Orthodox Boxer Wins Rounds, Fans in New Documentary

Dmitriy Salita, a young Orthodox Jewish welterweight from Brooklyn by way of Odessa, has excellent footwork, an outstanding jab and a terrific personality. How far they can carry him remains to be seen.

Siyumim on the Radio

During the nine days Jews commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temples/Bais Hamikdosh. We mourn the destruction in different ways. We don’t celebrate or party, we minimize washing ourselves and our clothing, we don’t eat meat etc.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe suggested that during this time of mourning we look for ways to combat the mourning with the permitted joy of Torah learning. Many try to rejoice in Torah every day with the conclusion of a Tractate of Talmud/Siyum.

More than 30 years ago Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht organized Siyumim for the benefit of people who could not make their own by making a Siyum on the radio each night of the nine days.

A complete schedule of the Siyumim that can be heard on air in NYC and Upstate New York can be viewed in the Extended Article.

Born again Jews come later in life to Torah observance

Morristown, NJ — Say “born again Christian” and people generally know what you’re talking about. They know you’re referring to people who, while they might have been born into the Christian faith, have since accepted God into their lives in a way they consider both life-altering and life-affirming.

But is there such a thing as a “born again” Jew? Do Jews step back and carefully consider their Jewish practice, life and values? Do they, like many of their Christian neighbors, take the mental, emotional and practical steps to change their lives in search of a deeper meaning and purpose?

The answer is yes, and the term commonly used to describe such Jews is “Baal Teshuva.”

Thousands Celebrate Close of a Cycle, and Begin it Again

Tens of thousands of Jews the world over gathered in groups small and large at their synagogues and community centers yesterday to celebrate the 25th completion of learning Maimonides’ landmark compendium of Jewish Law, the Mishneh Torah.

Officer Dies From Wounds Sustained During Brooklyn Shooting

Officer Russel Timoshenko, the young police officer shot Monday during a traffic stop in Brooklyn, has died.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Saturday evening that Timoshenko passed at the Kings County Hospital surrounded by family and members of the 71st Precinct.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice with unflinching sacrifice to do it; we are more committed than ever to the prosecution of the individuals responsible for his death,” said Kelly.

Kelly said Timoshenko passed away on his own; he had been paralyzed, suffered brain swelling, and was unable to breathe on his own since the shooting.

Reform Reflections: The Good and Bad of Chabad

Chabad is one of the great wonders of the Jewish world. Following World War II, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson assumed the leadership of the movement, the headquarters of which had previously moved to New York. In little more than half a century, Rabbi Schneerson took this small Chasidic group, which was little understood in America and which had lost most of its members in the Holocaust, and created a vast network of educational and religious institutions that today touch the lives of tens of thousands of Jews.

Manhunt Over: Final Suspect Apprehended In Police Shooting

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Tannersville, PA — The third and final suspect sought in the brazen shooting of two NYPD officers that left one officer gravely injured and his partner wounded early Monday morning was captured along a remote section of a Pennsylvania roadway early this morning.

Man wanted for shooting cop is found

Pocono Mountains, PA — Pennsylvania State Troopers have apprehended suspected New York City cop-shooter Dexter Bostic in the Poconos and are believed to be in hot pursuit of the other suspect.

Bostic, a 34-year-old ex-convict, and a second suspect, Robert J. Ellis, 34, have been the subjects of a far-reaching manhunt since the monday morning shooting that left one officer with life-threatening injuries.

The critically injured officer, Belarus-born Russel Timoshenko, 23, is paralyzed, has brain swelling and cannot breathe on his own, Assistant District Attorney Anna-Siegga Nicolazzi said at an appearance for the third suspect, held today in a courtroom packed with police officers.

Religious Bonds Divide Some Parents and Kids

Stephen Rochester, 32, grew up “Jewish lite” in St. Louis, says his father, Marty. “So I was stunned when Stephen went religious with a capital R,” switching to his Hebrew name, Shaya, and adopting the black hat of Hasidic Jews.

Taking Worldly Work To The Web

Rockets explode nearly every day in the Israeli city of Sderot, near the Gaza border.

Yosef Eliezrie wanted to help. Even if he had to do it from his hospital bed.

While recovering last month from a shingles infection, the 21-year-old from Yorba Linda started a campaign to raise awareness of the town’s plight.

Completion of the Rambam in Memory of Daniel Agami OBM

Spiritual Homage to a Fallen Hero

Maimonides’ (The “Rambam” — Rabbi Moses ben Maimon) magnum opus, is called “The Mishneh Torah” a work spanning hundreds of chapters and describing all of the laws mentioned in the Torah.

Boston Gets a Taste of Sderot Life

A group of Israeli children from Sderot pause for a picture by the lake of their suburban Boston summer camp.

Opening day was far from normal last week at one of the Camp Gan Israel day camps in suburban Boston. Several hours into the Chabad-Lubavitch camp’s first day at the Shaloh House Jewish Day School in Brighton, Mass., a group of 10 Israeli boys arrived for the summer.

Siberian Jews Initiate Project on Historic Cemetery

Omsk, Russia – The Jewish community of Omsk has just introduced a new initiative that will help its members better fulfil the mitzvah of honouring the deceased. This most recent project entails the collection of information and photos of the historic Jewish cemetery in this major west Siberian population center.

While the Jewish community regularly upholds their commitment by maintaining the cemetery, this new initiative will take that idea one step further by publishing and further developing a website dedicated to the historic Jewish cemetery. In the first stage, this site will feature photographs of each grave stone, and the biography of the Jew who is buried there.

Hundreds at the Levaya of Hatomim Menachem Mendel Moshiach OBM

Hundreds of men, woman and children gathered today in front of 770 in order to escort HaTomim Menachem Mendel ben Reb Avner Moshiach OBM that passed away this Friday.

More pictures in the Extended Article.