It’s never easy for parents to allow their young children to leave home for a Shabbos, but this past week close to 30 NYC public school children spent Shabbos in Crown Heights for a mega fun Shabbaton.
“There was a buzz in the air from the moment the bus pulled up to pick me up,” said Ronny from Brooklyn.
2:00 PM on Friday afternoon four mini buses dispersed across NYC to pick up the children after public school finished, and bring them back to Crown Heights before shabbos began.
The children were treated to a packed 26 hour schedule of fun learning, Shabbos meals, Shabbos parties, tours of 770 and the Rebbe’s house, Scavenger hunts and more.
“Even though the food was really good and I had so much fun, the part I enjoyed the most was the davening in the morning,” said Maya from Staten Island. “I go to public school, so only when I join Released Time do I get a chance to do these things.”
The Shabbaton had a separate boys and girls division and ended Moitzai Shabbos with a grand bowling and pizza trip together.
As always, at the conclusion of the Shabbaton, every child made a hachlata – good resolution.
Alex from Queens committed to asking his parents to send him to Yeshivah!
“If after Shabbos the children desire to leave public school and go to Yeshivah, we know the Shabbaton was a major success,” says Rabbi Yehoshua Shneur, from RT Headquarters.
Released Time gives thanks to all the dedicated staff and volunteers for making this Shabbaton such a great success: Mushky and Rosie Hecht, Mendel Pink, Moshe Serebranksy, Mendel Lieberow, Yossi Gansbourg, Chaim Piekarsky, Mendel Backman, Zalman Lew, Tzemach Gordon, Mendel Holtzberg, Yehuda Banda, Levi Levin, Motti Herts, Meir Orenstein, Chaim Raitport, Chayim Wagner, Chonye Marozow, Mendel Weinbaum and Daniel Namdar.
“The credit goes to the incredible staff,” says Rabbi Shimon Hecht, from the NCFJE Executive Committee. “The Rebbe surely had much nachas from all of these lucky Neshomos soaking in Yiddishkeit in Crown Heights.”
Released Time would also like to thank our partnering families that hosted the children and enabled the shabbaton to happen:
Rabbi Moshe Rubashkin, the Mangel family, the Hecht Families, Raskin Family, Katzman family, Alperovitch family, Weinbaum family, Kramer family, Rabbi Levi Goldstein and Rabbi Benny wolf.
MOSHE SEREBRYANSKI