Rabbi Yossi and Ilana Bassman, Bader Hillel High, Milwaukee, WisconsinA Match Made in Heaven; A High School Made on EarthBy: Chaya ChazanImagine a school that caters to a full spectrum of students, from the country’s best Jewish day schools to students straight out of public school, providing for all a Torah-true education that rivals that of the most illustrious Jewish high schools. It sounds like a dream - and also, a logistical nightmare - but at Bader Hillel High, that’s just a normal Tuesday.I’ve always dreamed of becoming a shliach. When Rabb
Rabbi Moshe and Chana Thaler, Chabad of Berdichev, UkraineRebuilding From DestructionI’d been to Zhitomir on Merkos Shlichus - a program where bochurim are sent to help shluchim during the summer months. I also worked under Rabbi Plotkin in Berdichev for half a year or so. After we got married, a shlichus opportunity in Ukraine came up, and we were happy to take it.In many ways, the Berdichev of today is very like the Berdichev of the shtetl. The city has always been a bastion of Chassidus, and was the hometown of such renowned tzaddikim as Reb Levi Yi
Rabbi Tuvia and Chaya Teldon, Lubavitch of Long Island, New YorkIn For the Long HaulBy: Chaya ChazanNeither of us grew up in a religious home, but we were both fired up to join the Rebbe’s shlichus brigade! I was plucked from Kansas and brought to the newly formed Yeshivas Tiferes Bachurim in Morristown in 1972. My wife, Chaya, who grew up in Detroit, attended Beis Rivka in the 60’s before Machon Chana existed, and we both received a strong education. We knew we wanted to join the Rebbe’s army.—-----------On Yud Shevat, 1977, one day before our w
Rabbi Yitzchok and Nechama Dina Minkowicz, Chabad Lubavitch of Southwest Florida“Chabad Shows Up!”By: Chaya ChazanWe both knew we wanted to go on shlichus. We were offered many positions in many cities, but we wanted to pioneer and open a Chabad house in unchartered territory. We asked Rabbi Korf, the head shliach of Florida, if there was anywhere in Florida without shluchim in the area. After considering, he remembered a doctor in Southwest Florida who’d once requested a resident rabbi.We went to meet the doctor, and explored the area. Fort Myers
Rabbi Shmuel and Batya Vishedsky, Chabad of Kobe, JapanA Life Saving DeliveryThere is nothing scarier than the unknown, and there were a lot of unknowns when we first started looking for shlichus. We knew there was a small, negligible almost, Jewish population, and Japan was an extremely expensive country to live in. Baruch Hashem, we were convinced to try it out. We came for Purim, and hosted a small party. There was a small Orthodox community, and many more interested Jews than we thought. The community asked me to stay as their salaried rav, and agree
Rabbi Yosef and Rivka Gruzman, Chabad of Aachen, GermanyThe Gimmel Tammuz I Didn’t Spend in New YorkBy: Chaya ChazanMy parents moved to Vienna, Austria on shlichus just a few months before I was born, so I am a shliach from birth! Vienna has a small, but strong, Jewish community, whose roots can be traced back hundreds of years. Aachen, Germany is a little different. It is a barren wasteland, Yiddishkeit-wise, so we found ourselves building from scratch when we first moved.We spent a couple of years in Dusseldorf, Germany, assisting the Barkahns with t
Rabbi Dovid and Elisa Goldstein, Chabad of West Houston and Chabad Outreach of Houston, TexasTefillin on Death RowBy: Chaya ChazanBoth of our families became frum through Chabad when we were kids, but by the time my wife and I met and got married, we were both solidly dedicated to a life on shlichus. We researched various options. When Houston came up, it seemed like the perfect placement.In the last 28 years, we’ve expanded the Living Legacy Hands-on Program, which gives children a glimpse into the world of making tefillin, Sifrei Torah, mezuzas, shof
Rabbi Dovid and Goldie Tiechtel, Chabad at the University of Illinois and Champaign, ILFrom Darkness into LightBy: Chaya ChazanI grew up in Crown Heights, where we were exposed to sichos and farbrengens from a very young age. With two parents in education, and a legacy of great-grandparents who were killed al kiddush Hashem, my path in life was clearly defined for me. Hearing these stories throughout my childhood deeply affected me, and taught me what it means to serve Hashem with sincerity.Every one of my aunts and uncles, from both sides of the family,
Rabbi Chesky and Chani Tenenbaum, JUSA-Chabad, Baltimore, MarylandThe Rabbi in UniformAfter 9/11, my uncle, Colonel Jacob Goldstein, was Chief National Guard Chaplain at Ground Zero. I went to visit him a few weeks later and saw the devastation first-hand. Smoke was still curling up from the scattered debris. At that moment, I gained immense respect for the brave men and women in uniform, and was inspired to become a chaplain.Although I have many relatives on shlichus, and my uncle is a famous chaplain, my journey to the Jewish Uniformed Service Associat
Rabbi Gadi and Avigayil Louzoun, Chabad of Foshan, ChinaMade in ChinaBy: Chaya ChazanFor us, shlichus was a way of expressing our gratitude to the Rebbe for everything his shluchim gave to us. Neither of us was born in a Chabad family, but I remember shluchim coming to my gan classroom and blowing the shofar, visiting my Tzahal army base with menorahs and donuts, and being there for us with a pair of tefillin or Shabbos candles anywhere we traveled, no matter how remote. By the time my wife and I met, we’d both been deeply impacted by Chabad and knew o
