The 43rd International Kinus Hashluchim – the Worldwide Conference of the Emissaries of the Leader of our Generation, the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson – concluded with a festive gala banquet that gathered about 6,500 emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and their guests. The grand evening became a vivid embodiment of the unity of the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which brought together representatives of Jewish communities from all continents, including the Jewish Community of Dnipro.
The gala banquet took place on Sunday, the 28th of Cheshvan 5787, at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in the city of Edison, New Jersey. The enormous space of about 14,000 square meters, intended for holding large-scale international exhibitions and forums, was transformed for one evening into a meeting place of the great worldwide Chassidic family. Thousands of participants at festively set tables, a grand stage, huge screens, music, and a video program created a striking picture of a celebration dedicated to the great mission of the Rebbe’s emissaries.
The program of the evening combined festive addresses, prayers, memorial tributes, inspiring stories about the work of emissaries in various countries, as well as musical and video numbers. A special place was occupied by the musical performance of “Tzirei HaShluchim” – the young emissaries of the Rebbe, who together with their parents grow up and are raised in an atmosphere of shlichus, becoming aware from an early age of their involvement in the great cause of spreading the light of Torah and Chassidus. They performed in English, Hebrew, and Spanish an inspiring song that set the tone for the entire evening.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kotlarsky, one of the leaders of worldwide Chabad, head of “Merkaz 302,” and responsible for shlichus and the organization of the Kinus, addressed those present with a greeting. Speaking about the mission of the emissaries, he emphasized that shlichus is not limited to individual good deeds and events, and that its true goal is to create strong foundations of Jewish life that will serve people for many years, unite generations, and become sources of light and holiness for the surrounding world.
One of the central themes of the banquet was the 50th anniversary of one of the Rebbe’s Ten Mivtzoim – the “Mivtza Chinuch” campaign, dedicated to the development of Jewish education. A special video segment was dedicated to this significant anniversary, and the reading of Tehillim became an expression of gratitude to educators who devote their lives to raising new generations of Jews. The Psalms were recited by Rabbi Chaim Yitzchok Sanowitz of California, Menachem Levi of Nice, and Avi Shlomo of Cape Town, representing three continents united by a shared concern for the Jewish future.
Particularly profound in its content was the address of Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, who for many years was the secretary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Recalling the tragic events of 1956 in Kfar Chabad, when terrorists killed students and a teacher of a Jewish school, he spoke about the Rebbe’s instruction not to allow the tragedy to halt the development of Jewish life. The response to hatred and destruction must be new schools, new communities, new opportunities to study Torah and fulfill mitzvos. This thought, sounded seventy years later, acquired special relevance in the modern world.
One of the most touching moments of the evening was the tribute to the memory of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, an emissary of the Rebbe who was killed during a terrorist attack on a Chanukah celebration in Australia. His son Nosson Schlanger came onto the stage with his grandfather, Rabbi Yoram Ulman of Sydney. Thousands of those present rose from their seats, greeting the family of the fallen emissary. This moment became a testimony that the cause of shlichus continues even after the most severe losses, and that the worldwide family of emissaries does not abandon its brothers and their loved ones.
Another story, presented in the program under the title “The Light Was Kindled Again,” connected the tragic pages of the history of the Holocaust of European Jewry with the modern development of Chabad. Gabriel Sonnino told about the fate of his family during the Holocaust and the rescue of a Jewish girl by an Italian milkman in Nazi-occupied Rome. Today, at the site of that milkman’s shop, who snatched the child from the hands of a German soldier, operates a Chabad center headed by Rabbi Aharon Michoel Kanarutto. Where Jewish life once stood under the threat of destruction, the words of Torah are again heard, mitzvos are fulfilled, and new generations of Jews are raised.
The official guest of honor of the evening and the main speaker was the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the State of Israel to the United States of America, Dr. Yechiel Michael Leiter. His speech was filled with profound personal emotions connected with the fate of his family, the death of one son during an operation in Gaza, and the severe wounding of another son at the hands of terrorists. Addressing the thousands of emissaries, the diplomat noted that usually it is he who represents his country as an ambassador, but this evening he found himself among thousands of ambassadors – the shluchim of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, each of whom represents before the world the eternal values of the Jewish people. His words became yet another manifestation of recognition of the enormous role of the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
An extraordinarily important part of the program was the proclamation of the “Achlotot HaKinus” – the resolutions of the conference, dedicated to the blessed memory of Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Kotlarsky, the outstanding organizer of worldwide shlichus. Special attention was given to the further development of Jewish education. Among the initiatives presented were the creation of a fund to support families in need of assistance for their children’s education in Jewish schools, and a specialized center for the training and professional support of educators. Thus, the festive banquet became not only a celebration of achievements but also a starting point for new large-scale projects aimed at strengthening Jewish life around the world.
The culmination of the evening was the traditional international roll call of the emissaries – the International Roll Call, held under the motto “Uniting the World.” On the huge screens appeared the names of the countries in which Chabad centers operate, and their representatives rose from their seats to the applause of thousands of participants. When the name of Ukraine was sounded, the host addressed words of special support to the emissaries who continue their work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, and noted the special role of the united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki. It was emphasized that in Ukraine, 143 families of the Rebbe’s emissaries continue to fulfill their mission, preserving and strengthening Jewish life despite all trials.
The festive roll call grew into a grand Chassidic celebration under the motto “Simcha Poretz Geder” – “Joy Breaks Through Barriers.” To the music of Avremi G and the singing of Eli Marcus, thousands of emissaries and guests united in lively Chassidic dances. In this enormous hall, where gathered representatives of the most diverse countries, cultures, and languages, it was especially vividly felt that all of them are bound by something far greater than belonging to one organization – a shared faith, a shared responsibility, and devotion to the mission entrusted to them by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
The gala banquet of the 43rd Kinus Hashluchim became a majestic testimony to the strength and unity of worldwide Chabad, its ability to respond to the challenges of the time with new endeavors, to strengthen Jewish education, to support communities, and to carry the light of Torah to the most remote corners of the planet. Thousands of emissaries are returning to their communities with new strength and inspiration, to continue fulfilling the Rebbe’s great mission – to bring closer the revelation of the Geulah and the coming of the righteous Moshiach.
We present to our readers photographs of this grand event, gathered from various Jewish information resources and social networks.
