Couple Begins “Raw Shlichus”

Rabbi Shmuly and Shaina Feldman and their son Mendel of Crown Heights will be moving on Shlichus to Clay County, FL where they will launch a new Chabad House serving the needs of the growing Jewish population.

Clay County is nestled along the banks of the majestic St. Johns River in Northeast Florida and is located 15 miles southwest of Jacksonville. It is one of the nation’s fastest growing regions with a population of 150,000.

The new Shluchim were appointed by Rabbi Yoseph Kahanov, Director of Chabad of Northeast Florida.

It will be the 5th Chabad Center to serve the growing Northeast region of the Sunny State.

For several years Merkos Shlichus Bochurim have visited the area and had much hatzlacha. “After developing and maintaining a connection with numerous Jews in the vicinity, we felt it was time for Clay County to establish its own center,” says Rabbi Kahanov.

The area is extremely raw, according to Rabbi Kahanov. “There is not a single Shul, Synagogue, or Temple in the entire County. There exists no form of organized Jewish life,” he told COLlive.com.

Yet, having spent time exploring the area and visiting with local Jewish residents, during their visits to Jacksonville for Yomim Tovim and Simchos, the Feldmans decided that they were ready to take on the challenge.

“It is really exciting for me to move back to the Jacksonville area and share in the continued growth of Chabad and its outreach activities on the First Coast of Florida,” says Shaina Feldman, Kahanov’s daughter who grew up on Shlichus in Jacksonville FL.

If you know any Jews in the area or would like to help support the new Chabad House send an email to: [email protected].