Nearly 700 bochurim sat for a comprehensive written exam this Sunday as preparations ramp up for this year’s Pesach Merkos Shlichus, the largest deployment to date. More than ever, Jews around the world are searching for authentic, unapologetic Jewish presence, and they’re finding it at Chabad. The demand for bochurim this Pesach has never been higher.

The test, administered at the Jewish Children’s Museum, covered the practical halachic knowledge bochurim will need as the sole Chabad presence in communities around the world: kashering kitchens, running a public Seder, fielding real-time shailos, and navigating situations where no rav is a phone call away.

“The Rebbe personally distributed shmurah matzos and reviewed every duch from bochurim who went on Merkos Shlichus,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, chairman of the Merkos Shlichus Office and spearheading Merkos’s efforts to expand the network of Shluchim. “That level of care is what we’re trying to carry forward. Every Jew deserves a real Pesach, and these bochurim are the ones making that happen.”

In addition to the written exam, bochurim were interviewed by Rabbi Kotlarsky and Rabbi Shneur Nejar, director of Merkos Shlichus Office, who reviewed each applicant’s readiness individually.

“The bochurim on the frontlines face many challenges both logistically and halachically, the test is designed to ensure that a bochur is ready for whatever comes his way,” said Rabbi Nejar.

An extension of the original Merkos Shlichus founded by the Rebbe in 1943, the Pesach program has been dispatching bochurim to lead and assist Sedarim for over 35 years. What began with a handful of US cities has grown to hundreds of locations across six continents, with new destinations added each year as the Merkos Shlichus office identifies communities in need.

Dispatched in pairs, the bochurim fill two distinct roles. Some travel to cities with no permanent Chabad presence, where they run the entire Pesach operation from scratch: kashering the kitchen, cooking the food, leading the Seder, and serving as the community’s only Jewish resource for the duration of the holiday. Others are sent to assist established shluchim, reinforcing Chabad Houses during one of the most demanding stretches of the year.

The room was filled with first-timers and veterans alike. “It’s an incredible opportunity each year to bring a Seder to people who wouldn’t have had one otherwise,” says Mendle Moully, who is heading out on Merkos Shlichus for the fifth time. “It’s always a different city, a different crowd. I’m excited to see where I end up this year and who I’ll be sitting down with at the Seder table.”

The team at the Merkos Shlichus office is currently coordinating travel, logistics, and placement around the clock.

To partner in the mission visit: merkosshlichus.com/donate

Photos: Itzik Roitman/Merkos Shlichus