52 Years After Arriving Is Scotland, The Chabad Shluchim Hold Strong

Rabbi Chaim and Sora Jacobs were one of the first sixty couples to go on shlichus for the Lubavitcher Rebbe in the year 5730-1969/70. Most enterprising at the time, they established numerous programs and activities for adults and children.

When they first arrived in Glasgow, Scotland it was challenging, especially for Sora who had just left the Beis Yaakov seminary in London a few months earlier to arrive two weeks after their marriage in Glasgow.

Boruch Hashem over the years their family grew and so did the activities. However, after 12 years in Glasgow they found it impossible to make things work financially. So with a very heavy heart they wrote to the Rebbe asking for permission to leave and to set up elsewhere.

Within a week, on Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av, they were zoche to receive a beautiful, full page, hand written answer from the Rebbe.

The Rebbe listed their numerous accomplishments, gave them much encouragement and asked how after so much success they could contemplate leaving? The Rebbe gave them a special brocha for their continued hatzlocha and said they should stay in Glasgow.

Now looking back 39 years later, Chaim and Sora are so happy they had the strength, courage and emunah in the Rebbe’s brochos and advice to have stayed in Glasgow.

52 years after arriving in Scotland they still continue to be very active in the community, and in the current period of CoronaVirus they are busier than ever, specializing in Kosher food supply throughout the community and visitors.

They continue to service the local community and visitors to Scotland and even while writing this article have just put on Tefillin with three Israelis who came to Chabad specially for this Mitzvah.

“If we would not have listened to the Rebbe 39 years ago and still been here today who would have put on Tefillin with these visitors?” said Rabbi Jacobs.

This week at their kosher Restaurant they supplied 70 Fish and Chips meals to people within the community and for Shabbos they will be supplying a further 60 meals for people.

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