After we got married in 1980, we moved to Australia for a two-year kollel. We were asked to stay a third year, but because we were thinking ahead, we asked for the freedom to look for shlichus opportunities throughout that year. This way, we could seamlessly transition from our kollel year to our shlichus life.With the agreement of the rosh kollel, we went to New York for Tishrei. Not only would we spend the Yomim Noraim with the Rebbe, it would also give us the opportunity to seek out viable shlichus options. I wrote a letter to the Rebbe, detailing our
Back when my now-husband and I were still just dating, I was the first one to bring up shlichus.“Wow!” He said, “It’s exactly like the Rebbe said - the women are the initiators, leading us to the geula! Of course I want to go on shlichus.”We were both really eager to get our plans in motion. While spending a few weeks in Eretz Yisrael after our wedding, we traveled the length and breadth of the country, looking for shlichus opportunities.We were up north, in the city of Kiryat Shemoneh; the shliach, Rabbi Tzipori, offered us an opportunity to w
Rabbi Yossi and Malkie Korik, Chabad of Roseville, CAOur first experience with Roseville, California was both daunting and exhilarating. Rabbi Cohen, the shliach in nearby Sacramento, knew of two Jews living in Roseville. One of them gave us barely more than a lukewarm reception, and the other, while he was glad to meet us, told us we would be crazy to open Chabad in Roseville. But, as we drove around the city and perused the aisles of the local supermarket, we were delighted to see that there was a well-stocked kosher aisle. While most contain nothing m
Rabbi Yosef and Esther Greenberg, Chabad of AlaskaWalking to shul when it’s around twenty-five below is no joke. Neither is breaking the ice around the mikvah’s filter after trudging through three-foot-tall snowdrifts. Welcome to Anchorage, Alaska, where that is our reality for months at a time.We were zoche to see the Rebbe on a few occasions after we moved to Alaska. On one of those visits, the Rebbe wished us that “the shlichus should be with hatzlacha rabba u’muflaga” - “tremendous success.” The Rebbe’s words carried depths of brachos
Rabbi Shea and Dina Harlig, Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada gets a bad rap as one of the most degenerate and provocative cities in America. People say that Lavan’s name - lamed, beis, nun - is an acronym for Las Vegas, Nevada. We disagree. We believe that Las Vegas is actually one of the holiest and most spiritually inspiring places in the world. Millions of fervent tefillos ascend from every slot machine, poker table, and casino with which the city is so liberally scattered.Jokes aside, Las Vegas was, for so long, so deeply rooted in tumah, that, f
St Lucia has a small population of about 180,000, and only a fraction of that is Jewish. Our community is a mix of permanent and part-time residents. Counting all the full-time locals, seasonal residents, and businesspeople, there are around two hundred Jews on the island. In our four years of shlichus so far, we’ve personally met over a hundred Jews and eagerly search every new face we see for Jewish features. There’s also a large number of tourists that flood our tropical island every winter. Through them, we reach thousands across the world.Our co
Rabbi Yossi and Chana Eta Turk, Chabad of Cordoba, ArgentinaIn 1989, Rabbi Zvi Grunblatt, the head shliach of Argentina, came into kollel looking for a shliach for Cordoba. I had already been to Caracas and Uruguay as a shliach and summer camp counselor, so I was pretty fluent in Spanish. Rabbi Grunblatt told me a bit about the history of the Cordoban community.Most Argentine Jews are originally from Ukraine and Russia. In the late 1800’s, Sir Moses Montefiore and Baron Hirsch, two wealthy and international philanthropists, tried to help their Jewish b
Rabbi Mendy and Shternie Deitsch, Chandler, ArizonaRabbi Mendy and Shternie Deitsch, Chandler, ArizonaTwenty-four years ago, after the traditional year of kollel, my wife and I were eagerly looking to go out on shlichus. We met with Rabbi Levertov, the head shliach of Arizona who told us about a beautiful area outside of Phoenix called the East Valley, which consists of a few small cities. There was no Jewish infrastructure at all and very little information about how many Jews even lived there. My wife and I were thrilled! Building a community from scra
Rabbi Shlomo and Mrs. Devorah Elkin, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OhioMy wife and I knew, early on, that we wanted to be shluchim on a college campus. Rabbi Alevsky, the head shliach of Cleveland, suggested Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, just an hour outside of the city. Our research made it sound perfect for us! Oberlin College is a historic institution, founded in 1833. Famous for its progressive views and social activism, it was the first college in America to accept black and female students. Those who attend are socially conscious youths seeking mea
The Rebbe’s revolutionary Mitzvah Tanks completely changed the landscape of Manhattan, and, by extension, the world. The first mitzvah tanks were rented moving vans that spent Fridays on the streets of Manhattan, asking passersby to stop in for a quick mitzvah. Eventually, these trucks evolved into RV motor homes, so people could put on tefillin in comfort and privacy.In 1988, following the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, there was a push to have an all-day, full-time mitzvah tank driving through the streets of Manhattan. The Rebbe valued the “tan
