California Shluchim Gather at New Camp

A Farbrengen is a joyful gathering where people unite in song and spirit. On Sunday, 300 men, women and children — Chabad representatives from the West Coast — came together for a special Farbrengen to discuss future plans for Chabad’s new Kiryas Schneerson mountaintop campus and dedicate a unique Torah scroll at the site.

Enjoying the spectacular setting and clear skies at Kiryas Schneerson in Running Springs, Chabad representatives and their families gathered to fulfill the instructions of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, who told his West Coast emissaries to hold an annual Farbrengen on the Hebrew date of Bais Iyar — the birthday of the fourth Chabad Rebbe, the Rebbe Maharash.

The Farbrengen at Kiryas Schneerson provided a perfect opportunity to reflect on some of the recent achievements of West Coast Chabad, which continues to meet the challenges of growing and improving its outreach services. Participants heard inspirational messages from speakers including Don Braham, the CEO of Kiryas Schneerson, Rabbi Joshua B. Gordon of Chabad of the Valley, Rabbi Yitchak Newman of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, and Rabbi Boruch S. Cunin, Director of West Coast Chabad-Lubavitch.

More than a dozen Chabad institutions received capital grants on Sunday in recognition of their successful efforts to expand their facilities for educational programs. Many of these building projects were undertaken in the last year in response to the grants program offered as an extra incentive by the West Coast headquarters.

Another major achievement in the last year was the acquisition of Kiryas Schneerson itself. The scenic 70-acre campus has already hosted several weekend Shabbaton getaways and is also home to Camp Gan Israel Running Springs, a new Jewish overnight camp with separate sessions for girls and boys. Participants in the Bais Iyar Farbrengen got to tour the state-of-the-art facilities of the new camp and explore the various ways in which the site will support Chabad’s mission of education and outreach.

The day also included the official welcoming of a recently completed Torah scroll that was begun in the home of Steven Panikoff, the key benefactor behind the Panikoff Center of Love and Kindness at Kiryas Schneerson. A traditional Hachnosas Sefer Torah procession was held as the Torah was carried into the new Shul at Kiryas Schneerson.