The Organization I Didn’t Know I Needed

Married and settled, I was “over my grief” and “didn’t need support.” Someone reached out to me, telling me Links Family was looking for adult volunteers, women who’d experienced parental loss and could help out with their magazines and events.

I thought back to my experiences as a motherless teen. I did not have a single friend who lost a parent and didn’t discuss my experiences with anyone. The intense loneliness I experienced still chafed, and so I volunteered, hoping that in the process I’d heal something inside myself.

Over 10 years ago, I joined a Links Shabbaton. There were 120 girls from all types of communities and over a dozen staff. It was a Shabbos of love, comfort, joy, and lots of friendship.

It was Shabbos afternoon when I overheard a girl named Shaina mention casually to a friend, “I’m going to our room to finish the Tehillim.” I stopped short because, Tehillim-Shabbos Mevorchim, and I asked the girl, “You’re Lubavitch?”

“You’re Lubavitch!?” she responded in surprise. She introduced me to the three Lubavitch girls who were there and we became friends. I knew there must be many more Lubavitch girls who’d experienced loss. I ached for them and wished there was an organization that would cater to them and provide with the support that Links offered.

Five years ago, I had the opportunity to join the Links Shabbaton again. This time, as I filled in the registration survey, I was surprised at the questions that popped up. I got to choose the nusach of my siddur, with one of the choices being Nusach Ari, and was offered the choice of Lubavitch Shechita for my meat. It was obvious there would be far more than three Lubavitchers attending.

As I walked around that Friday morning, I looked out for Chanis and Chayas and cautiously introduced myself. Five, 10, 20, 30, so many girls from our communities were there. Some came with friends from school, some requested to room with their friends from previous years, and the new girls were sensitively matched up with other Lubavitch girls. I loved how they filled up a few tables in the dining room and sang niggunim together on Shabbos afternoon. I loved how Sarah Rivkah Kohn seemed to know them all, as well as their brothers and parents. I loved how this organization took care of our girls and boys with unique sensitivity to our community dynamics.

Shabbaton 5785 hosted a mind boggling 280 girls. Beautiful, strong, resilient girls, all who’ve experienced the loss of one or both parents. Out of the dozens of staff, five were Lubavitch, there for the 52 Lubavitch girls who attended. Similarly, the Shlomie’s Club boys Shabbaton was over 30% Lubavitch. There was a Lubavitcher mashpia, as well as other Lubavitch staff members in attendance. Kids from every Lubavitch community, from LA to England to Australia, as well as many children of Shluchim attended. Rabbi and Mrs. Kohn know these kids and know their mothers and fathers.

Links needs to raise over $5,000,000 annually. They provide a mind boggling list of emotional and financial services for over 4,000 children & teens — Shabbatons and YT gift cards and daled minim shopping (with extra sets of hoshanos for Lubavitch boys!) and therapy referrals & funding and bar/bas mitzvah grants and chassan/kallah services and magazines and yahrtzeit packages and so much more. They provide these services for all families who suffered parental loss, including dozens of families in our Lubavitch communities.

Please donate at rayze.it/linksfamilyforever/Chabad