Hi,

This week I returned from a trip to Bangkok, Thailand, where I attended the wedding of my niece, Mushka (née) Kantor to Gabi Kaltman, an Australian yeshiva boy. Although the wedding took place a week ago I am still under the impression of its beauty, magnitude, inspiration and warmth; it was an amazing experience—the first Chasidic wedding in Thailand—and it still seems like a dream. But what is clear, is that Judaism is alive and well and not relegated to any one location. It can thrive if you just give it the right attention. And if you believe in your part of transforming the world, no positive action or gesture will be too insignificant. (For more on the wedding in Thailand (and photos) - please scroll down.)

Chanie and the kids -Mendel, Mushka, Liba, and Levi - join me in wishing you a Shabbat Shalom, and we look forward to seeing you tonight!!

-Rabbi Baruch Kantor

P.S. Rosh Hashana is less than 3 weeks from today, it would be a good idea to let your professor know about it sooner than later... If you'd like a letter from a rabbi, please contact [email protected]

• Shabbat candle lighting tonight will be 7:08pm, Shabbat Dinner @ Chabad 7:30pm
• Special for Freshmen and Sophmores: Pregame Shabbat with Sushi and Drinks! 6:30-7:15pm today click here for more details. Please invite your Jewish friends!
• Shabbat Schedule for tomorrow (morning study w/ coffee & cake, Shacharit services, Lunch and Cholent) click here
• Registration is OPEN for Sinai Scholars: an interesting discussion-based course studying classic Jewish themes and contemporary application, with a $350 stipend or free trip to Israel available upon completion. Click here for more details!
  
• Volunteer opportunities: JRA food distribution this Sunday Sept 7th 10am, more info at jewishrelief.org
• Friendship Circle is looking for Young Adults to volunteer with the Teen/Young Adult Division. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering with The Friendship Circle, we hope to coordinate a group from Temple. If you are interested, take a moment and complete the Volunteer Sign Up Form. Upcoming opportunities include Pre Rosh Hashanah Celebration: Sunday 9/14; 1:30pm-3:30pm and Sunday Circle Session 1 (EMC) Sunday 9/21; 1:00pm-4:00pm; 9/28 & 10/5; 1:30pm-4:00pm
• Sunday Kosher option on campus: Join us for a look at this weeks Torah portion, lite dinner will be served. Sunday 7:30pm. RSVP to [email protected]
• One on One study: Contact [email protected] or [email protected] to set up a time to study the topic of your choice! (Talmud, Jewish Philosophy, Torah portion, or anything else...)
• Lunch 'N Learn Join us every Wednesday from 12-1pm in Alter Hall room 236. Plenty of food for thought, and free Kosher lunch.
• Thursday Kosher cooking Club - Help cook and bake for Shabbat; you'll have a great time and you might even learn a trick or two :) RSVP to [email protected] for exact time

....continued from before:

There are many things that I learned during my stay and it all begins with my brother and sister-in-law's decision to move to Bangkok in the first place. For 21 some odd years I never understood it. This past week it became clear.

As a young married couple looking to open a Chabad House, my brother was approached by central Chabad asking him to consider moving to Bangkok, Thailand to serve as the community Rabbi and Chabad representative. Though many others were given this opportunity most didn't consider it an "opportunity". A posting or a sentence was a more apt description. For my brother and sister-in-law however, it was an opportunity. An opportunity to become an emissary of the Rebbe. Their approach was simplistic and perhaps a little crazy. It makes no difference where they were to go, the only criteria they had was that there must be Jews. And with that low bar, they set off to Thailand with a one way ticket, a youthful naivete and an unwavering resolve to fulfill their mission of bringing functional Judaism to the "far" East.

Despite some modern changes since I last visited many years ago, the heat, smells, street scenes and traffic haven’t changed all that much (you can still sit at a traffic light for 25 minutes). The long flight over hasn’t gotten any shorter, and my esteem for my brother and sister-in-law only increases.

But the Jewish scene has only become busier and more productive. Under their leadership the local community has grown, and people have been touched as far away as Sakon Nakhon, where a rice farmer named Zevulun rediscovered his heritage. See here (meeting this precious man, who came in for the wedding was like having Hollywood come to life).

With their hard work, and help of increasing staff, a full service Chabad house for young backpacking travelers (mostly youth after IDF army service) has opened in Bangkok, with a full kosher restaurant, synagogue, free internet lounge, and banquet hall that can seat 3-400 guests for a free weekly Friday night dinner, and a crisis office. Similar centers have opened in Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Pukhet, and other branches in neighboring countries, such as Cambodia and Vietnam.

Fast forward, and let's jump right into the first Chassidic wedding to take place in Thailand.

Amidst the sweltering heat and humidity of Bangkok, on August 28th, close to 600 people descended upon banks of the Chao Phraya River in the Shangri La Hotel to celebrate the wedding celebration of Gaby and Mushka. The love in the room was palpable and the energy electric. The crowd was made up of family members of both the bride and groom, hundreds of local residents and supporters, and over 30 Shluchim from Asia alone. The food, all kosher to the highest standards was catered by the Chabad House itself, that has over the years developed a first class restaurant & catering service in order to service the kosher needs/requirements of the Jewish community and tourists, and it was good!

But what struck me most looking around the room, it was clear to me that the locals of Thailand weren't attending as tourists or spectators but rather as intimate family. Mushka Kantor was like a child of theirs. Whatever prompted Yosef Chaim & Nechama Kantor to move to Thailand may have been good on paper, yet what was witnessed at the wedding this week in Thailand was the actualization of their commitment and even more so of the Rebbe's vision, in actuality!!!