Five weeks after massive terrorist attacks rocked Israel and the Jewish people on Oct. 7, rabbis and lay leaders from around the globe are gathering in New York for the largest conference of rabbis in the world.
Representing the full spectrum of Jewish communities, some 6,500 Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries and lay leaders have arrived in the Big Apple to attend the International Conference of Chabad Emissaries (known also as the Kinus Hashluchim). They draw from sprawling cities and remote areas in all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries, from Alaska to Zambia and from New Orleans to New Zealand, and are gathering to share best practices, strategize and support each other, especially now, during this fraught time.
The program runs from Nov. 8 to Nov. 13.
At the forefront of this year’s conference—the 40th year it is being held—is the tragedy in Israel, and exploring more ways to support the people of Israel, as well as strengthen Jewish pride at home in the face of rising hate and antisemitism.
Despite the sharp recent rise in anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence, a national Chabad.org survey of rabbis released in conjunction with the conference found that a vast majority of respondents have seen an increase in attendance at Jewish programs and services, as well as a heightened sense of Jewish pride, connection to Israel, and stronger Jewish identity among community members.
The respondents noted especially dramatic growth among Jews who in the past had attended synagogue once a year, if at all, and who had generally expressed disinterest in Jewish life, who are now exhibiting a new desire to connect with their Jewish heritage and other Jews.
Though 81 percent of those polled reported elevated levels of fear among Jewish community members, the survey also found that Jewish pride and connection has risen, with 93 percent of respondents answering affirmatively when asked whether community members felt a “stronger connection to the Jewish people” in the wake of the Oct. 7th atrocities. Likewise, 88 percent said that their constituents feel a stronger connection to Israel and her people, and 85 percent reported that their communities are now experiencing a “deeper connection to their own Jewish identities.”
The Chabad rabbis surveyed reported unaffiliated Jews “coming out of the woodwork,” a phrase that was used repeatedly by respondents, which tracks with the 75 percent increase of “greater Jewish pride and confidence.”
Gathering during this unprecedented time of Jewish awakening, the rabbis are focusing on finding more and creative ways to channel this feeling among Jews around the globe into concrete action, and Jewish education and practice in particular. During past conflicts in the Land of Israel and times of danger for the Jewish people, when things seemed bleak, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, the most influential rabbi in modern history, made practical suggestions of mitzvahs to elicit G‑d’s protection.
Among them are coming together in unity for prayer, men putting on tefillin, women lighting Shabbat candles, putting a mezuzah on one’s doors, giving charity and doing acts of kindness, and studying Torah.
‘Newfound Connection to Faith and Identity’
The time-honored conference schedule will adapt this year to accommodate some 1,400 Chabad representatives in Israel, who have remained with their communities, or have been called up to the IDF in their capacity as reservists.
The Chabad-Lubavitch movement has maintained a presence in the Holy Land since 1788, when its founder Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi started the Colel Chabad charity to support Israel’s poor; with a $200 million annual budget, Colel Chabad is today Israel’s largest food-security NGO, and has only expanded its food, medicine and emergency aid distribution in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel.
From Kiryat Shmona in the north to Eilat in the south, Hebron in the east and Tel Aviv in the west, Chabad maintains a vast network of emissaries who serve as community rabbis, educators and spiritual counselors, running religious, educational, and social services organizations. In places like Sderot, which has experienced regular rocket attacks from Gaza since the early 2000s and suffered gravely on Oct. 7, Chabad serves as a beacon of aid and hope for all religious and socioeconomic segments of Israeli society.
In acknowledgement of their Israeli colleagues’ unanimous decision to remain at their posts during Israel’s time of need, the conference’s evening gala banquet has been moved back to a 1 p.m. start time, transforming it from a dinner to a lunch event. This will allow for the parallel conference taking place in Israel to join the central one in New York, connecting them if not in person, then virtually.
The banquet has been broadcast live on Chabad.org since 2004, and went all-virtual during Covid before returning to normal a year later. This is the first year, however, that the New York celebration will connect live with a concurrent event on another continent. This year’s program will feature multiple live presentations from Israel, including a prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and from Chabad rabbis currently serving on the frontlines with the IDF.
“In the face of current adversities, many Jews have discovered a newfound feeling of connection to their faith and identity,” says Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. “The shluchim [emissaries] have been tirelessly at the forefront, fortifying the spirit and resilience of their communities. This year’s Kinus comes at a critical moment in the history of our people, and we hope it serves as a source of energy, connection and vision for the future.”
On Friday, Nov. 10, the rabbis will gather at the Ohel, the Rebbe’s resting place in Queens, N.Y., to pray together on behalf of their communities and the Jewish people, imploring G‑d to bring peace for Israel and all of humanity.
A highlight of the annual Sunday gala banquet is the “roll call,” when each country and U.S. state is mentioned by name and the emissaries serving there are recognized. According to tradition, when the emissaries in the Holy Land are honored, the room breaks into joyous singing of “Utzu Etza,” a favorite song of the Rebbe’s, which weaves together verses praying for the downfall of the enemies of the Jewish people, whose plans will inevitably fail “because G‑d is with us.”
Words certain to resonate this year.
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