Daily Archives: March 27, 2006

For first time in U.S., survivor of Munich Olympic attack speaks out

Dan Alon, an Israeli fencer and 1972 Olympic athlete, never talked about his experience at the Munich Games and the Palestinian terrorist attack on the Israeli delegation. The reason was simple: No one ever asked him.

At the time, he said, the media was focused on the victims and their families.

“I couldn’t just go out on the street and shout, ‘I’m a survivor, I want to talk!’ ” says Alon, 61. “So I didn’t talk about it for 30 years.”

On Thursday night, Alon’s wife and daughter heard his story for the first time, along with more than 200 students at Yale University. Alon began speaking in depth about the attack and the death of his coach, Andre Spitzer, only after Steven Spielberg’s film “Munich” prompted a Chabad group in England to seek out a survivor’s story.

Court sentences Moscow synagogue attacker to 13 years in prison

The Moscow City Court on Monday sentenced a man who attacked worshippers in a synagogue with a hunting knife to 13 years in prison and mandatory psychiatric treatment.

The court found Alexander Koptsev guilty of attempted murder on racist grounds for stabbing and wounding nine men in January at the Moscow synagogue.

The sentence brought a chorus of catcalls and invective from Koptsev’s supporters in the courtroom. One woman, who identified herself only as an Orthodox Christian journalist, loudly complained that Jewish children were getting educated in Moscow on Russian taxpayers’ money.

“When will this end? Wake up, wake up,” she shouted.

Chof Zayin Adar

On the 27th of Adar I, 5752 (Monday, March 2, 1992), the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, suffered a disabling stroke while praying at the gravesite of the previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch. On the same date two years later, the Rebbe lost consciousness following another stroke; three months later, on the 3rd of Tammuz 5754 (June 12, 1994), the Rebbe’s soul ascended on high, orphaning a generation.

In honor of the 14th anniversary of the 27th of Adar, 5752, COL presents accounts of an interesting episode concerning the Rebbe’s dollars:

R. Zalman Chanin of Crown Heights would get the package of dollars of the Rebbe prior to their distribution so that he would place them into ‘Kuntresses’ before handing them out. If there were leftover dollars, he would return them to the Rebbe.

Chabad of Sussex County to move into Sparta Plaza

NJ – On Sunday, after more than three years, the only Jewish congregation in Sussex County’s second-most-populous town will finally have a home.

Members of the Chabad of Sussex County spent Sunday moving furniture and books from its prior place of worship at its rabbi’s home to its new location at the Sparta Plaza on Woodport Road.

Coming to Sparta 31/2 years ago, Rabbi Shmuel Lewis and others formed the congregation that met in his garage for most services.

“This will be the first synagogue in Sparta,” Lewis said. “When we started, we had seven families and it has really grown.”

Jewish groups host largest traditional dinner at Pitt

PA – The smells of rich foods and sounds of friendly conversations filled the third floor of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Friday. More than 600 people filled the banquet hall of the building as part of Shabbat 1000.

The goal of the event was to host the largest attended Shabbat meal ever on a college campus in Pittsburgh, according to a press release issued for the program.

Chabad House on Campus, the Hillel Jewish University Center and the Jewish Heritage Program all combined in an effort to organize the program.

After a late start, Shabbat 1000 kicked off by recognizing distinguished guests, including Pittsburgh Mayor Bob Connor.

Orange Chabad Rabbis Support Hazit

It has recently been publicized that the Chabad Rabbinical Court in Eretz Yisorel has made a statement for its own communities, and for the general public, to vote for parties which have the best chance of actually getting elected, as opposed to voting for small, upstart parties that have a higher risk of not getting the minimum number of votes. The admitted implication of this position is that they are urging people not to vote for Hazit, the party of Baruch Marzel.

I looked at the names of the Rabbis on the Chabad Court who came out ostensibly against Hazit. I did a search on Arutz Sheva for each of the names and the results came out as expected. None of these Rabbis were vocal during the fight against the Disengagement. They played it safe, not getting political. Many find it shocking that they have now decided to speak up.