Russian Jews’ Memorable Shabbat

Photos: Alex Gorokhov

For the third year in a row, the American Russian Jewish community spent Shabbos as one big family at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Connecticut. It truly was “A Weekend to Remember.”

The annual event, which was hosted and organized by Chamah International and Lubavitch Youth Organization, took place only over the course of a couple of days, but the impression is long-lasting. The inspiration gleaned from the many lectures and workshops, as well as from the communal seudas, enthused the participants, giving them an appreciation and excitement for Yiddishkeit for the rest of the year.

About 900 people attended the Shabbaton at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Connecticut, among them over 200 children and 100 singles and students; With G-d’s help, the Shabbaton has become a national event; guests came from 15 states—among them, 35 towns and cities—with people flying in from as far as Canada, Israel, England, and Hawaii.

An Elaborate Affair

To make the Shabbaton an absolute success, Chamah International rabbis Hillel Zaltzman, Moshiach Chudaitov, Binyomin Malachovski and Benzion Laskin, and the Lubavitch Youth organization program director Rabbi Kasriel Kastel, went all out—ordering the finest food and inviting the most sought-after lecturers and highly-acclaimed personalities in the Jewish world today.

The Shabbaton was extremely well organized, with every minute being taken into account. During each hour between meals, four to six lectures, panels and workshops simultaneously took place, in either Russian or English. Rabbi Chaim Miller, the author of the Gutnick Chumash, led a special guided kabalistic Shabbat service. Other speakers included Rabbi Nissan Dovid Dubov, director of Chabad of Wimbeldon, UK; Mrs. Esther Segal, popular Israeli TV host and author; Rabbi Kasriel Kastel, Rabbi Dovid Karpov of the Moscow chapter of Chamah; former IDF Special Forces Commander Dr. Gill Heart; Mrs. Chedva Federman from Milwaukee; Mrs. Mattie Pil from San Francisco; Rabbi Yisroel Deren, director of Chabad Lubavitch of Fairfield County, Connecticut; Mrs. Basya Chudaitov; Rabbi Shlomo Noginski from Israel who presented a new unique Shidduchim website for mekurovim (shiduchim-net.org); and many, many more.

The Shabbaton attracted Russian American media personalities—from newspapers, TV, and radio—including Boris Tenzer, popular TV host on the Russian American channel and Michael Nemirovsky, editor in chief of the Russian Forward, and others.

On Motzei Shabbos, internationally-acclaimed Israeli composer and singer Zlata Razdolina gave a special concert for women with the participation of Chedva Federman. Their songs on Jewish subjects brought many women to tears, and at the end, to dances. During the melave malka, Klezmer singer Pinchus Boborovsky and the Rambam Orchestra had the crowd singing and dancing with beautiful ahavas yisroel spirit and Adar joy until after midnight.

Chamah executive staff Rabbis Chudaitov, Zaltzman, Malachovski and Laskin an delivered stirring words and throughout the affair. Other instrumental players in making the Shabbaton a success were the chazzanim, Rabbis David Babinet, Berele Zaltzman and Grisha Tzatzkes, who led the davening with heartfelt Chassidic niggunim.

The food on Shabbos and throughout the weekend was of the highest quality, yet people said, “We didn’t come for the food; we’re looking for spirituality!”

Coordination of the weekend rested on the shoulders of Chamah presidents Rabbi Hillel Zaltzman, Rabbi Moshiach Chudaitov, and its program director Rabbi Benzion Laskin who worked tirelessly for many weeks, directing and organizing the event. Rabbi Baruch Lepkivker, program director of Bris Avrohom, also played a key role in the program preparation with the help of Rabbi Eli Kogan.

Mrs. Chanah Zaltzman, co-director of Chabad of Kingsborough and Gan Israel Chamah day camp in Brighton Beach, directed with tremendous dedication a successful children’s program for more than 200 children.

Rabbi Yaakov Elman and Mrs. Chedva Federman from Chabad of Milwaukee ran a well-attended singles’ program that lasted well into the night. And special thanks to Mrs. Chedva Federman that arranged a grand raffle with many valuable items that were donated by www.1saleaday.com.

Special thanks to Chana Grifkin, Yonit Tanenbaum and Levi Levin who contributed greatly to all of the behind-the-scenes operations.

Rabbi Yossi Niselevitch, chairman of Chamah in Israel, ran a Russian Jewish book sale of Chamah publications and other publishers.

Chamah and the Lubavitch Youth organization expresses special thanks to the following Shluchim for their tireless efforts and participation, and for giving powerful lectures that contributed to the success of the Shabbaton:

Rabbi Eli and Mrs. Shulamith Blokh, Chabad of Rego Park, Queens
Rabbi Chaim and Mrs. Rivky Brikman of Chabad of Sea Gate
Rabbi Sholom Goldshmid of Lubavitch Center for Russian Jewry in Philadelphia
Rabbi Mordechai Kanelsky and Mrs. Shterney Kanelsky Bris Avrohom, NJ
Rabbi Eli Kogan of Jewish Russian Learning Center, Staten Island and Chabad.org
Rabbi Baruch Lepkivker, Bris Avrohom , NJ
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Levin, Mrs. Doba Levin, and Rabbi Yehuda Levin of Chabad of Kensington
Rabbi Pini Marozow of Chabad of Coney Island
Mrs. Sarah Mendelson from Ohel Sara in Flatbush
Rabbis Hirsh, Dovid and Avremele Okonov from FREE of Brighton Beach
Rabbi Dan and Mrs. Sara Rodkin from the Shaloh House in Boston
Rabbi Berel Zaltzman, Bris Avrohom in NJ
Rabbi Ephraim Zaltzman and Mrs. Chana Zaltzman from Chabad of Kingsborough College and Young Israel of Brighton Beach

The weekend retreat successfully accomplished its main goal: to provide Shluchim with a special event that would bring their Russian-Jewish congregants together and better acquaint them with the beauty of our heritage through celebrating Shabbat, attending inspiring and educational seminars with the ultimate goal of uplifting their Jewish identity, instilling a love of Israel, sharing ideas, and forming new and lasting friendships.

Tradition!

A special event took place Sunday morning, when Yisroel and Elana Litkowski, a lovely young couple from Monsey came to celebrate the Pidyon Haben of their son, DovBer, together with their parents and relatives from Florida and California. The ceremony was enthusiastically received by our Russian guests, many of whom had never seen such a tradition in their lives. Afterward, about 30 firstborn men lined up to have their own Pidyon Haben, having missed out on this special mitzvah until then. The ceremony was led was led by Rabbis Eli Kogan, Berel Zaltzman and Kasriel Kastel. At the end, the crowd sang a joyous Siman Tov U’Mazal Tov together.

During the Sunday lunch, the crowd was visibly touched when a young man and woman, Alexander and Marina Braverman, approached the microphone and announced that they had each been convinced to attend last year’s Shabbaton as singles. They met each other at the Shabbaton’s singles’ program last year, and were attending the Shabbaton this year as a married couple.

Many participants thanked Chamah and Lubavitch Youth Organization with glistening eyes, saying that the spirit of the Shabbaton would last for the entire coming year. The only regret of the organizers—that they didn’t have space for even more participants who called during the final week of registration.

Many guests returned from the previous year, saying that they had waited the entire year for the next Shabbaton. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and many people even asked for a spot to be reserved for the next one.