Winners of this Years Chidon!

CrownHeights.info is proud to present the list of winners of this years Chidon. An article, Video and a full gallery of pictures will soon follow!

Darga Aleph (5th & 6th Grade):
1st Place
1 Mendel Friedman, Pittsburgh, PA, Yeshivah Schools
2 Schneur Zalman Glaser, Chicago, IL, Cheder Lubavitch
3 Meir Simchah Itzinger, London England, Lubavitch Boys School
4 Menachem Korn, Crown Heights, Oholei Torah

Darga Beis (7th & 8th Grade):
1st Place
1 Shloime Schwei, London England, Lubavitch Boys School
2 Ohad Pinchas Einav, Pittsburgh, PA, Yeshivah Schools
3 Sender Labkowski, Los Angeles, CA, Cheder Menachem
4 Mendel Cyprys, London England, Lubavitch Boys School
5 Yosef Zirkind, Crown Heights, United Lubavitcher Yeshivas

The complete list of the winners can be seen in the Extended Article!

Nevertheless, We Have Not Forgotten You

I first met Shaindel several years ago when she knocked on my door with a request. “Hello,” she said with a smile. “I have two children who need special education, and I’m collecting money for them.”

Something about the honest, straightforward way she said it touched my heart, and I was happy to help out in any way I could.

Over the next few years Shaindel would reappear at my door approximately once a year, always with the same smile.

13 Years to the Murder of Ari Halberstam HY”D

On March 1, 1994, Rashid Baz a Lebanese national opened fire on a van carrying more than a dozen Hasidic students as it began to cross the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, one of those passengers was Ari. He sustained a mortal injury to his head which resulted in his very untimely death five days later, on Chof Gimmel Adar, at the age of 16.

A chronicle of the events that had taken place can be read in the Extended Article. (Taken from the ‘Ari Halberstam Memorial Website’).

CGI Montreal Announces Head Staff for Summer of 2007!

Camp Gan Yisroel Montreal is pleased to announce their wonderful head staff for the upcoming summer season, summer 2007.

Head Counselors: Levi Levertov, Levi Wolvovsky and Shalom Ber Kesselman

Learning Directors: Shmuelly Gurary and Mendy Rabin
Section C Directors: Avremel Matusof and Avremy Zaltzman
Masmidim Directors: Shimon Tzillerman and Levi Itkin

SUFFERING: THE ULTIMATE MYSTERY

When I Wanted You Did Not – By Simon Jacobson

Today I attended a tragic funeral. All funerals are tragic, but some appear worse than others. Especially when a beautiful man, 61 years old, is killed by a drunken driver, leaving a grieving wife, ten children and countless relatives and friends traumatized.

Every tragic death reminds us (or should remind us) of all other senseless losses – and unbearable pain – beknownst or unbeknownst to us. How many broken hearts are crying around the world at this very moment? How do we respond to the millions of tears shed and the piercing screams echoing through the corridors of history?

The timeless question – why? why do terrible things happen to good people? – resurfaces its naked head in these timely moments of agony.

Hundreds at the Levaya of R. Shimshon Stock

Brooklyn, NY — Purim morning hundreds gathered in front of 770 in order to escort R. Shimshon Stock.

More pictures in the Extended Article.

Anash of Montreal Escort R. Yitzchok HaKohen Hendel OBM

Montreal, Canada — Hundreds of people gathered in order to escort R. Yitzchok HaKohen Hendel OBM on his final walk. Westbury Road was blocked and the crowd filled the hall of the yeshiva to listen to words from Rabonim and Family.

Rabbi Yonasan Binyamin Weiss the Av Beis Din of Montreal related how big of an Anov R. Yitchok was. R. Hershel Raskin a grandson got up and told a few stories following which a son in law Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Cohen got up and announced that being that a rabbis son gets the Yerusha of taking over the Rabonus position their father held, they the 2 sons have given it over to Rabbi Berel Bell, Rabbi Moshe Aharon Shtern and Rabbi Dovid Banon.

More pictures in the Extended Article.

Oholei Torahs 4th Grade Costume Party

Wednesday, the children of Oholei Torahs fourth grade had a costume party in honor of Purim. The kids enjoyed Dancing with live music, nosh and cotton candy!

A Beautiful gallery of pictures By Laiby Lewis in the Extended Article!

Jewish official: “German civil society must mobilize against hate crime”

Berlin, Germany — German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, members of the parliament and ministerial representatives attended a local synagogue prayer service Thursday afternoon to show their support for the Jewish community following the attack over the weekend against a Jewish kindergarten.

The prayer service was also intended to express the community’s concern about the increase of hate related crime.

Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, of the Berlin Chabad Lubavitch Synagogue which runs the Gan-Israel kindergarten, was astounded by the large showing despite the short time he had to organise the gathering.

Just One More Cup

The other night my son walked into my room and told me, “You know the recent rumors that so-and-so died of a heart attack or something like that? It really didn’t make too much sense to me when I heard it because he was so young and now I just heard the real, harsh truth. He spent the night drinking and died of alcohol poisoning.”

The story my son told me hit me like a sledgehammer….