Friendship Circle Shluchim Meet

Close to one hundred Shluchim, Shluchos and staff of Friendship Circles worldwide gathered together to learn, share and inspire each other.

The two-day Kinus took place at the Hilton Hotel in Elizabeth, NJ. Participants represented a multitude of demographics, coming from branches of the Friendship Circle all over the world, including Australia. The underlying theme of the Kinus was Hakhel, by way of celebrating the unique abilities of every individual.

“It was good to see the Kinus providing meaningful assistance and camaraderie to so many Shluchim,” said Rabbi Gedalya Shemtov, director of The Shluchim Office which operates Friendship Circle International.

The two day program included workshops, seminars and open “Ted” talks. A children’s kinus was run simultaneously for the children of shluchim running Friendship Circles.

A video presentation produced by JEM containing never-seen-before footage outlining the Rebbe’s care and view of individuals with special needs and how friendship truly brings out the best in everyone.

Dr. Laura Marshak of Friendship Circle in Pittsburgh presented revolutionary ideas on how Friendship Circle’s and volunteers can become more inclusive.

The Kinus banquet was headlined by Jon Massachi, VP of BB&T who revealed his own journey success despite being born with Cerebral Palsy and Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, who passionately explained how Friendship Circle’s unique approach is the ultimate expression of Chabad Chassidus.

“Having the chance to connect with fellow Shluchim from other Friendship Circles, was a real highlight for me.” said Mrs. Chani Baram, Director of Friendship Circle of Philadelphia. “It was also great to brainstorm about ways that we can collectively engage our alumni,” added another shliach.

This year’s Kinus was focused on Hakhel and the unique opportunity we have to unite in our efforts to make a worldwide impact. It was so inspiring to see the achdus among Friendship Circles in sharing ideas, advice, and techniques.” said Rabbi Bentzion Groner, Director of Friendship Circle International.

During the banquet a special thank you was given to the Kinus sponsors: Rallybound, Shluchim Source, Predictive Synergistic System, Perry Systems, Baystate Financial, Musical IQ, Schechner Lifson Corporation, BMS and Hecht Coaching.