Chabad Opens Yeshiva in Poland

The arrival of ten Yeshiva students last month from the Chabad Yeshiva in Montreal to the newly formed branch of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Warsaw is a milestone by any measure, particularly for a city so badly scarred by recent history. But for Rabbi Moshe Eliyahu Gerlitzky, who is among the founders of the Montreal Yeshiva, it’s an historic event of epic proportions, closing a circle of nearly a century.

Gerlitzky’s early Yeshiva years were spent in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch in Warsaw– the original one, founded in the 1920’s as a branch of Chabad’s Russian-originated Yeshiva system of the same name. From 1932 until just before the Second World War, Gerlitzky was one of 400 students, in a thriving Yeshiva situated in the heart of an equally thriving Jewish Warsaw.

Bochur Held Up At Gun Point

Yesterday [Tuesday] a Bochur on his way home at around 9:00pm, was walking down Montgomery St. coming from Kingston Ave. where 2 black men, around the ages of 20-21, came up to him and one of them grabbed his arm and the other pulled out a silver gun and pointed it at his chest. The perps waited to hold him up till they were shielded from a clear view from the street, which was behind a large van.

The Bochur who had gotten so scared, he just pushed the one holding onto him and then pushed the gun wielding perp and started to scream at the top of his lungs, effectively scaring them off. The Bochur then called the police who took 7 minutes to respond and couldn’t find the perps. He then filed a police report.

CrownHeights.info has learned that the police have 2 more complaints against 2 perps with this exact description and weapon, they have been involved in a robbery at one of the local public schools yesterday and another stickup on the street on the other side of Eastern Pkwy. just 45 minutes after the attempt on the Bochur.

If C”V you get held up please don’t be smart, give up the money it’s not worth a life. But you must call Shomrim immediately so they can try and apprehend the perps. The number is (718) 774-3333.

Update to the story in the extended article.

Student volunteers clear out flooded shul in New Orleans

Standing on moldy and debris-covered floors, college students cleaning up a shul paused for a prayer service – the first at Beth Israel Synagogue since Hurricane Katrina flooded it with more than 10 feet of water three months ago.

The dozen or so students were among roughly 50 from colleges across the country who have come to New Orleans to spend their winter break helping with recovery efforts at the century-old synagogue, as well as at area homes and schools left damaged by the storm.

The students, wearing face masks and gloves, hauled out to the synagogue’s front lawn books, furniture and holy items such as a shofar.

The items were sorted by what would be buried on Tuesday in Jewish burial grounds in another part of the city and what would be thrown out.

More pictures in extended article

Gut Yom Tov! Gut Yom Tov!

From Chabad.org: On the 19th of Kislev of the year 5559 from creation (1798), Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi — a leading disciple of Rabbi DovBer of Mezeritch (see previous entry) and the founder of Chabad Chassidism — was released from his imprisonment in the Peter-Paul fortress in Petersburg, where he was held for 52 days on charges that his teachings threatened the imperial authority of the Czar. More than a personal liberation, this was a watershed event in the history of Chassidism heralding a new era in the revelation of the “inner soul” of Torah, and is celebrated to this day as “The Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism.”

FULL STRIKE BEGINS

Transport Workers Union Local 100 board announced at 3 a.m. to expand their strike to all MTA properties effective immediately.

With the city in the midst of another nerve-wracking countdown to a threatened transit strike, hopes dimmed late Monday that negotiators would be able to reach a deal to avert a crippling shutdown of the subway and bus system.

The midnight strike deadline passed with no word on whether transit workers would go on strike. The union board was meeting at its headquarters to discuss its next move.

Talks broke down about an hour before the deadline, and the Transport Workers Union and Metropolitan Transportation Authority offered bleak assessments of the prospects of avoiding a strike.

And The Strike Commences – THE MTA STRIKE OF 2005

As most people have feared the TWU has announced a full scale strike starting now [3:00am] all buses and trains will not be running. Here I will try to outline what will be happening now.

All alternate side parking regulations will be suspended for the duration of the strike.

Public schools would open two hours later than usual.

Cars entering the busiest areas of Manhattan must carry a minimum of four people (the entire Manhattan south of 96th St.).

Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road will offer local shuttles in the Bronx and Queens.

Yellow cabs could pick up more than one fare at a time.

Jew Da Maccabi

From a base out of Florida, Jewish orthodox rapper Jew Da Maccabi is creating a real buzz with the video of one of his tracks Iron Like A Lion.

With a thumping beat, pro-Jewish lyrics and a sharp performance, this 29 year old rapper looks set to do for Jewish rap what Matisyahu has done for Jewish reggae – get it out of just a Jewish niche and get it into the mainstream.

And like Matisyahu, Jew Da Maccabi is a Jew who became frum and wants to get his message out to as many people as possible.

Limited transit strike under way

Workers at a pair of private New York bus lines went on strike early Monday — the first steps in what could be the shutdown of the nation’s largest public transportation system.

With no new agreement in place and a 12:01 a.m. ET Tuesday strike deadline set by the Transport Workers Union (TWU), another 33,000 transit workers could join the picket lines in less than 24 hours, knocking out all New York City transit lines.

The Web site for TWU Local 100 announced the strike that will impact some 50,000 commuters in Queens and pull more than 700 workers off the job: “Strike Alert: NO BUSES MONDAY: Jamaica Bus and Triboro Coach on Strike.”

Deconstructing the Kabbalah

Members of the Jewish faith had an opportunity to learn about an increasingly popular and mystical facet of their religion during a recent series of workshops on the Kabbalah.

The “Kabbalah of Now” workshops explore ancient and modern mystics and the purpose of kabalistic mysticism in peoples’ lives.

Kabbalah is the mystical aspect of the Jewish faith, according to Rabbi Menachem Piekarski of the Chabad of Hamden. Kabbalah, which enhances the Jewish tradition, was in its earliest years studied only by scholars until various forms were brought down to an intellectual level ordinary people could relate to, Piekarski said.

Couple brings effort for Chabad outreach to Wallingfords’ Jews

Rabbi Baruch Kaplan sat on a couch in his living room Tuesday night and spoke about his Jewish heritage with a great sense of pride. He has another couch for anyone wishing to join him.

Kaplan moved to Wallingford just over a month ago with his wife Raizy and their two young daughters to serve as the directors of the local Chabad-Lubavitch movement, a worldwide Jewish outreach organization.