Daily Archives: December 21, 2005

Chabad Opens Yeshiva in Poland

The arrival of ten Yeshiva students last month from the Chabad Yeshiva in Montreal to the newly formed branch of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Warsaw is a milestone by any measure, particularly for a city so badly scarred by recent history. But for Rabbi Moshe Eliyahu Gerlitzky, who is among the founders of the Montreal Yeshiva, it’s an historic event of epic proportions, closing a circle of nearly a century.

Gerlitzky’s early Yeshiva years were spent in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch in Warsaw– the original one, founded in the 1920’s as a branch of Chabad’s Russian-originated Yeshiva system of the same name. From 1932 until just before the Second World War, Gerlitzky was one of 400 students, in a thriving Yeshiva situated in the heart of an equally thriving Jewish Warsaw.

Bochur Held Up At Gun Point

Yesterday [Tuesday] a Bochur on his way home at around 9:00pm, was walking down Montgomery St. coming from Kingston Ave. where 2 black men, around the ages of 20-21, came up to him and one of them grabbed his arm and the other pulled out a silver gun and pointed it at his chest. The perps waited to hold him up till they were shielded from a clear view from the street, which was behind a large van.

The Bochur who had gotten so scared, he just pushed the one holding onto him and then pushed the gun wielding perp and started to scream at the top of his lungs, effectively scaring them off. The Bochur then called the police who took 7 minutes to respond and couldn’t find the perps. He then filed a police report.

CrownHeights.info has learned that the police have 2 more complaints against 2 perps with this exact description and weapon, they have been involved in a robbery at one of the local public schools yesterday and another stickup on the street on the other side of Eastern Pkwy. just 45 minutes after the attempt on the Bochur.

If C”V you get held up please don’t be smart, give up the money it’s not worth a life. But you must call Shomrim immediately so they can try and apprehend the perps. The number is (718) 774-3333.

Update to the story in the extended article.

Student volunteers clear out flooded shul in New Orleans

Standing on moldy and debris-covered floors, college students cleaning up a shul paused for a prayer service – the first at Beth Israel Synagogue since Hurricane Katrina flooded it with more than 10 feet of water three months ago.

The dozen or so students were among roughly 50 from colleges across the country who have come to New Orleans to spend their winter break helping with recovery efforts at the century-old synagogue, as well as at area homes and schools left damaged by the storm.

The students, wearing face masks and gloves, hauled out to the synagogue’s front lawn books, furniture and holy items such as a shofar.

The items were sorted by what would be buried on Tuesday in Jewish burial grounds in another part of the city and what would be thrown out.

More pictures in extended article