As Shluchos from around the world converged upon Crown Heights for the recent Conference of Shluchos, Rabbi Mendel Slonim, lead interviewer of JEM’s My Encounter with the Rebbe project, had the privilege of sitting down with three senior Shluchos to record their testimonies.

Each reflected on a lifetime of stories, from childhood memories to the guidance and direction of the Rebbe that shaped their lives and their work.

The My Encounter project, launched in 2004, is an ambitious effort to collect firsthand accounts of interactions with the Rebbe. Led by Rabbi Yechiel Cagen, thousands of individuals from all walks of life have shared their stories. Two decades later, the project continues to grow, thrive, and inspire hundreds of thousands.

We are pleased to share a brief glimpse into the profound memories and conversations recorded in the testimonies of these veteran Shluchos.

Make the Girls the Priority!

Mrs. Fradel Sudak, the UK’s senior Shlucha, was interviewed for nearly five hours and recounted the early days of Chabad in Britain.

In 1948, while her father was in France, the Frierdiker Rebbe instructed him to go to England and open a girls’ school, at a time when girls were generally not attending Jewish schools at all. It was a radical vision.

Fast forward ten years, and the Sudaks moved to London and helped make that dream a reality. Starting in an older facility, work began on developing a brand-new building for the school.

The general sentiment was that the beautiful new campus would be used for the boys’ school. Rabbi Sudak asked the Rebbe, who directed them to use it for the girls’ school.

As the project continued to expand and more land became available, once again the Rebbe directed them to use it for the girls. A property that seemed perfect for a men’s mikvah and shul was instead transformed into a second wing of the school, complete with a beautiful swimming pool and a brand-new library, even though a well-stocked library stood just around the corner with its own Jewish section. The Rebbe wanted the students to have everything they needed, both physically and spiritually, within the walls of this all-inclusive campus.

Years later, the importance of that pool became even clearer. A non-Lubavitch family explained why they chose the school: it was the only one with a pool. That family is now a family of Shluchim.

“Listen to the Mother”

Mrs. Rochel Goldman, a Shlucha in South Africa for over 50 years, shared a frightening episode during one of her pregnancies, and the Rebbe’s calming guidance and blessing.

It was 1991. Expecting her tenth child and preparing to deliver, the doctors raised an urgent concern: the baby was in a transverse (horizontal) position. She was advised to undergo an emergency C-section.

Mrs. Goldman wasn’t ready to proceed just yet. “It’s the year of wonders and miracles,” she said, a reference to the Hebrew year 5751 (תשנ״א), whose letters form the acronym “I will show them wonders.”

After calling in a second doctor and receiving the same prognosis and medical advice, the physician commented, “Why don’t you call New York?”

Rabbi Goldman immediately contacted his father in Crown Heights to relay the update to the Rebbe.

The Rebbe’s response was: “Seeing that the doctor suggested asking here, I trust he will not have a faribel (bear a grudge) if I suggest listening to the kimpetorin (mother-to-be) and waiting.”

As this overseas conversation was unfolding, the doctor performed another examination. He could hardly believe his eyes when, just twenty seconds later, the baby turned and was born naturally.

Two years later, they discovered an unexpected continuation to the story. After participating in this miraculous delivery, the physician began to observe Shabbos.

More Than Just a Cover

Mrs. Hindy Lew is a longtime emissary in London. Though she did not attend a Chabad school growing up, after meeting the Rebbe as a young teenager, she was all in.

Creative and driven, she launched a magazine called Chabad Times, a periodical published and distributed in Manchester.

In one Chanukah edition, she placed a sketch of a menorah on the cover. She was surprised by the Rebbe’s careful attention to detail. He pointed out that the shamash had been illustrated lower than the other candles instead of higher.

He then explained: On a practical level, the shamash is placed higher so it stands out. Since the Chanukah lights are holy and may not be used, the shamash is set more prominently to ensure that any benefit comes from it and not from the other flames.

But on a deeper level, the shamash represents one who lights another soul. And when you kindle that flame, you are elevated, reaching even higher than the one whose soul you helped illuminate.

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