Chabad House Opens in Second-Largest City in Greece

By Chana Kroll for Chabad.org

Visitors to Salonica, Greece’s Byzantine ruins can see the shore of the Thermaic Gulf to the east.
(Photo: Daniel Tellman)

For Jewish travelers and academics exploring Salonica, Greece’s second-largest city and a fabled crossroads between Europe and the East, a new center endorsed by the local community is providing a menu of religious services previously offered on a spotty basis.

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Bris Avrohom Mass Bar Mitzvah in Israel

Bris Avrohom of Hillside, NJ, recently held a Bar Mitzvah program in Israel for 13 boys from the Former Soviet Union. The children selected for this special program live in the southern cities in Israel, such as Beersheba, Ashdod, Ashkelon and others, and have all been affected by the fighting in Gaza. Without our funding, these children would have had no Bar Mitzvah celebration at all.

MyShliach Sends a Summer Surprise to Campers!

Children of Shluchim who are currently at sleep away camps around the country, as well as those on location at their families Chabad Houses, were surprised to receive a special gift in the mail. When they opened their packages, they found sport water bottles filled with yummy goodies sent from “MyShliach”.

Bochur Robbed at Gun Point in Crown Heights

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — A Bochur was robbed at gun point late Thursday night on his way home. The incident took place on Albany Avenue and Park Place at approximately 2:00am when he was approached by a talk black man who pulled a gun on him and demanded his shoulder bag and the contents of his pockets.

Hudson Crash Pilot Remembered

AP

It was a perfect summer day when Steven Altman set out from a suburban airstrip in his single-engine plane, heading up to northern New Jersey to pick up his brother and nephew and take them to the beach.

There was nothing in the weather forecast or in Altman’s aviation files to portend the horrifying accident that would happen Saturday 1,100 feet over the Hudson River, when his aircraft smashed into a tourist helicopter, killing nine people.

Welfare Recipients get $200 Back to School Stimulus

NEW YORK, NY [CHI] — Governor David A. Paterson today announced a historic collaboration with George Soros and the Open Society Institute (OSI) that will provide one-time, $200 grants to more than 800,000 children in low-income families across New York State to help purchase school supplies as they prepare to return to class in September. Families who receive public assistance or food stamps can access this one-time Back-To-School Supplement of $200 per school-aged child (ages 3 through 17) starting today. The Governor was joined by Mr. Soros and other elected officials at P.S. 208 in New York City today to make the announcement.

New: Crown Heights Daily Picture Blog

Following several months of hard work, we are proud to present to you CHPicturesblog.com, a blog deisgned and dedicated in bring you daily pictures of the busy life Crown heights has to offer, as well as the beautiful community, the people, streets sights and anything relating to Crown Heights itself.

Permanent Chabad House in Cambodia

by Chana Kroll – Chabad.org

Rabbi Saadya Notik, second from right, and other rabbinical students visited a newly-built orphanage during their time in Cambodia in 2007.

When Rabbi Yosef C. Kantor, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Thailand, sent two young rabbinical students to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in the summer of 2006, it was, he said tongue-in-cheek, just “to confirm that there weren’t any Jews there.”

Oblivious to the Obvious

by Getzy Markowitz – Jewish Thought in Simple Words

Aircraft maintenance has Yehuda and me delayed for a few hours at Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta International Airport, as we await departure for Bali. Grounded passengers look gloomy as they lounge on oversized surfboards and grumble. They have been forced to replace adrenaline-rushed calls for “surf’s up” with anxious anticipation for “gear’s up.”

Friendship Circle Campaign Enlists Support of Detroit Radio Host

By Chana Kroll for Chabad.org

A highlight of the Friendship Circle’s annual publicity and fundraising drive is the painting of supporters’ cars.

Preparations for an annual walkathon benefiting the founding chapter of the Friendship Circle – a Chabad-Lubavitch network of programs that pair teenage volunteers with children with special needs – is generating a buzz among Detroit-area residents thanks to the endorsement of a local radio personality and a cadre of dedicated volunteers.