When Rabbi Yisroel Kozlovsky, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Mumbai, India, heard about the abduction and murder of his colleague, Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Chabad emissary based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, he had two reactions:
There was, on the one hand, the pain and horror of losing a colleague and friend, followed quickly by resolve for the future.
Though separated by the watery expanse of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, the flight between Mumbai and Dubai is a mere three hours long, making Kozlovsky and his Chabad colleagues in the UAE relative neighbors. What’s more, Kogan’s role in providing kosher food in the Emirates meant that he often served as a conduit for kosher products to Chabad in India.
“This past Passover, we had trouble getting enough matzah for our seder, due to the war in Israel,” Kozlovsky says. “Zvi stepped in to help us get what we needed. We only met face to face a few times, so how well did I know him? But he jumped in to help me. He made my problem his problem.” Kogan’s murder was devastating.
Kozlovsky also knew what he needed to do next.
“I told myself I have to fly to New York and be with my fellow Chabad emissaries,” Kozlovsky said. “We all just lost a brother. We need to connect and be together during this time. Not just to commiserate but to reapply ourselves to our purpose.”
It’s in this spirit that Kozlovsky and thousands of Rabbi Zvi Kogan’s colleagues are gathering this week for the 41st annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries, also known as the Kinus Hashluchim. Running from Nov. 27 to Dec. 2, the gathering unites more than 6,500 rabbis and lay leaders from all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries and territories around the world.
The Kinus is an annual event, replete with the workshops on topics running the gamut from mental health to fundraising, and social media to end of life counseling. The four days together culminate with the gala banquet, which brings all of the Chabad rabbis and their guests together in a giant conference center in New Jersey.
By far the most meaningful aspect of the Kinus is the joint visit to the Ohel, the Queens-resting place of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, to pray for their families, communities and humanity at large.
“When you’re alone, the background noise of daily life can overwhelm you, and drown out your focus on the goal,” Kozlovsky says. “But at the Kinus, when you visit the Rebbe’s resting place and connect with friends, you realign yourself. Your mission to connect to and embrace every Jew comes back to focus. This is why I’m here.”
This year has been a particularly difficult one for Jews not only in Israel, which since Oct. 7 has seen thousands of rockets rain down on it, including Iranian ballistic missiles, but also around the world. As Jewish communal leaders, Chabad rabbis stand on the frontlines of world Jewry—from the towns of northern Israel to U.S. college campuses, the Ukrainian war zone to the UAE.
“This year has been a near constant march forward,” says Rabbi Chaim Landa, co-director of Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County, Mo. “The conference offers a chance to process and reflect on everything we’ve been through, but also regroup and forge ahead.”
Rabbi Mendy Alevsky, who, along with his wife, Sara, directs Chabad at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, says he reminds his students constantly that this is a responsibility shared by every single Jew, wherever he or she may find themselves.
“My message to my students—and to myself—throughout this past year has been that we are like soldiers,” he says. “As Jews, we all have our own unique mission. The Chabad emissary has his, students have theirs, and so on, but what unites us is comradery of our Jewish peers, the study of Torah and the bond with our Creator.”
The sense of spiritual resolve and growth in the face of darkness reflects the Rebbe’s approach to tragedy. Following a 1956 terror attack on Kfar Chabad, in which five children and a teacher were murdered in cold blood as they prayed, the Rebbe instructed the community to remain strong, to rededicate themselves to Torah and mitzvot, and most importantly, to build.
“Our job has never been clearer,” declared Rabbi Levi Duchman, director of Chabad of the UAE and chief rabbi of the Emirates, at Kogan’s funeral on Monday in Israel. “To remind every Jew who they are and why they are here. The world needs to hear our voices. Do more, stand prouder, fight harder, reach further. This … is about us and our people. We are not just here to survive. We are here to transform the world.”
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