Retreat Held For Shluchos of Young Professionals

After the meaningful yet sometimes hectic month of Tishrei, a group of Chabad Young Professionals shluchos convened upon the Meer Estate in Morristown, N.J. for a three-day kinus retreat. Luckily for them, the retreat was the polar opposite of hectic; the rural setting, luxurious hosting, and carefully curated program ensured that each shluchah felt pampered, rested, and most importantly, invigorated.

Indeed, amenities, small luxuries, and a thought-out program enabled the shluchos to simply enjoy and relax themselves. A spa with tea time, daily exercise, and lavish food kept the body nourished, while constant learning and inspiring farbrengens with Mrs. Miriam Lipskier of Chabad at Emory University, and scholar in residence at the Kinus, fed the soul.
Most importantly, with so many powerhouses under one roof without any of the usual distractions and responsibilities of mission and family, there was much productive strategizing and inspiration.

“The Rebbe would often speak about the notion of strengthening each other and inspiring each other, which is the objective of these specialized, micro kinusim,” said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Chairman of the Kinus Hashluchim and Vice-Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch. “Baruch Hashem, we saw this Kinus accomplish exactly that.”

Participants were blown away at just how beautiful everything looked and felt, with many joking that party planning and event design should be added as a workshop at the next kinus. A highlight of the program was the session on the Rebbe’s view about dating—a particularly “hot topic” for the young adult demographic—taught by fellow CYP shluchah Devorah Wilhelm of CYP of the Upper East Side in New York City.

Following up from that session, the Met @Chabad team—the wildly successful new initiative from CYP International designed to help young adults find their match—presented the full extent of the program. Shluchos were eager to hear about the developments of this exciting initiative, and hopeful of bringing similar results in their hometowns.

Other sessions included senior shluchos, presenting best practices, as well as an intimate session with Mrs. Miriam Lipskier about the personal relationship between shluchah and shliach, husband and wife. One of the powerful ideas that emerged from that discussion was that a strong relationship between each other is the foundation from which any hatzlachah in their shlichus will flow.

Miriam Lipskier also ran a workshop for the shluchos on how to speak about Mikvah to young adults—another pertinent topic for this specific demographic.
“It was really incredible to be able to share advice, tips, stories of revealed blessings and miracles, and our struggles,” said Emunah Wircberg from CYP Philadelphia. “We’re one family all working towards the same goal, and I believe it can be extremely powerful if we’re here for one another!”

“CYP has been growing by leaps and bounds in the recent past,” said Chevi Frankel of CYP International. “It used to be a small and close-knit group, and now it has really grown past that nascent stage. But it’s still critical to maintain a sense of sisterhood and family. The kinus does just that.”

The kinus climaxed with a beautiful working lunch, where shluchos inspired each other and spoke of many new ideas, including a new initiative for Rosh Chodesh programming.

The relaxing setting, coupled with powerful inspiration and a family-like atmosphere, came together to create something truly unique. As Mrs. Chaya Levitin Shlucha at Chabad Young Professionals of Seattle put it, “The retreat was so special. It was so meaningful to connect with fellow shluchos in a beautiful space with the most thoughtfully curated program.”