18 | JULY 4 • 2024
J
N
OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 17
and so the best thing I’ve been
doing is helping other students
find Chabad so they can feel
that way and find the Jewish
community.
”
Back in Michigan after an
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
trip with MSU to New York that
stopped at the Ohel, the Rebbe’s
gravesite, she says she now feels
like she has a deeper under-
standing of the Rebbe and his
teachings.
“I think the Rebbe and his
teachings definitely affected
my college experience,
” she
says. “Because if it wasn’t for
the movement he started, there
wouldn’t be Rabbi Bentzy and
Simi Shemtov there teaching
us students the really valuable
lessons about always remaining
positive and staying true to who
you are.
”
Shari Ferber Kaufman’s par-
ents, Miriam and Fred, had a
close relationship with Rabbi
Yitzchak Kagan, of blessed
memory, of Oak Park and
used to fly to New York for an
audience with the Rebbe. As an
adult, she’s forged her own ties
with Chabad, she says, from
studying with Rabbi Pinson for
over 20 years weekly to hold-
ing the founding meeting for
Friendship Circle in her home
and taking part in initiatives like
the Chabad-run Farber Soul
Center and Dakota Bread.
“Chabad became a big part of
my life because I loved the way
they include everyone, the way
they’re so caring about people
in general,
” she says. “These
experiences have allowed me to
witness and contribute to the
incredible growth of Chabad in
our community.
”
She says while she feels a
strong sense of regret for never
having met the Rebbe, she has
been deeply impacted by his
insights. “Through the teach-
ings of Rabbi Yisrael Pinson,
Rabbi Kasriel and Itty Shemtov,
and Rabbi Yarden Blumstein, I
have been profoundly touched
by the Rebbe’s wisdom,
” she
says. “They have imparted his
timeless lessons and interpreta-
tions of the Torah, which seem
to hold even greater significance
today.
”
Looking to the future, she
says she looks forward to
Chabad’s continued growth in
Michigan and beyond. “I envi-
sion Chabad’s growth as not
merely beneficial, but essential,
”
she says. “Chabad enriches the
quality of life for everyone it
touches, fostering a sense of
community and exemplifying
the principle of loving your
neighbor as yourself.
”
Participants walk
in Friendship
Circle’s Annual
Walk4Friendship.