What was previously thought the longest Zoom marathon, in New Zealand, lasted less than a full day,” the Chronicle reported.

Among the final speakers on the call were Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch; Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet, Rov of the Mill Hill Synagogue in London, England; Rabbi Motty Liberow, a Shliach in Melbourne, Australia; Rabbi Asher Zeilingold, longtime Rov of Adath Israel Congregation in S. Paul, Minnesota; and Rabbi Shimon Raichik, Congregation Levi Yitzchok – Los Angeles, CA.

Joining the call was also Rabbi Yudi Dukes, Director of the Jnet organization who has been battling a severe case of Covid-19. He said that the photo of the Rebbe he hung near his hospital bed has led to inspiring conversations with many people – of all faiths.

VIDEO: Rabbi Yudi Dukes speaks

Besides being the longest Zoom call, some noted how this may have also been the longest-running Chassidic farbrengen in history.

“I can’t believe even in Russia 200 years ago they had something going on this long,” commented the veteran Shliach Rabbi Shmuel Lew, principal of London’s Lubavitch Senior Girls’ School in England.

After the call officially ended by the hosts from the Kinus Hashluchim in New York, a group of Shluchim wanted to continue the inspiration and opened a new Zoom call which quickly filled its limit of 300 participants. They got to hear from Crown Heights Rabbi Yosef Braun, Toronto Shliach Rabbi Mendel Kaplan and others late into the night.