New Generation of Jewish Leaders Tour Chabad Headquarters

A group of graduate students in the Hornstein Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University visited Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brookyn, where they enjoyed a rare peek behind the scenes of the global organization.

The trip, part of the program’s annual three-and-a-half-day Starr Seminar, offers an intimate look into leading Jewish organizations. At end of the program, the students will graduate with a dual master’s degree in Jewish professional leadership and either non-profit management or public policy.

According to Professor Mark I. Rosen, a Hornstein faculty member and director of field experience programs who leads the seminar, the visit to Chabad Headquarters is an important part of the trip.

“You can’t be a Jewish professional today without coming in contact with Chabad,” Rosen says. “Everyone acknowledges Chabad’s success; it will be the job of the students to translate it into the work they will do with other organizations.”

The students were greeted by Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, Chairman of Machne Israel and Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, Chabad’s social services and educational divisions.

Rabbi Krinsky spoke about the inspiration driving Chabad’s network of emissaries, and of his own personal experience with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He implored the students not lose sight of their primary mission and purpose.

“In the work that you will do in the Jewish world, you may find yourself short on time.” Rabbi Krinsky said. “Never find yourself too busy to help those with whom you come in contact. Each person is vital to our mission.”

Baila Olidort, editor-in-chief of Lubavitch News Service – Lubavitch.com, spoke to the students about the global scale of Chabad, its mission and objectives. In a Powerpoint presentation highlighting the diverse and comprehensive activities that emanate from these offices, Mrs. Olidort illustrated the growth of Chabad’s human resources teams, its centers and programs serving Jewish communities in 77 countries.

While many of the students were familiar with Chabad’s activity on college campuses and in their local communities, the tour at Chabad Headquarters brought the organization’s international reach into context.

Bella Shapiro, a Hornstein fellow, credits her 2007 encounter with Chabad in Oxford as part of the impetus for her to pursue a career in Middle-East policy and Israel advocacy. To her, the chance to encounter Chabad from the “central hub, as opposed to just one spoke,” was fascinating.

“When you see how many people dedicate their lives to make it all happen, [one’s appreciation of Chabad] is completely different.” Shapiro says.

After the opening address, the students toured Chabad Headquarters, the newly opened offices of Jewish Educational Media, where they met with the division’s director, Rabbi Elkanah Shmotkin, and then with representatives of chabad.org.

Mrs. Batya Lisker from the offices of Lubavitch Headquarters, who coordinated the trip said that the chance to establish a relationship with the students was at the core of this tour.

“It’s a privilege to be of service to the students and enrich their lives,” she says. “Therein lies the real treasure, a treasure multiplied by the number of lives we touch.”

The group also toured the Jewish Children’s Museum, where they met with division heads of Chabad’s various programs and initiatives and had the opportunity to ask questions. Mrs. Shaindy Jacobson introduced the group to Chabad’s Rohr JLI program, the largest Jewish adult educational program in the world. Rabbi Rabbi Yossi Gordon, from Chabad on Campus International Foundation spoke to the about Chabad’s activities for Jewish student life on campus.

The students also met with Mrs. Devorah Halberstam, the activist whose son, Ari Halberstam, was murdered in the terror attack on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1994, and for whom the children’s museum is named.

Following dinner in the home of Rabbi Shmaya Krinsky, the students participated in an informal rap-session with, Mrs. Bronya Shaffer, a well known speaker and counselor.

“Chabad’s ability to fuse modern technology with their values is amazing,” reflected Bella Shapiro. It’s a vision she can take with her and employ in teaching Israel advocacy to students on campus.

Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz from the offices of Lubavitch Headquarters, was pleased with the response of the students. Encouraging the students to connect with Chabad at Brandeis representatives, Rabbi Peretz and Chanie Chein. By connecting with others, Berkowitz hopes to further what he sees as the goal of the tour: “to share our vision with a new generation of leaders. We want to engage passionate people in our common goals for a brighter Jewish future.”