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French rabbis’ regional conference moves online

It included the traditional annual group photo, not snapped by a single lens but sewn together of images taken by 150 webcams.

A total of 150 Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis in France joined their annual conference this year by webcam. Credit: Chabad.org/News.
A total of 150 Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis in France joined their annual conference this year by webcam. Credit: Chabad.org/News.

As humanity continues to experience the restrictions associated with social distancing in the age of the coronavirus, more and more activities are taking place online: birthday parties, work meetings, play dates, legislative sessions and even a regional conference of Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries.

In France, the virus has hit particularly hard with nearly 130,000 cases and approaching 25,000 deaths in the country as of Thursday.

Still, the 21st annual conference of Chabad emissaries in the country was held as usual on the Jewish date of 2 Iyar, the anniversary of the birth of the fourth Chabad Rebbe—Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch—and the day when the pioneering emissary Rabbi Shmuel (Moulé) Azimov arrived in Paris in 1968.

In addition to Torah study and sharing words of inspiration, participants took workshops on tips for conducting successful online classes, in addition to how to assist the elderly and others most vulnerable.

And, of course, the conference included the traditional group photo not snapped by a single lens, but sewn together of images taken by no less than 150 webcams.

Reprinted with permission from Chabad.org/News.

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