By COLlive reporter
In a momentous celebration of friendship and spiritual growth, a group of 14 men from the vibrant Anash community in Long Beach, California, set their sights on Crown Heights and the Ohel.
With the dedicated planning efforts of Yosef Helfand and the financial support of Yitzy Geisinsky in honor of his 50th birthday, their shared desire for spiritual growth and connection to their Chassidic roots came to life.
Arriving in Crown Heights straight from the airport early Friday morning, the group spent much of the day visiting important sites in Crown Heights. After going to the Mikvah and davening shacharis in 770, they were given special access to the Rebbe’s room to recite Tehillim followed by a tour of the Rebbe’s library just next door.
They then visited WLCC from where the Rebbe’s farbrengens were broadcasted. For Shimon Greenspan, the visit to WLCC was particularly significant since his father, Avrohom Greenspan, was one of the original pioneers of WLCC and helped create the complex communication systems to broadcast the Rebbe’s Farbrengens.
The group then headed to the Rebbe’s house for mincha where Yossel Greenman davened for the Amud in memory of his father. It was a very meaningful and moving experience.
The highlight of the trip was spending Shabbos in close proximity to the Rebbe’s Ohel. The opportunity to spend an entire Shabbos in such a special place, unhurried and unhindered by time constraints, allowed them to truly connect and deepen their hiskashrus in ways that many of them had never felt before.
Dovid Parshan recalls, “It was the first time in my life I found myself in the Ohel alone. It really felt like my own private Yechidus”. Rabbi Shlome Bistritsky, a shliach in Hamburg, Germany farbrenged for the group sharing stories and lessons from his Shlichus.
Over a Shabbos that was filled with learning, farbrengens, and a powerful sense of comradery and purpose, the group committed to some important hachlatos.
One of the ideas stressed was the importance of Mikvah for men and during Shabbos, the group spontaneously committed to donate $100,000 towards constructing a men’s Mikvah inside the new Shul that is being built in Bixby Knolls, an upper middle-class area of Long Beach.
With new families moving to the area in recent years thanks to its tranquil suburban lifestyle and more affordable cost of living, the community recognized the need for a new center that would cater to its flourishing community as well as attract new families to the area.
The beautiful new center will include a large Shul, full-size Beis Medrash and library, simcha hall, and a playground for children; and now, a men’s Mikvah.
To add a joyous touch to the weekend, the group gathered Motzei Shabbos at the newly remodeled Besht Center Simcha Hall in Crown Heights for a farbrengen celebrating Yitzy’s birthday. Leading the farbrengen was Rabbi Yitzchak Newman, the esteemed Head Shliach of Long Beach & Orange County and Rav of the Long Beach community.
Drawing upon the inspiration of Shabbos at the Ohel, Shmuel Volovik found himself in a moment of hashgocha protis.
While waiting for his return fight, he noticed an elderly man standing and offered him his seat. They began schmoozing and Shmuel discovered the man was Jewish and had never put on tefillin before. He immediately seized the opportunity and offered to put on tefillin with him. He accepted and they celebrated an impromptu Bar Mitzvah right there in the airport. The man was deeply appreciative and moved to tears.
The weekend spent in the Rebbe’s daled amos left the group feeling motivated and energized. “We could not have conceived of a better way for us to reignite our hiskashrus and our commitment to the Rebbe’s ideals the way we did this weekend”, said one member of the group. “Spending an entire Shabbos in such a special setting is an experience that I would highly recommend other out-of-town communities embark on as well.”
For more information about the Long Beach Anash community call/text Yosef Helfand at: (562)-833-3351.
Attendees:
Yitzy Geisinsky
Yossel Greenman
Shimon Greenspan
Yosef Helfand
Rabbi Mendel Lehrer
Shmueli Lovitch
Rabbi Mayer Newman
Shua Nolan
Dovid Parshan
Rabbi Yossi Rapoport
Baruch Sufrin
Shmuel Volovik
Moshe Weinbaum
Naftali Weingarten
