Dinner for 6,500: NJ to host record gathering for growing Chabad Jewish movement

Amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the relentless bombing around Rabbi Avraham Wolff often felt unbearable.

But Wolff, chief rabbi of Odessa and Southern Ukraine, worked single-mindedly to get his community through it safely, delivering food to the elderly and helping to evacuate scores to Israel and other parts of Europe.

What kept him going through those anxiety-filled days, he said, was a dream of attending the annual conference of Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries set to culminate this weekend in New Jersey with a record-setting gathering.

Wolff's dream came true this week as he joined some 6,500 rabbis and lay leaders of the Hasidic Jewish movement who traveled from the far reaches of the globe for the meeting. The conference will end with a gala dinner in Edison on Sunday.

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"I can finally stand together with thousands of my colleagues from throughout the world," he told The Record and NorthJersey.com on Thursday. "I'll continue to pray that the Creator will give me and my friends strength to continue our mission to spread light and make this world a brighter, better place."

The gathering is a reunion of sorts, where Chabad representatives from every U.S. state and over 100 countries meet for five days of networking, learning and sharing ideas so they can return home rejuvenated.

Chabad is a movement of Orthodox Judaism founded 250 years ago that emphasizes Torah study, the joy of religious life and outreach to other Jews. In an era when many organized religions are in decline, the group has seen rapid growth in recent years. Chabad now operates 3,500 educational, religious and social service centers around the world, with new ones cropping up each year, said Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesman.

The efforts are typically spearheaded by husband-and-wife teams who run Chabad Houses on college campuses and in destinations around the world. Their work includes education, community building, countering stereotypes, and support for the broader community. The idea is to be a welcoming "home away from home" for students, travelers and community members.

In the past year, more than 120 couples have joined the ranks, opening outposts in places like Zambia, Bermuda and the Canary Islands, said Seligson.

Much of this week's conference has taken place at Chabad's international headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, but the finale will be Sunday's New Jersey gala, in what will likely be the region's largest sit-down dinner in recent history.

"After two years of hosting scaled-down events due to the pandemic, this year's conference is breaking attendance records," Seligson said.

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The participants are mostly bearded men in black suits and hats who flew in from such far-flung locations as South Korea, Iceland, Vietnam and Mumbai. The female emissaries - the wives of this week's attendants - gathered earlier this year in New York.

The job of the emissary, said Seligson, is to "care for the spiritual and material needs of every Jew and empower them as well as the broader society."

Sometimes, the work includes humanitarian efforts, as it did for Rabbi Wolff and his wife. They earned acclaim for aiding hundreds of people in Ukraine and evacuating scores more.

With reports of antisemitic incidents at an all-time high, Chabad works to counter the hostility by instilling pride in the community and normalizing a visible Jewish presence through public events such as Chabad's menorah lightings as well as volunteer efforts, said Seligson.

It's difficult to determine how many followers Chabad has since the movement doesn't require membership and there's no hard data tracking it, but independent research paints a picture of growth.

A 2021 Pew Research survey found involvement in Chabad is broad and increasing, with nearly 40% of American Jews saying they have engaged with the group. Chabad programs are open to Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews alike.

According to a 2021 survey of U.S. synagogues, the number of Chabad congregations has tripled since 2001 and is the largest network of synagogues today.

The group has faced criticism over the years as well, from those who say some of its members venerate their late leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, as a messianic figure in a way that counters Jewish law and tradition.

Referred to as "the Rebbe," Schneerson, who died in 1994, is credited with transforming Chabad into one of the world's most influential Jewish movements. But some say the reverence is over the top, with ubiquitous portraits of Schneerson in every Chabad house and songs that seem to refer to him as the Messiah. Followers, however, say they gain inspiration and strength from his legacy. Many conference attendees traveled to Schneerson's grave in Queens to pray this week.

Part of the movement's allure could be that it provides a non-judgmental atmosphere, while steering clear of politics and focusing primarily on the joy of religious life. Many of its events, from high holiday prayer services to dinners, are free.

The goal is a warm and inclusive atmosphere intended to make Judaism available everywhere, even in the most obscure places, said Mark Rosen, a former Brandeis University professor and lead author of "The Hertog Study: Chabad on Campus," He attributed Chabad's success to several factors including members' passion for helping Jews regardless of their background. "They have interpersonal warmth and caring in abundance," he said. "It's not a job for them, it's a mission.

"I also think the family model with a husband, wife and children makes it a unique experience for those who come because it's a family enterprise."

Sue Fishkoff, who authored "The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch," predicts that the Chabad outreach movement "will continue to grow because it continues to answer a spiritual need..." The number of emissaries is also likely to increase, she added. "Each decade brings a new crop of children of shluchim [Chabad representatives,] most of whom seem to prefer staying in their parents’ profession."

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Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, an emissary from Bangkok, Thailand, said this week's conference reminded him of his mission. "It helps me to rededicate myself to those values and gets me energized and reared up from the camaraderie and energy of thousands of my like-minded brothers and colleagues," he said.

Rabbi Mendy Kaminker of Chabad of Hackensack said he felt the power of the assembled emissaries while looking around the crowd. "You can walk around and meet people from everywhere in the world. There's no place that doesn't have a Chabad."

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: yellin@northjersey.com

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Chabad conference 2022 ends with record setting gala in Edison NJ