Last year I caused quite a stir when I posed for a friend at the photo part of the kinus (international conference of shluchim), and it made it into the (New York) daily news.
So this year, undaunted, I made my way up to the EXACT SPOT I was last year with the EXACT SAME friend I posed with (what brevity!), only this time we smiled all the time (including when I smashed my funny bone into the metal back of the bleachers).
I am the guy on the top right of the picture (with the scarf).
The kinus, for us Russian shluchim, is something extra special. For some reason we are the pride of Chabad. I mean, they will be announcing the roll call, and passing through the shluchim of like Dubai, Cuba, South Korea and Lebanon, but only when they reach Russia, do they make a big event out of it.
Perhaps it's because Lubavitch originated there, but some guys have a harder time than us, in my opinion.
On a side note, from reading the Achdus shluchim forum and thwe population figures of Jews world-wide by country, I have compiled a short list of still-available countries to be a 'head shliach'.
Dubai (Pro: no need to fundraise in America ever again. Con: the cost to ransom your remains is exhorbitant).
Andorra (a tiny country between France and Spain where there are some Jews)
Gibraltar (Just noticed it wasn't mentioned by R' Kotlarsky. Why isn't there a shliach there?)
Mongolia (there is actually a community there)
Iceland (They even have a shul. But read from a paper Torah)
Phillipines (Some Jews in Manila)
See? told you I have alot of spare time.
Anyway, back to the kinus.
This year I made the motzei shabbos event, and boy was it inspiring. The banquet was also fantastic. My favorite moment came when the Israeli ambassador to somewhere thanked an Argentinian Rabbi who saved his daughters life (you had to be there).
This year there were two 'sessions' for the Russian shluchim and one farbrengen.
The first class focused on economic issues. I'd write in detail but I don't think this is the proper place to do so. The second was with George Rohr who promised to continue supporting us by giving us (at minimum) our salaries. He got a standing ovation for that (and who wouldn't?). At the end of the session, we all had a chance to personally thank him for about 20 seconds.
When I found myself in front of him I thanked him and gave him a gorgeous photo book Chayale made, with all the best photos of stuff we have done this past year in Stavropol. Inside was a letter with a plan (Chayale wants to start) to make some kind of Shabbos candles program going in memory of his mother.
He wished me Hatzlacha, and as I headed out I saw Rabbi Lazar perusing through the pictures.
The kinus gave me a boost, and I will return to Stavropol ready to try out many new ideas.
We leave in a week.
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