Rabbi Dovid and Elisa Goldstein, Chabad of West Houston and Chabad Outreach of Houston, TexasTefillin on Death RowBy: Chaya ChazanBoth of our families became frum through Chabad when we were kids, but by the time my wife and I met and got married, we were both solidly dedicated to a life on shlichus. We researched various options. When Houston came up, it seemed like the perfect placement.In the last 28 years, we’ve expanded the Living Legacy Hands-on Program, which gives children a glimpse into the world of making tefillin, Sifrei Torah, mezuzas, shof
Rabbi Dovid and Goldie Tiechtel, Chabad at the University of Illinois and Champaign, ILFrom Darkness into LightBy: Chaya ChazanI grew up in Crown Heights, where we were exposed to sichos and farbrengens from a very young age. With two parents in education, and a legacy of great-grandparents who were killed al kiddush Hashem, my path in life was clearly defined for me. Hearing these stories throughout my childhood deeply affected me, and taught me what it means to serve Hashem with sincerity.Every one of my aunts and uncles, from both sides of the family,
Rabbi Chesky and Chani Tenenbaum, JUSA-Chabad, Baltimore, MarylandThe Rabbi in UniformAfter 9/11, my uncle, Colonel Jacob Goldstein, was Chief National Guard Chaplain at Ground Zero. I went to visit him a few weeks later and saw the devastation first-hand. Smoke was still curling up from the scattered debris. At that moment, I gained immense respect for the brave men and women in uniform, and was inspired to become a chaplain.Although I have many relatives on shlichus, and my uncle is a famous chaplain, my journey to the Jewish Uniformed Service Associat
Rabbi Gadi and Avigayil Louzoun, Chabad of Foshan, ChinaMade in ChinaBy: Chaya ChazanFor us, shlichus was a way of expressing our gratitude to the Rebbe for everything his shluchim gave to us. Neither of us was born in a Chabad family, but I remember shluchim coming to my gan classroom and blowing the shofar, visiting my Tzahal army base with menorahs and donuts, and being there for us with a pair of tefillin or Shabbos candles anywhere we traveled, no matter how remote. By the time my wife and I met, we’d both been deeply impacted by Chabad and knew o
Rabbi Yossi and Malke Marrus, Chabad of Boerne, TexasShlichus in the Sun, Rain, and Freezing ColdBy: Chaya ChazanIt was a freezing day in Brooklyn in 1996, and the wind blew through the cracks of the yeshiva dining room at 1414 President Street as we huddled over hot bowls of soup. I was just envisioning myself in a nice, sunny climate, when a bochur came in and asked, “Anyone here have a decent voice and wants to help out a shliach?”I immediately jumped up. “Me! Where are we going? It’s gotta be warmer than here!”A few days later, I found myse
Rabbi Shimy and Devorah Leah Heidingsfeld, Chabad of Moorpark, CaliforniaI Can’t Believe We Live on a RanchBy: Chaya ChazanFrom the start, we were dedicated to moving on shlichus. We moved to California almost immediately after our marriage to get right in the thick of things and begin any way we could, even before we’d found our official “territory.” We knew that Moorpark, a growing city about an hour out of Los Angeles, would be a good place to open our own Chabad house. We were also familiar with the area, since Devorah Leah had worked for shl
Rabbi Eli and Dabrushy Pink, Lubavitch Centre of Leeds, EnglandA Bracha for Children in G-d’s Own CountryAs native Brits, we settled in London while searching for shlichus opportunities. As a bochur, I’d had some experience working for shluchim in Ukraine, so for a while, moving there permanently was a very viable option. For various reasons, it didn’t work out. Instead, the Shlichus Placement Bureau, a branch of the Shluchim Office, offered us a place in Leeds, UK, working with Head Shliach Rabbi Angyalfi, Rabbi Cohen, and their families. Another
Rabbi Nechemia and Baila Raizel Schusterman, Chabad of Peabody, MassachusettsDoing What Needs to be DoneBy: Chaya ChazanMy wife and I both grew up on shlichus, so opening our own Chabad house was a no-brainer. We’ll soon be celebrating our 20th anniversary in this quiet, suburban, north Massachusetts town.The Jewish communities of Massachusetts trace back to colonial times, and vestiges of vibrant Jewish life can still be seen in the form of now-defunct synagogues. There are five houses of worship in Peabody - a testament to Jewish gr
Rabbi Mendy and Devorah Lea Levy, Chabad of Buenos Aires, ArgentinaExploring for Jews in ArgentinaOur journey began with a small Chabad house and a big hope to help Argentinian Jews grow closer to Yiddishkeit. After a while, my parents opened a Jewish learning center and ran it successfully for ten years. In 2018, they opened a Chabad house as well! Today, we work under my father, Rabbi Avraham Levy, and, together with other shluchim, we work to build and enrich the Jewish community in Belgrano, a Buenos Aires neighborhood with a Jewish population of ove
Rabbi Refoel and Chani Silver, Chabad of CuraçaoThere’s No Such Thing As a Small JewBy: Chaya ChazanFor most, the term “Caribbean Island” triggers thoughts of relaxation, vacation, and lazing around on sunny, sandy beaches. For us, while Curaçao does boast some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, it also connotes home, shlichus, and a remarkable resurgence of Yiddishkeit. The island’s most popular tourist attraction is Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, built in 1732 by Sephardic Jews. In the 1920s, Ashkenazi Jews also began migrating to
