Rabbi Yisroel and Leah Engel, Beis Menachem, Denver, COJust One Candle, Just One ShabbosBy: Chaya ChazanMy wife and I both knew we wanted to dedicate our lives to shlichus. When we got married in 1981, we were perfectly poised to fulfill our dream. Many states and countries already had established shluchim, but with the Rebbe’s recent push to grow his army of shluchim exponentially, it felt like the sky was the limit. We could strike out on our own in unchartered territory and open the first Chabad house in miles! Or we could join another shliach and h
Rabbi Amos and Hadasa Azizoff, Chabad of Mishkafayim, IsraelThe Long Short JourneyBy: Chaya ChazanI grew up in Borehamwood, England, in a traditional Jewish family that observed the basics of Shabbos and kashrus. My grandfather, a devout Jew, played a pivotal role in my early religious upbringing, introducing me to the Chabad community. Even as a young boy, I was well aware of who the Rebbe was and familiar with Chabad terminology. For my bar mitzvah, I asked for and received a set of Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin, which I proudly carried in a velvet b
Rabbi Yitzchok Meyer and Leah Mindle Lipszyc, Gam Zu ChabadThe Staff of Camp Gan Yisroel By: Chaya ChazanI’ve had many shlichus adventures – however, my very first shlichus was when I was newly 16, in 1963. Camp was about to begin, and I was excited to join my friends for a summer of fun and learning. It was just a couple of days before our departure date, when Rabbi Avremel Korf, then the only shliach in Florida, ran into 770, a look of desperation on his face. I was sitting with a few friends in the back of the shul, and Rabbi Korf heade
Rabbi Anchelle and Bluma Perl, Chabad of Mineola, Mineola, NYA Promise Fulfilled at LastBy: Chaya ChazanIn 1941, the Frierdiker Rebbe began the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education’s flagship program, Released Time. The Wednesday afternoon program took advantage of the last hour of the school day to teach Jewish kids in public schools about Judaism. The program was wildly successful in Brooklyn, and Rabbi Hecht, the organizer, was soon ready to introduce it to schools in other parts of the state.I’d only recently returned from y
Rabbi Sholom Ber and Nechama Dina Krinsky, Chabad of Lithuania, Vilna, LithuaniaThe Chassidishe LitvakBy: Chaya ChazanVilna is almost a magical word that conjures up visions of convivial bearded men arguing over a blatt Gemara as they rush to Shacharis, the sounds of Torah learning wafting through almost every window they pass. Unfortunately, the “Jerusalem of Lithuania” has lost much of its luster since those glorious, bygone days. The Nazis ym”s ravaged Vilna’s vibrant community, and the Soviets trampled whatever was left.In the early 90’s, a
Rabbi Alex and Chana Colin, YJP of Chabad of Towson, MarylandAn Open Heart for the Open-MindedBy: Chaya ChazanOnce upon a time, two shluchim were sent to Milan, Italy. Both families had daughters named Chana, who remained close friends their entire lives, even after moving on shlichus of their own. Both Chanas had daughters who also went on to set up Chabad houses of their own, both, incidentally, on college campuses. The Goldsteins began Chabad at Drexel University in Philadelphia, while the Rivkins started Chabad at Towson University and Goucher
Rabbi Shneur and Tova Kenig, Chabad of Ofakim, IsraelSoup for the SoulI was raised in Kfar Chabad, and it was the farbrengens in 770 that made me want to be a shliach. I was just a bochur, so I didn’t know exactly where or how; I just knew I wanted to go on shlichus.In this way, like every other, my wife is the perfect match for me. She grew up on shlichus in Ofakim, where her parents, Rabbi Yisrael and Sara Hershkowitz, run the main Chabad House. She wanted to join them and become part of their team. Although I wasn’t sure if Ofakim was in the north
Rabbi Dovid and Chanie Greene, Chabad of Rochester, MNThe Lost and Found NeshamaBy: Chaya ChazanI’m a born-and-raised Minnesotan. When Rabbi Moshe and Mindy Feller AH first moved to the twin cities in 1962, my parents became very close with them and learned about Chabad and the Rebbe through them.Rabbi Feller’s remarkable charisma and sincerity impacted me, even as a child. I attended the Torah Umesorah day school in Minneapolis, and I vividly remember Rabbi Feller addressing the student body every Friday before dismissal. I can hear his distinct voi
Rabbi Dov and Chani Bialo, Chabad at Reed College, Portland, ORThe MitzvahThon That Changed EverythingBy: Chaya ChazanThe taste I got of shlichus in my bochurhood only whet my appetite for more. After a personal turning point while on bachur shlichus, I then decided to include shlichus in my future. However, in my imagination, college didn’t figure in at all. But when the opportunity for a community/campus shlichus in Southeast Portland came up, my mashpia advised me to at least check it out. So we boarded a plane and flew across the country.We w
Rabbi Berel and Chana Dubinsky, Chabad of S. Teresa, Costa RicaFrom Paradise to PurposeBy: Chaya ChazanAs a bochur, I’d helped shluchim all over Asia, so moving somewhere exotic didn’t seem too crazy to me. When I asked my now-wife whether she’d be willing to go on shlichus to Vietnam, which I’d recently heard had an opening, she was open to it! In the first couple of years of our marriage, we looked into some interesting options. We even had tickets for an initial visit to a city in Africa in early 2020. Once Covid hit, our tickets were canceled
