BRINGING THE REBBE TO NAIROBI

R’ Shmuel and Chaya Notik arrived in Kenya a few years ago and immediately began their outreach work. They have already set up a preschool, a shul, a kosher kitchen, and developed ties with the local community as well as hundreds of Jews who live in Kenya for business reasons. * Shlichus in a challenging country.

It happened right before sunset on Rosh HaShana two years ago. R’ Shmuel Notik, the new shliach to Kenya, was walking around Nairobi with a pair of bachurim and shofars in order to find Jews and enable them to perform the mitzva of the day.

“I wasn’t yet familiar with the streets as I am today,” he recalls, “so I did not correctly gauge the amount of time it would take us to get back to the shul in the center of the city. We ended up walking to the shul by the light of the moon.”

On one of the side streets near the center of town, six big, black guys with knives and machetes surrounded them. “Give us your money right now!” they ordered them, but because it was Yom Tov, of course they did not have a cent on them. They tried explaining, with chattering teeth, about this day that was holy to the Jewish people. “Then give us your smartphones,” they ordered, but they were given the same answer, we only have shofars and Machzorim.

“They were aggressive and conducted a search of each of us. Throughout this time, cars passed on the street, people passed by, but nobody lifted a finger to help us. They finally decided to take the Moshiach lapel pins, claiming that the gold was valuable and then they left us alone.

“We returned to the shul frightened by the experience, but quickly learned that in Kenya things like this happen often and we had to be very careful when going out at night.”

That was the welcome the young shluchim got when two years ago Kenya joined the hundreds of countries which have shluchim of the Rebbe. Since their arrival, they have set up a beautiful Chabad house, a preschool, a shul, and kosher catering. They work with members of the embassies and businessmen who visit the country. That is in addition to their B’nei Noach activities.

Kenya is one of the countries in Africa most visited by tourists. It extends over huge areas of land and offers a vast array of challenging nature tours across the broad expanses of the savannas, the endless plains, and in the central highlands of Kenya a challenging trek up the second highest mountain in Africa. Kenya also has a huge number of safari animals that roam the savannas.

In Kenya there are large areas that are designated as nature preserves where hunting is illegal. This area attracts numerous tourists from all over the world who want to see Africa’s wildlife in their natural habitat.

“What mainly characterizes Kenya,” says R’ Notik, “are the polar opposites that coexist here, a combination of the very modern alongside Africans living in tin huts and starving children begging for donations. There are streets that start off with magnificent homes and then when you continue you see wooden shanties that are about to collapse. This contributes toward numerous homeless people who walk the streets and a high crime rate. Nevertheless, Nairobi is going through a tremendous period of growth. Businessmen, including many Jews, come here, looking for business opportunities.”

Nairobi was founded about 120 years ago and a few years after that the Jewish community was founded. Over the years it has gone through many upheavals. The community was at first comprised of Jews from Britain when Kenya was a British colony, but later other Jews came from other European countries and North Africa.

“Today, the local Jewish community is tiny, and unfortunately the beautiful shul has a hard time getting a minyan on Shabbos and Yom Tov.”

R’ Notik is closely in touch with the members of the community. Along with his work with them he puts a lot of effort into reaching out to the members of the Israeli embassies in Kenya, businessmen in the country, Israelis and Jews who come from all over the world, some of whom live in the country for a few years or stay for long periods of time. Many Israeli tourists also visit Nairobi.

KENYA ON THE
SHLICHUS MAP

After the Notiks married at the end of 5773, they knew they were going on shlichus.

“We spent a long time looking for a suitable place. We weren’t fussy; we looked within Eretz Yisroel and abroad. At that time, by divine providence, the shliach to Ethiopia, R’ Eliyahu Chaviv and his wife, came to Eretz Yisroel for a visit. They are good friends of ours.

“When they heard that we were looking for a place for shlichus, they immediately suggested Kenya. R’ Chaviv said that he recently heard from tourists and many businessmen there about the big need for a Chabad House in that country. The idea sounded intriguing to us and we decided to check it out. Since it was before the yomim tovim, we decided to fly together and spend the yomim tovim with the Jews of Kenya.

“We spoke with two bachurim from 770 about joining us, and thought we would be in Nairobi for the first half of the month and then go from there to 770. Before we bought tickets and all the stuff we would need, we wrote to the Rebbe and opened to an answer in which the Rebbe writes that if they want bachurim to come and work in their town, they had to receive permission from the yeshiva’s administration. I called R’ Kuti Rapp a”h and told him about our going to Kenya on shlichus and wanting the help of bachurim and he gave the okay.

“A few days before we boarded the plane we tried to contact Jews living in Nairobi so they would help us out at least when we landed and the first few days thereafter. We made calls and sent messages but nobody got back to us. We figured we would have to stay in a local hotel and operate from there, but then R’ Chaviv called me and said that someone had just arrived at the Chabad House who told him about his Israeli friend who lived in Kenya and kept kosher. R’ Chaviv suggested we contact this person.

“We called the man and when he heard about our plans he immediately said, ‘Come to Kenya and everything will be fine.’ I did not know what to expect but I believed that everything would work out in the best possible way.

“All along the way we have seen the hand of Hashem with us.”

When the Notiks landed in Nairobi, they called that Israeli with whom they had spoken before they left and he was very happy they arrived. He directed the taxi driver to the address of his home.

“The man hosted us for a week and a half and opened doors for us to various people in the local community. Later on we found out that he and his wife were familiar with Chabad back in Eretz Yisroel. They also had a special story. They had been married for thirteen years without children and after they wrote to the Rebbe and received a bracha, they had twins.

“The day after we arrived we met with members of the community and discovered that there were a few families that ate only kosher chicken. I knew that R’ Chaviv is a shochet and within a few days we arranged for him to come to Kenya. He slaughtered several hundred chickens for the families that kept kosher and people were very happy.

“After a week and a half, we rented a house within walking distance of the shul. A meeting was held of the members of the vaad of the community and they wanted to hear about our plans for Kenya. We met most of the members of the community at that meeting. They were few in number but were united and worked together nicely. You could say we were welcomed with open arms.

“The bachurim came from 770 just a few days before Rosh HaShana. We hosted the yom tov meals and we invited local Jews to all our activities. This enabled us to meet more and more Jews living in Nairobi. That was the first foray, following which came other activities that helped place Chabad Kenya on the shlichus map.”

SETTLING IN

A few months later, when their circle of mekuravim widened, the shluchim realized that they needed a bigger house in a better location. For a long time they searched for a suitable house until one day they found it.

“It was big enough to handle all the activities we wanted to do. On the first floor we set up a preschool and the shul. On the second floor is the kitchen for the kosher catering that we started so Jews here have the option of eating kosher, and there are guest rooms where the bachurim who come to help us, sleep. We live on the third floor.”

For many years in Kenya there had been no Orthodox Jewish life so the shluchim work hard to raise awareness. One of the first things they did was start kosher catering.

“People told me that they do not eat kosher because they have no way of obtaining it,” explains R’ Notik.

The preschool was also started by necessity. Quite a few families living in Kenya, including Israelis who came on business, sent their children to non-Jewish schools. They did not realize how dangerous this is for their children.

“This is why the first thing we started was the preschool which our own children attend, along with the children of businessmen and diplomats. Our goal is to have it grow into a full-fledged school.”

PROVIDENTIAL ENCOUNTER

From the very start, R’ Notik has seen many examples of divine providence along with the fulfillment of the Rebbe’s brachos. Here is one example out of many:

“Last Rosh HaShana we had a couple who identify with religious Zionism. They were in Uganda when we got a call from them, in which they asked if they could spend the Yomim Nora’im with us. We were happy to host them and it would help with our minyanim. On regular Shabbasos I walk for an hour to the central shul in order to strengthen the minyan there, but on holidays we arrange minyanim in the shul in the Chabad House. In order for there to be a minyan, I call people who live nearby and according to the commitments I got, I had fifteen people.

“It turned out that some of them did not keep their word and there were t’fillos that I davened alone. The couple that stayed with us was upset about this and they wanted to shorten their trip.

“Over yom tov we spoke to them a few times about writing to the Rebbe and when we heard their plans for cutting their trip short we suggested that they write to the Rebbe and ask for a bracha. After the holiday was over they wrote. I didn’t know what they wrote; I was just asked to read the answer to them and explain it.

“The Rebbe’s letter was written to a chazan of a shul and he wrote that he needs to use his position and expand his influence over more Jews so they feel comfortable entering the shul, and he should not despair.

“When they heard the answer they were flabbergasted. That is when they told me that they had written to the Rebbe about the fact that there weren’t minyanim for some of the t’fillos and this is why they wanted to leave.

“Before Yom Kippur, the husband accompanied me on visits to Jews in the area. This time I did not just make phone calls but decided to ask them personally to come to t’fillos. The first house I wanted to visit belonged to the person in charge of security at the embassy. I planned to ask him for the addresses of all the security staff at the embassy so I could ask each of them personally to join the t’fillos. When I arrived at his house, I was surprised to see all the embassy employees with their wives and children.

“When he heard my request, he immediately assigned all of his staff to attend the minyanim, several for each t’filla. And that’s how it worked out. All the members of the embassy and the entire diplomatic team came for N’ila with their wives and children and it was a very special atmosphere.

“On Motzaei Yom Kippur we arranged to meet on Simchas Torah and we had a special hakafa for the children.”

JOSH’S STORY

One of the most moving aspects of their work is finding Jews who never had a connection with a community, those who already considered themselves “lost.”

“One of the times we returned to Eretz Yisroel to work on organizational matters, we left behind two bachurim to man the Chabad House. When we returned to Kenya, they told us that there were problems with the lock to the house, and one day they were stuck outside and it was only thanks to a local person who entered the building via a window and opened the door for them that they were able to enter. I called one of the Israelis I know who has knowledge of locks and he referred me to a Jew named Josh who owns a door company. That is how I met another Jew here. He sent me his worker who ordered a new door from China.

“I invited Josh to the Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen. When I called to tell him about the work of the Chabad House and to invite him, he listened and said, ‘I have nothing against you. You are good people. But I don’t leave my house and so I can’t come.’ I got up my nerve and said, “If you don’t leave your house, we will come to you.” He agreed to that. On Sunday of Chanuka we were at the door of his house with candles and a menorah.

“When we entered his house, we met someone who is almost eighty. We spoke about Judaism for a long time and about the Rebbe and the work of Chabad. When I suggested that he put on t’fillin he politely refused and said he had never done it. He said that in the past he had met a number of young men who wanted to put t’fillin on with him, but he always refused. Despite this, I saw that he was very moved by our encounter and he even wanted a picture taken. Later on, R’ Shmuel Lozon, shliach in the Philippines, told me that someone walked into his Chabad House who said he was that man’s son and showed him a picture of his father with us. Thanks to the picture, a connection was made with the son too.

“The connection with the older man got stronger. We visit him often and we have become good friends. One time, I saw that the mezuza on the doorpost was old and had rust on it. I figured that since it was put up decades ago, nobody had checked it. A few days before Rosh HaShana I went to him with a new mezuza and we had a ceremony.

“On that visit, he said that he had never been in a shul. I tried to get him to come at least on Rosh HaShana, but he declined. How surprised I was to see him walk into shul on the morning of the first day of Rosh HaShana, in a tallis. Both of us had tears in our eyes. An eighty year old man attending shul for the first time in his life.

“This is the reality. We don’t despair of any Jew and we clearly see how this person is going through a process of connecting with his Jewish heritage.”

NO WOOD FOR THE SUKKA

“Soul stories” in Kenya occur on a daily basis and involve incredible divine providence. Here is another story from R’ Notik:

“Before Yom Kippur of this year, I got a message from a tourist in Uganda who wanted to know whether we would have minyanim. I said yes and asked him to come on time since our minyan was small. He said he was familiar with the t’fillos and customs of Yom Kippur. He did not wear a kippa but he had roots deep in religious Zionism and he had learned in a hesder yeshiva. He even had Lubavitcher relatives.

“He did not come Yom Kippur night but came early in the morning and stayed all day. On Motzaei Yom Kippur he asked about a sukka. I told him that we had ordered boards especially for a sukka but they hadn’t arrived yet, and we were hoping they would arrive in the few remaining days before Sukkos.

“In the meantime, he stayed in Kenya and visited us occasionally. One day before Sukkos, the one who was supposed to supply us with the boards informed us that he was backing out of the deal. We were stuck. What should we do?

“That Israeli, it turned out, had both ingenuity and understanding of construction. He went to wood stores around town and bought the boards he needed and we worked right up to yom tov. There were moments when we thought that we would not have a sukka for the first days. Problems kept on cropping up. Finally, a large sukka was completed and it is thanks to that Israeli who left us a day later to continue his trek. After dropping out of religious life he decided to fast again on Yom Kippur and was the shliach from heaven to help us make a sukka.”

DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES IN KENYA

What is the biggest challenge you face with Jews in a country like Kenya?

“First and foremost, the ignorance of basic mitzvos. I remember that on one day of Sukkos one of the women in the community called my wife and said she was organizing a jewelry workshop for children in her house and she invited her to come. I went with my wife along with our mobile sukka and Dalet minim. When I told the children about the holiday, I was surprised that among the dozens of kids nobody knew what an esrog or lulav was.

“In addition to the ignorance, the Jews here are afraid to display their Judaism openly. Some of them are afraid of being attacked as in the past, and some of them simply want to assimilate. For us the biggest challenge is going around town with t’fillin, with a shofar, or with the Dalet minim, and demonstrating Jewish pride.”

What is the biggest difficulty in living in this African country?

“You might be surprised to hear this but one of the major difficulties is the high cost of living. Contrary to what most people think, Africa is not cheap. The rent we pay on the house we work out of is equal to the rent paid on a big house in the center of Tel Aviv.

“Another one of the problems we have to deal with is the attitude toward work by the locals. A worker can come to fix something in your house and if he is missing a screw he can leave and come back in a week. They do not rush anywhere and everyone must adjust to their pace.

“The security situation is also a big problem. The security situation is very difficult as far as robbers and pickpockets that fill the streets and because of Islamic terror groups. Kenya has had many terror attacks. The Israeli embassy rates the security level in Kenya as one of the lowest in the world. This requires us to act accordingly and be extremely cautious.”

How do you disseminate the Besuras Ha’Geula and the identity of Moshiach?

“We talk about it at every opportunity, openly and clearly. I wear a Yechi yarmulke and it says Yechi on all our advertisements.

“Just one person commented to me about it. He said, in all innocence, that he had spoken with a shliach on the continent who told him that although he personally believes in Yechi, it is not the official position of Chabad at this time.

“At the Yud Shvat farbrengen of a year ago, one of the people liked my Yechi yarmulke and asked whether he could have one too. I agreed wholeheartedly, even though I was sure the kippa would remain in his drawer. How surprised I was when I went to shul and I saw him wearing it. Since then, that is the kippa he wears.

“We always talk about Moshiach and the imminent Geula. People understand that if we made our way to Kenya from Eretz Yisroel, it is not because of business or a position but to bring about the Yemos HaMoshiach.”

LIGHT UNTO THE NATIONS      

 At the beginning of this article I wrote about the unpleasant experience that the shluchim had upon their arrival in Kenya. But at the end of the interview R’ Notik told us about the respect he is given by non-Jews when they see him walking down the street.   

“People come over to me and ask whether I am a rabbi who came from Jerusalem. Others call me an angel and some ask me how they can become Jews. Of course, in every conversation with non-Jews I bring up the Seven Noachide Laws.”

R’ Notik tells us about an encounter he had several months ago from which we see the great admiration there is toward the Jewish people among many non-Jews in Africa.

“There was an Israeli who wanted to open a personal security company in southern Sudan and asked me to join him at a meeting. I was surprised to see government ministers there. I began the meeting by reading a chapter of T’hillim and then I spoke about the Seven Noachide Laws. The people were so moved that they forgot the reason for the meeting and wanted to hear more and more about the Rebbe and the work of Chabad in the world. I gave them a Tanach translated into English as a gift for the president of their country. They then asked us to open a branch of Chabad in their country, saying that it would bring them help from G-d.”