One Hundred Branches in Three More Years

One hundred Shluchim and Shluchos convene for successful Friendship Circle Conference

Newark, NJ — Close to 100 Shluchim and Shluchos from all over North America, gathered on Wednesday of last week for the annual Friendship Circle conference at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, New Jersey. The conference closed Thursday evening.

More in the Extended Article.

The Friendship Circle was founded in 1994 as an effective response to the needs of thousands of Jewish kids worldwide who suffer from various isolating conditions, by connecting them with individual teen volunteers.

Today the organization operates 65 worldwide branches comprising over 4,000 young beneficiaries and over 8,000 Jewish volunteers, who often forge their first connection to Chabad, their local Shliach and hence to Yiddishkeit through their Friendship Circle involvement-creating a doubly positive result.

The two-day event was the third consecutive conference of an organization now well-established in the United States and other countries around the world including Australia, Hong Kong, France, and China, in which it operates.

Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman of Atlanta, Georgia served as opening speaker on Wednesday morning, discussing the subject of “Cheshbon Hanefesh” – putting a functioning organization in the right perspective, as well as its activities and all the details that make it succeed.

The following speakers, workshops and symposiums for men and women continued until 5:30 p.m., at which point participants broke for a delightful dinner. Two separate Farbrengens for Shluchim and Shluchos followed dinner, continuing to the first day’s 8:00 p.m. closing.

The conference’s second day opened on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. after Shacharis and breakfast, with a crash course on opening a new Friendship Circle branch led by Friendship Circle international director Rabbi Levi Shemtov.

A symposium moderated by Rabbis Levi Shemtov, Zalman Grossbaum and Moshe Bryski lasted for two hours, discussing the miscellaneous subjects related to operating Friendship Circles.

“The idea behind the conference is to wrap up the current year, and to learn from past years for coming years, especially for the upcoming season,” said conference organizers. “Additionally, we want to help Shluchim seeking to open a branch in their cities, and in general to boost the entire organization and all the activities it comprises. Thank G-d, the conference has been successful, and the positive results will be seen in the near future. We’re planning and hoping that by year 2010 there will be 100 branches worldwide, as part of out ‘100 by 2010’ campaign.”

The International Friendship Circle Office, directed by Rabbi Benzion Groner and Mrs. Leah Levin, operates as a division of The Shluchim Office under the leadership of Rabbis Gedalya and Moshe Shemtov.

Other speakers throughout the day included Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman, Mrs. Bassie Shemtov, Miss. Sarah Margolis, Mrs. Leah Levin, Mr. Lior Arusi, Mr. Avrohom Nosson Roth, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Mrs. Brachah Zahler, Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, and Rabbi Moshe Bryski.