Governor Schwarzenegger Joins Chabads’ Chanukah Celebration

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger performed a symbolic menorah lighting at the State Capitol today as part of the 12th annual Chabad Chanukah celebration. The Governor joined with Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, Director of West Coast Chabad-Lubavitch, and other Chabad representatives to share messages of holiday cheer with the people of California.

After greeting the crowd with “Shalom,” Governor Schwarzenegger called the people of Chabad “heroes” who have had “an unbelievable impact on thousands and thousands of people.” Standing before the Capitol building in Sacramento, he thanked the charitable group for its “great contribution to the state.”

World’s Largest Chanukah Menorah Lighting on Fifth Avenue Features Menorah Designed by World Renowned Artist, Yaacov Agam

Event to Take Place Sunday, December 25 at 5:30 PM

The World’s Largest Chanukah Menorah will be lighted on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, near Central Park, between the Plaza and the Pierre Hotels.

The first candle will be lighted on Sunday, December 25, at 5:30 PM. Menorah lighting will follow on all evenings of Chanukah at 5:30 PM (Friday at about 3:45 PM; Saturday night at 8:30 PM).

Pasadena Mall Agrees To Let Menorah Stand

Click Here for a Newscast of this story.

PASADENA, Calif. Paseo Colorado, the open-air mall in Pasadena, Thursday decided to let the local Chabad of Pasadena publicly display a 13-foot-tall menorah after first banishing the religious symbol from the shopping center saying religious symbols were not appropriate.

The Pasadena Star-News first reported that the menorah would be banned but media reports caused the management of Paseo Colorado to have a change of heart.

Paseo had decided to continue featuring a Christmas tree, which the management said was not a religious symbol, according to the newspaper.

Yet another mugging

On Wednesday at around 4:00pm a Jewish girl was attacked and mugged, this took place on President St. between Schenectady and Utica, the victim (17) was attacked by 3 black girl’s with ages ranging from 14 to 16 one of which had a knife pointed at her.

These vicious muggers attacked the girl throwing her to the ground and didn’t stop hitting her while on the ground, they took her purse and her cell phone. A police report has been filed but the thugs are still on the loose and the police no closer to catching them, just as if the crime did not occur.

This sick escalation in crime in our neighborhood doesn’t seem to be any where near stopping, the police aren’t very visible which means that they aren’t patrolling enough, maybe they don’t have enough officers or patrol cars, which is a crime itself, or these thugs are becoming more brazen. Post your thoughts in the comments.

New radio show sure to turn some young heads!

Starting this Motzoi Shabbs IY”H (Dec. 24) at 8:00 PM, Jewish kids are going to be treated to something very special: their own radio show!

But this is not just any radio show; it’s one that’s geared especially for Jewish kids and it promises to make Torah learning exciting, in a strictly kosher but yet very entertaining way, as it should be. Children will be kept spellbound for one hour with stories, music, raffles, live callers, prizes, interviews with Jewish celebrities and much more.

The “Jewish Kids Radio” show used to air only in local areas in Brooklyn, but due to the overwhelming response is now airing all across New York and parts of New Jersey. It was such a hit that parents begged for it to continue. One mom relates (true story): “My kids where visiting their Bubby and Zaidy. I called them up and told them to come home, but they refused because they were listening to Jewish Kids Radio and they were afraid that they would miss part of the show. So, I tuned on the radio in the car, and drove to Bubby and Zaidy’s. During a call they ran out, and we raced home, not missing a minute.”

Kids will have the chance to call in, answer Torah questions, and win prizes!

Tune in every Motzoi Shabbos 8-9pm on WSNR 620am

The Strike Ends!

In a news conference the mayor announced that the strike has ended, and the mass transit system will return to normal operation. The MTA says that it will take 10 to 18 hours to get the system back up and running “you cant just turn it on off with the flick of a switch” said the mayor. But we can expect to see the buses running as early as this evening.

The mayor also spoke about the restrictions and regulations which will all be lifted at 12:00am. Alternate side parking will be back in effect, the HOV-4 restrictions have already been lifted cars with only one passenger is allowed into the city, cabbies will be taking fares on the meters and Public Schools will be back to normal operation.

UPDATE: Buses can be seen doing their routes regularly already.

You can listen to the news conference in its entirety by CLICKING HERE (STREAMING, 4.5MB, 21:12min)

Chabad gives up religious plans

Chabad of Randolph will no longer use a house on West Hanover Avenue for religious functions because of the high cost of complying with state and local laws, officials said.

The township received complaints in the early fall from neighbors of the Chabad house regarding parking, traffic and the lack of pedestrian safety.

Authorities subsequently issued notices of building, fire and health and zoning violations on the home of Rabbi Avraham Bechor at 48 West Hanover Ave. Authorities said the residence was not approved as a place of assembly and a religious school for children.

Chabad is the outreach for the orthodox Lubavitch sect of Judiasm. The Chabad center offers various programs for all levels of the Jewish community. The center was at a home in Ironia before it transferred to the single-family home on West Hanover Avenue this summer.

Union Votes to End Strike

Union leaders representing striking transit workers held a meeting this afternoon and voted to end the three-day walkout that has crippled New York City. It could take at least 12 hours to get subways and buses running again.

That means this afternoon’s rush hour will be a repeat of the previous two days when people had to take suburban trains and buses and car pool back home. But tomorrow morning could be a return too normalcy.

Postville couple honored by international organization

POSTVILLE, IA – A prominent businessman in Northeast Iowa and his wife were honored recently by a charitable organization with global reach.

Heshy and Basya Rubashkin of Postville received the Colel Chabad Founders Award at a dinner in New York City on Thursday. The group recognized the Rubashkins for carrying on their parents’ commitment to Colel Chabad, the oldest Jewish charitable organization in Israel.

Heshy Rubashkin is vice president and head of sales and human relations for Agriprocessors, a glatt kosher meatpacking company.

BREAKING: Transit Strike End Is Near!

BREAKING: A state mediator says the striking union and the transit authority have agreed to resume negotiations while transit workers take steps to return to work.

Transit union leaders agreed that the city’s subway and bus strike should end while talks resume, a mediator said Thursday in an announcement that brings hope to a city that has been crippled by the three-day walkout.

No timetable was announced for the restoration of transit service.

The deal, while approved by union leaders who met with a mediator, still needs final approval from the executive board of Transport Workers Union Local 100. Word from the board was expected before the end of the day, and the upbeat mood at the announcement contrasted with the harsh rhetoric of the last two days.

Three teens arraigned in hate crimes

Swampscott, MA – Three 14-year-olds were arraigned in Lynn Juvenile Court in connection to hate crimes that occurred at the Temple Chabad of the North Shore in October.

Essex County District Attorney spokesman Karen Dawley said arraignments were held Monday and Tuesday for the three suspects.

The charges were labeled hate crimes by the district attorney’s office, which means the acts committed were meant to intimidate, harm or denigrate on the basis of religion or race.

In 1918, a Scab Motorman Caused Worst Wreck in Subway History

When the Brooklyn subway lines had strikebreakers drive trains in 1918, the result was a disaster.

The worst accident in the history of the New York subway system—the Malbone Street wreck of 1918, which killed at least 93 people—happened because an inexperienced strikebreaker drove a train too fast.

On Nov. 1, 1918, ten days before the end of World War I, motormen of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers went on strike against the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, the forerunner of the BMT. BRT officials decided to keep the trains running, using nonstriking workers to drive them.

One of the strikebreakers was Edward Luciano (a.k.a. Antonio Luciano, Anthony Lewis, and Billy Lewis), a 23-year-old BRT dispatcher who’d never driven a train outside of the yards before. He did a 10-hour shift on the Culver line (now the F train), a relatively straight and level route. When rush hour came, the BRT put him on a second shift on the curvier, hillier Fulton Street-Brighton line, which demanded much more skill.