When Delta Flight 235 from Tel Aviv to New York was diverted to Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport Sunday due to storms across the East Coast, Chabad of Minnesota quickly mobilized to help about 300 Jewish passengers stranded far from their destination.
The unexpected diversion set off a flood of calls and messages Sunday afternoon. Rabbi Menachem Feller of Upper Midwest Merkos Lubavitch House said it began after he briefly put his phone aside while hosting a family dinner. When he checked it again, messages were pouring in from concerned family members and passengers on the flight.
“Suddenly, I pick up my phone, and I see it’s blowing up. I’m getting messages, WhatsApp messages, and texts from family members who are on the flight,” said Rabbi Feller. “‘My daughter’s on the flight with two little babies. My son is on the flight with someone else, and then someone else is a family of seven. They’re on the flight. They’re being diverted.’ And suddenly I start getting messages from all over.”
His entire family quickly mobilized to assist the stranded travelers. With only a few hours’ notice, they coordinated dozens of volunteers and activated their large commercial kosher kitchen at Lubavitch House, preparing and delivering hundreds of meals to passengers staying at six area hotels.
“We emptied out the freezers. We immediately started defrosting chicken, cooking pasta, and cooking rice,” said Feller’s son, Tzemach. “Hundreds of meals in a couple of hours.”
As the winter blast ruined plans, volunteers cooked up their own storm at the Lubavitch House kitchen in West St. Paul.
They also worked with Kosher Spot in St. Louis Park to secure additional items, including 30 pounds of cold cuts, soup, bagels, bread, and pastries, as volunteers quickly arrived to begin preparing meals.
“Because there’s this overall understanding that if you’re stuck somewhere and you don’t know anything about what the Jewish resources are, look up Chabad, and they’ll take care of you. And we’re happy that we were able to do that,” Tzemach said.
On Sunday, the unexpected detour meant the volunteers’ mission was simple: feed hundreds of stranded travelers with kosher meals.
Menachem said the volunteers’ efforts revealed the true spirit of the Minnesota Jewish community: resilient, caring, and ready to support one another even in the midst of chaos.
“We divided up the food packages for six locations and I got volunteers to drive. I went to some of the hotels also,” Menachem said. “People were messaging me on the shuttle, they’re going to be in this hotel, that hotel, and I was just doing most of the coordinating. My son is actually a good cook in his own right.”
Tzemach said the joy of cooking and providing for others is all his, and praised the community’s resilience and kindness amid the current chaos, noting that it only reinforces what they already know about the Twin Cities Jewish community.
“This is a community that’s selfless and giving, and we care about our neighbors, we care about strangers, we care about other people,” said Tzemach. “It’s been a hallmark of the state of Minnesota, and it’s been a hallmark of the Minnesota Jewish community for as long as I’ve lived here.”
They both say the community’s response exemplifies the core mission of Chabad to help Jews physically and spiritually.
The Fellers cited the Rebbe’s teaching that physical needs must be met first, allowing spiritual well-being to follow.
“It’s a fundamental principle of our peoplehood, of Judaism. Chabad is here to share mitzvahs, whatever it may be, in any way, materially and spiritually, logistically. We are all over,” Menachem said. “Similar things have happened in other places. And Chabad has comes through for that.”
All 300 passengers departed Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport on the same plane early Monday morning, leaving at 7:30 a.m.