Raizy Rubin of Shabbos House Chabad at  the University at Albany and Laiky Rubin of the Union College Chabad at May Chabad Israel conference.

 

By Rabbi MENDEL RUBIN

Each year Chabad on Campus International hosts summer conferences, usually in the NY/NJ/CT area, but this year, given the circumstances in Israel and on college campuses, decided to host the conferences in Israel.

There was a May trip for the Chabad on Campus Women, local attendees were Raizy Rubin of Shabbos House Chabad at  the University at Albany and Laiky Rubin of the Union College Chabad.

The mens’ trip was in July, and attended by local Chabad on Campus rabbis: Mendel Rubin of Shabbos House Chabad at University at Albany, Shmuly Rubin of Union College Chabad in Schenectady, Shlomo Morrison of Chabad at RPI, Mendy Mathless of University Heights Chabad, and Mordechai Rubin of Chabad at Siena.

The trip included visits to Sderot, the site of Nova festival in Re’im, and the Rehabilitation Hospital at Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer. The representatives heard first-hand from survivors and rescuers, from wounded soldiers and families impacted by October 7th and its aftermath. They visited a new Israeli college campus in Kiryat Ono, danced at a Torah completion celebration at Ohel HaGevurah (for families of victims) in Jerusalem, and danced with units of soldiers at a special Ishay Ribo concert in scenic Leshem. They welcomed Shabbat at the Kotel on Friday night and  visited Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem and the Machpela Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron.

Several of the local Chabad group attending the men’s July trip in Israel.

The conference opened in Kfar Chabad (celebrating the 75th year since its founding), and closed with a formal banquet in Airport City near Tel-Aviv. Most of the conference days were spent traveling to places around Israel, but the conference was based in Jerusalem.

For Shabbat and the latter portion of the conference they were joined by their Israeli Chabad on Campus counterparts, many of whom serve in the IDF,  especially this year when many more reservists were called up. They shared how deeply their campus life and student constituents were affected this year.

Wherever the attendees went, Israelis told them how meaningful it was to have the conference in Israel in a year like this. Ironically, while the American Chabad rabbis were concerned for the situation in Israel, the Israelis were concerned about the situation on college campuses in America.

Speaking at the conference, Natan Sharansky (former Soviet dissident, former member of Knesset and head of the Jewish Agency, now chairman of an institute studying anti-Semitism) expressed a sentiment oft-repeated by many Israelis met on the trip, how Chabad on Campus serves (in a sense) on the frontlines.

Many of the local representatives extended their trips  taking an opportunity to meet alumni now living in Israel. Alumni get-togethers for campuses in the Capital Region were held in Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv and Beit-Shemesh. The attendess also met other  Chabad on Campus Shluchim and Shluchos, now all preparing for the coming semester, enriched and informed by the conference experience, enthusiastic to share with returning students in the year ahead.