By COLlive reporter
Over a hundred people gathered last week at Chabad of Belgravia in Central London, run by Shluchim Rabbi Mendel and Chana Kalmenson, as the community came together to celebrate the launch of Rabbi Kalmenson’s first book, “Seeds of Wisdom.”
The book is a collection of short stories gathered from the archives of JEM’s My Encounter project, with universally relevant and heartwarming messages. The event was scheduled to coincide with Yud Shevat, in honor of the anniversary of the Rebbe’s nesius and to bring awareness of his impact on world Jewry to this largely unaffiliated community.
The evening began with a short film about the Rebbe, followed by various touching interviews from My Encounters. Afterward, emcee Nicole Ronson-Allalouf, a member of the community, interviewed Kalmenson about the making of the book, his personal memories of the Rebbe, and the messages he intended to convey.
“Every story was taken directly from JEM’s My Encounter Project’s extensive footage of first-hand experiences with the Rebbe,” Kalmenson revealed. “There were thousands of hours of history to sift through when mining for the stories.”
Regarding the experience of meeting the Rebbe, “Whereas in the presence of celebrity or royalty one tends to lose themself, in the presence of the Rebbe you tended to find yourself, becoming more aware and conscious of your essence and the person you really wanted to be.”
Kalmenson shared that he attempted Seeds of Wisdom to be “the Rebbe’s philosophy on life taught through stories and examples.”
Many in the crowd were deeply moved by their first encounter with the Rebbe. “The Rebbe sounded like a truly celestial man and through Rabbi Kalmenson’s work we hope his legacy can remain as eternal as his spirit,” commented Daniel Z.
They were also intrigued by the style of the book, with Alex F. noting that “Rabbi Kalmenson’s approach is suitably modern and effective – stories you can absorb in a minute or two, which you can then dwell on and reflect on afterward.”
The evening concluded with cocktails and canapes, as many in the audience lined up to have their books signed and share words of congratulation with their Rabbi. The emcee’s closing words; “May we all take up the gardening to nurture and cultivate the seeds of wisdom that you have given us, so that we can become better people.”
Seeds of Wisdom can be purchased at your local Judaica store or at jemstore.com
I read the book “Seeds of Wisdom” and shared it with mekuravim here, who were deeply touched by the content and enjoyed the presentation and style very much. I enjoyed Rabbi Kalmenson’s insight about the difference between knowledge and wisdom, shared in the video clip here. I am a big fan of Rabbi Kalmenson’s articles on chabad.org and enjoy his refreshing and engaging writing style. Looking forward to the next book!
I read his book from cover to cover and loved it. Its deep and meaningful and so relevant. Rabbi Kalmenson did a great job – and I’m waiting for the next.
Go Mendy!
kol hakavod mendel
From strength to strength Mendel!
looks like a really beautiful event
I read the book and I keep referencing to the book whenever I need advice. The book includes the Rebbe’s advice on relationships, marriage , chinuch, and more! As a teacher I find this book to be a great resource as I can find a Rebbe story that connects to almost any topic that i am teaching. The stories are filled with wisdom and inspiration.
A must read!
Reb Mendel, I look forward to a sequel!
and reb elkanah shmotkin for all his hard work
Miss u guys!
We need more people like R Mendel!
Rabbi Kalmenson is such a multi-talented Rabbi, Besides for being deeply insightful and inspirational he puts out a book that spreads the beautiful messages he always tries to impart to his community! Thank you Rabbi Mendel for all that you do!
I bought it at the ohel. The stories are short enough to read at the Shabbos table. It’s a great way to start a meaningful conversation.
Hey Reb Mendel,
We are so proud of you, and your amazing Harzlocha you and your family are having in London, keep up the great work. Now that you published this beautiful book, please hurry and publish the other book you were telling us about, I think they will be a smashing successes.
The book is filled with amazing short stories and quotes. I recommend it
The article should have mentioned that the book was produced by Elkanah Shmotkin Director of JEM. I suspect he was the one who paid for it!
but i must comment…
The book is amazing!!!! i must buy for every chossid, for every yid for that matter….so geshmak, to know the rebbes opinion on many things…thank you Rabbi Kalmanson for putting it together…this is a book u can read many many times…a guteh voch