SHLICHUS IN A NATURE WONDERLAND

A large picturesque town with one story wooden houses and red tiled roofs, surrounded by seventy clear lakes and dozens of islands. The mountains with their primeval purity, and vegetation as far as the eye can see. Frady Klein of Bariloche, Argentina lives in the midst of this magnificent scenery. She opens the doors of her Chabad House to us and brings us into the life of a young couple on shlichus, who chose to live in a place where murderers who killed Jews al kiddush Hashem found safe haven.

By Goldie Kam

“THAT YOU MERIT TO ILLUMINATE YOUR HOME FROM THE OUTSIDE”

My name is Frady Klein and I am 25, married, and mother to Shaina who is two and a half. I am on the Rebbe’s shlichus in Bariloche, Argentina for seven years now.

I was born and raised in Kfar Baruch in the Jezreel Valley. I am the oldest child of my wonderful parents, Rabbi Aryeh and Leah Veg, shluchim on the yishuv. I attended Chabad schools in Natzrat Ilit, a thirty-minute drive away.

As a girl, I greatly admired my parents’ work in spreading the wellsprings but I would complain to my mother, “What hole in the wall did the Rebbe put you in!” In the afternoon, after school, on Shabbos, and vacation, I felt the loneliness and wanted so badly to live in a community and be surrounded by a social environment.

Today, when I am on shlichus, a 22-hour plane ride away from all who are dear to me, it is my mother’s turn to ask me, “Frady, what hole did the Rebbe put you in?”

I married young, at 18, half a year after graduating high school. We did not think it would happen so fast, but there was a persistent shadchanis who pressured and pushed and it happened.

Three and a half months after our wedding we saw an ad on a Chabad website that someone was looking for a young couple to fill in for shluchim in Argentina for three months.

Before that, we had spoken in general terms how after our first year of marriage we would look for a place of shlichus in Eretz Yisroel. After reading the ad, my husband said, “Nu, Frady, what do you think about our going there?”

We asked the Rebbe through the Igros Kodesh and the answer was: “May you merit to illuminate your house from the outside.” We consulted with my husband’s mashpia who explained that “outside” refers to out of Eretz Yisroel.

We started making inquiries about the place. Bariloche is a stunning nature preserve, rated seventh in the world for its scenic views. It is a large picturesque town with one story wooden houses and red tiled roofs, surrounded by seventy clear lakes and dozens of islands. The mountains with their primeval purity, and vegetation as far as the eye can see. Tourist season is from Tishrei until Nissan when the climate is moderate, 15-17 degrees C [around 60 degrees F]. During this season, about 35,000 Israeli tourists pass through. Most of them are 21-24 year-old young men and women who have finished their army service. There are also older people: businessmen, celebrities and middle aged couples who are traveling. The locals are relaxed and friendly. The closest Jewish community is in Buenos Aires which is a 24-hour drive away. In one of the hotels in Bariloche there is a kosher mikva.

Why not? The Rebbe sends, there is a rented place for a Chabad House, there are Israeli tourists, and as for money … there are wedding gifts. So we decided we’re going.

While getting ready in Eretz Yisroel and also during the flights, there were many difficulties. Rebbe, I whispered from the depths of my heart, give me a sign that we are doing the right thing.

When we landed in Argentina, we did not know a word of Spanish and the taxi drivers knew no English. Taxi drivers pounced on us as we stood there in confusion. One of them nearly pushed us into his taxi. I glanced at his registration and three numbers jumped out at me: 770. That was it – the Rebbe was with us!

We arrived at the Chabad House. I wasn’t yet 19 and my husband was 21. We immediately realized that we’d leave pampering and relaxation to the tourists and we got to work.

We saw that the building was neglected and the walls were covered with slime. I found a crafts store in the area and bought oak-tags, gouache paints, markers etc. Boruch Hashem, I am artistic and I rolled up my sleeves and started filling the walls with pictures of the ten mitzva campaigns and the twelve p’sukim. Within a week, the place looked like a heartwarming Chabad preschool.

There were endless things to take care of: arranging permits with the annoying bureaucracy, filling the gas balloons, always at odd hours which they designated, contacting the family of a missing tourist, preparing for 200 guests on Shabbos. My husband started raising money because our wedding gifts were depleted, and we needed to “break our teeth” on Spanish every time we went out, all while wondering why, once again, there was no hot water in the faucets.

Within all this daily pandemonium, we felt that the Rebbe was with us, paving over the difficulties and smoothing the way.

When the three months were over, we were told the previous shluchim were not returning. We decided that we were staying.

100 KILOS OF FLOUR A WEEK

For four and a half years, my job was mainly heart to heart talks, shiurim for girls, preparing meals and serving them. When Shaina was born, after many prayers, I had to juggle between the Chabad House and taking care of our darling, active daughter. I cooked for 1000 guests for the seder with her strapped on me!

Every day, about 300 tourists pass through and on Shabbos it can be 400 guests for each meal.

All the food needs to be prepared by me. There is no grocery store across the street with shelves full of kosher bread and cake, that I can buy and serve. In order to eat kosher, everything has to be made from scratch.

Every week we buy supplies: crates of fruits and vegetables, sacks of legumes, bottles of oil, and about 100 kilos of flour. Our food consists mainly of these products.

We don’t buy much fish since it is very expensive. We cannot have dairy or meat products shipped to Bariloche, because it is illegal to bring food products into a nature preserve. Arranging sh’chita here is expensive and complicated, so meat is a luxury we rarely have. There was a period when we went half a year without meat. I found an excellent recipe for stir-fried soy with vegetables. Everyone was sure it was meat (there was a vegetarian tourist who refused to eat the dish until I divulged to her that it was soy).

Local help is very expensive so I do most of the work myself. Over the years we bought modern appliances and I have found methods that help me be more efficient in the kitchen.

I discovered that the easiest course to serve in our restaurant is malawach with a hard egg, spicy tomato salad and a plate of hummus.

I make the malawachs ahead of time in a huge mixer that handles eight kilos at a time. I prepare 200 pieces and freeze them so that when a guest comes, it is ready in five minutes.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

In order to be our guest on Shabbos, you need to register beforehand. Our Shabbos meals have a good reputation among the tourists and some of them register on Sunday. We ask for $3 (a fifth of our costs). You need to fill out a card with your full name, Israeli ID number, and email address. The reasons are:

Name – my husband and I try hard to remember names. When tourists come for Shabbos and we address them by name, they are very flattered.

ID number – hopefully, we won’t need it, but some of the hiking trails in the area are dangerous and if someone is missing we are contacted. We must have their ID number in order to proceed and involve the rescue crews.

Email address – we use it to keep in touch. Today, after six and a half years, my husband has nearly 12,000 email addresses of people who passed through our Chabad House.

Before every Shabbos, holiday, and special Chassidic date, we send them an email containing a sicha from the Rebbe on the parsha, a short Chassidic tale, and updates from the Chabad House. There are also reminders before holidays about shofar, sukka, selling chametz, etc.

They also send feedback, regards, and good news.

PREPARATIONS FOR SHABBOS

When the girls come to register during the week, I ask them gently to come and help me on Thursday. “We’ll peel potatoes together and get to know each other.” “You’ll do hafrashas challa and we’ll take a picture; it will be fun.”

When they come on Thursday, between 10-15 girls, I greet them happily and immediately put my braincells to work. To their surprise, I refer to each of them by name (out of hundreds of names that pass through every week). Also, in order to generate a warm feeling, I try to find a person we know in common. It goes something like this: “Hi Shanny. How nice of you to come. Where are you from?”

Shanny is surprised. “How did you remember my name? I’m from the yishuv Ayelet HaShachar.”

 I do a “brain search” on the yishuv and say, “Ah, I’m sure you know the Chaimowitz couple from there. They were here three years ago. We made Danny a bar mitzva here when he was 70!”

Shanny says, “Wow! They are my neighbors! Of course I know them!”

Shanny feels at home, as does Chein from Tel Aviv who knows the musician who was here four years ago. It goes like this, “Noa, you said you’re from Hod HaSharon? Did you go to Yeshurun high school? Then surely you know Gali Farkash who was here last year.” “Yes, tall with curly hair.”

As we speak we peel vegetables. I tell them about the Lubavitcher Rebbe who sent us here because every Jew is precious to him like a diamond, the Rebbe who said no Jew will remain in galus.

There are three mitzvos that I try to impress upon the female visitors, the acronym ChaNaH: challa, nidda, hadlakas neiros.

Starting with candle lighting: this is the moment when a Jewish woman stands alone, facing the candles, the best time to make requests of Hashem. Surely you also have things to ask for.

The Rebbe says that a woman is the mainstay of the home and she gives to her family like a candle whose flame can ignite many other candles without being diminished.

The word nasan (give) can be read backwards and forward because a giver receives! When you illuminate the world, you immediately bring abundance upon yourself.

They ask questions and always appear excitedly the next day to light candles at the Chabad House.

Then nidda, family purity: I explain the importance of the mitzva. It is also important to me to dispel the myths on the subject of the exclusion of women. I tell them that the Rebbe said that in a way, the entire world was created for the woman. G-d created the world over six days. On the first day, light and darkness; on the second day, the heavens were divided; on the third day, the earth and seas and plants; on the fourth day, moon, stars, sun; on the fifth day, the birds and fish; on the sixth day, animals and the crown of creation – man. Note that in order for there to be plants, first dry land was created, and in order for the animals to survive, there was food and drink, the heavens and light. When the first man was created, it was all complete in his honor. And who comes at the end when man already existed in the world?

They smile at their new sense of importance: Yes, the woman! It was all ready for her, in her honor.

And the woman is the one who determines that a child is Jewish.

They have many questions and we talk and talk. When the last one leaves, it is usually two in the morning.

Challa: Every Friday I bake challos from 23 kilos of flour. My faithful servant is my mixer into which I put 7-8 kilos of flour for each batch.

They do hafrashas challa, have their pictures taken, laugh, braid the challos, and get into the Shabbos spirit.

SHABBOS IN BARILOCHE

Shabbos begins with our joint candle lighting. The flames flicker as our lips whisper and souls are ignited as the sun sets in a dazzling display of colors.

Then the men go daven Kabbalas Shabbos and I give the girls a shiur on the parsha.

My husband leads the Shabbos meals in the manner of a true leader.

It is important to him to show them how much he appreciates me. Before they sing Eishes Chayil, he announces, “The following song is dedicated to my wife,” and he jokingly threatens, “And whoever doesn’t sing, won’t eat!”

My husband makes kiddush in a festive tone, then there is hand washing and the guests sit down to set tables. I don’t sit for a moment. I taste from the food only on Friday… My husband and I then serve about 300 people a festive meal with all the aromas of Shabbos wafting in the air. The tourists also help out and do some serving.

Every Friday I prepare six kinds of salads, meat-stuffed vegetables if there is meat, a hearty soup, side dishes, and challa of course. For Shabbos day there is an enormous pot of chulent.

During the meal my husband tells a Chassidic story whose message is Ahavas Yisroel and everyone, hobos and rich guys, Left and Right, from all backgrounds, sing together, “Hinei Ma Tov … Sheves Achim Gam Yochad.”

EVERY EFFORT COUNTS

People usually work 8-10 hours a day. Then they go home and spend time with the children and spouse, and eat supper together. At our Chabad House, there are days that we are on the job for 17 hours!

Anybody can come in at any time. A meal has to be served. A tourist is missing. A bar mitzva is arranged for people way over the age of thirteen. A couple wants guidance. Personal conversations deep into the night.

A tremendous amount of inner strength is needed to make it through each day, and I feel that the Rebbe who sent us provides us with strength.

I always have to look presentable. I can’t walk around in a nightgown, Crocs, and a shmatte on my head. There are always people around. I have learned that if I want to tell my husband something, I need to text him.

At first, there were things that got me down a bit. For example, there was a girl who was very interested and I put so many hours into her and then she left without keeping in touch.

I told myself that just the fact that someone entered the Chabad House and saw a nicely appointed building, an attractive woman, dressed modestly, a couple who respect one another, and that she got answers to her questions, was a kiddush Hashem and brings hearts closer together.

There are many encouraging stories; here’s one:

A year ago, two irreligious girls came from Yerushalayim. One was curious and talkative and the other one was very quiet. They arrived in the middle of the week and registered for Shabbos meals. After the Shabbos meal they stayed to talk. The talkative one also had her mother and grandmother, successful and wealthy business executives, join us. They took the opportunity to ask questions. Unfortunately, the questions were from the less than flattering perspectives with which the media portrays religious Jews.

I had been on my feet since the morning, moving back and forth between pots, the baby and the tourists. Now, after serving 400 people, it was eleven o’clock at night and I had to answer all their klotz kashes.

Only Hashem knows where I had the strength from. I stood there for two hours and answered them graciously. They said goodbye and the quiet girl, who hadn’t opened her mouth during the verbal attack, thanked me very much. And that was it; I didn’t hear from them after that.

Winter begins in Iyar and the snow can reach a meter high. The tourist season is over and we fly back to Eretz Yisroel and fall into the arms of our family who missed us. We eat and sleep at normal hours and rest a bit. But even there, we don’t neglect our shlichus work.

In Tammuz we arranged a get-together for tourists in Tel Aviv. 250 showed up.

A modestly dressed girl came over to me and I remembered her as the quiet one. She hugged me and said, “You can’t imagine what a change you made inside me. That Friday night I saw you, so young, thin, alone, facing off with two older wealthy women, who had tough questions. And you were so strong and were not fazed for an instant! When I returned to Eretz Yisroel I went to a seminary and boruch Hashem, I am learning seriously and growing.”

A few months later she told me she married a religious boy and her parents, who initially were so opposed, were having much nachas from her.

JEWISH REVENGE

In the late 40’s, the wife of the President of Argentina was a woman named Eva Peron. She was very powerful as a First Lady, and the decision to provide refuge for Nazis is often attributed to her influence.

Two years ago, we were visited in the Beit Chabad by a man who identified himself as the son of a Nazi. He came to apologize for the atrocities that the Germans committed against our nation. He showed us pictures of the first school for the children of the Nazis in Bariloche, from seventy years ago. It was housed in the building that is today

… the Beit Chabad!

Additionally, there is a short film that shows the Nazi officer Erich Priebke being confronted by an American news crew (which led to his subsequent extradition to Rome to stand trial), and the Americans caught up to him exactly in the doorway to our building! Scary…

In conclusion, I would like to wish all of those involved in shlichus in every far-flung corner of the world, that we soon merit to go on clouds to Yerushalayim with our king leading us!!!