It is amazing to walk into a brick building in Israel. These buildings are definitely not the norm and stick out. The brick building in Kfar Chabad is one that we felt very comfortable at. It is an exact replica of 770, Chabad Headquarters in New York. The students were sure that when they walked inside, that it would look a bit different. Well, they were pleasantly surprised to enter and see that every detail is the same.
Kfar Chabad was established after the Holocaust in 1949 with blessings of the Rebbe, by some survivors and many refugees from Communist Russia. Both sets of Sara Wolvovskys great grandparents were among the founders. Sara was able to spend some time with her great-grandmother. Kfar means village and the residents began with farming. It was a poor community and the Rebbe continued to take a direct interest into Kfar Chabad.
Today Kfar Chabad has grown in size and there is even a Kfar Chabad Bet. Kfar Chabad is best known for the matzo bakery which we visited and Etrog orchards. After the Chernobyl disaster, Kfar Chabad was instrumental in assisting many children through their Children of Chernobyl program.
While we stood outside 770 Yoni told us his father’s story connected to the Rebbe. Yoni’s father, while not a Chabad chosid, lived near 770 and often davened there. One day he was running a bit late and as he is running in for minyan holding his talis and tefilin, he notices the people are parting in half. Wow, Yoni’s father thinks, they are moving for me to make it in to minyan. He opens the door and then notices someone is behind him also entering 770. Yes, you guessed it. It was the Rebbe himself. Yoni’s father opened the door to let the Rebbe pass. The Rebbe replied, “You must go in 1st since you are holding your talis and tefilin. So Yoni’s father entered before the Rebbe. As soon as the Rebbe passed, the chosidim crowded around his father to find out what the Rebbe had said to him. As you can imagine, he did not make it in on time.