By COLlive reporter
As they prepare for a new year of Jewish activity and the upcoming Tishrei season, a group of the Chabad Shluchim in the United Arab Emirates gathered in Tbilisi, Georgia, for an internal planning conference and several days of focused meetings.
The gathering brought together Rabbi Levi Duchman, Rabbi Mendy Blau, Rabbi Mendel Duchman and Rabbi Shimon Frenkel for a series of intensive working sessions aimed at developing plans and priorities for the coming year.
Holding the meetings away from the demands of their regular schedules allowed the Shluchim to focus on the logistical and spiritual development of their growing activities serving the thousands of Jewish residents, tourists and businesspeople who spend time in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The conference also provided an opportunity for the UAE Shluchim to connect with the extensive Chabad activities in Georgia and exchange ideas with fellow Shluchim.
During their stay in Tbilisi, they were warmly hosted by Georgia’s Head Shliach, Rabbi Meir Kozlovsky, who accompanied them on a tour of the city’s central Chabad House and shared insights from the development of Chabad’s institutions in the country.
A highlight of the visit was a tour of the Or Avner Chabad Jewish school in Tbilisi. The Shluchim toured the school, observed its Chassidishe atmosphere and facilities, and held an extended discussion with Rabbi Kozlovsky about the challenges of Jewish education on Shlichus.
The discussion focused in particular on practical approaches to establishing and expanding educational institutions, an increasingly relevant priority as Jewish communal life and the number of young Jewish families in the UAE continue to grow.
The days in Tbilisi combined strategic planning with the traditional achdus and exchange of experience among Shluchim, providing an opportunity to brainstorm the next stages of Jewish development in the Gulf states.
The conference concluded with a series of hachlatos to strengthen and expand activities ahead of the approaching month of Tishrei and the new year.
“The days of planning together, along with the warm encounter and achdus with the Shluchim and impressive institutions in Georgia, gave us tremendous strength and renewed momentum for the year ahead,” the Shluchim said.
