M54 Expands, Launching Recruitment for New Cohorts to Empower Chabad Emissaries Through Inner Growth

Initiative launched out of Chabad at Brandeis broadens to help more Chabad emissaries deepen their clarity and purpose as Jewish community leaders

Chanie and Peretz Chein

Cohort of Shluchos-female emissaries

Cohort of Shluchim-male emissaries

Waltham, Massachusetts - July 22, 2025 -  M54–The Institute for Insourcing, an adult educational organization empowering Chabad emissaries, today announced the opening of applications for new men’s and women’s cohorts. The program, which runs for four months, offers Chabad emissaries - or Shluchim and Shluchos - on US campuses and communities the opportunity to learn holistic approaches to self-discovery, reflection, and inner growth in line with timeless Chassidic philosophy.

Many Chabad emissaries today face growing societal and personal pressures, along with the demands of public Jewish leadership. Present in over 100 countries and in all 50 US states, Chabad emissaries often find themselves balancing multiple roles and identities simultaneously: teacher, organizational director, community leader, event planner, spiritual guide, parent, spouse, homemaker. Over the years, this unique work-life balance can often lead to burnout, isolation, and a hunger for deeper meaning and connection to their work. While much of today’s self-help leans on quick fixes or external instructions, there’s a critical need for a model focused on understanding one’s inner world and guided by the agency of their own voice and unique experiences.

“So many of us give endlessly to our communities, but rarely pause to reflect on our own inner world,” said Chanie Chein, CEO and co-founder of M54. “M54 offers an opportunity to slow down, process our experiences, and invite growth and change into our lives - not through someone else’s voice or ideas, but through our own. With these new cohorts, we’re excited to welcome another group of emissaries ready to do that courageous inner work and bring renewed energy to their personal lives and communities.”

Hashliach Rabbi Peretz and Hashlucha Chanie Chein, longtime founding Chabad emissaries at Brandeis University, started M54 in 2021 as an online educational initiative for the university’s Chabad alumni during the pandemic. Now, the program has broadened into an educational model open to all Chabad emissaries around the country as they engage Jews and make Judaism accessible in their communities. 

Under the framework of the program, Chabad emissaries ranging in age from 30-60, commit to regular Zoom-based learning and a powerful in-person retreat in groups of 6-8 participants. 

Rooted in the Chabad Chassidic concept of ‘Avoda Pnimis’ (inner work), the program empowers participants with language and skills to navigate life’s complexities with enhanced clarity, self-reliance, and purpose–drawing on timeless wisdom to effect change through internal values and agency rather than on external experts or influence. Since inception, 8 cohorts and 2 fellowships of Chabad emissaries from across North America (and some international participants) have graduated from the M54 program, comprising some 60 individuals.

“My experience with M54 has been an extraordinary journey,” said M54 alumnus Levi Shechtman, Chabad at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. “It really was the first time in over 10 years on Shlichus where I found myself with a group of people who were interested in exploring themselves and how they operated. Everyone came with an attitude of humility and willingness to learn–it was an empowering experience. M54 has been an all-encompassing process to nail down what exactly it is that I want to change and improve on, and how to make that happen.” 

Applications for our next cohorts, starting in October 2025 are now open.

For more information or to apply

About M54:

M54 is an adult educational startup, empowering Chabad emissaries to cultivate inner growth, reflection, and agency. Through a structured four month program that combines Chassidic philosophy, facilitated group learning, and immersive retreats, M54 empowers participants to reconnect with their inner world and align their personal and communal lives with clarity and purpose. Rooted in the principles of ‘Avoda Pnimis’ (inner work) and insourcing, M54 has guided dozens of Chabad emissaries across North America in their journeys of transformation. Learn more at m54.org.