Young Campus Shluchim Gather in Crown Heights for Shabbaton
More than 100 Junior Campus Shluchim and Shluchos filled Crown Heights this past weekend for a Shabbaton all their own.
by COLlive Editor · COLliveMore than 100 Junior Campus Shluchim and Shluchos filled Crown Heights this past weekend for a Shabbaton all their own. Chabad on Campus International hosted two Shabbaton programs simultaneously all weekend, one for the boys and one for the girls, each with its own packed schedule.
“Campus Shluchim and Shluchos pour themselves into their students all year long. This weekend was our chance to give their children something of their own, a Shabbaton that fills them with the same pride and energy their parents carry onto campus,” said Rabbi Yossy Gordon, CEO of Chabad on Campus International.
“These children give so much all year. They grow up on campus, often isolated from friends, and they share their home and their parents with every student who walks through the door. This is the one weekend a year designed to nourish them,” said Rabbi Avi Weinstein, COO of Chabad on Campus International.
The weekend began on Friday. After checking in, the boys toured the Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad to see rare seforim and artifacts of the Rebbeim, while the girls headed out for Mivtza Neshek in Prospect Park. Both groups visited the Rebbe’s house, then were treated to ice cream at Sweet Expressions. As Shabbos approached, each group joined the Pegisha opening, davened a beautiful Kabbolas Shabbos in 770, and visited the Rebbe’s Yechidus Room. Friday night carried on with a warm farbrengen of songs, stories, and inspiration.
Over Shabbos, the children learned, davened, and sat in heartfelt conversations built around one theme: I am a proud Shliach, I am a proud Shlucha. While the boys joined the Seder Nigunim in 770, the girls sang their way through an inspiring seder niggunim of their own.
As Shabbos ended, the children joined nearly 2,000 Pegisha participants for the first-ever outdoor Mega Havdalah on Lubavitcher Rebbe Way outside the Rebbe’s house. From there, they were led on a facilitated visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel, with an exclusive hachana program led by Rabbi Shais Taub, before a melave malka to close out the night.
Sunday brought a fun trip for each group. The weekend closed with an uplifting banquet centered on carrying the inspiration home, including an exciting Hachlata Auction. To help the friendships last well beyond the weekend, each participant received a list of their bunkmates to stay in touch with.
In the hours after the Shabbaton, messages of gratitude poured in. One Shlucha wrote that her children “came home on a high, singing the song, dancing and telling us every detail.” Another said her kids were “on another world,” and “wouldn’t stop talking about it.” For many, it ran deeper than the fun. “My daughter came home so inspired that she now wants to learn with a student,” one Shlucha shared. “She felt so empowered, and so much stronger about being a shlucha on campus.” Another put it plainly: “This Shabbaton gives our children so much pride in being Shluchim on campus.”
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