Almost 5,000 Chabad rabbis gather in New York for international conference
Around 4,700 Chabad-Lubavitch leaders who work in communities around the world came together in the US
Some 4,700 Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis who work in communities around the world gathered in New York for the annual international conference of shluchim, or outreach emissaries.
The conference, which ended Sunday with a gala banquet attended by 5,600, is the movement’s 35th and was held just days after the shooting attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 worshippers dead. The conference also marked the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, which killed emissaries Rabbi Gavriel and Rivky Holtzberg and four others at the Chabad centre in Mumbai.
During the conference, Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, executive director of Chabad of Greater Pittsburgh, led a study of Mishnah in memory of those murdered in Pittsburgh.
The highlight of the dinner is the roll call of all the places emissaries are located, including more than 100 countries. Some emissaries joined the proceedings via a live webcast.
During the week, the emissaries made a group pilgrimage to the grave of the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson, where they waited in line for hours to pray and leave notes asking for blessings.
As the number of emissaries and supporters has grown, the movement has struggled to find sufficient space for its annual conference. This year’s venue was a massive re purposed gym at Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y. A staff of 484 spent 10,670 hours setting up the hall and serving its 528 tables, according to Chabad.org.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
