A Jewish Wedding and Chesed Shel Emes: A Week of Shlichus in Kenya

In especially moving days at Chabad of Kenya, the shluchim experienced an exceptionally intense week of Jewish shlichus - between the joy of a Jewish wedding and the Jewish burial of a meis mitzvah.

A recent mission of chesed shel emes was made possible thanks to the generosity and partnership of many donors from around the world. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who took part and assisted in the special emergency fundraising for a “meis mitzvah” — without you, it would not have been possible to bring the deceased to a Jewish burial.

In especially moving days at Chabad of Kenya, the shluchim experienced an exceptionally intense week of Jewish shlichus – between the joy of a Jewish wedding and the accompaniment of a deceased Jew to a dignified Jewish burial.

This month, a moving Jewish wedding took place in Kenya, as a Jewish man and woman merited to build a faithful Jewish home after a long process of strengthening and spiritual growth.

This is a couple who initially met and later separated, as part of Chabad of Kenya’s ongoing efforts to prevent assimilation.

At that stage, and while the bride was still not Jewish, the couple was guided and encouraged to separate, in order to prevent a relationship that did not align with halacha and to preserve the Jewish identity of those involved.

Later, the bride underwent a lengthy and carefully supervised conversion process in a Beit Din according to halacha, and at the same time the groom also strengthened himself and grew closer to a Torah lifestyle and Jewish observance.

After the completion of the process, they merited to marry according to halacha and build a faithful Jewish home together.

The wedding was conducted in full accordance with halachic detail, in a joyful and uplifting atmosphere, with a glatt kosher seudat mitzvah provided by Chabad.

For the local community, this was a historic and rare event, as it marked the first Jewish wedding in Kenya in more than fifty years.

At the same time as this great joy, Chabad of Kenya was faced with a complex and painful reality of chesed shel emes – a lone Jew, without family or any responsible party to care for him after his passing.

Upon learning of his passing, Chabad of Kenya took full responsibility for the dignity of the deceased.

Unfortunately, the process lasted close to a month, due to complex bureaucracy at the local hospital and the need to raise a significant amount of funds to cover the hospital bill, which was required as a condition for releasing the deceased for burial.

During this period, a crowdfunding campaign was launched, and thanks to many partners and donors from around the world, the effort was completed and the deceased was brought to a dignified Jewish burial, in the presence of a minyan.

Chazal list among the mitzvot whose “fruit a person enjoys in this world, while the principal remains for the World to Come” – bringing a bride to the chuppah and accompanying the dead.

In one week, the shluchim of Chabad in Kenya merited to be involved in both of these mitzvot, at two opposite ends of Jewish life: the joy of building a new Jewish home, and accompanying a Jew on his final journey with the dignity he deserves.

During these days, as Chabad houses around the world are deeply engaged in Pesach preparations – hospitality for guests, distribution of matzah, and caring for all holiday needs – Chabad of Kenya operated under an especially heavy shlichus load, focusing alongside the Pesach preparations on the urgent mitzvot of bringing a couple under the chuppah and dealing with the deceased, which are mitzvot of the “moment” that cannot be delayed.

At the same time, after completing this mission, Chabad of Kenya is preparing for extensive Pesach arrangements, including hospitality for the holiday, and distribution of matzah to hundreds of Jewish families across Kenya.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Notik, Chabad emissary in Kenya, summarizes: “Our shlichus is to be there for every Jew, in every situation – in joy and in sorrow, materially and spiritually – and to ensure that no Jew is ever left alone.”

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