The life story of Mrs. Rivka Korf a”h, one of the pioneer shluchos who went to a spiritually desolate place, Florida, and helped transform it into a shlichus powerhouse.
By C Magen
The world map is dotted with thousands of stars that represent territory “conquered” by the Rebbe’s shluchim, both young and old. The latter are role models, examples of devotion to the Rebbe.
Although shlichus has become extremely popular in recent years, with numerous girls in shidduchim seeking those to whom shlichus is a priority, it wasn’t always that way.
On 29 Tishrei, two months ago, Chabad and the army of shluchim lost shlucha Mrs. Rivka Korf a”h. She was one of the first to heed the Rebbe’s call of “u’faratzta.” She and her husband, R’ Avrohom, went to Miami on shlichus. The Korfs were among the first couples to leave the source of light and warmth, 770, and go far away.
The Rebbe Rayatz, in a conversation with a Chassid, spoke about the division of jobs in shlichus: some plow, some plant, and some harvest. On that occasion, the Rebbe was assigning roles, with the one doing the plowing and sowing not being the one to do the harvesting, i.e., the one who invests in shlichus is not necessarily the one to see the blessed results.
Fortunately, Rivka Korf and her husband plowed and sowed and harvested too. As of now, Florida takes pride in close to 150 Chabad Houses and mosdos!
CHILDHOOD
Rivka (Eichenbaum) Korf was born in Afula in 5702 under the British Mandate. Her parents, R’ Moshe Chaim and Sarah Batya, were Breslover Chassidim who moved to Eretz Yisroel from Russia between the world wars. When her father had problems making a livelihood in Eretz Yisroel, he went to the United States and when he established himself, his family followed him.
The Eichenbaum family settled in Pittsburgh where Rabbi Sholom Posner a”h was the shliach of the Rebbe Rayatz. Upon R’ Posner’s advice, Rivka was registered in Achei T’mimim Lubavitch. She became friends with his daughter, Sarah Rivka Posner, today Sasonkin, a shlucha in Moshav Avital in Chevel Taanach. This friendship later turned out to be quite significant, an important step in the Rebbe’s G-dly plan to conquer the world for the Geula.
The girls graduated elementary school and then went to New York to attend Bais Yaakov high school in Williamsburg. Rivka boarded with a Lubavitcher family in Crown Heights where she attended farbrengens of the Rebbe in the small 770 of that time, strengthened her friends in their hiskashrus to the Rebbe, and at the young age of 17 and a half, was offered the proposal of the shidduch with her husband.
YECHIDUS AND SHIDDUCH PROPOSAL
The bachur had an impressive resume: born in Charkov, Ukraine, he attended an underground Tomchei T’mimim, later attended Tomchei T’mimim in Brunoy, was an outstanding bachur in 770, and was even one of the T’mimim-shluchim sent by the Rebbe to Eretz Yisroel after the murderous attack in Kfar Chabad in 5716.
In an interview with R’ Binyamin Rose of Mishpacha magazine, R’ Korf said he had been offered a job in Oholei Torah, which he declined. In a yechidus for his birthday, he told the Rebbe he preferred going on shlichus. The Rebbe pointed out that he wasn’t married yet and when he would marry, he would be sent on shlichus. “In the meantime,” said the Rebbe, “you should teach, and we will look for a shidduch for you.”
A year later, at the yechidus for his birthday, he expressed his frustration to the Rebbe. “From now on, it will be easier,” said the Rebbe. The next day, the shidduch with his wife was suggested. The chassan made the shidduch conditional on going on shlichus. Rivka immediately agreed. Remember, it was 5720. There weren’t many shluchim at the time, although the Rebbe had called for “u’faratzta” in 5718. There was Garelik in Milan, Sudak in London, Lipsker, Matusof, Edelman and Raskin in Morocco, Shemtov in Detroit, and Chitrik and Begun in Brazil. And a few others.
The shidduch suggestion was accepted by both sides. They both spoke Yiddish and shared the goal of giving the Rebbe nachas on shlichus. The kalla was intelligent, had a sunny personality, was well spoken and blessed with a keen sense of humor and sensitivity to others – all vital elements in drawing Jews close to Torah and mitzvos.
The shidduch was blessed by the Rebbe. The Korfs married on 13 Shvat 5720/1960 and the Rebbe was the mesader kiddushin.
Some time after their wedding, another family asked the Rebbe to be their mesader kiddushin. When the Rebbe said he did not do that anymore, they asked why he did it for the Korfs. The Rebbe said, “He is going on shlichus …”
The young couple, and Rivka in particular, received special attention from the Rebbe. At a farbrengen during their sheva brachos, the chassan attended but Rivka did not. The Rebbe, seeing the chassan, asked whether the kalla was present. When he was told she wasn’t, he said to bring her and he asked a minyan to wash in order to be able to recite the sheva brachos during the farbrengen.
THE GOAL: TO FILL IN WHAT IS MISSING
Unlike ordinary couples, Avremel and Rivka did not buy furniture for their new apartment. After all, their stay in Crown Heights was temporary and they would be going on shlichus soon.
At first, there was an offer that he serve as rav in the Ashkenaz community in Mexico, but it turned out that Rabbi Mordechai Hershberg would be filling that position. After waiting several months, the idea of Miami came up. Although R’ Avrohom had not studied a map of the U.S. and had no idea where Miami is, they agreed immediately.
Florida, surrounded by ocean, is a place that flourishes physically, but in the early 1960’s, it was a spiritual wasteland tainted by racism and anti-Semitism. There were few religious Jews and meager Jewish services, such as kosher food – chalav Yisroel, glatt kosher meat, mikvaos and chinuch.
In a yechidus before they departed, R’ Avrohom asked the Rebbe what the shlichus consisted of. The Rebbe said, “Where Yiddishkait is lacking, fill in what’s missing.” The Rebbe gave the new shliach a Tanya and gave his wife a siddur. As per the Rebbe’s request, the N’shei Chabad held a goodbye party for the couple and letters were sent from Merkos L’Inyanei Chinuch to a few friends of Lubavitch announcing their arrival.
The early days of shlichus were quite challenging and included learning English. On long trips from place to place, Rivka taught her husband English. He told her what he wanted to say in a shiur for students and she would translate it for him and practice with him. After a while, he was capable of lecturing to university students, thanks to her.
Part of their time was used to obtain basic food items. They supervised the milking of cows, shechted and kashered chickens, and baked bread and challa at home. This was in addition to their spiritual activities which they started as soon as they arrived, which included hosting people who went to Florida on vacation, and taking care of their material and spiritual needs. They had to count their pennies and sometimes they had to walk because they didn’t have a quarter to pay for public transportation.
ONE WOMAN SHOW: FROM PRINCIPAL TO JANITOR
As the Rebbe told them, they did not work immediately to start a Jewish school, in order not to compete with the already existing Hebrew Academy. It was several years later when Rivka started the Landau school with six students who learned in a store. Over the years, Rivka served in all possible roles: as principal, teacher, secretary and even janitor! Today, the school includes separate divisions for boys and girls up till twelfth grade and there is a yeshiva g’dola too. About 1500 students attend the school.
In the roster of names of students there appear the names of many families. However, on the boys’ list, one family name is missing, Korf! For the chinuch of her own children, Rivka sent her boys to learn in Crown Heights, from a young age, so they would not have to take secular studies. She sent one son at nine and he lived with his grandfather. The principle of chinuch al taharas ha’kodesh was important to her, no matter what people might say.
Avrohom and Rivka knew that in order to build a community, they had to start from the bottom, with the youngest children. They decided to make a camp, Gan Yisroel. Many years later, an intermarriage was prevented thanks to a Chassidic song that someone remembered from his days in their camp!
In addition to her work in the field of education, Rivka hosted, taught, and mainly provided a listening ear, for a group of local women, which continued to grow and expand. Women were captivated by her, enjoyed the words of Torah she gave over with grace and humor, and especially by her endless giving done with genuine joy. At the Shabbos meals with many guests, Rivka concerned herself, with her characteristic refinement and warmth, to see to it that each person felt comfortable. The Shabbos classes that she gave on parsha and Pirkei Avos were especially popular.
Rivka seemed to never tire. Her boundless energy and sense of accomplishment pushed her to do ever more. She founded the Floridian chapters of N’shei Chabad and Shifra-Puah. Together with her husband, she arranged mini-Shabbatons, and she also wrote a newsletter for women, as well as for the Algemeiner Journal under the editorship of R’ Gershon Ber Jacobson, who was known to be very particular and demanding. There were only two writers whose work he would allow to be published without any editing and rewriting, Rivka Eichenbaum (who wrote under her maiden name) and another writer from Eretz Yisroel. She used all of her talents to serve the public good, as Chassidus demands.
As one of her close family members put it, “She was a rare listener and keeper of confidences, and obviously her first priority was to stand by her husband. She helped him with everything, she ran the office, answered the telephones, handled the correspondence, and everything else that needed to get done. Inside life in the family, she was the address for the children, the chassanim and kallos, and everyone else who visited the home.”
She cites an example of a young man who suffered from various problems, and he would come to pour out his woes. Rivka would listen to him, and give him her full attention in complete calm. When he would finish talking, she would offer her opinion regarding his situation, in firm tones and without hesitation, but only after she heard him out fully.
One time, after he was reprimanded by her, one of her children asked him why he keeps coming back if each time he comes, he basically “gets it over the head.” He answered, “I come back because she tells me off exactly the same way that she would tell it to you! I know she loves me, and that is why she says what she says. And that is why I come back.”
DO NOT SHAME THE UNIFORM
From an early age, and despite not having grown up in a Lubavitch home, Rivka felt a deep connection to the Rebbe, and invested her entire being in fulfilling his shlichus to prepare the state of Florida for the Geula. She did so as “a worthy woman who does the will of her husband,” as cited upon her headstone. In those early days, she even worked on her friends to instill in them a love and devotion for the Rebbe, and even married one of them off to a Lubavitcher.
Rivka was a true leader in her own family. She instilled in her children the pride of serving in an elite unit, to know who they are and what they are, and succeeded in raising nine “powerhouses,” who are all involved in shlichus.
She adopted the line that she heard from the late R’ Eliyahu Lipskier, who told his grandson at his bar mitzva, “Do not shame your uniform!” In other words, remember who you are, what your mission is, and who you represent.
That is the message that we also need to internalize, as we continue the work of those early pioneers who are no longer with us, and to make sure that our spiritual and physical uniforms truly express the pride in who we are and what we are.
Credit: Mishpacha Magazine