Lubavitch Miami Holds Dinner

By COLlive reporter

Over five hundred people turned out to honor the new Grand Founders, Founders and Educator of the Year at Friends of Lubavitch of Florida’s Annual Scholarship Dinner on Sunday, February 22nd.

Gathering at the beautiful Miami Airport Hilton, the large assembly was treated to an exciting and diverse program which also paid tribute to Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, Chabad’s slain Shluchim to Mumbai.

Director of Friends of Lubavitch of Florida and Head Shliach to the state, Rabbi Abraham Korf, opened the evening by welcoming the honorees and attendees with a brief dvar Torah.

Serving as emcee, Rabbi Benjy Korf, who heads Lubavitch Educational Center, then introduced the authentic “Miami Boys Choir” – students of Lubavitch Elementary School.

Sounding like a truly professional ensemble, the boys, under the direction of Rabbi Yakov Garfinkel, stirred the crowd with their moving renditions of Chassidic nigunim.

A moving video tribute to the Mumbai tragedy featured a “Moishe’le Neshamal’e,” written and sung by Lipa Schmeltzer.

World renowed lecturer Rabbi Yossi Jacobson of New York then took to the podium and, in his own unique and special way, inspired the attendees to commit themselves to support the Chabad institutions of Florida.

Rabbi Benjy Korf then called up the individual honorees, beginning with Rabbi Yehuda Leib Schapiro, honored as “Educator of the Year” for his 35 years as Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Miami, for which the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

He was followed by this year’s Grand Founders—Uri and Bassie Laber of Ukraine and Vitali and Chaya Mazal Rosenthal. Both couples increased their contributions after being inspired by the evening’s program.

The new Founders—Federico Citoni, Rabbi Michoel and Fraydee Lozenik, and Tzvi Gedalia and Dr. Miriam Menaker, were all presented with plaques honoring their commitment to the work of Friends of Lubavitch of Florida.

The beautiful dinner was followed by bentching, led by Chaim Mordokh.