In Its First Year, ‘Shiur-It’ Unites 140 Young Shluchos Around the Rebbe’s Torah

This past Shabbos, Goldie Wilhelm shared a Dvar Torah at her family’s table in Burlington, Vermont. Across continents, dozens of other young shluchos shared a similar one. It’s a Sicha from the Rebbe on the Parsha, the one they had studied together that Thursday on Zoom.

That is exactly what Shiur-it was built to do. Launched this year by MyShliach at Merkos 302, Shiur-it brought together over 140 young shluchos in grades four through eight from around the world for a weekly program centered on hiskashrus, building a personal connection to the Rebbe. The program runs on three tracks, East Coast, West Coast, and European, each with its own dedicated teachers.

For Goldie’s mother, Mrs. Chani Wilhelm, campus shlucha in Burlington, Vermont, the program delivered something she had hoped for. “It gave her a real Chassidishe boost and a community of shluchos friends,” she said. “She thrives in it.”

“For these young shluchos growing up after Gimmel Tammuz, a personal connection to the Rebbe is essential,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302. “It’s what helps them understand what they’re part of, and the special Zechus. That’s what these programs accomplish.”

The program’s motto carries its mission: learn it, live it, share it. Girls study a different aspect of hiskashrus each week, then take what they learn home and share it. 

“The girls know exactly what Shiur-it asks of them,” said Esti Kamman, director of MyShliach’s Shiur-It Program at Merkos 302. “It’s not enough to learn Chassidus. You live with it, and then you share it. By Friday, they’re bringing it to their Shabbos tables.”

Classes meet twice a week. Tuesdays cover the many ways a person connects to the Rebbe: writing to the Rebbe, learning his Torah, visiting the Ohel, the Rebbe’s niggunim, Chitas, and shlichus. Girls fill in a personal journal after each topic, scrapbooking what they learned.

Thursdays center on the Rebbe’s Torah itself, with the class learning the sicha of the week using “Shiur-it cards” that break down the source, the question, the answer, and the lesson, so each girl walks away ready to share it.

This past Sunday, Shiur-it closed its inaugural year with a mother-daughter program across all three time zones. Girls from across the globe logged on together to celebrate what ties them, no matter where they live. Mrs. Raizel Rosenfeld, shlucha in Cascais, Portugal, spoke about putting hiskashrus into practice. The oldest class presented an original poem on hiskashrus they had written, and the program ended with a video of an encounter with the Rebbe.

“The reception for Shiur-it was incredible. Girls from a dozen countries log on every week,” said Rabbi Mendy Shanowitz, Director of MyShliach at Merkos 302. “The classes are interactive, exciting, and taught well. It shows just how important it is for these girls to have a Chassidus class of their own.”

For girls who attend local day schools far from a Chabad community, Shiur-it became their Chassidus class for the week. “I never have to push them to join,” said Mrs. Devorie Blasberg, shlucha in Las Vegas. “They’re always looking forward to it on their own. I think they forget they’re actually learning.”

Shiur-it’s weekly classes are taught by a dedicated team of teachers: Bracha Zelda Zellermair, Tzivia Gurary, Devorah Leah Mayzlesh, Leah Gorman, Rochel Wenger, Devorah Leah Lowenthal, and Shani Bergstein.