Friendship Circle Draws Volunteers Who Help Kids With Special Needs

Highland Park, IL — Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois sponsors The Friendship Circle program to bring playmates into the lives of special needs children to provide them with social and Judaic experiences they can not otherwise easily obtain.

100 Mezuzah Affixed to Homes in Ulyanovsk

Ulyanovsk, Russia – The Jewish community of Ulyanovsk has received good news regarding sponsorship of this year’s “Mezuzah for Every Jewish Home”, introduced some time ago by Chief Rabbi of Ulyanovsk Yossi Marozov.

Every Jewish home received a brochure explaining the mitzvah of mezuzah with an invitation to make an appointment for the Rabbi to personally visit their home and install their first mezuzah free-of-charge. The response was overwhelming, the Jewish Community Center soon receiving dozens of calls from interested persons. Currently, over 100 doorposts proudly display a beautiful mezuzah, and there is a long waiting list!!

Friendship Circle Receives a Major Grant

Columbus, OH — The Friendship Circle of Columbus, Ohio has been awarded a grant from the State of Ohio in the amount of $125,000 a year, for the next 2 years. According to the source, the grant money will enable the Friendship Circle to help an estimated 2500 children with special needs in the greater Columbus area.

Chief Rabbi of Astrakhan Meets with Governor

Astrakhan, Russia – Yesterday, an eventful meeting took place between Chief Rabbi of Astrakhan Shlomo Zalman Goldenberg and the region’s Governor, A. Zhilkin. Among the themes discussed were the growth of the local Jewish community and the various programs it operates, and the revival of Jewish life in this southern Russian region.

The two leaders were pleased to noted there is no longer any noteworthy Jewish out-migration from the region, but instead a reverse trend of individuals and families returning to Astrakhan. The Governor noted the contribution of the Jewish community and its members to the development, inter-religious and inter-ethnic harmony in the region. “Jewish culture is one of the ancient cultures of the Astrakhan Oblast, dating as far back to the time of the Khazar Empire,” commented Governor Zhilkin.

Lubavitch Purchases New Plot of Land

Ambler, PA — Lubavitch of Montgomery County under the directorship of Rabbi Shaya and his wife Devorah Leah Deitsch has purchased a two-acre piece of vacant property in Fort Washington, where it plans to build a Chabad House that will house a Shul, Pre-School, Hebrew School, library and office space.

In Ukraine, Camp Introduces Youngsters to Jewish Life

Vinnitsa, Ukraine – In the Ukrainian region of Vinnitsa, a real opportunity has presented itself to Jewish children who are not yet acquainted with the local Ohr Avner Chabad Day School. The local Jewish community, together with the school, have organized a summer camp for them.

More than 80 children from the area are currently enjoying their time at a picturesque site with comfortable living conditions, located not far from the city of Vinnitsa. Here, they have the opportunity to learn about Jewish history and culture.

In Tula, Jewish Sunday Schoolers Head to Camp

Tula, Russia –- Pupils of the Sunday School run by the Jewish community of Tula are now enjoying a real summer treat, as they now have the opportunity to attend a day camp. It recently got underway and offers an intensive schedule of fun, relaxing, cultural and Jewish educational events.

This past Sunday was a highlight of their program, when campers joined their counselors and teachers in visiting the Municipal Art Gallery, tennis courts and city green-space. The final stop on this busy day was the amusement park, where everyone got to enjoy the ferris wheel, swings and other rides before having ice cream at a nearby café.

Chabad Fluent in Greek, All Year Round

Even though college campuses across the country are embarking on their quieter summer schedules, Chabad isn’t taking the season off. According to Rabbi Moshe Bleich of the Wellesley Weston Chabad House in Massachusetts, “Chabad runs 12 months a year.”

There are always students or a community to serve, says Bleich, who directs Chabad on Campus programs for both Wellesley and Babson Colleges, located 45 minutes from downtown Boston.

Mezuzah Project Reaches New Stage in Oryol

Oryol, Russia – The Jewish community of Oryol has received good news this week, with the announcement that a sponsor has come forth for the program “Mezuzah for Every Jewish Home”. While this project was introduced some time ago by the Chief Rabbi of Central Russia, Zeyev Wagner, it is only now that the local community is able to afford the cost independently. Previously, that support was subsidized by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.

New Torah for Southampton Jewish center

In the midst of a drawn-out zoning dispute, Southampton’s only synagogue put the finishing touches yesterday on its very own handwritten Torah scroll, a task that took three years to complete.

“Today’s ceremony is a show of unity and a show of togetherness,” said Rabbi Rafe Konikov of Chabad of Southampton Jewish Center.

Beginning in 1992, a small group gathered each week to pray in a rented meeting room in the Southampton Inn, but the congregation gradually outgrew its quarters. The purchase in 1999 of a three-story house on Hill Street set off a squabble over operating a synagogue in a residential neighborhood.

New Shluchim to Connecticut

Rabbi Schneur and Chanie (nee Hecht) Wilhelm of Crown Heights will IYH be moving to Milford, CT where they will establish a new Chabad House. Rabbi Wilhelm will also be directing the Living Legacy series for the Greater New Haven area.

The Wilhelms were appointed by Rabbi Sheya Hecht, regional director of Chabad of Greater New Haven.

The new Shluchim can be reached via e-mail at schneurwilhelm@gmail.com

CrownHeights.info would like to wish the new Shluchim Hatzlocha Rabba on their Shlichus!

New Shluchim to Royal Palm Beach, Florida

Rabbi Zevi and his wife Leah (nee Labkowski) Schtroks of Crown Heights will IYH be moving on Shlichus to Royal Palm Beach, FL where they will establish a new Chabad House serving the needs of the local Jewish population.

The new Shluchim were appointed by Rabbi Mendy Muskal of Chabad Lubavitch of Wellington.

The new Shluchim can be reached via e-mail at rabbizevis@gmail.com

CrownHeights.info would like to wish the new Shluchim Hatzlocha Rabba on their Shlichus!

Bozeman-based rabbi reaches out to Jews across state

The friendliness Rabbi Chaim Bruk has encountered in Montana has made his move to the state an easy one.

Finding kosher food has been a bit tougher, but he and his wife, Chavie, haven’t let that stop them from settling into Bozeman.

“I bought a house, and we’re here for life,” Bruk, 25, said in a recent interview.

Chabad Center of Spokane opens its doors to all Jews

Spokane, WA — In a South Hill home stocked with kosher food and religious books in both Hebrew and English, where visitors are often welcomed with an offering of food and the strains of klezmer music, Rabbi Yisroel Hahn shares his faith.

“Every Jew is welcome here,” says the rabbi, a bearded young man dressed in a dark suit, a red tie and a black yarmulke. “We are here with an unconditional love for every Jew, regardless of their background or affiliation.”

New Shluchim to California

Rabbi and Mrs Yisroel Zavdi of Crown Heights will IYH be moving on Shlichus to Huntington Beach, CA where they will serve as the Youth and Program Director’s for Chabad of West Orange County.

The Zavdi’s were appointed by Rabbi Aron Dovid Berkowitz of Chabad of West Orange County.

The new Shluchim can be reached via e-mail at yzavdi@gmail.com

CrownHeights.info would like to wish the new Shluchim Hatzlocha Rabba on their Shlichus!

Bar Mitzva Marked in Siberian Community

Omsk, Russia – In the west Siberian city of Omsk, local Jews have good reason for celebration, as another young man underwent his Bar Mitzva this week. The event took place on June 24th in the Synagogue, which was filled with relatives, loved ones and members of the local community.

it is a natural progression that this 13-year-old boy would have a Bar Mitzva. A student of the Jewish Sunday School and ‘Gan Israel’ camp each summer, he also actively participated in various projects organized by the local community. He accompanied by his mother, personally made the request to the region’s Chief Rabbi Osher Krichevsky, to mark his coming of age Jewish-style.