Thousands of Chabad emissaries are flying to New York from every corner of the globe to spend the weekend in Brooklyn for the Kinus Hashluchim - the annual International Conference of Chabad Emissaries.
And in this instance, “every corner of the globe” is no exaggeration. Chabad rabbis from Bangkok, Berlin, Alaska, Argentina, Siberia … they’ll all be there. And so will I.
Living in NYC doesn’t make it any less exciting for me. This is a once-a-year immersive opportunity to recharge, unite, learn, and collaborate with thousands of my peers who are living just like me.
Every year, the energy is electric. Old friends reconnect. Miracle stories make the rounds. We laugh, we cry, we sing, we dance, we stay up till all hours bonding over our shared mission - the Rebbe’s mission - to bring light into the world, to spread goodness and kindness, to uplift humanity.
We’re the Rebbe’s army and there’s no army like us anywhere else in the universe.
But this year, there’s a damper.
My phone and inbox (and those of my peers) are flooded with emails, texts, and phone calls from deeply worried community members.
“Rabbi, what’s going to be with New York?”
“The new mayor hates us.”
“Should we move? Should we run away?”
“You know he wants to shut down Belev Echad because it helps IDF soldiers?”
And I get it. The news cycle is dark and the streets feel tense. Antisemitic voices are growing louder, and politicians are saying things that would’ve been unthinkable just a few years ago.
The fear is real and it can be paralyzing.
But here’s what I tell them - and what I tell myself:
G-d and G-d alone is in control. Always.
It is He who runs the world and this great city, not the politicians in City Hall.
And He determines the future, not the polls.
“Well, where was G-d in the 1930s?” people ask me. “Shouldn’t the Jews have run from Hitler?”
And I have no perfect answer.
My own grandparents were among those who didn’t run. They stayed in Budapest and were shipped to Auschwitz, where they endured hell on earth.
But I do know this: The Lubavitcher Rebbe told us clearly that there will never be another Holocaust. It will not happen again. And I take comfort in that.
And New York?
This city holds a unique status. It is the city where the Rebbe lived, where he led farbrengens and spoke thousands of hours of holy teachings, where he stood for hours giving out dollars and blessings to people from all walks of life who sought his blessings, where his voice thundered with hope and faith, and where he declared that this city - this crazy, chaotic city - is the capital of the world.
And it’s where we, an unstoppable army of Chabad emissaries from all over the world, are gathering this weekend, to illuminate the world and eradicate the darkness.
So no, I’m not going anywhere. While I understand the fear, I’ll be staying right here in New York, building, teaching, inspiring, and illuminating, until Moshiach comes.
We’re Jews. We don’t cower or hide. We light up the darkness.
So this Shabbat, light your candles with pride, sing your zemiros a little louder, walk to shul without fear, openly displaying your kippah and tzitzit.
Living louder and brighter is the strongest response to fear and it’s how we bring Moshiach (at which point I’ll gladly move to Israel with you!).
So as I gather with thousands of my fellow shluchim in the Rebbe’s city this weekend, that light will shine a little brighter, reminding us all that even in uncertain times, we are exactly where we’re meant to be.