By COLlive reporter
Photos by Meni Ben Shahar
The annual summit of Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis and scholars began on Wednesday evening with a Chassidic farbrengen near the Rebbe‘s Ohel in Cambria Heights, Queens, NY.
The Worldwide Yarchei Kallah takes place each year in connection with the 20th of Av, the yartzeit of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, of blessed memory. He was the Chief Rabbi of Yekaterinoslav (Dnepropetrovsk) under Soviet rule and father of the Rebbe.
Sitting around set tables, the rabbis discussed the importance of the day and the example Reb Levik set for teaching Torah and spreading Judaism even under harsh circumstances.
Opening the farbrengen was Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, Chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad International and organizer of the Yarchei Kallah which received a warm and grateful response from the Rebbe over the years.
Participants of the Yarchei Kallah this year hail from New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Detroit, California, Wisconsin, Israel, England, France, Canada, Venezuela, Uruguay and South Africa.
Giving a shiur in the teachings of Reb Levik was Rabbi Dovid Dubov, a Shliach in Princeton, NJ, who has compiled the series Yalkut Levi Yitzchok al Hatorah. Sharing stories his family experienced with Reb Levik was Rabbi Mordechai Goldshmid, a Rosh Yeshiva of Chabad in Bnei Brak.
Following the farbrengen, participants traveled to Upstate New York where they will be spending the remainder of the Yarchei Kallah at Camp Gan Israel in Parksville. The rabbonim, Rosh Yeshivos and Mashpiim will be spending the days learning and in discussions.
Yarchei Kallah will culminate with a festive Melave Malka gathering on Motzoei Shabbos, starting at 10:30 PM. The event, to which the Rebbe encouraged Chassidim to attend, will feature words of Torah by the guests. A musical program of Chabad niggunim will be presented by singer Eli Marcus. The wider public is invited to attend.
