Thanks to the support and care of the Dnipro Jewish Community, participants of the “Shurah Rishonah” (“Avant-garde”) project for senior students of Machon “Chaya-Mushka,” the leading educational institution of the Dnipro Jewish Community for girls, were able to visit the ohel in the city of Hadiach on the day of the 213th anniversary of the passing of the founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, the First Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, also known as the Alter Rebbe.
The packed program for the day began already on the bus journey to Poltava Oblast. After prayers, the teachers and leaders of the “Shurah Rishonah” project, Chana and Esti Stambler and Zivi Smilyanska, began speaking about the significance of the figure of the Alter Rebbe, his seminal work the “Tanya,” his life path, and his final days on earth. They explained why and how he was buried in the city of Hadiach and what Admor Hazaken means for the Jewish people.
Upon arrival, the girls met with Mrs. Efrat Djuro, the director of a school for special needs children from Israel. She spoke about how the book “Tanya” changed her approach to different groups of people, how it helps to involve everyone in Jewish life, overcome personal limitations, and why the in-depth study of the “Tanya” is the foundation of true inclusion, empathy, and genuine Jewish achdus (unity).
Then, together with Mrs. Efrat Djuro, the program participants descended the snowy slope by the famous Psel River to the ohel building, wrote PAN (Pidyon Nefesh) notes, gave tzedakah, and took part in a sincere and deeply emotional prayer at the gravesite of the great tzaddik, turning to him with their personal requests and opening the depths of their hearts.
After praying at the ohel, the girls were treated to a delicious and generous meal in the format of a farbrengen at the pilgrimage center, which warmly hosted many Jews who had come to Hadiach on this important day, including the women’s and men’s delegations from the Dnipro Jewish Community.
The farbrengen for the participants of the “Shurah Rishonah” project was inspiredly led by Rebbetzin Dina Erentroy, the wife of the Chief Rabbi of Zaporizhzhia, Rabbi Nachum Erentroy. She not only shared her personal stories connected to Admor Hazaken but also brought her father, the esteemed Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Minsky from Israel, into the conversation via video call.
The farbrengen concluded with the communal singing of niggunim, which uplifted every soul, and the acceptance of a good resolution in honor of this special day.
On the return journey, the girls animatedly discussed the trip, listened to stories from their mentors, and sang niggunim once more, as they felt a great spiritual uplift and sincere joy from visiting the ohel and strengthening their personal connection to the great soul of Admor Hazaken.
“This trip was extremely important for each of our students, and they sincerely thank the Dnipro Jewish Community for how well everything was organized with such love and care for each of them,” says the director of Machon “Chaya-Mushka,” Rachel Milman. “The ‘Shurah Rishonah’ project is a very important element in the education of Jewish girls, helping them realize their purpose in this world and strengthen themselves in the mission of spreading the light of Torah and Chassidus. This is the task set before us, which we can fulfill thanks to the care and support of our dear Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
