Kinus attendees show power of Chabad forces

It was my distinct pleasure and privilege to be in New York this week for the Annual Kinus HaShluchim, the international conference of Chabad rabbis. 

A pleasure because I always look forward to meeting and reconnecting with old friends and colleagues; and a privilege because we’re always reminded that we’re part of “the Rebbe’s Army”, spanning the globe and educating and inspiring Jews in more than 100 countries around the world and in all 50 states of the United States. About 6 500 Chabad rabbis were in attendance at the culminating banquet together with many supporters and partners. 

South Africa was well-represented, with many in attendance from Johannesburg and Cape Town. We even had our own South African table at the gala banquet. 

Everyone, even rabbis, need refreshing and rejuvenating to keep inspired in our sacred work. In a perfect world, we would just continue to run on our built-in spiritual batteries, but not everyone is the “Energizer Bunny” who just keeps on going. We’re human, and the reality is that we all can get tired and in need of invigoration. We may not suffer from “burn out”, G-d forbid, but we all need a spiritual boost now and then. Maybe rabbits don’t, but rabbis do. It’s only normal. 

In particular, when I attend the Kinus, I always feel part of something greater and a partner in the Rebbe’s vision for the world. We may be prominent to one degree or another in our respective communities, but the Kinus is a great equaliser. And though we may be just another soldier in the Rebbe’s Army, knowing that we have battalions of friends and colleagues whom we are working alongside for a common global cause is tremendously vitalising. 

I’m also always reminded of the higher purpose to it all. What brought me to South Africa from my birthplace in Brooklyn in the first place? Rochel and I had no family here. It was the Rebbe’s mission. We had quite a few offers from communities around the US and internationally. We put the range of options to the Rebbe, and he chose South Africa for us. We then knew what our life’s soul mission was to be. It wasn’t a two-year shlichut, but a mission for life on the other side of the world. Please G-d, March 2026 will mark 50 years in South Africa and, thank G-d, we’ve never looked back. 

Practically speaking, the Kinus is a professional conference with plenaries, presentations, and workshops on the full range of rabbinical work, from halacha, philosophy, to practical rabbinics, including a track just on fundraising. The Friday visit to the Rebbe’s ohel is probably the most inspirational part of the four-day event. The “family photo” with 5 000 of my best friends is a unique experience; and the gala banquet on Sunday night really is a most befitting grand finale. 

Back in 2002, I was invited to deliver the keynote address. Today, the format has changed dramatically. It has been streamlined, with almost no speeches. It’s modern, slick, and effective. 

Looking at the iconic annual photo of thousands of rabbis in front of the Rebbe’s shul and Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, one can see clearly that Chabad is the biggest Jewish army in the world other than the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Though there were more than 4 200 rabbis in the picture, not every shaliach is able to come every year. Another few thousand couldn’t attend for one reason or another. 

Chabad’s influence continues to grow exponentially. After 7 October 2023, there has been a global igniting of Jewish hearts and souls, with millions of previously disengaged and unaffiliated Jews feeling an awakening of their Jewish identity. The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) commissioned a study of this upward trend in the American Jewish community in 2024, dubbing the phenomenon “the surge”. 

The survey found that it is at a Chabad centre in places near and far where Jews, especially those previously described as disengaged, have found a place to observe, celebrate, and grow in Judaism. 

According to the JFNA’s findings, “Close to half of those people who are part of this ‘surge’, showing up more in some way [to Jewish life], are doing it through Chabad.” 

My dear late friend and brother-in-law, Rabbi Koshe Kotlarsky, developed the Kinus into the incredible and unique phenomenon it is today. Now his son and successor, Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, chaired the banquet. 

At the banquet, Rabbi Yaakov Raskin, shaliach in Jamaica, shared his frightening experience when Hurricane Melissa hit the island with unprecedented and devastating force. He told of stuffing his doors with beds, trying to stave off the vicious storm winds and relentless rain, and his gratitude for the divine protection that kept him and his family safe. 

“Even as the walls shook, I knew I wasn’t alone,” he said. “I remembered the Rebbe’s words: A Jew does not find himself in a situation. A Jew makes a situation.” 

Then we heard from young Zalmy Feldman, a little boy and shaliach from Nes Tziona in Israel who contracted a terrible infection and, tragically, lost both his legs. He chatted by livestream to Rabbi Liraz Zeira, a campus shaliach in Jerusalem who was on chaplaincy duty in the IDF in Syria recently when he stepped on a grenade and he, too, lost both his legs. The unwavering commitment and positive attitude of these two holy souls were beyond inspirational. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house when young Zalmy strode onto the stage confidently on his prosthetic legs. 

Zalmy’s words were absolutely humbling to everyone in the audience. “So I go. I walk on. Sometimes, I fall; sometimes, I get hurt. But I get up and I keep on walking. That’s how the Rebbe’s emissary walks!” 

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, was in attendance along with many hundreds of prominent philanthropists, community leaders, friends, supporters, and admirers of the Rebbe’s shluchim. 

In a particularly moving moment, the banquet concluded with a Siyum of a new Torah scroll, dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky. The Sefer Torah was completed by the scribe, assisted by respected philanthropist George Rohr. 

And as the letters were written, the Kinus culminated with the annual “international roll call”, going through the continents and mapping the Chabad presence across the globe. 

As the final letters of the Torah were inked in, the room broke out into spontaneous dancing, generating joy that radiated across oceans and continents, uniting Jews all over in a common mission and celebration. 

• Rabbi Yossy Goldman is life rabbi emeritus of Sydenham Shul in Johannesburg, and president of the South African Rabbinical Association.