Chabad Opens “Sandy Restaurant”

By COLlive

While residents of Southern New England and throughout the Northeast were assessing damage to their own property and person in the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, Shluchim Moshe and Leah Shemtov of Stamford, Connecticut, were preparing the Chabad Center to serve as center of help for the many in Stamford who were without power.

Emails and text messages were sent out, letting members of the Stamford community know that shelter and warm food were available for anyone who needed at “Sandy’s Soup Kitchen.”

“We are thank G-d all well and still have power,” the Shemtovs’ email informed. “If anyone needs to come take shelter, stay over, hot shower, warm meal – please come over! We are here to help out with warmth, food, company, support or any non-emergency assistance at this time or at any other time, in the storm aftermath.”

While several dozen were expected to take the Shemtovs up on the offer, in fact, hundreds were helped. Chabad’s staff manned the newly installed kitchen – the Chabad Gan’s Morahs and Friendship Circle staff had games prepared for the children – and the Shluchim utilized the opportunity to share words of Torah and Tefilah.

Rabbi Shemtov noted that the Alter Rebbe taught “A Jew needs to live with times,” with the Parsha of the week. “How appropriate that during Parshat VaYeirah which begins by teaching us about Avrohom Avinu’s Hachnosas Orchim – hospitality that the Chabad House has the opportunity to bring it to life,” he said.

According to Connecticut Head Shliach Rabbi Yisrael Deren the Chabad Center suffered relatively little damage from several fallen trees on the property and was with power despite the fact that most areas around the center were cut off. “It’s as if Hashem was showing us that we have the ability to continue the Rebbe’s Shlichus no matter what the circumstances,” Rabbi Deren said.