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Small Plane Crashes Into Building Housing IRS

Smoke billows from a seven-story building after a small private plane crashed into the building in Austin, Texas on Thursday Feb. 18, 2010.

AUSTIN, Texas [AP] — A low-flying small plane crashed into an office building that houses the Internal Revenue Service in Austin, Texas on Thursday, and at least one person was missing, witnesses and officials said.

The Rebbe’s Relief Effort

by Sharon Udasin – The Jewish Week

Rochi Zarchi, a Chabad emissary in
Puerto Rico.

Given the range of duties undertaken by the typical wife of a Chabad emissary — from teaching Hebrew school to hosting communal holiday meals — leaving her community behind for even a few days is a difficult task. But for two emissaries who joined 4,000 of their sisters here for a convention last week, leaving their homes in the sunny Caribbean was particularly challenging.

When the Jan. 12 earthquake shattered Haiti, Rochi Zarchi of Puerto Rico and Michal Pelman of the Dominican Republic —along with their husbands Shimon and Mendel — immediately sprung into action to assist with the disaster relief effort. Day after day, Zarchi and Pelman prepared kosher food bundles and supply packages to ship to victims and rescue workers in Haiti.

“We’re not on site, especially because every island is its own island. [Haiti] is not a bridge away or a boat ride away,” Zarchi said. “But we did coordinate many different forms of support and food for everyone, as well as kosher provisions for the Jewish relief and Israel division. Seeing what’s been going on there, it’s unbelievable what a disaster can do.”

Algemeiner now Available Online in E-Paper

Utilizing the latest state of the art technology, The Algemeiner Journal has launched a new e-paper – a dynamic, online digital version of its popular weekly English newspaper. The E-Paper is being offered as a free subscription to all, and can be received either via e-mail or accessed at the algemeiner.com site, where an archive of past issues will also be available. Links will be posted on the growing Algemeiner Facebook page, which also features content from the paper, news, updates and latest developments.

Video: MENDY PELLIN IS BACK!

After spending over a year behind the camera producing commercials for organizations, companies and many Chabad Houses, Mendy has taken his most famous seat to help Shluchim garner attention for their upcoming Purim events. And he’s got it! Shluchim have been getting an unprecedented response after sending out this unique edition of The Mendy Report. “It’s by far the most effective [JabMedia] promo to date.” Rabbi Moshe D. Bryski, a longtime JabMedia client responded.

Op-Ed: A Parent’s Plea, Part II

The scene of the accident which claimed Amrom Altman’s life.

While the tears have still not ceased to run down my face following today’s tragic death of Amrom Altman, the four-year-old child who died after being struck by a school bus, I cannot help but reflect once again on the fact that I, too, send my children to school by bus each day. Based on the available information, what happened today was not a freak accident. The child was not mountain climbing or water skiing where risk is understood and accepted. He was going to school – the very same thing each one of our children does almost every day of the year.