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Unzere Kinder – Light our Lamps is Launched!

After months of preparation, the newly formed organization, Unzere Kinder – Light Our Lamps has finally been launched. Its mission statement and purpose is to promote educational and inspirational events and training sessions to help our very own Anash children in the school system.

The first event took place this week at Congregation Bnei Abraham – Chabad of Brooklyn Heights with the first ever Kinus that focused on giving the Bochur Shliach the proper tools as they leave to their Yeshivas around the world. The eight hour Kinus included educational, motivational and inspirational sessions. The event began with Rabbi Label Altien, who had the zchus to have been selected as the Rebbe’s Shliach in the second k’vutza to Australia over forty years ago. He shared the tremendous Achrayus, Privilege and Honor it was and is to be a Bochur Shliach.

Next came Rabbi Zalman Leib Markowitz, the educational consultant of Merkas L’inyanei Chinuch a known advocate for the children, sharing “Hamikayem Nefesh Achas… k’elu kiyum Olam Maleh.” “You cannot imagine how much you Bochrim can accomplish” he said.

This was followed by a special video from the Rebbe, and then lunch was served.

The afternoon session continued with Rabbi Moishe New, The Rebbe’s Shliach in Montreal, who flew in special for this occasion- sharing how he was that younger Bochur in Australia on the receiving end, and explaining the boys “How You can make a difference that will last a life-time and help the younger Bochur reach his true potential.

Rabbi Shliome Sternberg, Mashpia in Oholei Torah, then shared with the Bochurim how important the “Hanhala- Shliach” relationship is. He really brought the house down as he made his point why the Hanhala and Bochur go hand in hand to achieve the highest level of success.

The final session “The Coach Approach to leadership” was given by Rabbi Shmuly Rothman, the Rebbe’s Shliach in Pittsburg who serves as youth director and has become a leading authority on how to empower today’s Bochurim in a Yeshiva atmosphere.

The M.C. and chairman of the Kinus was Rabbi Mendel Duchman, a known activist for “Unzere Kinder”, the founder and director of “Kol Yaakov Yehuda” the Shul “for the children by the children” the Rebbe’s Diamond Daveners of Los Angeles – and a motivational coach to the Rebbes’s Shluchim worldwide.

From The Bochurims point of view – The letter received from one of the Bochrim immediately after the event- says it best.

Boruch Hashem:

Hi, just came back from N.Y. after a day in the program and I would like to give you and all the rest of the organizers and coordinators a big Yasher Koach and thank you for organizing such a great and important Kinus (now that I think of it I wonder what took all these years to actually do it?! it is so important!).

I and the rest guys enjoyed it and feel more sure of ourselves and what we are getting into and what the job really is.

Every Bochur will tell you something else when you ask him what it means to be a Shliach, but most of us if not all yesterday came out with a greater understanding of what it is really all about.

As R’ Mendel would put its – “unzere kinder”!

I am sure it took a lot to put together but I feel it was a great step to better the future (and especially to be part of it!).

Thank you very much and all the best.

Dovid Leib Marasow
Shliach-Bochur to Yeshiva of Chicago

Unzere Kinder – Light our Lamps – would like to thank the following Rosh Yeshivas for participating in this “Pilot Program”:

Rabbi Sholom B. Halberstam – Yeshiva of Chicago,
Rabbi Benyamin D. Simpson – Yeshiva of Monsey
Rabbi Yosef Lustig – Yeshiva of New Haven
Rabbi Yosef Eizicovics – Yeshiva of Minnesota

Anyone interested in getting involved in this grass roots organization – simply to be there for “Unzere-Kinder” whether you are a parent or educator please contact Mrs. C. Rochel Duchman the Kinus organizer and the driving force of this group by emailing rochel@unzerekinder-lol.com

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17 Comments

  • Elki

    What a breath of fresh air. No complaints, but positive proactive steps to further and enhance the chinuch of our children.
    I wish you hatzlachah rabbah and siyatta d’shmaya to succeed in this wonderful project.

  • My son is going........on shlichus......

    Now That is V’hamaseh Hu Hoeeker!!!
    action speaks louder then words…….
    Yasher Koach to the Duchman family and all other organizers…

  • Yasher Koach!

    This is beautiful – alot of my friends were there, and Rabbi Shmuly Rothman was also there! We want Moshiach NOW!

  • ???

    My son just left on Shlichus. Never heard of the program. How and where was it publicized?

  • Bochur

    what about the Vaad? Why was this not arranged together wuth the Vaad Hatmimim?

  • a.e.m.

    i go to the program which is run by mendel duchman and it’s great.

    go: nissy f.
    dovid leib l.
    nochom l.

  • President of the Shmuly Rothman Fan Club

    “Rabbi Shmuly Rothman.. has become a leading authority on how to empower today’s Bochurim in a Yeshiva atmosphere.”
    How true this statement is! And there is plenty of room for others to learn and follow suit. There is nothing magical about Shmuly’s work, just a passion to help build trust and communication between students and staff, counselors and camp directors, campers and camp staff.
    Shmuly leads leadership training workshops on the phone and every mashpiah could benefit from hearing his insights.

  • Sh shh,,,,,,,

    For the amount of Bochurim leaving on Shlichus there was a minuscule amount of Bochurim. Is this set up only for the so called elite? something this important should have been publicized properly, as we know “Broiv Am Hadras Melech”
    They can still hold a repeat right after Yom Tov.
    A Gut Gebenched Yohr!!

  • a Cincinnati bockwurst

    to # 13
    i just got an answer of my inquiry from the organizers of the recent kinnus-that preparations are taking place for another event after tishrei- and any bochur/shliach who wants to be notified should log onto http://www.unzerekinder-lol…
    just thought i would pass this on …

  • Idea

    After Tishrei is late for those bochurim who have gone to places where they have to stay for Tishrei. It probably would have been more effective to divide it into two groups based on who is going to be here after Tishrei and who is not.

  • stop the meshugas

    If you don’t think this out you will have a huge problem. You cannot just service your own son/nephews etc and call it a grassroots organization! It’s not fair that you have excluded most of the boys that are going and you are getting all this publicity for something that sounds like it is for everybody and very special when it is only for the select few. Everyone else leaving right after Tishrei or right before will not be involved or included and not part of your NEW group. This is unnecessary and not okay!

  • Hatzlocha

    I hope the emphasis is on what the TORAH teaches about the vital avodah of chinuch! We need for our educators to be “ba’alei teshuvah” about authentic, pure, torah-based principles of chinuch!

    There’s been way too much touting, lately, of what the VELT teaches about “education”: hi tech short-term-thrill- gimmick (did I also mention, “expensive”!?) equipment, which puts a fancy machine between a morah/rebbi and the kinderlach (!); and the latest exalted THEORIES from the ivy-covered halls of treif “Departments of Education” in the universities. And this, despite the DISMAL state of the secular world’s public education system, where lots of our tax money is being thrown away on smoke and mirrors, IMHO.

    I applaud any effort to restore and renew the application of TORAH principles of chinuch, to the chinuch of unsere kinder.