3 Car Pile-up on Eastern Parkway

Thursday – at approx. 9:30pm a Shomrim member was passing by on Eastern Pkwy. and Troy Ave. when he noticed an accident involving three cars. The first car being the Jewish one from the neighborhood and the 2 others that rear ended him were non Jewish

The Shomrim member, also a certified NYS EMT noticed that the accident involved a Yid. The Shomrim member/EMT stopped his car and ran out to help. He then called it in to the Shomrim dispatch who then called Hatzalah and EMS, and stabilized the scene until they arrived.

More pictures in the extended article.

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Celebrating Simchat Torah, Hurricane and All

Rebbeca Rosenthal – Lubavitch.com

As Hurricane Wilma walloped Hallandale, Florida, the local Chabad weathered the storm without wavering from their Simchat Torah holiday plans.

Morning prayer services were postponed until noon, when Wilma was projected to be on her way out, but not canceled. The evening’s grand community dinner and plans to dance with the Torah that night were still on as well. All food had been prepared in advance of the storm, last minute purchases were made yesterday – ahead of Wilma’s winds. Chabad of Hallandale’s representative Rabbi Rephael Tennenhaus expects the dinner and dancing to draw a larger crowd than ever, especially since loss of electricity prevented most from cooking for the holiday. “The mitzvah of the holiday is to be joyous,” Rabbi Tennenhaus told Lubavitch.com via cell phone as the winds roared. “Everyone will be grateful they made it through the storm and are able to celebrate the holiday.”

Sukkah in the Storm

Editorial – Forward.com

The sukkah, the fragile hut that gives the Sukkot holiday its name, could be the most ambivalent symbol in all of Jewish tradition. Custom dictates that we spend a week each fall dwelling — or at least taking meals — in a roofless shack, open to the heavens. It is, we are taught, a time to be at one with nature and its bounty. Then again, we are taught, it is also a reminder of our vulnerability to nature’s wrath.

The prayer book calls this holiday zman simchateinu, “the season of our joy.” But it is a joy tinged with sadness, even foreboding. The days grow shorter. The air has a wintry chill. In Israel, where the holiday originated, it marks the end of the summer drought and the onset of the rainy season. And so we sit in our sukkot, reveling in nature but waiting to be drenched, uncertain just how to feel.

Farbrengen With The Rebbe

The happiest time of the month of Tishrai is Shmini Atzeres/Simchas Torah which’s end is marked with a special Farbrengen on Motzoai Yom Tov, a “Farbrengen With The Rebbe”. Thousands gathered in 770 and sang the Nigunim of the Rabbaim in order.

Sukkos in Minnesota

Rabbi Moshe Feller, Head Shliach of Minnesota

Although the weather forecasted snow in St. Paul, Minnesota, the conditions changed due a Brocho of the Rebbe. Chief Shliach, Rabbi Moshe Feller, sent a request for a blessing to the Ohel, and as a result, not even a drop of rain hindered the event.

Despite the forecasts, over 200 arrived, most of which are not observant, and recited the Blessing over the Arba Minim and enjoyed barbecued treats in the Sukkah. The main event was for children who enjoyed a variety of amusement attractions, mini-golf, a petting zoo, horseback riding and more. The entire celebration was made possible thanks to assistance of Tmimim who had arrived to Minnesota to help the Shluchim for the holidays.

Abbas Must Act

Mortimer B. Zuckerman – USNews.com

What is the price of trying to make life easier for the Palestinians? A simple answer: murder most foul. Israel voluntarily removed roadblocks; so terrorists in a Fatah group, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, put stolen Israeli license plates on a car, sped by a crowd at a hitching post, and opened fire with automatic weapons. Three young Israelis, including a 15-year-old, were killed, and four others were wounded. Now the entire Palestinian population will have to bear the burden of tighter Israeli security. To protect its citizens, Israel has to ban all private Palestinian cars from the main roads, rebuild roadblocks and barriers throughout Judea and Samaria, and end the turnover of West Bank towns (especially Bethlehem) to the Palestinian Authority.

Simchas Torah in 770

With people being “happy” and showing “happiness” across Crown Heights this will surely be a Simchas Torah to remember.

This year the Gabboim arranged a more organized (and may we add, civilized) form of kissing the Rebbe’s Sefer torah, making a special entrance from the “Farbrengen Bimah”.

Although the Yom Tov was quite short-lived (it’s much later than on a regular year) many people still found the time to get the spirit, which takes a double meaning upon itself.

Serious Accident In Boro Park

On Sunday a Mezonos Maven delivery truck slammed into a minivan packed with a family. The accident happened at the intersection of 56th St. & 15th Ave.

The minivan was carrying 7 people all of which suffered various injuries, the worst being a head injury to a child, they were all taken to a local hospital. The delivery van suffered almost no damage and the driver was reported to be okay.

More pictures in the extended article.

Preparing 770 for Simchas Torah

Erev Simchas Torah at 1:00pm downstairs 770 was cleared out (of people) in order to clean up the Shul in preparation for Shmini Atzeres/Simchas Torah. After all those Hoshanos get slapped on the floor then thrown onto the Aron Kodesh, which leaves quite a mess.

This year the Gaboim introduced a new idea, as for a better organized way to kiss the Rebbes Safer Torah, by making a line through the Farbregen Bima. Which worked very well.

Mayoral Candidates Enter Final Two-Week Stretch Run

NY1

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Democratic challenger Fernando Ferrer continue to press the flesh as the candidates for mayor now have just two short weeks left before Election Day.

Last week it was former President Bill Clinton, and on Monday Ferrer had another big name Democrat at his side. Ferrer held a roundtable discussion and lunch today with Senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry.