Chabad Envoy Welcomes Secular House in Thailand

Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm, a veteran Bangkok Chabad emissary, responded at 18:14 IDT to the Free Secularists plan for a secular visitors center for Israeli travelers in Thailand by saying Chabad would receive every Jew with open arms. Wilhelm said Thailand's Chabad houses are open to secular and religious travelers alike, and that help is not conditioned on tefillin or observance. The secular-house plan features Friday meals without kiddush, Israeli social events and Jewish-secular identity programming. Torah communities are strongest when they answer rivalry with ahavat Yisrael, patient hospitality and confidence in Jewish tradition.