Accra, Esquel, Pervoo . . . Jews Connect Despite Distance

ACCRA, Ghana — It was a rocky start for two of the hundreds of Chabad-Lubavitch rabbinical students dispatched by Merkos, the Lubavitch educational division (with the support of regional Chabad centers) to create a Passover experience for Jewish people in some 150 locations exotic and obscure. Among them: Esquel, Argentina; Nipawin, Canada; Hong Kong; and Pervoo, Finland.

Mostly Israeli, the Jewish population of Ghana is a hard working bunch content to be away from the rife riven politico-religious life in Israel and rather distrusting of anything wearing a yarmulke. They aren’t backpackers seeking enlightenment and things spiritual. They aren’t hungering for a nibble of mama’s gefilte fish. Jewish people living in Ghana are what comedians would term a tough crowd.

But Chabad’s young representatives are masters of seeing possibility even in setbacks. The Chasidic philosophy these men, mostly in their early twenties, study night and day, comes in handy when faced with the ups and downs of reaching Jews living off the map.

For years, they’ve learned: A downturn is a springboard to greater heights. Obstacles challenge you to take a leap. There’s greater meaning in coincidences than serendipity. On Merkos Shlichus, as the 60-year-old program that takes young rabbis around the globe is known, they put those teachings into practice.

Article continued (Lubavitch.com)