Mercer Island Jewish leader joins 3,000 women for conference

Education, mental health, fundraising, counseling and inclusion among topics addressed.

In January, Mushka Kornfeld of Chabad Mercer Island joined more than 3,000 women leaders leaders from all 50 U.S. states and 100 countries at the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchos) in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Attendees hails from as far away as Laos and Angola, Ghana and Uzbekistan.

The annual event is aimed at reviving Jewish awareness and practice around the world, and to challenge preconceived notions about the insular role of women in Hasidism. Thousands of women from around the world, each serving in leadership positions, gathered for five days of brainstorming about the future of world Jewry and their roles as representatives of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

The leaders — who hold multiple roles and responsibilities — explored issues, and learned from professionals and colleagues with years of experience. The topics covered concerns such as: understanding troubled relationships, adult education, inclusion, responding to tragedy, fundraising, the opioid epidemic, mental health, and a conference within the conference for Hebrew school and preschool directors, as well as one for those who serve students on college campuses, ensuring a lasting impact on the next generation of communal leaders. The conference also included a parallel track for lay leaders.

“It’s a highlight of my year,” Kornfeld said in a press release. “It gives me such a sense of empowerment.”

Additional highlights of the five-day conference included a visit to the gravesite of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, in the New York City borough of Queens, the “class picture,” where they posed for a group photo, as well as the gala banquet, where they were joined by admirers, supporters and influential women leaders for a sit-down dinner.

The conference was a tribute to the legacy of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, the wife of the Rebbe, and is timed to the anniversary of her passing. Rebbetzin Schneerson’s care for and insight into their work remains a source of inspiration to the Chabad women emissaries.

The conference also serves another purpose — it represents an opportunity to connect with colleagues, and recharge personal energy. It aims to give the participants, specifically those going back to far and isolated outposts, “an exhilarating send-off, coupled with the sense that they are not alone,” a press release noted.

Another dimension to the conference is networking.

“The gathering was an opportunity to refocus our energies on heeding the Rebbe’s call to reach every Jew with love and joy, wherever they may be,” Kornfeld said. “It was such an honor to attend.”