Rabbi Shlomie and Devorah Leah Chein have co-directed the Rohr Chabad Student Center in Santa Cruz, Calif., since 2003. This year, the rabbi was selected to deliver the keynote address to more than 5,200 Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries and their guests from around the world at the annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchim) in New York, which takes place from Nov. 4 to Nov. 9.
Chein shares his inspirations and his aspirations as he reflects on life as a campus shaliach.
Q: Can you share a bit about life as a campus-based emissary?
Like the more than 230 Chabad on Campus couples serving colleges and universities around the world, we aspire to create a home away from home for Jewish students. My wife and I are based near the University of California, Santa Cruz (Rabbi Yochanan and Baily Friedman serve the local community). We estimate that as many as 2,500 out of the total student body of 17,000 students are Jewish.
While not many of the students are very religious in the conventional sense of the word, many are extremely spiritual. There’s something about the beautiful climate, stoic redwood forests and calm sea that evokes a certain spiritual awareness.
Our job is to reintroduce Judaism in a way that speaks to each student on his or her level. When they see how much spirituality and richness there is in their own religion, it’s a major mind-blowing moment.
Our biggest and busiest times are Shabbat and Jewish holidays, when we can even have several hundred students for services and meals. I also teach Torah classes, including a number of accredited classes for the university. We have an active “Sinai Scholars” program, and many students and faculty study with us on a one-on-one basis.
Yet perhaps the most important aspect is exposing students to the rich beauty of the Jewish home and Jewish life. Students come often just to talk to my wife, and she’s literally an older sister to them. They’ll ask her about Judaism, but also about relationships, shopping and whatever else. After they graduate, they tend to stay in touch.
The students spend their whole day in the sterile environment of school. They need to feel at home, and that’s something we provide.
Q: Your children range from 13 years old to a newborn. What role do they play in your shlichus?
A: They’re a huge part of it. They’re living and breathing models of the vibrant Judaism we’re trying to impart to students. Just this past week, my 8-year-old daughter sat for an hour talking to a student about Judaism, and she was glowing afterward. She felt so good about being able to share.
I once overheard the kids talking in the car on the way to school—my wife and I drive carpool five to six hours a day—about what they wanted to be when they grow up. Each one said they wanted to join us in our work. That made us feel really proud.
Q: What inspired you to deal with a constituency that’s constantly changing and not a conventional community Chabad House?
A: The Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory]. Without a doubt, it was the Rebbe’s incessant call for each and every one of us to share Judaism with others that inspired us.
Truth be told, as an older yeshivah student, I nursed an ambition of going to medical school and becoming a doctor. Then I spent a year assisting at the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. There, I met college students who were looking to discover Judaism, and I suddenly realized that I was meant to share Judaism with others. There are countless students entering medical school every year, but there are relatively few people willing to open Chabad Houses. The Rebbe taught us to focus not on our needs, but where we are most needed. I knew what I needed to do.
My father is also a major inspiration, even though we probably didn’t realize the full extent of it while growing up. He was born in Stalinist Russia, where Chabad Chassidim literally gave their lives to educate their children as Jews and to practice Judaism.
He managed to escape as a 6-year-old, leaving his parents behind. For many years, he didn’t know if his father was alive, as he was hiding from the Soviet authorities. Even his mother didn’t know of her husband’s whereabouts. It was only after Stalin died that he dared send her a message telling her that he was alive and well.
Yet throughout those terrible years, they remained true to Torah observance at all costs. That same devotion came with him to the United States.
Growing up, family outings on Sundays consisted of hanging out at the El Al terminal in JFK, helping people put on tefillin and giving out Shabbat candles. An evening with my father meant going out to people’s homes to install mezuzahs on their doors. It was just a given that the Rebbe’s campaign to promote Judaism was the No. 1 priority.
I guess it’s no surprise that seven of the nine children in our family are Chabad emissaries. I have sisters in Vienna, Austria; and Toledo, Ohio. My brothers are in Manchester, England; Toulouse, France; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Binghamton, N.Y.
Q: Family get-togethers must be really exciting . . . is there a common language for all those cousins growing up on three continents?
A: I don’t think so. Between Hebrew, English and Yiddish, just about everyone can speak to someone. But there is no single language common among all of my parents’ grandchildren.
Q: Over the past decade, what changes have you seen in the students coming to college?
A: One very significant change is that a lot of them come already knowing Chabad. They’ve been to Chabad Hebrew schools, have older siblings who’ve already been involved with Chabad on Campus, and when they leave we’re able pass them on to Chabad for Young Professionals in Los Angeles or San Francisco.
The Rebbe’s vision for a strong, connected Jewish community all over the world is continuing to blossom and take shape, and it’s such an honor to be a part of it.
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