Posted to Shlichus on
Jewish Community Voice

The following is a feature done in the local newspaper on a the Richlers who have recently moved out on Shlichus in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

STATUS: Married two years and two months

MOTTO: “No Jew left behind,” because Rabbi Shneerson believed in caring for every Jew. His legacy lives and he lives through his message.

HOBBY: Making music with whoever wants to join them. Avi plays guitar, Mina, piano.

Continued in the Extended Article!

Meet Rabbi Avi & Mina Richler…

Jewish Community Voice

The following is a feature done in the local newspaper on a the Richlers who have recently moved out on Shlichus in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

STATUS: Married two years and two months

MOTTO: “No Jew left behind,” because Rabbi Shneerson believed in caring for every Jew. His legacy lives and he lives through his message.

HOBBY: Making music with whoever wants to join them. Avi plays guitar, Mina, piano.

Continued in the Extended Article!

CONTACT INFO: Chabad of Gloucester Co., 380 Egg Harbor Rd., Suite C-1, #326, Sewell, NJ 08080. Telephone, 481-4785. www.chabadgloucester.com

They’re a real team, this young Chabad couple. Settled in South Jersey for about seven months now, Rabbi Avi and Mina Richler are equally devoted to their mission- locating Gloucester County’s unaffiliated Jews and guiding them back to Jewish action.

Brimming with faith and enthusiasm, they have already hosted Chanukah and Purim parties for Rowan University students and other local Jews. Now they’re thinking Passover, with plans including distribution of 100 pounds of schmura matzah.

Passover played its role in Avi’s choice of vocation. Born and raised in Montreal’s Chabad community, he expected to follow his father into business. But at 18, the experience of making a seder in Russia proved so rewarding that he went on to similar work in 17 countries across Europe, the FSU and South Africa .

Mina, on the other hand, found her calling in early childhood. Her parents established a well-known Chabad center in Rockland County, Long Island. Working with them, she never considered any other life.

Still, a trip to Russia effected Mina every bit as much as Avi. She asked her husband to tell their story:

“In the town of Lubavitch,” he said, as if beginning a fable, “which is really in Belarus, not exactly Russia, there is a hut where you enter, write your name on the wall, and say a prayer that you will find your mate.”

At 23, Avi visited that hut and played the game. Not yet marriage-oriented, he prayed, casually, to find the right woman when the time came.

Mina, coincidentally, visited the hut about a half-hour later. At 21, “I wasn’t desperate but I really did want to marry,” she said. Her prayer was fervent.

Time passed. Avi went home. Mina returned to New York and visited an aunt who introduced her to several prospective husbands.

The first introduction didn’t work out, but the second was to Avi Richler.

Just before they were to meet, Mina picked up the pictures from her FSU-Israel trip that she finally had developed. Among them was a photograph of her name scribbled onto the wall of the Lubavitch hut- with Avi’s name right beside it.

And yes, that introduction did work out.

“It was as if our souls met that day in Lubavitch,” Mina marveled. “Yes,” laughed Avi, his eyes crinkling. “The writing was on the wall.”

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26 Comments

  • Etty

    Guys amazing to see this up here.
    I wish u ALL the Mazel, with everything u do out there. And evethough i knew that story already, it was great to see it written here and to re-read it.
    Hatzlacha!!

  • Yisroel Frankforter

    Avi and Mina I wish you much hatzlocha in your shlichus may you bring much nachas to the Rebbe and Moshiach now. Go get them!

  • zalmy kotlarsky

    very nice story. i wish you good luck in your future on shlichus

  • mazel tov

    This is SSSSSOOOOOO cute i cant stop laughting!!! I try to put friends of mine with my spouses friends and its not all so easy may evreyone was just as easy as this

  • your cuz....Raps, CH,NY

    That story of Lubavitch is way cool. Never heard it before…

  • Mina Richler

    Just some clarification; some fragments of the Lubavitch story got a bit mixed up! The davening took place by the kevarim of the Rebbetzins – the hut is the little run down building on the way with everyones’ signatures…where I took a picture, but no games were played there!

  • mordechai

    Rabbi R. Please don’t say because rabbi schneerson belived… your the shliach. speak for yourself. do u believe that every jew…. does chabd ? good so say so. i hope you understand.

    mordechai

  • 2nd cuzin

    wow!u guys are doing an awesome job keep up the great work so nice to see this on ch.info!
    kosher un freilichin pesach

  • Chabad of Roslyn

    Great story! Lots of Hatzlochah on your Shlichus B’Gashmiyus U’Biruchniyus. Chabad of Roslyn misses you.

  • Shira

    Wow!!! That was such a beautiful story!!! I always think of that summer in Belarus and how it touched my life.

  • A reader from Carroll Street

    directed to Mordechai’s comment:
    A shaliach gets his mission from the meshuleach and with that he gets extra koach from the meshuleach. It seems very appropriate that a shaliach for the Rebbe would mention what the Rebbe’s vision was.

    This is something that the Rebbe discussed in his sichos. There’s a reason he’s called a shaliach.

  • in need of a shidduch

    this is an incredible story!!
    where is this hut?????
    im goin there today

  • attn Mordechai

    Mordechai:
    Interesting that you mention that, because specifically that line struck and inspired me when I read it. A small thing that bothers me with some Shluchim is that they don’t mention the Rebbe enough on their Shlichus. Here, he could have easily said it without mentioning the Rebbe, yet he did. The world has to know that the only reason we are out there doing all our work, and yes- the only reason we truly love every jew is because that’s what the Rebbe taught us.
    Moshiach now!