Live Blog: Kinus Hashluchim 5773 Updates
In New York City’s largest ballroom, located inside Midtown’s Hilton Hotel, four and a half thousand people sat down to an evening of elevation, inspiration and tribute – the annual International Conference of Chabad Emissaries.
CrownHeights.info will be live blogging the event from beginning to end, with regular updates from our corespondents at the banquet. To watch a live video of the banquet, click here.
5:30
The evening began with a musical performance by world famous pianist Yaron Gershovsky and an accompanying orchestra. A medley of Chabad niggunim – some lively and some meditational – had the crowd singing and clapping along.
This was followed by a choir of a dozen talented Shluchim, who performed a moving rendition of the Nigun Shalosh Tnuos, attributed to the founders of Chasidism, and the Alter Rebbe’s Keili Atah.
5:38
A short video on the life and teachings of the Alter Rebbe is presented. The video was created in honor of the Alter Rebbe’s upcoming 200th Yahrtzeit.
Another short film is presented on the Rebbe’s Sefer Hayom Yom, in honor of the 70th anniversary since its printing in late 1942.
5:45
Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice-Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch and the evening’s emcee, welcomed all the Shluchim who arrived from all over the world, along with their many guests.
“No matter how busy we may be, we must never fail to hear the cries of a child,” declared Rabbi Kotlarsky, paraphrasing the Alter Rebbe’s words to his son, the Mitteler Rebbe. “This is the idea of Shlichus.”
Rabbi Kotlarsky blessed the Shluchim with much success over the coming year, both in the realm of their spiritual accomplishments and physical needs.
The blessing was followed by a thundering “Amein!” from the thousands of gathered Shluchim.
5:55
Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, head Shliach and chief rabbi of the Netherlands, recited the Rebbe’s Kapital Tehilim. The crowd rose, and repeated after him verse by verse.
Rabbi Yaakov Reices, Shliach and chief rabbi of Yesod Hama’alah, Israel, recited the Rebbetzin’s Kapital in a similar manner.
6:00
A video presentation on Chabad’s relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which hit the Northwestern United States late last month, was shown.
6:13
A Dvar Torah was delivered by Rabbi Eliyohu Rosenfeld, Shliach to Lisbon, Portugal.
6:25
Mr. Steven Solarsh, a prominent entrepreneur and founding member and supporter of Chabad of Strathavon, South Africa, addressed the banquet.
He spoke of his initial reluctance to associate himself with Chabad, or any Rabbi for that matter. But after receiving a blessing from the Rebbe for a child, which was promptly fulfilled, his attitude gradually changed.
“I am now a card-carrying Chabadnik,” he said; “or at least, I carry the credit card,” he joked.
6:34
Rabbi Ari Shishler, Shliach to Strathavon, South Africa, delivered the keynote address.
He spoke of a terrifying event which occurred one Shabbos twelve years ago, when a gang of robbers broke into his Shul, held a loaded gun to his chest, and robbed the congregants one by one.
He humorously articulated the life lessons he learned from that frightening incident.
A resounding round of applause followed Rabbi Shishler’s salute to the Shluchim in the regions struck by Hurricane Sandy, who set aside their own pressing needs to care for their brethren.
Rabbi Shishler told a moving story of how one day a Jew entered his Chabad House and related how two young men had approached him several years ago to put on tefilin, only to be rudely dismissed.
That brief encounter had led to much soul searching, and year after year the man took upon himself to fulfill more and more Mitzvos, until at this point he was putting on Tefilin every day, saying a few prayers, and learning Torah with commentary from a Jewish website he had discovered – Chabad.org.
“I want those young men to know that their encounter with me was not a waste of time, and their day was not a failure,” the man said.
An emotional Rabbi Shishler replied that one of those young men was none-other-than himself, and he had thought that day was a failure – until now.
“A day of Shlichus is never a waste, no matter how much it may seem so,” he declared.
7:00
A video tribute to Rabbi Shmuel (Sami) Rohr, OBM, was presented.
7:15
Rabbi Kotlarsky began the ‘Roll Call’ by saluting the Shluchim to cyberspace, followed by the countries of the world in alphabetical order – from the Shluchim to Albania to the Shluchim to Vietnam.
All along, Rabbi Kotlarsky was assisted by several young ‘Tze’irei Hashluchim,’ who saluted the Shluchim to their home countries.
7:35
The entire roomful of Rabbis and laymen rose to their feet for several minutes of joyous singing and dancing.
Watch a video of the dancing here.
7:45
Dinner is served.
A delicious entree of steak, fried chicken cutlet, sweet potato knishes and green beans, followed by a choice of chocolate, mocha or vanilla Pareve Cheesecake.
8:20
A video of the Rebbe, produced by JEM, is presented.
8:35
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a few words of congratulation to the Shluchim, via pre-recorded video.
8:45
Guest speaker of the Kinus, former Chief Rabbi of Israel Yisroel Meir Lau, took to the podium.
He spoke of his first encounter with the Rebbe in 1973, shortly after the Yom Kippur War.
9:25
The banquet concluded with the singing of the Alter Rebbe’s Niggun Daled Bovos by all those gathered.
