By COLlive reporter
Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon published last week a list of “the most influential Jews around the world” highlighting individuals such as Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson and Jared Kushner, who was a senior advisor to the 45th president, Donald Trump.
One of the entries was “the Chabadnikim,” reading as follows:
“Where’s there’s Coca Cola there’s Chabad,” says the accepted saying. An example of that was given in 2017 when Shluchim on behalf of the movement arrived in South Dakota, where only 250 Jews live there according to what is known.
Israelis mostly know Chabad Houses that cater to tourists in the Far East, but the vast majority of the Shluchim work with the veteran Jewish residents in each country.
One of the strong personalities in Chabad is Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, the body which oversees 4,000 Chabad centers around the world. He is the person who runs the Shlichus operation and organizes the annual Kinus Hashluchim.
Two Chabad Shluchim who became close to the administrations in their countries are Rabbi Berel Lazar in Russia who is close to President Vladimir Putin, and Rabbi Levi Shemtov in Washington, DC, who serves as a Shliach to the White House who koshers the kitchens of the presidential institutions for events for the Jewish community.
