After a New York-bound Delta Air Lines flight from Tel Aviv was diverted to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as a result of the winter snowstorm that swept through the United States over the weekend, a Chabad center stepped in to make kosher food for 300 stranded travelers.
“I’ve joined local Chabad reps and volunteers cooking up a storm,” posted Rabbi Tzemach Feller, co-director of Chabad of Macalester-Groveland, the Chabad on campus for Jewish students and faculty in the twin city of St. Paul. “The Rebbe taught us that our mission is to help our fellow Jews, materially and spiritually.”
Feller said his father, Rabbi Menachem Feller, coordinated the effort. Volunteers started working at about 1 p.m. and cooked until 7 p.m. The food was then delivered by the senior Feller and other volunteers to the airport and six hotels nearby.
On the menu were chicken, rice and pasta with sauce. The younger Feller said they worked with Kosher Spot in St. Louis Park to get additional food, including rye bread, bagels, 30 pounds of cold cuts, instant soups and pastries.
One traveler wrote to the Fellers: “Thank you so much for arranging the dinner. My family and I enjoyed it immensely. After a very long day of travel, it was incredible to enjoy some tasty, home-cooked food. It was truly heartwarming to be welcomed to your community like that. And a true mitzvah, as we felt very overwhelmed landing in a place we didn’t know, without easy access to food or transportation to get anything for ourselves. ... We are on our way back to New York now.”
Dan’s Deals, which aggregates consumer deals on travel and everyday purchases with a focus on the Jewish community, wrote on Instagram: “It’s not often that you see a flight diverted over 1,000 miles from its destination. But one thing you can be sure of is that Chabad will be there to help when it does.”
