Rabbi Dovid and Shaina Gutnick and their family have joined the Chabad Youth Network of Florida, bringing new help to an organization that works to reach every Jewish child in the region.

Based in Boca Raton, the network is directed by Rabbi Shmuly and Dini Gutnick. Its programs run throughout the year and include school clubs, Shabbatons and retreats, teen programming, community service projects, and hands-on holiday workshops such as The Maccabee Experience for Chanukah and The Exodus Experience for Passover. The network also organizes community events, including a Chanukah parade and a Jewish Unity Parade.

Much of the work takes place in classrooms. Each fall, Rabbi Shmuly Gutnick has suited up as a beekeeper and brought live bees into schools ahead of the High Holidays. Students extract honey from the honeycomb, learn why Jews dip apples and challah in honey on Rosh Hashanah, and go home with a small jar of their own honey to share with their families.

Rabbi Dovid Gutnick has wasted no time. In just a few weeks, he has already connected with more than 2,000 children, part of the network’s effort to bring Jewish education and pride to thousands of students each year.