Rafi Martienko, age 21, knew he was Jewish, but had never cared much one way or another. Having lived all his life in Kiev, Ukraine, he watched avidly as the EuroMaidan protests brought the corrupt government of Viktor Yanukovych to its knees and the subsequent chaos due to the (still ongoing) Donetsk region revolt. But his take on all this was as another patriotic Ukrainian — Jews and Judaism had no meaning to him.
As a direct result of terror attacks in Israel that began in full force following the High Holidays, two 11-year-olds in Florida hope to make a small but significant difference in the weeks before Purim. And they plan to do so in a hands-on and rather creative way: by baking hamantaschen.
This afternoon, the students of Beis Rivkah’s Elementary and Head-start divisions were sent home early, while the staff-members stayed behind for a three-hour training seminar on the proper way to prepare for and respond to an active shooter situation.
Paltiel “Paul” Ratzenberg studied communications at University of Cincinnati and is currently enrolled in Mayanot Institute in Jerusalem. Yesterday, he took to the pages of Buzzfeed to give a list of “10 campus rabbis who are even more legendary than their impressive facial hair.”
Alicia Boyd, founder of the Movement to Protect the People (MTOPP), an organization dedicated to fighting rezoning and development in Crown Heights, sent an e-mail to all members of Community Board-9 that contained some inflammatory language against Jews and white people, and which seemed to justify the Crown Heights riots of 1991. One recipient of the e-mail, board-member Yaacov Behrman, took it upon himself to respond.
Record temperatures of 18 degrees below zero (-28 degrees Celcius) couldn’t keep the hardy denizens of Montreal from banding together this month for an evening of inspiration, camaraderie and unity.
Two Boca Raton residents have filed a federal lawsuit against their city alleging it provided special treatment to the Chabad of East Boca, directed by Rabbi Ruvi New, by allowing it to build a new center on Boca Raton’s barrier island.
Jedidiah Murphy has spent the last 15 years on death row in Livingston, Texas. Like all of the men in the Polunsky Unit, he’s been convicted of terrible crimes. On Oct. 4, 2000, high on cocaine, he shot and killed a 79-year-old woman, stole her car, and used her credit cards to purchase alcohol and cigarettes. Less than a year later, at the age of 25, he was sentenced to death.
As a preparation for Yud Shvat, all the students of Lubavitcher Yeshiva-Crown St. took upon themselves Hachlotos and wrote a personal Pa”n to the Rebbe and read it at the Ohel. On the day of Yud Shvat, a special surprise awaited them at school.
In this week’s edition of Letter and Spirit, in honor of Yud Shvat, we present a letter of the Rebbe underlining the Frierdiker Rebbe’s self sacrifice for Yidden in all areas of Yiddshkeit – but especially in the area of chinuch, the most vital and basic of all others. The letter was written in English through the Rebbe’s trusted secretary Rabbi Nissan Mindel, and was made available by the latter’s son-in-law, Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro.
City and law enforcement officials are touting 2015 as the safest year on record the City of New York, with an overall decrease of 1.7% in crime citywide since the beginning of 2015, though murder, rape and robbery all saw 2 to 6 percent increases.
Chabad of Hanoi, Vietnam, made history as they welcomed their very own brand new Torah Scroll. The Torah is one of seven newly written Sifrei Torah generously donated by Chilean businessman and philanthropist Leonardo Farkas, honoring Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky and his family.
During an historic meeting yesterday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu noted the intertwined – and often tragic – history of the Jewish people and the land of Ukraine. Netanyahu mentioned the names of several Jewish leaders born in Ukraine, notably the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who – Netanyahu noted with pride – he shared a personal relationship with.
For the second year in its history, the Australian National Menorah was lit in the Parliament of Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory, on the eight day of Chanukah, the festival of lights. The event was organized by Chabad-ACT.
VICE reporter Krishna Andavolu explores Brooklyn’s history by visiting the neighborhoods surrounding the borough’s longest street: Bedford Avenue. Along the way, he stops in Crown Heights, where he meets with Rabbi Manis Friedman to discuss the neighborhood’s history and ever-changing character.
One of the largest Chanukah celebrations in Houston history took place on the steps of City Hall.
With Chanukah this year starting on Sunday, a day that RV rental companies are closed, the Mitzvah Tank Org. made special arrangements to have them open Motzai Shabbos so that the tanks can start going on Mivtzoim on Sunday starting from the very first light.
