Cold Weather, Additional Protection and Lots of Warmth!

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] – With reports that temperatures will brush with the freezing point, Crown Heights streets are alive and buzzing. Shluchim from around the world began gathering yesterday for the annual International Conference of Shluchim.

Police have stepped up their patrols in order to secure the special guests, commanding office of the 71st Precinct Deputy Inspector Frank Vega told CrownHeights.info. But it wasn’t his word that we had to rely on. One car was posted on Union and Albany and two officers were seen patrolling on foot up and down that Avenue while a number of other foot patrols covered Kingston Avenue.

For the complete ten day weather forecast just scroll down to our weather information, or click the Extended Article!

FTC rings up fines for ‘Do Not Call’ violations

With 150 million phone numbers now registered on the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call list, it seems clear most consumers don’t want to receive unsolicited marketing phone calls. But apparently, it’s not clear to everyone.

Op-Ed: A Letter from a Student to His Rabbi

The following is a letter a student sent his Rabbi back at home after spending a weekend in Crown Heights as part of the Chabad on Campus ‘Jewish Weekend’ which he participated along with Rabbi Zalman and his wife Sarah Deitsch, program directors of the Schottenstein Chabad House at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Hey Rabbi!

It’s Harlan. I don’t know if my father told you, but this weekend I went with the Chabad of OSU to Crown Heights for the weekend. It was because there was this big conference of Chabads from colleges all around the country. Rabbi Zalman and Sarah asked me, and I basically said yes without hesitation.

While in Crown Heights, I noticed something. Because it was my first time in there, I didn’t really know what to expect, although I did imagine a lot of Jews doing nothing but being Jewish and talking about nothing else. I don’t know, but it did seem as if the weekend would be like a trip to any museum; seeing boring exhibits of ‘old school’ Judaism.

Israeli Rabbis Warn Bush of Disaster if Annapolis Not Canceled

A group of rabbis from Israel have sent a letter to US President George W. Bush warning him that if the planned Annapolis Middle East parley is not cancelled, a disaster will befall US citizens, just as Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans after Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip in August 2005.

Boy Started Blaze in California

LOS ANGELES, CA — A fire that charred more than 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes in northern Los Angeles County last week was sparked by a boy playing with matches, sheriff’s officials said Tuesday.

YG London, England Goes the Extra Hour

LONDON, England [CHI] — Europe changed the clock one hour back this Sunday morning.

On shabbos parshas Vayera the Mashpia of yeshiva Rabbi Mendel Gordon farbrenged about the importance of using out the time for learning.

More pictures in the Extended Article!

Winners of the Ten Yad 5768 Chinese Auction!

Grand Prize – Mendel and Rivkah Cunin
Split the Pot – Rochel Berkowitz
Jackpot #1 – Rochel Eichorn
Jackpot #2 – Shmuli Edelman
Dollar A Day Raffle – Gopin

1 – Choice of jewelry – (Barber) One Happy Family
2 – Dining room set – Yoni and Yossi Zigelboum
3 – Bone China – Masha Belles
4 – Sterling Silver Collection – Barnet Liberman
5 – Auto Lease – Ruchy Hoffman

List continues in the Extended Article!

Op-Ed: Crown Heights Shines for Campus Shabbaton, for the Most Part…

In the event it escaped your notice, this past Shabbos Crown Heights was host to the largest-ever Chabad on Campus Shabbaton. Close to a thousand college students and shluchim participated. The students, growing as Jews and on a journey learning about their Yiddishkeit, took a weekend off to experience an inspirational Shabbos amongst their fellow students. It was an opportunity for Crown Heights to really shine and it did, for the most part.

The students were easy to pick out from the Friday morning crowds on Kingston Ave. Dressed like our scattering of new yuppie neighbors, except for the yarmulkes on their heads, they could be seen navigating Crown Heights’ sometimes aggressive pedestrian traffic together with their shluchim. Some looked wide-eyed and amazed by the sight of a modern day Chassidic community, while others just seemed disoriented by all the traffic and tumult.

Thank You, Shomrim!

I was mugged at the Kingston Avenue subway station, just steps away from 770 and the Jewish Children’s Museum. While paying for a MetroCard two black teenagers approached me, tried to divert my attention and ran off with my wallet and the money in my hand.

I ran after them screaming “Chaptzem! Chatzem!” and people in the area began to chase them, including my brother who happened to be there just then. Immediately, I called Shomrim (it’s the first number listed on my cell phone – thanks to a tip from CrownHeights.info) and members responded within seconds. The Shomrim members were immediately recognizable with their caps and ID tags. They took the information from me and stayed with me the entire time to help me out. They came with me in the police car so I could try to ID the perpetrator at the scene and followed me and the cops to the station to fill out a report.

Continued in the Extended Article.

A Levaya for a Brother and Sister

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] – It was with great pain and sadness that we reported of the passing’s of R. Moshe Kazarnovsky OBM followed by that of his sister Mrs. Risya Posner OBM a few hours apart from each other.

This afternoon hundreds of Rabbonim, Members of Anash and Bochurim gathered along with hundreds of Beis Rivka Girls in front of 770 for both their Levaya’s.

More pictures in the Extended Article.

Op-Ed: Follow up for “A Plea for Shidduchim”

Dear Brother, Sister, Parent, and Shadchan,

Recently, I wrote an Op-Ed titled “A Plea for Shidduchim” (for those who missed it, it can be found by Clicking Here) I’m excited to see that it has gained over 120 comments! You have discussed many areas of Shidduchim, debated the ‘divorced’ issue, given dating advice, suggested new ways to meet, expressed frustration with various parts of the Shidduch process, called for a revamp of the whole “references” thing, and threw in some jokes to round it off. Of course, I appreciate all the compliments as well. Implementation of these ideas is key, and I call upon anyone who is in a position to make a difference, to do so.