“How was New York?” Everyone seems to want to know. And where to begin.
Well in truth, although New York was certainly the backdrop to the International Conference of Shluchim I just returned from, it was not really a feature in my trip. The only time I ventured out of the streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, host to 770, Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters since the 1940s, was to visit the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Queens and to our Grand Banquet in New Jersey.

So here are 10 takeaways from this year’s Kinus Hashluchim.

1. The energy was amazing! I’ve tried to figure out if I felt this because I’d missed the last couple of years because of COVID or because it was a Hakhel year or just that the organisers arranged an even better program than previously. Maybe all three.
 

2. The theme was Hakhel. Hakhel took place in the year following a Shmitta year – like this year – when there was a mitzvah for men, women and children to gather in the Beit Hamikdash and hear words of Torah and inspiration from the King. The Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged that although the mitzvah doesn’t apply in the same way this year, we should still make gatherings of unity, bringing together Jewish people. From our giant Hakhel Kinus, we were empowered to go make Hakhel gatherings in our communities across the world.
 

3. While the discourse in the wider Jewish world sometimes seems to be a bit negative, worrying about the future of communities or antisemitism, the atmosphere at the Kinus was amazingly positive. Sure, not everything is rosy and not everyone is always successful, but the belief and optimism we have in the Rebbe’s mission and future of world Jewry was palatable.
 

4. Everyone has a story or an anecdote to share, but we are the ones who make the stories and so can everyone else. The reason that we have stories is because we are on the frontlines and looking out for Jews and Jewish experiences. But anyone can ask their Uber driver if they are Jewish and give them a Chanukah Menorah.
 

5. The difference between Chabad Lubavitch and other “outreach” organisations was apparent in many ways, but no more than in what the Rebbe’s vision was. The Rebbe didn’t set up Chabad Houses because he wanted more observant Jews in Morocco (the first shluchim who he sent out) or Zambia (the latest country with a Chabad House). As Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks z”l said “the Nazis searched out every Jew in hate, the Rebbe - through his shluchim -  searched out every Jew in love.” The Rebbe was genuinely bothered if there was a Jew who didn’t have the opportunity to put on tefillin, light Shabbat candles or get a Jewish education. Living up to this bar and caring about every Jew is a huge responsibility.
 

6. The future is bright! One of the highlights of the Kinus was watching the Kinus Camp for children of shluchim who attended the Kinus at their Friday Night davening in 770. The energy levels and commitment of the 1300 children and their teenage leaders, was incredible.
 

7. There are so many surreal moments. Like being in the lift with the Chief Rabbi of Iran (who came to New York to network during the Kinus) and the son of the shliach in South Korea. Or bumping into the shluchim from Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv while walking down the street. Leeds has never seemed safer.
 

8. Attending the Kinus Hashluchim is vital for anyone who wants to get a understanding of the worldview and passion of Chabad Lubavitch. While we may seem to be a few Rabbis in Leeds, or Manchester, we are connected to a network of thousands and all urging each other on and supporting each other with the newest ideas and best experiences.
 

9. A trip to Crown Heights to 770 and the Ohel is uplifting. Speaking to fellow shluchim and the many guests who came, it is clear the spirituality and the inspiration is something everyone gains from. We are now planning a communal trip this year.
 

10. Inspiration needs to be turned into action and action needs to be layered. There may be close to 6000 shluchim families in the world, but we can only scratch the surface. To uplift millions of Jews, we can’t do this alone. Everyone who knows anything can get involved. Give a menorah to someone who may not otherwise light one. Deliver some chicken soup to someone in need. Reach out and make a difference.