(lubavitch.com) Six hundred Chabad-Lubavitch rabbinical students, itineraries in hand, will disperse to some 280 cities worldwide, in time for the Passover Seders that begin on March 29.
The group makes up one of the largest number of students ever assigned by Merkos, the Chabad-Lubavitch educational division, says its Vice Chairman, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky.
In addition to much of North America, the rabbis will be heading to locations in Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. These include Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean Islands, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Estonia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Russia, India, Thailand, China, Japan, Cambodia, and New Zealand.
The students plan to arrive at their destinations several days before the holiday, allowing ample time for intense preparations. In many instances, they are responsible for all the logistical details, from securing kitchen facilities and koshering them for Passover, locating suitable venues for the Seder, and actually cooking the meals—sometimes for crowds of 2000.
Prior to their departure, the rabbinical students convened at Lubavitch Headquarters for orientation, where various Chabad representatives reviewed halachik issues related to preparing kitchens for Passover, instructions and ideas on conducting large Seders efficiently, cooking tips and food safety from a kosher chef.
The program, sponsored by the Rohr Family and other donors, brings the Passover holiday to some of the most remote locations in the world, offering travelers and Jews living in isolated areas the chance to experience a Seder. “The long-term impact of these Seders cannot be overstated,” says Rabbi Kotlarsky, pointing out that they often attract Jews who’ve had no involvement in Jewish life.
Rabbi Shneur Nejar coordinator of the program, says that many weeks of preparation and strategic planning are involved so that Chabad’s seders “reach as many Jewish people as possible, in as many places as possible.”
The idea, he explains, is that this year, no Jew should be missing from the Seder table.
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