Please don't overwhelm our brothers

[Joel]

Heads up before Pesach program season rolls around.
Writing from a very OOT community. A wealthy SY family ($25m wedding in Italy wealthy) just visited for a week making the shluchim and baalabatim crazy with demands for 3x/day minyan only at their hotel (not the Chabad house) where we struggle to get minyan on Shabbos. Father was in aveilus and traveled against his own Hakham's advice.
Sach Hakol, the family promised the shluchim the sun, the moon and the stars. You can guess how much they actually donated. Shluchim and the baalabatim they had to round up for this family's minyanim are naturally destroyed not so much by the money but complete lack of hakarat hatov.
Where are these people learning their middos?

I just heard a similar story shluch went to read megulah at this person's office on purim day the story ended the same way. Terrible

[Lurker]

I just heard a similar story shluch went to read megulah at this person's office on purim day the story ended the same way. Terrible

These are the stories that bother me. They make it seem like shluchim are expecting to get paid for reading megillah in an office, when it's the farthest thing from the truth. Shluchim read megillah in hundreds, if not thousands, of offices all over the world for no reason other than helping someone do the mitzvah. I have no idea what happened here, or what got lost in translation, but it doesn't sound accurate.

[ReadsTheT&C]

These are the stories that bother me. They make it seem like shluchim are expecting to get paid for reading megillah in an office, when it's the farthest thing from the truth. Shluchim read megillah in hundreds, if not thousands, of offices all over the world for no reason other than helping someone do the mitzvah. I have no idea what happened here, or what got lost in translation, but it doesn't sound accurate.

If it's the shliach's own initiative and he advertises he'll be reading in such-and-such a place for sure. But if somebody requests a private reading in their office and says they will donate but doesn't well that's another story. And unfortunately those stories are a dime a dozen.

[Lurker]

If it's the shliach's own initiative and he advertises he'll be reading in such-and-such a place for sure. But if somebody requests a private reading in their office and says they will donate but doesn't well that's another story. And unfortunately those stories are a dime a dozen.

I don't know. I guess I just know different shluchim. The vast majority of the ones I know are taking that request (or arranging someone else to take care of it) and not thinking twice about getting a potential donation out of it.

[sguitarist18]

Perhaps the point here is that they're being told, "Please jump through hoops for me, and I'll give you a very generous donation."

[EliJelly]

Perhaps the point here is that they're being told, "Please jump through hoops for me, and I'll give you a very generous donation."

Or "I know I can come over to your shul but Google my name and see that it pays to come over to me".

[Yehuda57]

These are the stories that bother me. They make it seem like shluchim are expecting to get paid for reading megillah in an office, when it's the farthest thing from the truth. Shluchim read megillah in hundreds, if not thousands, of offices all over the world for no reason other than helping someone do the mitzvah. I have no idea what happened here, or what got lost in translation, but it doesn't sound accurate.

A shliach could drive a few hours each way to lein megillah for one person without getting a penny without batting an eyelash. The same shliach would right be peeved if a frum person who is able to hear megillah in shul, but for convenience's sake asks the Shliach to do a private leining in his office and promises or hints at a big donation, gives him $18. Would the shliach do it without the promise of a donation? More than likely.

[Lurker]

A shliach could drive a few hours each way to lein megillah for one person without getting a penny without batting an eyelash. The same shliach would right be peeved if a frum person who is able to hear megillah in shul, but for convenience's sake asks the Shliach to do a private leining in his office and promises or hints at a big donation, gives him $18. Would the shliach do it without the promise of a donation? More than likely.

Well said. The way the stories circulate and/or are told just rubs me wrong.

[yoohoo]

I reached out to a shliach via phone  a few weeks ago for information about an area. It was a very short conversation but was very helpful. After reading this thread I went to the website and made a donation.

[Yehuda57]

https://collive.com/chabad-shlucha-writes-open-letter-to-frum-travelers-this-summer/

[Yehuda57]

https://collive.com/chabad-shlucha-writes-open-letter-to-frum-travelers-this-summer/

@Dan @jj1000 Possibly worthy of a DDMS post

[Dan]

@Dan @jj1000 Possibly worthy of a DDMS post

True, but I still find it beyond absurd that the shluchim office can't figure out how to make a simple template for people to see if there are daily minyanim or tourist services offered.

Seems like this would solve a major pain point that shluchim have.

Is there someone I should discuss this with before mentioning that in a post on this topic?

[Dan]

Is there someone I should discuss this with before mentioning that in a post on this topic?

I emailed Mendy K.

[lcm]

I emailed Mendy K.

It's in the pipeline

Lowest lift would be for chabad.org - chabadone to add it, and integrate it into the manage offered services profile on the backend, which feeds into the Chabad center locator on the frontend.

The other half of the challenge will be of figuring out how to make sure shluchim keep it updated.

Practically it probably requires: a very user friendly and friction free way for shluchim to manage it, and nudge reminders to verify and update current info.
Maybe even having a "suggest an update"/add info on the Chabad center locator platform for the end user.

Ultimately it boils down to the shliach prioritizing it, and it not getting lost in the myriad responsibilities that he has.

How to do that...

[Yehuda57]

True, but I still find it beyond absurd that the shluchim office

I emailed Mendy K.

[Dan]

It's in the pipeline

That's good, but it's been over 2 years since this and we keep seeing shluchim complain about this.
It's a bad look for everyone.

https://twitter.com/DansDeals/status/1412090793565868034

https://twitter.com/DansDeals/status/1412108582355603457

https://twitter.com/DansDeals/status/1412095703422222341

https://twitter.com/DansDeals/status/1412096015931428864

https://twitter.com/DansDeals/status/1412099389502509063

https://twitter.com/DansDeals/status/1412101132357451778

https://twitter.com/DansDeals/status/1412092478186999814

Ultimately it boils down to having the shliach prioritize it, and it not getting lost in the myriad responsibilities that he has.
How to do that...

So silly though, shluchim complain about being inundated with requests for this info, when an annual 5 minute update would solve that pain point.

[Yehuda57]

True, but I still find it beyond absurd that the shluchim office can't figure out how to make a simple template for people to see if there are daily minyanim or tourist services offered.

Seems like this would solve a major pain point that shluchim have.

Is there someone I should discuss this with before mentioning that in a post on this topic?

Is the information issue even mentioned in this article? I don't think that is a bother for Shluchim in the slightest, despite how this thread started. Those that get contacted about it, have the info on their sites, those that don't have it on their sites is because they aren't contacted about it.

The main issues are the expectations and lack of understanding of the role the shliach plays. Understanding that each shliach is self/locally funded and that the goal of the shliach in most cases is not to provide frum amenities will be helpful to travelers.

[MeirS]

That's good, but it's been over 2 years since this and we keep seeing shluchim complain about this.
It's a bad look for everyone.


So silly though, shluchim complain about being inundated with requests for this info, when an annual 5 minute update would solve that pain point.

Many people don't check the websites.

I got a call about a week ago:
"Hi,
We're traveling through and Googled your number. Are there any places to get Kosher food here?"
I was happy to direct them to TJs or the local kosher section, but they could've saved the phone call by looking on our site.
PS. The closest kosher establishment with ready made food is a 3 hour drive.

[Dan]

Many people don't check the websites.

I got a call about a week ago:
"Hi,
We're traveling through and Googled your number. Are there any places to get Kosher food here?"
I was happy to direct them to TJs or the local kosher section, but they could've saved the phone call by looking on our site.
PS. The closest kosher establishment with ready made food is a 3 hour drive.

I'd just send them a link to the site then.

But I think that's why a central FAQ on the Chaabad.org chabad house search page is the way to go I think. It can be hard to find the info, often buried on the Chabad House.

[Dan]

Is the information issue even mentioned in this article? I don't think that is a bother for Shluchim in the slightest, despite how this thread started. Those that get contacted about it, have the info on their sites, those that don't have it on their sites is because they aren't contacted about it.

The main issues are the expectations and lack of understanding of the role the shliach plays. Understanding that each shliach is self/locally funded and that the goal of the shliach in most cases is not to provide frum amenities will be helpful to travelers.

Right, I understand the main point and it is worth a DDMS post, but I'm going off on a tangent of point 7 of that article and the unresolved issues in this thread.

I have seen other shluchim complain on social media about the summertime question inundation, so it's not just Zalmanov's pain point.

And while that's not the goal of most shluchim, there are plenty of shluchim that do focus on travelers, which adds to the confusion.