Shluchim Gather for 39th Annual West Coast Kinus

LOS ANGELES, CA [CHI] — Some 200 Chabad emissaries of The Rebbe gathered this week for the 39th Annual West Coast Chabad Kinus Hashluchim. In 1972 West Coast Chabad launched the very first Kinus Hashluchim with the blessing and encouragement of The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, and subsequently inspired the creation of the worldwide Kinus Hashluchim in New York. In fact the world’s first Kinus Hashluchim was held at the world’s first “Chabad House”, founded in 1969 at the UCLA university campus in Los Angeles.

This year, West Coast Chabad made Kinus history again by dedicating the entire schedule and program of the convention to the study of Torah. The Kinus was held at Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad in Los Angeles, the largest Torah institute on the West Coast. The full day of Torah study was dedicated by the Shluchim to the memory of Rebbetzin Sara Rochel Schochet Z”L, wife of the Rosh Yeshiva and Dean of Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad, Rabbi Ezra Binyomin Schochet. A pioneer and champion of Jewish education in Los Angeles, Rebbetzin Schochet passed away one year ago.

The theme of the Kinus was “Do All That You Can” to hasten the revelation of Moshiach, devoted to The Rebbe’s rallying cry 20 years ago to his followers and emissaries worldwide, on 28 Nissan 5751 (1991). The Torah study sessions included topics of Jewish law, Chassidic philosophy and Talmud on a variety of subjects including principles of Shabbos observance, the Chassidic view of “Divine Providence” in the teachings of The Rebbe, and a special lecture by Rabbi Schochet on the laws of Jewish blessings based of the teachings of Talmud. Lecturers included Rabbi Dovid Schmukler (Kolel Tiferes Menachem), Rabbi Yitzchok Newman (Chabad of Orange County), Rabbi Yosef Levin (Chabad of Palo Alto), and Rabbi Shalom Ber Kesselman (Cheder Menachem Los Angeles). Chairing the Torah study sessions were Rabbi Mendel Cohen (Chabad of Sacramento), Rabbi Mendel Lipskier (Chabad of Sherman Oaks), Rabbi Menachem Greenbaum (Cheder Menachem Los Angeles) and Rabbi Zalman Marcus (Chabad of Mission Viejo).

Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, The Rebbe’s Head Shliach on the West Coast, kept to his tradition of announcing new Chabad institutions at the annual Kinus by launching the “Machne Menachem” for boys and “Gan Chaya” for girls overnight camp. The focus of the new camp is to serve children of Anash and Shluchim in an exciting, fun and Chassidish environment, with a heightened focus on the love and study of Torah, and Hiskashrus to The Rebbe.

The new camp will be launched and directed this year by Rabbi and Mrs. Naftoli Schmukler and will be located at Chabad’s scenic Kiryas Schneerson mountaintop campus in Running Springs, CA as a new division of the existing and popular Gan Israel Running Springs overnight camp. Kiryas Schneerson is named for The Rebbe’s parents, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, of righteous memory.

The Kinus culminated with a banquet and Farbrengen, lasting to the wee hours of the morning, where Shluchim rejuvenated and united in song, dance, spirit and purpose. The speakers at the banquet were Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, Rabbi Ezra Binyomin Schochet, Rabbi Yonah Fradkin (Chabad of S. Diego), and Rabbi Eli Hecht (Chabad of South Bay). The banquet emcee was Rabbi Peretz Greenwald (Hebrew Academy of Huntington Beach). The highlight of the evening was when Rabbi Cunin presented each Shliach with a special Mezuzah case created from the window blinds that graced The Rebbe’s holy room in 770 for many years. The blinds were broken and replaced before being converted into these specially crafted Mezuzah cases.