Rabbi Mordechai and Nechama Dina Hellinger, Chabad of ChevronBayamim Haheim Bizman HazehBy: Chaya ChazanWhen I first stepped off the Chevron-bound bus as a young, inexperienced American yeshiva bochur, it felt like coming home. I spent the month of Tishrei assisting Rabbi Danny Cohen, helping all the soldiers stationed in Chevron put on tefillin, hear the shofar, and shake the lulav and esrog. The inexplicable pull I felt towards this city, so steeped in holiness and history, compelled me to return as often as I could. A few years later, when Rabbi
Rabbi Zvi and Chani Zwiebel, Chabad at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VAEach Person is a Whole WorldBy: Chaya ChazanIt’s a testament to the Rebbe’s vision of shlichus that our relative isolation is somewhat remarkable. Tucked away in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, our small, sleepy college town is two hours from the next closest shliach. In a country so heavily saturated with Chabad houses, it’s unusual to have to drive over four hours to the closest kosher store and Jewish school.Both of us were highly motivated to move on shlichus, so despite
Rabbi Yaakov and Edla Biderman, Chabad of Vienna, AustriaIt’s the Rebbe’s ShowAs newlyweds in 1980, we began our search for shlichus in Europe. We were advised to seek a rabbinical post, as we’d have more reach and influence as a rav of a city than we could as strangers. A position was open in Dusseldorf, Germany, and it sounded perfect - but when we wrote to the Rebbe about the offer, we received no answer.One day, Rabbi Gershon Mendel Garelik a”h, the shliach in Italy, entered kollel and gave me a hearty slap on the back.“I hear you’re goin
Rabbi Yair and Geulah Baitz, Chabad of Limassol, CyprusRemodeling the MediterraneanMy wife and I are both originally from Israel, and we settled there after we got married. We were both excited about going on shlichus, but we wanted a large community in which to invest all our resources and talents into developing it into something more.We were offered a position in Cyprus, and began our research. We were delighted to discover a strong, established Israeli community. This would make our transition and integration that much easier.—-----------While we l
Rabbi Nosson and Sarah Meretsky, Chabad of Penn State University, State College, PAPassing the Torch of InspirationBy: Chaya ChazanIn some ways, my unconventional childhood perfectly prepared me for shlichus. When I was a toddler, my parents traveled cross country in a school-bus-turned-motor-home, from Boston to Oregon. I grew up in a 165 acre retreat center in a forest 40 miles west of Portland. I first learned about Chanukah when I was five, and had no clue there was more to Judaism until we moved to Portland when I was 11.We moved into a large house
Rabbi Mendy and Chani Posner, Chabad of Plantation, FloridaJudaism Takes Root in PlantationBy: Chaya ChazanThe state of Florida is one of the most densely populated - shlichus-wise, at least. In our county alone, there are over 50 shluchim! When we first moved here in 1990, there were less than ten.We were a young couple with a baby when Rabbi Leiberman asked us to join his team in Inverrary, Florida. My husband, a native sabra, worked well with the Israeli community, while I helped run the Hebrew school.After a couple years, we were ready to strike out
In a world often overshadowed by tumultuous events, there emerges a glimmer of hope and inspiration in the form of a groundbreaking book called "Illuminations." This remarkable publication, set to launch this week, is the brainchild of Yosef Shidler, the Executive Director of DollarDaily, a project with a clear mission – to support and shine a spotlight on dedicated shluchim around the world, all made possible with the power of a single dollar a day."When we set out on the journey of DollarDaily, our goal was crystal clear: to support and sp
Rabbi Shmuel and Chana Tiechtel, Chabad at Arizona State University, Tempe, ArizonaThe AS Jews of ASUBy: Chaya ChazanMy maternal great-grandfather, Rabbi Yitzchak Raskin, was a shochet, mohel, and teacher in Leningrad. The KGB regarded him suspiciously, since he was known to harbor dangerous criminals, such as Reb Chonyeh Morosow, the secretary to the Rebbe Rashab, as well as other illegal activities. When they arrested him, my grandmother and her sisters clung to each other and sobbed as he was dragged out to the waiting carriage. He turned back to them
Rabbi Avi and Mushky Feldman, Chabad of IcelandThe Northernmost Chabad House in the WorldBy: Chaya ChazanAfter an amazing one and a half year shlichus opportunity in Berlin, we were back in New York, looking for the next step in our journey. We were hearing more and more about Iceland, and its need for more Yiddishkeit. Although Jews had lived there for more than 100 years, there’s never been a rabbi or any kind of Jewish organization in the country. Beginning more than 50 years ago, groups of Merkos Shluchim visited Iceland from time to time. A Tanya
Israel At War: The Rebbe's Superheros Chabad of Ashkelon: Rabbi Moishy PelesSimchas Torah started beautifully. Delicious food filled our bellies, drinks flowed freely, and our community’s voices sang proudly throughout the night. Hakafos were lively, happy, and inspirational, and we went home dreaming of another day rejoicing with the Torah and our community.We woke up Shabbos morning to thunder and fire. Explosions - close ones, too. The sirens hadn’t gone off yet, but the ground was literally shaking beneath our feet. Our very foun
