This past week, close to 30 NYC public school children spent Shabbos in crown heights for an inspirational and fun experience.
“There was a buzz in the air from the moment the bus pulled up to pick me up,” said Ronny from Brooklyn.
At 2:00 PM on Friday afternoon, four minibusses dispersed across NYC to pick up the children after public school finished, and bring them back to Crown Heights before Shabbos began.
The children were treated to a packed 26-hour schedule of fun, learning, Shabbos meals, Shabbos parties, tours of 770 and the Rebbe’s house, Scavenger hunts, and more.
“Even though the food was really good and I had so much fun, the part I enjoyed the most was the davening in the morning,” said Maya from Staten Island. “I go to public school, so only when I join Released Time do I get a chance to do these things.”
The Shabbaton had a separate boys and girls division and ended Moitzai Shabbos with a grand bowling and pizza trip together.
As always, at the conclusion of the Shabbaton, every child made a Hachloto Toiva. Alex from Queens committed to asking his parents to send him to Yeshivah! “If after Shabbos the children desire to leave public school and go to Yeshivah, we know the Shabbaton was a major success,” says Rabbi Yehoshua Shneur, from RT Headquarters.
“The credit goes to the incredible staff,” says Rabbi Shimon Hecht, from the NCFJE Executive Committee. “The Rebbe surely had much nachas from all of these lucky neshomos soaking in Yiddishkeit in Crown Heights.”
Released Time would also like to thank their partnering families that hosted the children and enabled the Shabbaton to happen: Rabbi Moshe Rubashkin, the Mangel family, the Hecht Families, Raskin Family, Katzman family, Alperovitch family, Weinbaum family, Kramer family, Rabbi Levi Goldstien and Rabbi Benny Wolf.
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