New Shluchim to Long Island

Rabbi Eli Laufer and his wife Musia (nee Marlow) will be moving on Shlichus to Dix Hills, NY, where they will be enhancing the outreach activities of The Chai Center, under the leadership of Rabbi Yakov Saacks.

Rabbi Yakov Saacks, Director of The Chai Center, announced today that Rabbi Eli Laufer has been named Scholar-in-Residence, and his wife Musia Laufer, Coordinator of Special Needs Youth and Ariella’s Friendship Circle, a local chapter of today’s fastest growing Jewish organization for children with special needs.

Rabbi Laufer will primarily focus on education, where he will be responsible for teaching Torah and Jewish values to all members of the Jewish community. Musia Laufer will lead the expansion of Ariella’s Friendship Circle and spearhead the creation of a vibrant sisterhood for all Jewish women in the community.

Rabbi Laufer, was born and raised in the heart of the Crown Heights Jewish community home of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and the world headquarters of Chabad Lubavitch.  He studied in the Oholei Torah Talmudic Seminary in Brooklyn, New York, and the Lubavitch Yeshivos in Los Angeles, California. Rabbi Laufer then served as a teacher and mentor for the Jewish community of Caracas Venezuela. He received his Rabbinical degree under the auspices of Rabbi Avrohom Hirsh Wozner, world renowned authority on Jewish law, and chief Rabbi of Congregation Yetev Lev of Monsey, New York. Throughout his years in Yeshiva, Rabbi Laufer used his spare time aiding and running many Jewish educational outreach programs in places such as Montreal, New York and California.

Musia Laufer grew up in Miami, Florida, where her parents serve as the spiritual leaders of a large thriving Jewish community. For her higher education Laufer went abroad to Milan, Italy and Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, where she studied Judaics, special education, psychology and programming. She worked with the local communities, planning and coordinating events of learning and Jewish pride for local girls in college, middle and high school; women; and for the local orphanage. Following this experience, she opened Friendship Circle in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she built up the branch, while simultaneously working as a program coordinator for a local Jewish girl’s high school

“We are looking forward to joining the Chai Center community,” said Rabbi Laufer and his wife.  “We are excited to bring on board new and engaging programs such as social clubs, innovative events and practical classes, furthering The Chai Center’s goal of making Judaism a fun and practical guide for life.”

“We are blessed to have Rabbi Eli and his wife Musia joining our growing staff of professionals,” said Rabbi Saacks.  “They bring with them educational, life and spiritual experiences that will benefit, enlighten and nurture The Chai Center and our surrounding community.”

With over 79 locations worldwide, The Friendship Circle is today’s fastest growing Jewish organization for children with special needs, bringing together teenage volunteers and children with special needs for hours of fun and friendship. These shared experiences empower the children, our special friends, while teen volunteers learn the priceless value of giving, the curative power of friendship, and the vital importance of integrating children with special needs into our communities. The Friendship Circle links volunteers, children, parents, staff, and supporters in a seamless circle of friendship that makes miracles happen every day.

The Chai Center is one of New York’s most unorthodox orthodox Synagogues — a popular center for Jews of all backgrounds and affiliations who wish to learn more about their Jewish roots. Located on 1 1/2 acres on Vanderbilt Parkway in Dix Hills, The Chai Center offers a wide variety of educational and spiritual opportunities, including Hebrew School, Preschool, Torah classes, Shabbaton dinners and an array of Jewish Holiday programs.  Traditional Jewish values are brought to life in a joyous, non-judgmental atmosphere. Everyone is welcome at the Chai Center, regardless of one’s level of Jewish observance.

CrownHeights.info wishes the young couple much success on their new Shlichus.

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