Chabad’s Litchfield Plan Proceeds

by Emily M. Olson – Litchfield County Times

The proposed Synagogue level of the building.

LITCHFIELD, CT — There’s a long tradition in town of development plans being subjected to scrutiny from all sides and, in the process, engendering great debate. It happened when the first chain store, a Talbots, arrived on West Street, when it was time to renovate the Marcel Breuer-designed high school, when the town’s first car wash was proposed and in countless other instances.

But after an initial burst of remarks about Chabad Lubavitch of Litchfield County’s plans to renovate the old Wilderness Shop building on West Street (Route 202), a structure in the heart of the historic district, there has been more silence than commentary.

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S. Petersburg Synagogue Promotes Tolerance amongst Students

FJC.ru

S. PETERSBURG, Russia -– This week in Russia’s northern capital, hundreds of teenage students marked the International Day of Tolerance by visiting the Great Choral Synagogue. There, they had the opportunity to enjoy a tour, a lecture on Jewish culture and tradition, and a performance by a Cantor during which their jolly voices fell clearly silent.

To the visitors’ surprise, not only were they given a warm welcome by the Jewish community of S. Petersburg – a member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia – and its leadership, but so too did they have the opportunity to meet many of its members and speak to them face-to-face. Their visit also inspired tens of questions, to which they received answers and guidance by their hosts.

Partnering for Jewish Continuity: The UJC and Chabad-Lubavitch

Dora Chernock – Lubavitch.com

Chabad delegations and the senior staff at the UJC

NASHVILLE, TN — That two of the largest Jewish organizations in the world overlapped their annual conferences earlier this month was not by design. But increasingly, and to the benefit of Jewish communities wherever the two cooperate, United Jewish Communities (Federations of North America) and Chabad-Lubavitch are crossing paths and discovering the strength that comes in working together.

The Weekly Sedra – Vayishlach – Confronting Chutzpah

Rabbi Yoseph Kahanov Shliach to Jacksonville, FL

Confronting Chutzpah with Chutzpah.
Well, the neighborhood bully, he’s just one man,
His enemies’ say he’s on their land.
They got him outnumbered about a million to one,
He got no place to escape to, no place to run.
He’s the neighborhood bully.
The neighborhood bully just lives to survive,
He’s criticized and condemned for being alive.
He’s not supposed to fight back, he’s supposed to have thick skin,
He’s supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.
He’s. . .
The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land,
He’s wandered the earth an exiled man.
Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn,
He’s always on trial for just being born.

Senate Marks Soviet Jewry Struggle

JTA

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Senate commemorated Soviet Jews’ struggle for freedom.

Amid concerns of rising violence against Jews in the former Soviet Union, the Senate last Friday passed a resolution commemorating the 40-year fight for freedom.

National Historic Landmark Saved by the Unlikeliest of Newcomers

Avi Webb – Chabad.org

The exterior of Milford, Conn.’s The Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont, which is registered as a National Historic Landmark

MILFORD, CT — With a nickname like “Bagel Beach,” it’s easy to picture Woodmont’s typical vacationer. Since the early 1900s, this borough of Milford, Conn., has been the summer escape for hordes of Jewish New Yorkers. And since 1925, they’ve been joining the locals for services at The Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont.

In Shift, Fare for the Subway Will Stay at $2

The New York Times

Gov. Eliot Spitzer, center, with the M.T.A.’s executive director, Elliot G. Sander, left, and chairman, H. Dale Hemmerdinger.

NEW YORK, NY — Gov. Eliot Spitzer abruptly announced yesterday that he was shelving a plan to raise the base subway fare, saying that an unexpected increase in ridership and other revenues have made it unnecessary.

NCFJE Distributes Turkeys for Thanksgiving

Rabbi Shea Hecht of NCFJE with Bill Thompson, New York City Comptroller

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — Friday, November 16, 2007, Bill Thompson, New York City Comptroller joined the NCFJE staff and Uncle Joe of North Star Contracting, giving out Turkeys to members of the Hasidic and Black community of Crown Heights.

More pictures in the Extended Article!

Gov. Schwarzenegger Joins “Chanukah Live!” Broadcast

Bradford Wiss – Chabad.com

SACRAMENTO, CA — Since 1993, the Governor of California has joined Chabad representatives at Chanukah to offer holiday greetings and illuminate the Capitol Menorah in Sacramento. But this year’s event is unique. Both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight will participate in “Chanukah Live!” — the first-ever national TV broadcast of Chabad of California’s annual holiday celebration.