Rabbi Dovber and Fraidy Orgad, Chabad of Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaThe Rav of KlausenburgBy: Chaya ChazanIt all happened pretty quickly. We were busy working local jobs in Kfar Chabad, but we decided we wanted to do something more impactful; something more than just working 9-5 for a paycheck. We searched through shluchim websites, where we found a posting in Romania. We applied for the position. A month later, we met with Rabbi and Mrs. Deitsch, the shluchim in Bucharest. Two months after that, we were on a plane to Romania.Romania is a country steeped in Jew
Rabbi Avraham and Chanie Friedman, Chabad of Coral Springs, FLThe Power of the MeshaleachBy: Chaya ChazanAs a bochur, I had the zechus to be part of the second group of shluchim the Rebbe sent to South Africa. We spent 2 years there, assisting the head shliach, Rabbi Lipsker, and other local shluchim with their work in the community. Not only did that experience earn me life-long friends, but it also gave me the familiarity and inspiration to continue on shlichus after I got married.My brother-in-law, Rabbi Yossi Denburg, had moved to southern Florida on
Rabbi Yona and Ester Liba Brodkin, Chabad of Nof HagalilBringing Torah and Tefillin to Ukrainian and Russian RefugeesMy wife and I didn’t actually start as shluchim. My wife’s family came back to Judaism through Chabad and the Rebbe, my family started their journey back to Hashem while still in the Soviet Union. My father became a shochet and started helping families get kosher meat in addition to his work as an engineer. Eventually, in 1983, my family made aliyah, followed shortly by my wife’s family in 1996.Now we live in Nof Hagalil with our 8 c
Rabbi Mendy and Shterna Kaminker, Chabad of Hackensack, NJHackensack ICU - Inspiring Community & UnityHackensack is one of the oldest communities in Bergen County - over one hundred years old. Unfortunately, over time, many of its core members passed away or moved, and the synagogue was in imminent danger of being sold to a church. The community asked Rabbi Simon, the head shliach of Bergen County, to step in, hoping a Chabad presence could revitalize the Yiddishkeit of Hackensack. Rabbi Simon asked us if we’d be interested in moving there, and, o
Rabbi Zvi and Chayale Hershcovich, Chabad of Stavropol, Russia/Notre-Dame-de-Gr?ce, CanadaHashem Runs the WorldBy: Chaya ChazanAs a bochur and a newly married couple, I’d been to Russia and Ukraine on multiple occasions. I was a head counselor at a Ukrainian kids’ camp, and led Pesach sedarim in Russia. I felt drawn there. These simple people’s neshamos shone so brightly.It took some convincing, but my wife finally agreed to move on shlichus to Russia. We met with Rabbi Lazar, Russia’s head shliach, and, after some discussion, settled on Stavropo
Rabbi Shalom and Sara Paltiel, Chabad of Port Washington, NYOne Pen Stroke Changed My LifeBy: Chaya ChazanWhile looking into various options for shlichus, we were seriously interested in one specific place. We spent a couple of weeks there - and loved it. As per the Rebbe’s instructions, we spoke to three friends who were experienced in this topic, and they all agreed it would be a good match. We were ready to sign a contract!We wrote to the Rebbe, detailing the shlichus, and mentioned we’d asked yedidim mevinim (friends who are experts in a specific
Rabbi Sholom Ber and Devorah Leah Dubov, Chabad of Orlando, FloridaShliach Oseh ShliachBy: Chaya ChazanThe state of Florida boasts close to 300 shluchim, 12 of them in Orlando alone. We were the twelfth shluchim to the state and the first in central Florida. We were also the first couple to benefit from the Rebbe’s campaign of “Shliach oseh shliach.”We’d been approached by a Floridian shliach, who invited us to spend a day to see if Orlando would be the right fit for us. After our initial visit, we wrote to the Rebbe, asking for a bracha and appr
Rabbi Zalman and Raizy Mendelsohn, Chabad of Wyoming Cracking the Tough NutsBy: Chaya ChazanWyoming has been on Merkos bochurim’s visiting list since 1956. I was sent there myself as a bochur. Perusing notes from bochurim who’d been there before me, one comment caught my eye: Jackson Hole is a tough nut to crack. I knew right away I’d be spending lots of quality time there. I spent a week in the town, determined to “crack the nut.” I met a lot of friendly people and felt I was making real progress.The community in Casper invited me and my
Rabbi Mendel and Rochel Druk, Chabad of Cancun, MexicoTourism and TefillinCancun is known as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico. Its international airport receives upwards of 25 million visitors each year. You may be surprised to learn that Cancun only just celebrated its 50th birthday; before being founded in 1970, it was nothing more than an uninhabited little island.So, when Rabbi Kotlarsky, of Merkos, informed us that residents of Cancun had requested programming and services from Chabad, we weren’t familiar with its geographica
Rabbi Shmuli and Esther Malka Schlanger, Chabad of Bakersfield, CAThe Shlichus That Chose UsBakersfield was founded by Thomas Baker, who famously allowed anyone traveling through California to let their animals graze in his fields. Our city’s foundation is chessed and hachnosas orchim.We’d never even heard about Bakersfield until two weeks before we were asked to move here. We were driven and motivated; Tenacity got us our shlichus.That tenacity came in handy as we rushed to raise seed money to start our shlichus. It was exhausting, knocking on door
