The 43rd International Kinus HaShluchim – the Worldwide Conference of Emissaries of the Leader of our Generation, the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson – took place in New York, bringing together representatives of 111 countries and over 6,000 Jewish communities from all continents. Representatives of the Jewish Community of Dnipro also took part in this grand event, which has become a symbol of the worldwide unity of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
Kinus HaShluchim is far more than an annual meeting of thousands of rabbis and leaders of Jewish communities. It is a unique opportunity for the Rebbe’s emissaries, who throughout the year work in the most diverse corners of the planet, to gather together, share experience, discuss achievements and difficulties, and gain new knowledge and inspiration to continue their great mission – to spread the light of Torah and Chassidus, strengthen Jewish life, and help every Jew reveal their connection with the Almighty.
The venue for the Kinus was traditionally Brooklyn, New York, where numerous working meetings, seminars, thematic sessions, and professional discussions took place. The emissaries exchanged practical experience in developing Jewish communities, organizing educational and social programs, working with youth and families, and strengthening Jewish identity. Special attention was given to questions of the security of Jewish institutions, countering antisemitism, and preserving the openness of Jewish communal life even under the most difficult circumstances.
One of the important events of the working program was the general gathering of thousands of emissaries at the Major R. Owens Community Center in Brooklyn. In an atmosphere of candid conversation, the participants discussed the real challenges of contemporary shlichus, responsibility before their communities, and the necessity of finding the strength to continue the work even when the familiar circumstances change literally overnight.
A special place in the program was occupied by the Melaveh Malkah gathering, held under the motto “One Family – One Shlichus.” Its main theme was the brotherhood of the emissaries, united not only by a shared mission but also by mutual responsibility. Using concrete examples, the participants told how shluchim from different countries help one another build new Chabad centers, carry out large-scale projects, and support families and communities that have found themselves in difficult circumstances. For every emissary, even while working thousands of kilometers from other Jewish centers, knows that behind them stands an enormous worldwide family ready to come to their aid.
One of the most important spiritual events of the Kinus was the traditional visit to the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Thousands of emissaries arrived at the place of his resting to turn in prayer to the Almighty, to ask for blessing for their families and communities, and for new strength and brachos in fulfilling the mission entrusted to them. Of special significance was the reading of a collective PAN – a written appeal in which requests for blessing for the entire worldwide shlichus and the Jewish people are expressed. Hundreds of emissaries also spent Shabbos near the Ohel, filled with prayers, the study of Torah, and Chassidic farbrengens.
For the Jewish Community of Dnipro and all its members, Rabbi Moishe Leib Weber prayed at the Ohel of the Rebbe, turning to the Almighty with a request for blessing, well-being, and success for the community in all its good endeavors. For Chabad chassidim, visiting the Ohel is not merely a tribute to tradition but a deeply personal and spiritually significant moment, an opportunity to strengthen their connection with the Rebbe and once again become aware of the responsibility for fulfilling his instructions.
Another grand and truly historic moment of the Kinus was the traditional group photograph of the emissaries in front of the famous 770 Eastern Parkway building – the worldwide center of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Thousands of shluchim, representing 111 countries and over 6,000 communities, gathered together to create a photograph that each year becomes one of the most recognizable symbols of the worldwide shlichus. Behind every face in this photograph stands one’s own community, one’s own students, families, numerous projects, and years of selfless work, and all together are united by one great mission entrusted by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
The scale of the Kinus reflects the continuous development of the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which continues to expand its presence and create new centers of Jewish life. In Israel alone, over the past year, 68 new families of emissaries joined the activity of the movement, and 40 new Chabad branches opened. Behind these figures lie new opportunities for the study of Torah, the fulfillment of mitzvos, Jewish education, mutual assistance, and the strengthening of communities.
The 43rd Kinus HaShluchim once again demonstrated the amazing power of the worldwide unity of the Rebbe’s emissaries, who, being on different continents, act as one great family united by a shared goal. Returning to their communities with new knowledge, ideas, and spiritual strength, they continue the work to which they have devoted their lives – to carry the light of Judaism to every Jew, bringing closer the realization of the main goal of shlichus, the revelation of the Geulah and the coming of the righteous Moshiach.
