New York, NY – Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, director of the Lubavitch Center of Essex County in West Orange, N.J., had been looking forward to the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries that began Wednesday in Brooklyn, N.Y., with intense anticipation. Focused all last week on relief efforts and community rebuilding following Hurricane Sandy, he needed the several days of workshops, classes and lectures more than ever.
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“I need to recharge my batteries at some point,” said Kasowitz, one of thousands of emissaries who came to New York from points all across the globe. “It’s something I look forward to all year, something that gives me a spiritual boost and a lot of energy.”
Though Sunday’s gala banquet was switched at the last minute from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to the New York Hilton in nearby Manhattan because of the hurricane, organizers reported that the program of both the banquet and the larger conference have remained largely the same.
“We expect a very moving program,” said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, chairman of the conference and vice-chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch.
Rabbis and lay leaders have traveled from near and far to attend, with some delayed due to the snowstorm.
Coming in from Cincinnati, Ohio, Chabad Jewish Center of Blue Ash youth and family program director Rabbi Berel Cohen’s flight got diverted to Albany en route to New York City. He came with a box of some 250 pairs of socks collected from his community during a sock drive that he delivered to hurricane victims on Friday. When he checked in for the flight, they didn’t even charge him for its contents.
“It’s all kinds of socks – men’s, ladies, kids’ socks, all sizes,” he said.
Rabbi Levi Brashevitzky of Chabad-Lubavitch of Tidewater in Norfolk, Va., also came to help. Arriving late Tuesday night by car, he carted in four non-electric heaters and two large tanks of propane, along with eight one-pound cylinders for smaller heaters to help the Chabad House in Brighton Beach get its school back up and running. He also filled five gallon fuel tanks and brought gas to help volunteers get to where they need to be.
“Coming from an area which sometimes does get affected by hurricanes, I understand what it can do,” he said. “I’m grateful on behalf of myself and my community that we survived well and that we were able to provide.”
As for what he’d like to share with the people back in Norfolk, he says he’s looking forward to taking in some workshops before heading back for a circumcision ceremony taking part in his community this weekend.
“I hope to bring them a more focused and structured and empowering leader that can help them grow in their Judaism and their connection with themselves,” he said.
Stuck in Albany while he waited for updates on his flight, Cohen emailed the network of fellow Chabad rabbis online to find out the local rabbi’s cell number.
“He reached out within two minutes and offered to come get me to let me stay at his house,” he said. “It’s an amazing feeling that anywhere you may be, you know you have a fellow emissary, a colleague and a family member you can call upon in need.”
Photos from the Kinus HaShluchim this morning. Photo Credit: Baruch Ezagui
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Thanx chabad for your oputstanding work.
We need more shluchim in new square and KJ
sandy shmandy, The show must go on.
Chazak – ysher koach to chabad and much hatzlacha in their holy work.
mimenu yiruh vchein yaasu…
Kol hakavod CHABAD!
WOW! Ka”h. The Rebbe must be shepping such nachas.
Looks great.
These men are a benefit to all Jews everywhere! Kol ha kavod!!!
There is no doubt that most of those pictured believe that the Rebbe o.b.m. is going to reappear as the Moshiach, or at least they are protective of Lubavitchers who believe that. Everyone should be aware that the building behind them, formerly a place of holiness, has been filled with idolatrous signs and practices for more than 18 years now, and all of these thousands of “Shluchim” have done absolutely nothing to correct the situation. Draw your own conclusions as to whether they are doing a service or a grave disservice to the Rebbe zt”l and to Klal Yisroel, and whether they should be given praise or the opposite of praise.
Why are they allowed to use cell phones and we are not?
I think I know the guy in the black hat.
The Chabad shluchim make a kiddush Hashem every day. We should never take them for granted. Yasher koach Chabad!
#8 Leave politics out of it and you 217;ll realize they do more kiruv than any organization in the country. The Rebbee would be very proud.
Picking up sticks of liberty is not as assured with a group that fantasizes about its own size and wealth and conduciveness. I am glad I am no longer participating with the ChaBaD.
wow thank you for all your hard work!!
To answer ur question why is it not the baal shem tov or baalhatanya etc..
As great as they were they did not have thousands of shluchim throughout the world bringing jews closer to yiddishkeit.. Actually i doubt there ever was in the history someone that had established thousands ofmosdos shuls mikvehs preschools etc.. Throughout the world.. and provide yiddishkeit, shiurim, minyanim, chesed on a daily basis..Which the rambam says on moshiach he will bring the yidden closer to their father in heaven..
And yes while there is amazing rebbes and roshei yeshivas they usually cater to their individual communities or maybe to some few others but no one has established thousands of mosdos throughout the world caring spiritually for all these jews daily..
This discussion is silly. Who cares who he is, let him come
Yes they may have been greater.. but they did not reach out to tens and hundreds of thousands of jews on a daily basis thru thousands of their shluchim.. Bringing them closer to Hashem which the Rambam says is a clear criteria of who is moshiach..
And btw i am a former litvak learned in litvishe yeshivas hiwever i realized the greatness and truth of the Rebbe..
And i dont consider myself fringe in believing the Rebbe as moshiach it is a simple logical conclusion.. And if u believe ur Rebbe to be moshiach i honor and respect ur opinion..
to # 32 moshe F [ fread ] get a life … you are a bal macloikess
there are over 4k shulicem in the world ,,,,,,,,and there is room for more
btw meny kolles go out to citys were chabad paved the road for yideshkite
I uploaded this comment before, yet for some reason it was not posted. VIN – please post:
The above comments by Lubavitcher messianists illustrate my previous point. Klal Yisroel should not forget what they are dealing with. Pretending the problem does not exist or is only minimal cannot improve the situation. Glorifying Lubavitch, while not simultaneously mentioning the problems, only confuses things and encourages them in their folly.
what a shame 230;.first the wonderful praise from wonderful yidden  211; recognizing the mesiras nefesh of the shluchim and then BOOM
one sad Yid (comment #8 ) sets off a firestorm!
why even respond? I cannot understand why negativity has such a koach and has the ability to sideswipe the good that was springing forth from this lovely article.
It would be great if we can all simply learn to ignore the negative comments and concentrate on the positive  211; then of course we will ALL be zoyche to the geula shlaima with the coming of Moshiach  211; we won 217;t have to argue about who Moshiach is cause he will finally be here settling the whole machloykes.
BTW I am a Chabadnik and I could care less who Moshiach is
zal er shoin kumen!!!!!!!!!
They are not “Chabad Shluchim” they are the Rebbe’s Shluchim. They were sent by the Rebbe not by some mythical “Chabad” entity.