Going into this year's International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries, everyone knew it was going to be an emotion-laden weekend. War has been raging in and around the Holy Land for more than 400 days, many hostages are not home, and antisemitism has reared its ugly head from Amsterdam to Montreal.
Then, just days before the conference was set to open, we received the devastating news that Chabad emissary Rabbi Zvi Kogan of the UAE had been abducted in Dubai and brutally murdered by terrorists.
This was also the first conference since the untimely passing of Rabbi Moshe Kotkarsky, the vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, a powerful and unmissable presence at the yearly gathering. Going into the conference, it was clear that Rabbi Kotlarsky’s larger-than-life personality was going to be sorely missed.
As you can imagine, the conference was emotional, and there were plenty of tears. But the tears mingled with laughter, and there were so many high moments as well, when the incredible spiritual strength of Chabad—inspired and guided by the Rebbe—came to the fore. Here are five such moments:
Comforting the Family of Rabbi Zvi Kogan
At no point could anyone present forget the gaping hole that had been torn in the fabric of Jewish life in the UAE, where Rabbi Kogan and his fellow Chabad emissaries have built a robust Jewish infrastructure. We are all one giant family, who feel each other’s pain and celebrate each other’s joys. In that spirit, the entire conference—6,500 strong—stood together and shared words of comfort via lifestream with the Kogan family who are sitting shiva in Israel.
The Beautiful Silent World of a Deaf Chabad Rabbi
In a world where communication takes place orally, Deaf people have often been left on the margins, where they have built a rich world of their own. Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff, who is Deaf, has brought a host of programming, learning, and mitzvah observance to that world—his world—with the organization he founded in Israel, Chabad for the Deaf Community. Much of this presentation is visual with no audio words, exactly as one would expect, and it is so uplifting and raw all at once:
We Can All Save Lives
Dr. Brian Levin shared the profound influence that Chabad.org and his Chabad rabbi had on his life, leading him to begin down a path reconnecting him with his own Jewish self. Before long, he was wearing a kippah in his Baltimore-area office and helping Jewish patients do mitzvahs of their own. Then, his presentation took an unexpected turn, when he shared how he empowered his own brother to save a life in a most unexpected way:
Honoring Rabbi Kotlarsky
For nearly four decades, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky was personally invested in every element of the conference. From planning the program to making time to greet thousands of emissaries and supporters in person, to chairing the event with his trademark ebullience, it was hard to separate the man from the event. This was the first year that he was not present, but his presence was felt throughout.
What did you find most inspirational? Please share with us in the comments section below.
