Speaking at the plenary session for the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly, Mr. Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, mentioned the valuable work that Jewish organizations, such as Chabad, play in the Jewish World today “as natural partners for educating leaders.”

Drawing example from his time as a Refusenik in Soviet Russia, he pointed to the critical role Chabad’s underground network of emissaries played.

William Daroff, Vice President for Public Policy & Director of the Washington office of The Jewish Federations of North America, and star member of the Jewish Twitterati, relayed Sharansky’s comments in real time to his 10,000 plus followers.

“Natan Sharansky,” he tweeted “says [that Chabad Lubavitch] was an essential connector to Soviet Jewry during the Cold War.” Other points Sharansky stressed during his talk included the need to empower Jewish youth in their role as future Jewish leaders.

Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz Chief U.S. Correspondent, quoted Sharansky in her Tweet as saying,"Real changes will happen only if there is core of young American Jews; proud of [their] identity & connections [to] Israel."

Furthermore, Sharansky stated that the “Jewish community in the US needs 100,000 young leaders. ‘We can't afford to reach less.’”

Sharansky touched upon similar themes in his conversation with Lubavitch.com Editor in Chief, Baila Olidort, last summer.