It was a roller coaster of emotions as Shabbat drew near at the Chabad House in Kathmandu, Nepal.
On one hand, there were victories to savor. After days of round-the-clock worry about those who were missing, amid aftershocks and alerts about a major new earthquake, following unsuccessful search missions and, finally, a nail-biting helicopter rescue that began on Thursday morning and extended long into Friday, Chabad aid workers celebrated with 45 tourists from Israel, England, South Africa, Australia and the United States whom they had helped recover from some of the hardest-hit regions. There was also the appreciation shown by thousands of Nepalis who had something to eat because of volunteers providing them food and drink during the week.
At the same time, there was a grim resolve to continuing doing whatever possible to alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in the country.
“It is heart-wrenching to see the utter devastation that the people of Nepal have suffered,” said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, who flew into the country with some much-needed supplies on Thursday.
“But it was heartening to see the outpouring of support that has been coming from all directions,” he added.
“The sight of Israelis, Americans and Europeans working side by side at the Chabad center to feed the hungry and provide shelter for those in need reminds us of our shared humanity and the Divine image that unites us all.”
Kotlarsky visited for round-the-clock fact-finding meetings and planning sessions to strategize Chabad’s relief efforts going forward.
But for now, much of the activity will come to a pause. Shabbat will soon arrive—but not before a group of Israeli soldiers stationed at a field hospital nearby stopped by at the Bait Chabad to shower and freshen up for the holy day.
While the Nepal Chabad center is famous for hosting large crowds every week, including the largest Passover seder in the world, this Shabbat surely will prove to be unlike any other, as emissaries, aid workers, dazed tourists and others come together to gain strength and inspiration to carry them through another difficult week ahead.
To help with the earthquake relief effort, visit the special relief fund page: www.Chabad.org/Nepal.
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