Photo Gallery: the MyShliach Melava Malka

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — This past Motzei Shabbas, Parshas Beshalach, My Shliach held its 2nd Annual Mentor Appreciation Event this year at the Jewish Children’s Museum, as a token of gratitude for the enormous contribution that the bochrim have made to shluchim’s children. MY Shliach provided an all you can eat Chinese buffet and Sushi Bar! Due to the tremendous growth since last year in the number of mentors, this year’s My Shliach event was moved from last year’s location at the Levi Yitzchak Library to this year’s larger location.

More pictures in the Extended Article!

The event started with special screening of the new Jem Video the Biography of the Rebetzin. Thanks to Rabbi Elkana Shmotkin Director of Jem. The program for the evening consisted of not only physical nourishment, but spiritual nourishment as well, with chassidishe stories told by special speakers, as well as sharing of fulfilling My Shliach experiences by mentors and participants. My Shliach mentors are hand picked by invitation only, from the top yeshivas worldwide. One mentor, Shneor Goodman, of Lod, Israel, told his story as a My Shliach mentor. He described volunteering with My Shliach as having impacted his life much more than he ever expected. Shneor emphasized that not only does he find that he is helping and giving of himself to another, to a younger shaliach, but that he himself gains so much from the experience.

My Shaliach Director, Rabbi Beryl Frankel, organized this event to express profound gratitude for the selflessness of such bochrim as Shneor. Rabbi Frankel stressed the point that the quality of shluchim’s children’s lives is dramatically improved because of the devotion of My Shliach mentors. He introduced one particular young shliach, Shmuely Hecht, to share his My Shliach experience, as representative of the experience of all My Shliach little brothers. Shmuely, a 14 year old shliach from S. Francisco, who is currently learning in Crown Heights, read an emphatic thank you letter to his mentor, Shloimy Denberg, and to all My Shliach mentors. In the letter, he explained that as a child who is learning away from home in order to be part of a Chabad yeshiva, his relationship with his mentor keeps him strong. He described how Shloimy took him under his wing and thanked him for being his best friend. When the pair meet in person once a week either to go over homework, review for seder, or just hang out over pizza and a soda, it always leaves Shmuely with a feeling of encouragement and support. Shmuely’s letter was so moving that it was met by a standing ovation at its conclusion.

To further encourage mentors on their path was Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, My Shliach’s executive Director, who shared chassidishe stories, as well as his own experience of a bochur who took the initiative to mentor him as a child, before such a formal program even existed, and underscored how this positive experience left an indelible imprint on his life. My Shliach provides an opportunity for bochrim to continue this cycle, from being the children of shluchim themselves and looking up to such mentors, or attending camp/ school where they admired counselors/ teachers, to now reciprocating by becoming a Big Brother role model to another.

Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of the Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, who spearheaded this initiative, started with some personal stories with the Rebbe and expressed how when bochurim did special things to give the Rebbe nachas the Rebbe took personal interest in every detail. He illustrated this with a very interesting story of when he was learning in Montreal and they started a unique mitzvah Tefilin campaign. He explained that My Shliach was started by a need he recognized for a program that would touch the lives of Shluchim’s children on a personal level. When discussing this with My Shliach benefactor and Chabad Supporter Mr. George Rohr, Mr. Rohr suggested that each individual child should have their own personal mentor and guide. This, says Rabbi Kotlarsky, is the goal of My Shliach.

Rabbi Frankel announced the expansion of My Shliach to recently include a My Shliach-Girls Division and expressed hope that My Shliach would soon expand to include the children of Anash locally and globally, in Crown Heights and abroad. He expressed thanks and appreciation to the JCM for hosting the event.