ANT KATZ

Put phones down and smile!

4 500 Chabad rabbis from around the world met up in New York for an international conference last week. The five-day event included a massive group photo Sunday morning, followed by a gala in the evening. The conference of Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries aiming to revive Jewish practices, dates back to 1983.

The five-day event was scheduled to draw to a close on Sunday with a gala banquet at 4 pm. The rabbis began their day at 7:30 am on Sunday with a prayer, and gathered for their group picture an hour later.

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ABOVE: Many of the 4 500 rabbis among the group were more interested in taking selfies – leaving the poor photographer to try and get them all to say cheese at once

Some of the thousands of rabbis posed dutifully for the picture while others took out their cell phones – and even a selfie stick – to take their own photos with their neighbours.

Chabad-Lubavitch is an Orthodox Jewish movement that began more than 200 years ago in Russia, has become one of the largest groups within the chasidic movement.

It is headquartered in Brooklyn.

The international conference of Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries was first held in 1983 and had 65 rabbis in attendance – all from the United States and Canada – a far cry from today’s 4 500-plus.

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The final shot – 4 500 Chabad rabbis pose for the picture yesterday