A global campaign has been launched to bring the three kidnapped boys back - #BringBackOurBoys. As we enter the second Shabbat with the young men still missing, we need to go beyond the hashtag. As we all follow the news of the kidnapping situation in Israel, there is something more we can do. Let's pledge a mitzvah, add a prayer and a good deed for the merit of these three young yeshiva students. Their parents have specifically reached out to Chabad and asked us to request of all Jewish women and girls to light Shabbat candles this week in their merit. When doing a good deed, please have in mind their names:
Yaakov Naftali Ben Rachel Devorah
Gilad Michael ben Bat Galim
Eyal ben Iris Teshura
Take a minute and pledge a mitzvah today – www.chabadneworleans.com/2616185.
May our collective efforts yield positive results with their safe return home, and may this be the last trouble that the Jewish people experience in exile, as we are ushered into the era of complete Redemption! Amen!
I would like to share with you about two opportunities to hear from an amazing array of speakers and lecturers.
1. Soul Encounters… A Journey of Connection, Reflection, & Uplifting - Sunday, June 29 in New York. www.soulencounters.org.
2. 31 Rabbis, 12 academics and 7 community activists walked into a hotel…. The National Jewish Retreat - August 6-10 - Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL. www.jretreat.com.
In other news, the recently released biography of the Rebbe by Josef Telushkin has skyrocketed onto the NY Times Bestseller list. For more on that www.chabadneworleans.com/2619597. Rabbi Nemes and I will doing a book review event at Barnes & Noble on Veterans on Tuesday, July 8 @ 6:30 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.
Finally, we are pleased to announce the Chabad of Louisiana will be hosting the Southeast regional conference of Shluchim (Chabad Rabbis) on Sunday, July 20-Monday, July 21. There will be an opportunity for the greater community to meet and greet the Rabbis. Details will be released in the near future.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin