Some 200 campus rabbis will touch down in the Jewish state on Tuesday for the annual Chabad on Campus International convention, which usually takes place in New Jersey but was moved to Israel to show support in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre.
Following a successful women’s convention in Israel last month, the male emissaries will now make their way to the holy land to “show support to their Jewish brothers and sisters and return to their campuses empowered and inspired to lead,” Chabad on Campus said.
“There was no question in our minds that this year’s Kinus had to be in Israel. Despite the logistical obstacles, the shluchim [’emissaries’] felt it crucial to show up and stand with their Israeli brethren,” stated Rabbi Avi Weinstein, COO of Chabad on Campus, in a press release.
The rabbis are facing “insurmountable challenges as Jewish leaders on college campuses, and this trip was a way to thank them and ensure they have the tools and willpower to continue their important work,” he added.
The delegation, which includes campus rabbis from all over the world, is slated to visit wounded Israel Defense Forces soldiers at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan; bear witness at the sites of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks; and hold a barbecue at the IDF’s Sde Teiman military base near Beersheva.
Chabad on Campus is a Jewish organization with nearly 1,000 branches on campuses worldwide. Through various programs and initiatives, Chabad fosters a sense of community and Jewish identity, while offering support and resources to students facing antisemitism.