On the 26th of Kislev 5772, in the Jewish day school “Simcha” in Mariupol, a Ukrainian city on the coast of the Sea of Azov, held a Chanukah celebration. The atmosphere in the school was full of light, warmth and joy. The children put on a Chanukah show with song and dance, and all participated in lighting of menorah and enjoyment of Chanukah treats.
Crownheights.info and the Avner Institute present this unique photo of the Rebbe addressing a gathering of children, Chanukah 1990.
Bris Avrohom, an organization headquartered in Hillside, NJ, lights up the hearts and souls of the Russian Jewish community. For Russian Jews, lighting a menorah in public is a great source of pride and victory. In the former Soviet Union, Jews were unable to observe the primary mitzvah of Chanukah. In the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, lighting a menorah that was visible from the street would land a Jew in jail, or worse. Jews from the former Soviet Union could not even imagine seeing a menorah lit in the office of a political dignitary.
Just when rebuilding efforts were starting to show encouraging progress in Christchurch, New Zealand, city dwellers got a rude awakening Friday afternoon when the ground starting shaking yet again.
Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino broke Boston Mayoral records, when he attend the Chabad Public Menorah in the Boston Common in the heart of Downtown Boston for the 18th time. The Mayor along with his staff were greeted by Rabbi Chaim Prus Head Shliach to Eastern Massachusetts, who began the public Menorah lighting ceremony in the Boston Common almost thirty years ago, in 1984.
With only a couple of weeks until Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary election, the entire nation has it’s eyes on the Hawkeye State, as the volatile polls show the coveted state is anyone’s grab. The state’s voters are courted day in, day out by Republican presidential hopefuls vying for their vote, but this week, Jewish Iowans took a break from all the hectic campaigning to celebrate the holiday of religious freedom.
Every year at this time, Rabbi Avraham Varnai and his 4th grade Cheder Lubavitch class at the Seymour J. Abrams Hebrew Day School face an interesting challenge: How are they going to top last year’s community-wide menorah project?
Am I the only one who knows a Lubavitch kid gone “their own way”?
This is not about why it happens, nor will I be offering a solution. I will tell you what made the Menorah in our home shine brighter than ever before.
With sadness we inform you of the tragic and very untimely passing of Shaina Borevitz of Crown Heights at the young age of 18.
Shaina was the daughter of Chaim and Tzameret Borevitz and live in Crown Heights. She was a student at Bnos Menachem and graduated last year.
As the holiday of Chanukah gets underway, public menorahs have begun popping up in major cities throughout the world. While some shluchim have no issue obtaining permission from their local government to erect these menorahs, it is not uncommon that acquiring this permit can involve a long and difficult legal battle. In this lecture, noted civil liberties lawyer Nathan Lewin discusses his involvement in fighting legal battles to allow menorahs to be lit in the public arena.
Highest Auction Prize in History is Response to Record Number of Cancer Patients
BROOKLYN, NY — In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, with tens of thousands listening and watching via a multi-channeled simulcast, the Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society awarded their record-breaking Split-the-Pot jackpot of $328,028 to the Stern Family of Brooklyn, NY. In addition, more than 50 other fabulous prizes were awarded, direct from the RCCS headquarters, as the culmination of this year’s RCCS Miracles ‘11 Chinese auction campaign.
The girls of Beis Chana’s Junior High, Miami, spent the month before Yud Tes Kislev memorizing Tanya during their recess, lunch breaks, and evenings. The score chart hanging in the hallway quickly filled up as the girls got tested each day. Weekend incentives, weekly call-a-thons, as well as the promise of amazing prizes, motivated the girls to put their all into this project.
Musings on the fall of Matisyahu’s Facial Locks
Matisyahu is a friend of mine so I was not going to comment on his choice to shave off his beard. It was his personal decision. Live and let live. But I changed my mind when my children told me that they were reading all over the internet that young, impressionable, orthodox Jewish youth were also choosing to shave off their beards following Matisyahu’s lead (I’m assuming these were young men, rather than women, who made the choice). It was then that I decided to weigh in.
CROWN HEIGHTS [CHI] — One woman was hurt in an accident involving three cars at the intersection of Montgomery Street and New York Avenue. Two cars, a commercial van and a passenger car collided mid-intersection after one of them did not stop for a red light.
Volunteers rebuilt a 15 foot menorah in less than six hours after vandals destroyed Scotland’s biggest public ‘chanukiah’ in an antisemitic attack.
As Jewish families around the world prepare for the second of eight nights of Hanukkah, the Brooklyn Jewish Children’s Museum is giving children a hands-on approach to learning about the holiday.
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