Jake from Melbourne on Chabad in Thailand

I have passed through Thailand withou touring there, but Rabbi Kantor and the other shluchim there serve a large constituency. El Al flies some 5 flights a week (I believe) between Tel Aviv and Bangkok - and they are always full. If I am not mistaken, Chabad Bangkok actually prepares all the fresh kosher meals for outgoing El Al flights. There are MANY tourists, businesspeople and backpackers who avail themselves of services provided by Chabad Bangkok. And shluchim can live with their families in unpleasant far-flung places for many years before some unpredictable disaster makes their immediate presence there valuable beyond calculation. Perhaps Boston isn't as impressive as it might be, but that doesn't mean that Bangkok is undeserving of praise. (And I am no habitual defender of Chabad...)
- Jake