Largest Jewish Women’s Leadership Summit Convenes

Some 4,000 Chabad-Lubavitch women emissaries and lay leaders from around the globe gathered recently in New York for the 35th annual International Conference of Chabad Women Emissaries, the largest Jewish women’s leadership gathering in the world.

While the yearly conference has a celebratory atmosphere, uniting women leaders from Alaska to Zambia, this year’s gathering came during a particularly challenging time for Jewish communities worldwide. From devastating wildfires in California to ongoing war in Israel, and rising antisemitism on college campuses, the women on the frontlines of Jewish communal service are confronting urgent realities.

Chabad-Lubavitch women emissaries, known as shluchos, are dedicated leaders who manage and grow Jewish communities worldwide, often in remote locations with minimal Jewish infrastructure. They serve both affiliated and unaffiliated Jews, welcoming all regardless of background or observance level. From bustling urban centers to quiet towns, Chabad women create not just spiritual homes but vibrant focal points of Jewish life.

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The conference, known as Kinus Hashluchos, ran from Feb. 19-23, uniting women leaders from all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries for five days of workshops, networking, and spiritual renewal. The conference is annually timed to coincide with the anniversary of the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of righteous memory, the wife of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.