Rabbi Avrohom Korf Saluted as the ‘Maestro of Shlichus’ at Gala Dinner
When Rabbi Avrohom and Rebbetzin Rivkah Korf came to Florida in 1960, the state was a spiritual desert.
Tasked by the Rebbe to transform the Sunshine State into Yerushalayim of Golus, the Korfs got right to work, pioneering a revolution that sixty years later is dynamically growing at a meteoric pace. “Rabbi Korf was a soldier, a leader, a living example,” says Rabbi Alex Kaller, of Chabad Russian Center in Sunny Isles Beach. “In a gentle way, he directed and inspired his shluchim and mekorovim and touched thousands of people who, due to his leadership, came closer to Torah, to the Rebbe.”
Today, months after Rabbi Korf’s passing, there are over 300 Chabad institutions led by over 800 shluchim and shluchos, who stand at the forefront of Jewish life and community, igniting Jewish souls across the width and breadth of Florida. Thanks to their unhesitating and forthright efforts, the vacation capital has become a thriving hub of Jewish life and community.
Two weeks ago, the Florida Jewish community came together to pay tribute to Rabbi and Rabbetzin Korf’s dedication as the ‘Maestros of Shlichus’ at the annual Chabad of Florida and Lubavitch Educational Center dinner. Among the 1,150 attendees were elected officials Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, Miami-Dade Commissioner Vicki Lopez, and Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz.
The powerful symphonic notes of a breathtaking 40-piece orchestra, conducted by Gershon Freishtat and carried by popular singer Eli Marcus and the sweet voices of the LEC Boys Choir, drew the crowd into an immersive musical experience as they saluted the efforts of Chabad of Florida and heard the inspiring stories of the staff and students of LEC.
After a dvar Torah by Rabbi Leib Schapiro of Yeshiva Gedolah of Miami and greetings from Florida’s lieutenant governor, the crowd heard the beautiful stories of LEC teacher Mr. Yakov Zabryn, who was inspired by his fourth-grade students to begin observing Torah and mitzvos, and Elad Shay, an LEC student who brought Yiddishkeit to his non-religious family. “Even a student can influence their teacher and bring them closer to Yiddishkeit,” said the Boys Elementary School’s general studies principal, Mrs. Dina Lieberman. To thunderous applause, Mr. Zabryn was called to the stage and gifted his own pair of tefillin.
Also commended at the dinner was Florida shliach and Beis Chana teacher Rabbi Rafi Rosenberg, who donated his kidney to a stranger in need, and the Anderson family, who left a comfortable life in Oklahoma to join the Jewish nation. When their son, Yakov, turned thirteen, his teachers and principal rallied the community together to make him a memorable bar mitzvah celebration.
The short life but lasting legacy of Dovi Fellig, of blessed memory, was honored weeks after his parents, Rabbi Zalman and Mimi Fellig, dedicated the educational building at Mesivta Lubavitch Miami’s new $10 million campus in his name. “Dovi made others feel like brothers and strangers feel like friends,” said his mother. Dovi’s concern for others and extended friendship to those who may go unnoticed were the inspiration for the “Just Say Hi” campaign launched in his memory. A whimsical social experiment in which passersby on Miami’s Bayside waterfront, were cheerfully greeted and warmly acknowledged, portrayed the impact of just one simple word. “How do we carry on Dovi’s message, Dovi’s light, Dovi’s memory?” asked his brother Mendy. “It’s by saying ‘Hi.’” At the event, the Fellig parents pledged to donate $18,000 to the LEC Staff Simcha Fund, matching the two $18,000 donations of their children, Mendy and Chaya Fellig and Tzvi Meir and Chaya’le Fellig.
Also remembered in a moving musical tribute were onetime LEC students Aviva Bracha Brody and Motti Katz, of blessed memory, who passed away this year.
A special moment came when the 40-piece orchestra was joined by a surprise guest whose music was not only beautiful to hear but stood as a testament to Am Yisrael’s resilience. Leibel Lazaroff, gifted pianist and a hero of the massacre at Bondi Beach’s Chanukah celebration, wowed the crowd with his rendition of “Habeit”, a song he was meant to perform at the menorah lighting that was tragically cut short before he could.
Months before the dinner, LEC opened Makolet, a subsidized grocery store exclusively for LEC’s 450 staff members. Meat, poultry, dairy, snacks, and paper goods are available at prices below wholesale with special pricing and items for yom tov. “The Makolet has been a real help to us,” says one high school teacher. “This year was the first Sukkos we were able to serve meat and enjoy it without cutting corners. We are so grateful and proud to be part of such a wonderful moisad.”
“The success of LEC lies with our incredible staff members and our appreciation of them isn’t just with words but in action,” says Rabbi Benjy Korf, Director of Chabad of Florida and LEC’s Head of School. In addition to opening Makolet, LEC gave a 10% raise to every staff member this year. “We wholeheartedly thank our supporters who made these beautiful initiatives possible. They are true partners in our mission.”
The shluchim and teachers who were lauded that evening pointed to the example they found in Rabbi Avrohom Korf. “A chossid is mesiras nefesh,” said Rabbi Rosenberg. “And every single opportunity in life can be viewed through that lens. Rabbi Korf was the paradigm of shlichus and mesiras nefesh—when I looked at him, I knew I was seeing what a shliach is supposed to look like. My aspiration is to try to be a shliach like he was, teaching and giving of my entire self to my students, to my community, to teach Torah and bring up the next generation. That’s mesiras nefesh and it’s true of every teacher and administrator in our school.”
“My father was a leader, a teacher, a source of clarity and courage,” says Rabbi Benjy Korf. “His loss left a void but his legacy lives on in the work of the shluchim and shluchos he empowered and the staff and students of the school he built. We stand ready to redouble our efforts to bring Moshiach and prepare the state of Florida for the geula, when we will be reunited with our departed loved ones once again.”
Lubavitch Educational Center thanks our staff, parents, and supporters for making this incredible event possible including producer Rabbi Yakov Garfinkel, dinner coordinator Mrs. Ayelet Bortunk, event planner and coordinator Mrs. Rena Goldberger, creative coordinator Rabbi Menachem Mendel Korf, associate head of school Rabbi Yossi Zavdi, caterer Rabbi Menachem Kozlovsky, choir director Rabbi Zalmy Mochkin, Mrs. Kayla Levy, Mrs. Ronit Rudd, Ms. Shayna Bortunk, Mrs. Melissa Korf, Mrs. Raizy Davidsohn, Mrs. Brocha Lipkind, security coordinator Mr. Zalman Myer-Smith, Rabbi Ovadia Schochet, Rabbi Moishy Korf, Rabbi Sholem Kleinman, Rabbi Menachem Tauber, Rabbi Mendy Korf, graphic artist Mrs. Mussi Sharfstein, and on-site production support Meir Avtzon.
Photos by Mendel Misholuvin and Menachem Serraf. Dinner videos produced and directed by Rabbi Yakov Garfinkel, cinematography by Dov Gurewitz. Behind the Curtain video produced and shot by Uziel Naparstek.
