Orlando Welcomes its Newest Chabad Shluchim!

Chabad, which is a Hebrew acronym meaning “wisdom, understanding, and knowledge,” is a philosophy, a movement, and an international organization all rolled into one. Chabad has already sent over 4,000 emissary families all over the world to provide Jewish education and community to the far reaches of the globe. Here in Orlando, we are already fortunate enough to have 3 emissaries, or “shluchim”: The Chabad of Greater Orlando in Maitland, the Chabad of South Orlando near Universal Studios, and the Chabad at UCF in Oviedo. Well now the greater Orlando area can count itself even luckier as we welcome our fourth Chabad center! As we speak, the Chabad of North Orlando is settling into Sanford, FL to provide the northeast corner of the Orlando Metro area with another center for Jewish learning and living.

Rabbi Yanky Majesky and his wife, Chanshy, as well as their daughter Chayale, have just moved from Brooklyn, NY to lay the groundwork for a vibrant Jewish community in North Orlando. Yanky was born and raised in the Crown Heights Jewish community in Brooklyn and spent six years in seminary there before serving as a mentor for a yeshiva seminary in Los Angeles. He received his Rabbinical degree from the renowned chief Chabad Rabbi of Toronto’s Jewish community, and served as an associate rabbi in the Chabad of Midtown Manhattan before receiving the opportunity to open his own center here in Orlando.

Chanshy is an Orlando native, having been raised here by her parents, who are the co-directors of the Chabad of Greater Orlando in Maitland. She went to a religious high school in Toronto and received her higher education at a seminary in Hallendale, FL. Ever since growing up in a Chabad center, she has looked forward to one day having her own. She will be using her substantial experience in Early and Adult Education as well as community outreach in order to serve as co-director of the Chabad of North Orlando.

I had the chance to speak with Chanshy just before they made the move to North Orlando, and to say that she is very excited for the experience would be an understatement! Her parents spent their lives together helping to make Maitland into the Jewish community that it is today, and she intends to do the same in Sanford with the help of her husband, Yanky, and the Chabad network.

“This upbringing gave me the passion and desire to do the very same when I would marry… What else is the purpose of life more than to give? And here we are, married with a little girl of our own embarking on a journey to spread Judaism in our own little town, where we will never abandon our post. Our goal is to bring Judaism to North Orlando and reach out to all those Jews who know very little about their own heritage.”

So far all of you on the northeast side of our great city, keep an eye out for more information on your new center for Jewish life! The Rabbi and Rebbetzin (Rabbi’s wife) look forward to meeting as many people as possible. If you have any questions or are looking for more ways to become an involved member of the Jewish community, what better place to start?

Keep an eye on the column for updates as the Chabad of North Orlando gets settled in. More information and event details are sure to follow!

For more info: Visit the Chabad of North Orlando’s website! www.JewishNorthOrlando.com