By COLlive reporter
Photos by Israel Bardugo
A diverse crowd of hundreds of people gathered Monday night in the Yahalom theater in the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan. There were dignitaries, business people, former backpackers, young and old.
What they all had in common was “Kathmandu.”
Each of the participants have been, in one way or another and at one point or another, touched by the 13 years of work of Rabbi Chezky and Chani Lifshitz, the Chabad Shluchim in the breathtaking and rickety Far East country of Nepal.
“We all came here to salute a most remote yet popular Chabad House,” said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch who oversees the Shlichus outreach network and has been aiding the Lifshitzs over the years.
The event was dedicated to Sami Rohr OBM, the businessman and philanthropist who supported Chabad Nepal since its inception and a major donor to Chabad causes worldwide.
Bringing back memories from the Shabbos meals in Kathmandu were singers Yishai Lapidot and Moshe Lahav singing favorite Shabbos songs. The public Pesach Seder in Kathmandu, with over 2,000 people, is considered to be the largest in the world.
Rohr and many other people’s familiarity with Chabad activities in Kathmandu was due to “the good work that they’re doing and their care and concern,” Rabbi Kotlarsky said about the Lifshitzs.
Their work has become so legendary that a drama TV show on Israel’s largest Channel 2 was based on their characters and life in the politically unstable state in South Asia, frequented by scores of backpackers.
Joining Rabbi and Mrs. Lifshitz on stage was the actor Michael Moshonov who plays a young and inexperienced newlywed Lubavitcher who is sent to Nepal – a character based on Chezky Lifshitz, as reported on COLlive.com.
“It was very exciting to see and remind ourselves of how we began,” admitted Chani Lifshitz. She saw it as an accomplishment that the dedication of Shluchim and observant Jewish life was seen on prime time television.
“I am very excited to be here,” said the clean shaven Moshonov, a stark contrast to his bearded, chassidic spirited and black fedora wearing character on the show.
“It took a lot of time (to get into character),” he said. “I read a lot of stuff about the Rebbe and worked with Yechiel Fleishman, brother of Chani Lifshitz who taught me how to act in the most honorable way.”
He said the show gave “a lot of people in Israel and Tel Aviv the chance to see what’s going on in Shlichus. Telling the story helps people get close and helps them not to be afraid of connecting.”
Asked if he sees himself more of a Chabadnik, Moshonov answered: “Definitely.”
The event was produced by Fleishman Productions. Special thanks were given to R’ Dudi Slavin of Friends of Chabad Nepal, Shlomo Chaim Rivkin, the emcee Dovale Halperin and the corporate sponsors – Kol Shar, Argaman, Avi Malka Events, Yossi Mor Yosef Media, Bakery Kfar Chabad and Bardugo Media and Communications.
Beautiful! What a Kidush Lubavitch!