Russians Return to New York

By COLlive reporter

For the 6th consecutive year, a group of members of the Chabad community in Moscow prepared for the High Holidays by visiting New York.

The 100 men that flew in are involved in several Chabad centers in Russia, led by Shluchim Rabbi Alexander Boroda, Rabbi Shmuel Kuperman, Rabbi Mordechai Weisberg and Rabbi Levi Mondshein of Smolensk.

The visit began last Wednesday with a chassidic farbrengen at Chabad of Midtown Manhattan on Fifth Avenue. It was a preparation for their next morning’s visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel gravesite in Cambria Heights, Queens.

Leading the group was Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chief Rabbi and Head Shliach of Russia. He traveled with them to Niagara Falls where they ended a full day of touring with a farbrengen that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.

On Friday morning they got to daven Shachris in the Rebbe’s holy room in Lubavitch Headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights.

A most inspiring Shabbos Slichos was then spent, with chassidus classes, saying the entire Tehillim, davening, meals and farbrengens.

Rabbis speaking to them urged to take upon themselves a new Mitzvah to keep during the new year. And the call was answered. Each in their turn, participants stood up and publicly announced their ‘hachlata’ for 5774.
And just before returning home for Rosh Hashana and to their families, they got to recite the Slichos prayers for forgiveness in the Rebbe’s private house.

The trip was coordinated by Fleishman Peles VIP.