At 2:00pm a large crowd gathered to escort R. Gedalia Shaffer OBM in front of 770. The Levaya left the Shomrei Hadaas Chapel in Boro Park and passed by 770 where it was greeted by a crowd of hundreds.
More pictures in the Extended Article.
Venice, FL — The nature of God might occasionally be hidden, but the enjoyment of members of the Jewish community was obvious at a celebration of Purim held Sunday evening by the Chabad of Venice and North Port.
They danced, they made noise with their groggers and they ate good food. And some of them were dressed as if playing a part in “Fiddler in the Roof.”
Angelo Davis, 15, was dressed as Motel Kamzoil, the tailor, and his sister, Hava Davis, 4, was dressed as Chava, one of Tevya’s daughters. Abby Davis looked like Teyva’s wife, Golda, as she minded the food in “Tevya’s Tavern.”
Chabad-Lubavitch, the Chasidic organization known in the Jewish world for its success in outreach, is redoubling its efforts on the West Coast. At its 42nd annual West Coast convention last month, the organization announced that the coming year will see an additional 36 new shluchim, or emissaries. This is in addition to the 220 emissaries already on the West Coast, operating some 150 centers, as well as summer camps, university locales and operational centers.
Crown Heights — Some Brooklyn kids worked double duty Wednesday, learning how to make a traditional Jewish food and cheering up service men and women overseas. NY1’s Roger Clark filed the following report.
Kids in Brooklyn were rolling in dough Wednesday – all part of the process of making matzo. Matzo is the unleavened bread traditionally eaten by Jews during the Passover holiday. It is a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt, when the Jews did not have time to let their bread rise, so they wound up with the cracker-like matzo.
Champaign, IL — Four-year-old Levi had his first meal at a University dining hall on Wednesday evening. In between slurps of spaghetti he paused to sing, “We’ll never, ever, ever eat milk and meat together, so join and sing the kosher song.”
Gainesville, FL — As thousands of students dig deep to define their Jewish identities, Doron Kornbluth is adamant that one very important aspect not get lost in the equation. The successful author and lecturer is giving Jewish students across the country reasons by the dozen to not only date Jewish, but find a Jewish spouse.
Rabbi Berl Goldman, co-director of the Lubavitch Jewish Center at the University of Florida, hosted the speaker in late January and says Kornbluth’s visit to the school was one of the best received in years.
In the Torah portion that we read this Shabbos, Parshas Ki Sisa, the Torah relates that when Moshe came down from Mount Sinai with the second set of Tablets, the skin of his face was radiant. When Aaron and the people of Israel saw that his face was shining with a brilliant light, they were afraid to approach him.
Moshe summoned them and related to them everything that G-d had relayed to him on Mount Sinai. When Moshe finished speaking with them, he placed a mask upon his face.
The Torah further relates that whenever Moshe came before G-d to speak with Him, he would remove the mask. He would then go out and convey all that he had been instructed to the people of Israel. Moshe would then replace the mask upon is face until he would come to speak with G-d once again.
S. Diego, CA — Sporting a bright red top hat, a gold chain and a star painted on his face, Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah certainly did not look like your typical rabbi last Saturday night.
Maybe the flowing beard, but that’s about it.
But Boudjnah, director of the Jewish Student Life center at S. Diego State University, had to dress up if he wanted others to follow suit at the annual Purim party. With refreshments, dancing, a talent show and an ultra-fast reading of the Megillah, the party attracted a medium-sized crowd. Certainly not the packed house of the recent West Coast Shabbaton, but a decent turnout nonetheless.
Chicago, IL — A new breed of Russian Jews, far different from the struggling, soup kitchen immigrants who never heard of Shabbat, are tackling Jewish texts and taking serious steps to educate themselves and their children in Judaism.
Sitka, AK — In a small town, where there isn’t all that much going on, it doesn’t take much to get a large intersted crowd. For the 30 or so Jews in Sitka, Alaska they had there first dose of a traditional Purim. The Voluck and Rosen families, along with bachurim; Pinchas Taylor and Berel Brafman took south-east Alaska by storm last night.
Cote St Luc, QC, Canada — Two major construction projects that will be taking place in Côte St. Luc at about the same time this year are expected to increase the volume of traffic in their sector.
This weeks Living Torah video, an excerpt from volume 33 episode 131, is about how every Jew is connected to Judaism.
Kansas City, MO — Children dressed as princesses, aliens and lions danced around the room. They carried bags of goodies and nibbled on cookies and candy.
This was no Halloween party, however. It was a Purim celebration, a Jewish tradition that has been passed down for over 2,000 years. On Saturday, dozens of families gathered at the Chabad House Center of Kansas City, 6201 Indian Creek Drive, Overland Park, to celebrate Purim and fulfill their obligation of listening to the story of Esther.
“It’s about celebrating the miracle of triumphing over evil,” said Shoula Horing, an Overland Park resident. “It’s a fun day — fun and holy.”
Poway, CA — “It’s not just a bracelet,” 12-year-old Sophie announced with great ceremony to the dark-haired girl across the table. “It’s a magic bracelet.”
“Oh,” breathed 6-year-old Ava, “a magic bracelet.”
Perhaps it was magic. The shiny bit of pretend jewelry brought Ava, who is autistic, a friend to share a lazy Saturday afternoon in Rancho Peñasquitos – someone who would play endless rounds of the board game Pretty Pretty Princess.
Please take a moment and say a Kapitel Tehillim for a Refuah Shlaima.
Matel bas Chana Fruma
Zhitomir, Ukraine — A restored Torah scroll gave the people of Zhitomir’s Jewish community, a reason to celebrate after Mark Anapolskiy, a descendant of well-known poet Hayyim Nahman Bialik, presented the Jewish community of his hometown with the restored Torah. The ceremony began in the historic home that a hundred years belonged to the influential poet.
Rabbi Moshe and Mrs. Yehudis Steiner have recently moved on Shlichus to Toronto, Onatrio to establish a new Chabad House in the Uptown area serving the Jews of Bathurst Manor.
The Steiners were appointed by were appointed by Ontario’s Head Shliach Rabbi Z. A. Grossbaum.
HATZLOCHA RABBA!
The new Shluchim can be reached via e-mail at Rabbi@uptownchabad.com
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