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During a radio segment on Kol Barama, which focuses on Jewish life across the Diaspora, Rabbi Levi Venono, Shliach of the Rebbe to Medellin, Colombia, shared powerful stories from his shlichus, including a chilling encounter with a 93-year-old Jew that left listeners deeply moved.

In the interview with broadcaster Yaakov Grodka, Rabbi Venono spoke about his daily work with the thousands of Israeli travelers who pass through Colombia each year. He explained that the encounters at the Beis Chabad often dismantle long-standing barriers brought from Eretz Yisroel.

“The sentence we hear most often is, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever spoken with a Chareidi Jew,’” Rabbi Venono said. “They suddenly discover authentic and sincere Yiddishkeit, and begin asking themselves how they became so distant from it.”

During the broadcast, the Shliach revealed a particularly emotional story involving a 93-year-old Jew who had been living alone and had lost his ability to speak. After extensive searching through dangerous and impoverished neighborhoods, the Shluchim located him on Erev Pesach.

“I asked him if he wanted to put on tefillin, and he could barely respond,” Rabbi Venono recounted. “But the moment we placed the tefillin on him and I asked him to say Shema Yisrael, the Jew who had not been able to utter a word suddenly cried out the words. At that moment, we saw clearly that the neshamah Elokis is stronger than any physical limitation.”

Rabbi Venono also addressed the current political tension following the war, including the decision by Colombia’s president to sever diplomatic ties with Israel. He emphasized that on the street, the reality looks very different.

“The people here love Israel,” he said. “Wherever we go, we encounter warmth and respect. We have not experienced antisemitism. On the contrary — people tell us, ‘You are from the Holy Land; what a merit it is to meet you.’ The Shluchim are viewed with genuine admiration.”

Toward the conclusion of the interview, Rabbi Venono spoke candidly about the personal challenges of Shlichus, particularly for children growing up far from established Jewish infrastructure. He described how his eldest son studies through a virtual school, with classmates appearing as small squares on a screen.

“The children are the ones who pay the price,” he said. “They are the ones truly living the Shlichus. They grow up knowing that they are here for Am Yisroel — and to help bring the Geulah.”

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