During a conference in Atlanta, Georgia, headquarters of Coca-Cola, Harav Shaul Alter, leader of the Gerrer Pnei Menachem community, spoke about the comparison and contrast between Coca-Cola and Chabad. At a meeting with shluchim, he noted that everyone would practice shlichus if they knew its importance.

By Anash.org reporter

At a tisch held during a conference for the supporters of Pnei Menachem institutions in Atlanta, Georgia, Harav Shaul Alter, the Gerrer Rosh Yeshiva and leader of the Pnei Menachem community, spoke about the comparison and contrast between Coca-Cola and Chabad.

He referenced the well-known saying that “wherever there’s Coca-Cola, there’s Chabad,” noting that Atlanta is home to the Coca-Cola headquarters, and at the same time, home to dedicated Chabad shluchim who are tirelessly working to be mekarev Yidden. “Coca-Cola’s slogan is about giving people a ‘taste of life,’” Rav Shaul Alter said. “But Chabad’s mission is to bring real life – Torah and yiddishkeit – to every corner of the world. These are two sides of a coin: we can choose to spread Hashem’s light, or the opposite.”

Rav Shaul then shared a personal encounter: “I met a Jew wearing a kippah serugah who was originally from Atlanta. He told me that forty years ago, when he lived here, there wasn’t a frum community. Yet just recently, he met two frum bochurim and asked where they were from. They told him, ‘Atlanta, Georgia.’ This transformation is thanks to Chabad, which came here and built a Jewish community from the ground up.”

Later, as reported by Anash.org, Rav Shaul Alter met with a group of local shluchim, led by Rabbi Yossi New, who shared Chabad’s activities in spreading Torah and Yiddishkeit. He repeated his words to them about Coca-Cola and Chabad, praising their efforts and quoting the Zohar: “If people knew how great it is to bring Hashem’s children close to Him, everyone would be doing it.”

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