Saluting the Rohr Family

On the morning following the Shluchim banquet a special ceremony took place to express appreciation and gratitude to the philanthropy of the Rohr family and their magnanimous support of the shluchim worldwide.

On the morning following the Shluchim banquet a special ceremony took place to express appreciation and gratitude to the philanthropy of the Rohr family and their magnanimous support of the shluchim worldwide. It was a birthday party in honor of Reb Shmuel Rohr’s 80th birthday.

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Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky opened the event by emphasizing the gratitude and appreciation of the Chabad shluchim towards this wonderful family. “We are throwing this event so that future generations will know of the magnanimity of the Rohr family.

Rabbi Binyamin Rosenfeld, the shaliach in Bogota, Colombia, opened with a Dvar Torah and Birchas Kohanim. He reiterated a comment made by Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Barditchever on the verse ”And G-d blessed Abraham with everything. The Barditchever says that a Tzadik never asks anything for himself so if G-d wants to bless him he blesses the whole world and then the Tzaddik is automatically included in the blessing. Reb Shmuel always acts on behalf of the entire world so G-d will certainly give him back double.“

Then a video clip was screened showing of the special Merkos Leinyonei Chinuch project sponsored by the Rohr family: the Jewish Learning Institute and more.

Singer Avraham Fried performed and then Rabbi Kotlarsky invited Reb Lev Leviev, President of the Jewish Communities in the Former Soviet Union, Mr. Rohr’s partner in philanthropy of the shluchim. He addressed the event via video.

Mr. Leviev praised Mr. Rohr for his support of Jewish institutions and the shluchim without fanfare and compared him to Nachshon ben Aminodov who did unusual things with mesiras nefesh.

Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar, the shaliach in Bal Harbour, Florida in whose shul Mr. Rohr is a member also addressed the audience via video and thanked him on behalf of the shluchim for his generous support. He spoke about the character of Mr. Rohr whom he has been acquainted with for many years.

Rabbi Kotlarsky then invited Reb Shmuel’s son, George to say a few words. He thanked Rabbi Kotlarsky and all the shluchim for this special event. ”You don’t have to thank me. We have to thank you. Thank you that you gave us the “zechus” to be part of your magnificent work,“ he said.

He was followed by Mr. Rohr’s grandson who said it was an honor for him to be here. ”I want to thank you all for the wonderful work you and your families do all over the world. Just as there is the saying “or lagoyim,” a light unto nations, it certainly can be said of you “or layehudim,” a light unto Jews.“

Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia, addressed the crowd on behalf of the shluchim. ”Our task is to light up souls of Jews, to light up thousands of candles regardless of how difficult it is. Rohr in Hebrew are the same letters as Reb Ohr. Reb Shmuel has the zechus of lighting up neshomos of the Jewish nation.

Rabbi Kotlarsky and Rabbi Lazar presented the Rohr family with a beautiful album of pictures of 500 shluchim all over the world who are supported by the Rohr Foundation. “Each shaliach wanted to give you a gift that should be on the table in front of you. Everytime you will look at these pictures you will feel our love for you, you will feel the thousands of souls you touch on a daily basis,” said Rabbi Kotlarsky.

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, Chairman of the Merkos Leinyonei Chinuch, praised Mr. Rohr for his helping the shluchim it is like helping their sender, the Rebbe himself.

Special thanks for organizing the event went to Rabbi David Mondshein, Director of the Ohr Avner institutions, Noson Koslovsky who is part of the staff of Ohr Avner, Rabbi Mendel Kotlarsky and Rabbi Elkana Shmotkin, Director of JEM.