After A Year of Record Growth, CYP Shluchim to Gather in Austin For Annual Kinus

Shluchim working with young Jewish professionals will meet in Austin this July to learn from one another, gather inspiration, and map out the next stage of one of shlichus’s fastest-growing fields.

Chabad centers serving young Jewish professionals have become the fastest-growing field in shlichus. What began as a handful of chapters now has nearly 350 chapters in more than 100 cities, and the demand keeps climbing as young Jews in their twenties and thirties seek community and real connection.

This July, the shluchim driving that growth will gather in Austin, Texas, for the annual CYP Kinus. The two-day gathering, July 13–14, will be hosted by Rabbi Mendy and Mussy Levertov of CYP Austin at the newly opened Chai House. The Kinus follows a year of record expansion of the CYP network, including the largest-ever CYP Encounter this past winter in Crown heights/

“Across the world, young Jewish professionals are searching for authentic Yiddishkeit and community, and shluchim are stepping up to meet them,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, chairman of CYP International at Merkos 302. “The Kinus brings together shluchim from hundreds of cities who are seeing that shift, to learn from each other, gather strength, and reach even more.”

The Kinus is built around the network itself. Shluchim come to compare notes, work through shared challenges, and gain strength from peers who understand the specific work of building community for young professionals.

“These are the years when young Jews choose their path, their partner, the home they’ll build,” said Rabbi Beryl Frankel, executive director of CYP International at Merkos 302. “CYP shluchim are right there with them for all of it. This is where the Jewish future is being shaped.”

That collaborative format is by design. “This is cutting-edge programming, and the way we run it is cutting-edge too,” said Rabbi Mendy Levertov. “It’s not top-down, one person telling everyone else what to do. People bring questions, we push back on each other, and we workshop ideas together across every area of our shlichus. The Rebbe called it ‘aseh lecha rav uknei lecha chaver.'”

Sessions will run from the practical to the foundational. Rabbi Mordechai Farkash, shliach in Bellevue, Washington, and CYP International’s Rov, will address topics of halacha and hashkafa on shlichus, and with this year marking 50 years since the Rebbe launched Shnas Hachinuch, the program will highlight ways to effectively bring Torah study to young professionals. Organizers will also announce new initiatives and plans for growth.

The Kinus is open to any shliach interested in expanding into young professional outreach in their own city, not only those already running CYP chapters. Shluchim looking to start that work are encouraged to come and learn how.

“Every year, shluchim leave with practical ideas and the feeling that they’re not in this alone,” said Rabbi Nissi Lepkivker, assistant director of CYP International at Merkos 302. “We hear directly from them about what’s working on the ground, and it shapes what comes next. And a lot is coming.”

Austin is a fitting host. The city has become one of the country’s fastest-growing hubs for young Jewish professionals, and the Levertovs have built CYP Austin into a model for the kind of community the Kinus exists to spread. “Austin is a fun city, a cutting-edge city,” Levertov said, “and we’re looking forward to a cutting-edge kinus.”

To learn more about joining CYP, please email shluchim@chabadyoung.com