Bulletin10.16.2010 - Lech Lecha.pub

14
Inspiration, Insights & Ideas
Bringing Torah lessons to LIFE!
Continued from p. 13
Portal and Agustus had
been soldiers in the elite
special-forces Duvdevan
unit when they were in
pursuit of terrorist Luis
Saadi in the Arab village of
Tulkarm. Saadi opened
fire, hitting Agustus in the
shoulder. In the midst of
the ensuing firefight that
claimed Saadi’s life, Portal
rescued his friend from the battle.
“As a result of his injuries, Roi’s tour of
duty came to an end,” said Brocha
Chana Metzger. “He would require long
years of therapy to help him recover
from the trauma, and would not see his
savior, Elad, until their unexpected
reunion this past Shabbat, three years
later, and across the ocean.”
campus life
College Students Wouldn’t Think of
Missing New York Weekend
By Jessica Naiman, Chabad.edu
Jewish college students around the world are gearing up for the
annual Chabad on Campus International Shabbaton, set to take
place Oct. 22-24 in New York.
Dubbed the “Jewish Mega Event of the Year,” the autumn
Shabbaton, a project of the Chabad on Campus International
Foundation, brings nearly 1,000 students from 100 schools in North
America and Europe to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn for an
immersive weekend focusing on cultural explorations and
leadership growth.
“This will be my third New York trip, and I just love it,” says Matt
Rissien, a 24-year-old from the University of Kansas who’s heading
his campus’ trip this year under the guidance of Chabad-Lubavitch
Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, director of the local Chabad House.
“Every time I go, it’s so much fun, and the experience in Crown
Heights is just unique,” adds Rissien. “The atmosphere is unlike
anything I’ve ever experienced.”
Rich in cultural significance, the weekend includes tours of Jewish
sites and the opportunity to meet Jewish leaders and entertainers,
and allows participants to network with hundreds of their peers.
“The part that I really loved was meeting all those new people that
are there for the same reason, to learn more and share ideas and
talk about their Chabad House on campus,” says Matt’s younger
sister, 19-year-old Emily Rissien, also from the University of Kansas.
The sister, who is returning for her second year, was one of two
students from her campus selected to participate in the
Shabbaton’s adjoining Leadership Conference. She’ll be joining
Brittany Choikhit, student president of the local Chabad House, on
the program, which will bring students together with business and
communal leaders.
“I’m really looking forward to the leadership program,” says
Choikhit, a junior majoring in design with a minor in Judaic studies
and psychology. “We’ll be able to talk to each other and feed off
each other for ideas and events on campus. I think we can also help
people out a lot, too, as most of our events here on campus have
been really successful and fun.”
In addition to the leadership component, this year’s Shabbaton will
also feature a scholarly track for students with more advanced
Jewish knowledge, and an expanded women’s program, says
Tiechtel, who is chairing this year’s event.
“Our goal is to cater to every student, which is why we have a very
big smorgasbord of options,” he says. “People come back because
they love it so much. There are no words for the atmosphere. On the
one hand, everyone becomes a family, and there’s a tremendous
sense of Jewish unity. On the other hand, there’s a very unique
blend of people from different cultures.”
Each year, the Shabbaton brings nearly 1,000 college students to the
Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Everyone Knows the Words
The weekend experience revolves around a memorable Shabbat
experience in which students are placed at homes of local Crown
Heights families. After the Friday night meal, students will reunite
for inspirational Chasidic gatherings and a visit to Lubavitch World
Headquarters. The agenda on Saturday includes a communal lunch
followed by workshops, lectures, networking and a musical
ceremony marking the conclusion of the holy day.
A Saturday night carnival will offer live musical entertainment and a
combination of games and other activities.
Boris Lipovetsky, 21, a senior at Babson College in Massachusetts
who describes the Shabbaton two years ago as a life-changing
experience, says the entire weekend exudes a special kind of energy.
“When one person starts singing a song, everyone knows the words.
Someone starts dancing, and everyone knows how to do the dance,”
he explains. “It was really the first time in a very long time where I
was in an environment with so many students I could connect to,
not only on a spiritual level but on a cultural level.”
The business management major missed last year’s Shabbaton
while on a semester abroad in Australia, but harbored no thoughts
of missing this year’s bash.
“When [Boris] came back, that was one of the first things he said to
me: ‘That Shabbaton was amazing. I want to be a part of it,’ ” recalls
Rabbi Moshe Bleich, director of the Wellesley Weston Chabad
serving Babson and Wellesley College.
For Rabbi Yossy Gordon, executive vice president of the Chabad on
Campus International Foundation, the goal is provide a positive
growth experience for each and every student.
“For some, it might mean an intense educational experience, for
another it might mean being uplifted by a Chasidic melody, and for
others it might mean learning something relatively basic,” says
Gordon. “100 percent of students walk away with a growth
experience.”