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Out of Orthodoxy - Why This Former Orthodox Rabbi Will Officiate at Interfaith Marriages By : Rabbi David S. Gruber In his article, Rabbi David Gruber, a former Orthodox rabbi, elaborately explains what has led him to become a Jewish secular humanist and officiate interfaith weddings. How to Choose a Chanukah Menorah By : Mark Etinger How to Choose a Chanukah Menorah Sukkot: A Reminder for People of All Faiths to Practice Joy and Gratitude By : Nina Amir Although the Jewish holiday of Sukkot is lesser known even by many Jews, it offers an important lesson about practicing joy and gratitude. The article explains why everyone can and should take advantage of the message of this holiday. Tips for Achieve Your Highest Potential and Improving Yourself at This Time of Year By : Nina Amir While many people think that the theme of the Jewish High Holy Days revolves around the traditional concept of sin, it really has more to do with goal setting, personal growth and human potential. It's about being a better person. Thus, anyone from any religion can take advantage of its message, practices, tips and tools at this time of year -- or at any time of the year.This article offers tips for doing just that. New Synagogue Goers Find Easy Welcome At Chabad By : B. Olidort The Jewish High Holiday services are sometimes viewed as fashion shows where tickets are hawked at Super Bowl prices... Israeli Children Explore Rosh Hashana at Bee Farm By : B. Olidort On a recent field trip with south Tel Avivâ€™s Camp Neve Eliezer, eighty children, all clad in shorts, sandals, and matching baseball caps, clapped and laughed at the antics of â€œItchele... Getting Ready for Rosh Hashana: Adults, Children Learn Hands-On With Chabad By : B. Olidort Shofar Factories are popping up in cities across the globe, attracting children to explore the significance of the shofar and the holiday it represents... Changing Facts on The Ground: From Cracow To New York By : B. Olidort As Sept 11 is remembered today, memorial ceremonies will abound, as they should. But many will look for signs of change that prove that the evil unleashed on that calamitous day has been defeated. Toronto Developer Fulfills Jewish Congregationâ€™s Dream By : David Lipson Toronto developer Mario Romano wanted to give back to the Jewish community that has helped him prosper. But when the 57-year-old donated three acres of land north of the city for a new Chabad center... At Staten Island Russian Fest, Russian Jews Sample Judaism By : B. Olidort (Some 10,000 visitors descended on Staten Island's South Beach this past Sunday, for the annual Staten Island Russian Fest. Browsing the booths of ethnic foods, arts, crafts and entertainment, many paused at the Chabad stand, where a d Jewish Inspiration Trails Chabad Roving Rabbis Returning From Summer Tour By : B. Olidort (lubavitch.com) When Rabbis Laima Barber and Avi Shlomo visited Jews throughout Greece this July, they were often met with eager anticipation or at the very least, open curiosity. Rarely, though, were they greeted with full-on sobs. Until they visite Jewish Community Stands With Israel, Says Chabad By : B. Olidort The recent article in a mainstream Swedish newspaper claiming that Israeli soldiers harvested body organs from Palestinians has many in Swedenâ€™s Jewish community deeply concerned. Chabad Combats Hate At York University With Enhanced Jewish Involvement By : B. Olidort Vidal Bekerman uses a spiritual approach when addressing anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric at York University in Toronto. JLI Retreat Explores Themes of Jewish Empowerment By : B. Olidort (lubavitch.com) The Rebbe intended for all of us to be leaders, not followers,” Mr. George Rohr charged a packed hall at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich, Connecticut. “We may not understand the power we have to impact the world, but it is up to all of Downtown: Everything Jewish is Waiting for You By : B. Olidort When Patti Berman moved into her sunny loft in downtown Los Angeles, the rough-and-tumble neighborhood was known as skid row... Road Sages: Finding Jews in All the Right Places By : Dvora Lakein While en route from Chicago to Minneapolis last weekend, three guys in a Dodge Sprinter heard about a small town halfway to their destination. They decided to pull over for a few hours, still eager to reach the Twin Cities in time for Chabad Lubavitch By : nafees Among the various codes of Jewish Law, Maimonides singularly estab¬lishes criteria by which to identify Moshiach. For the Jew, only someone who meets these criteria could possi¬bly be Moshiach (the Messiah) and actually bring the promised world of go 80 Years After Massacre, Baby Named For Hebron Matriarch By : Yaacov Behrman (lubavitch.com) Friday, 17 Av, corresponding this year to August 7th, marks the 80th anniversary of the Hebron massacre.On that fateful day, thousands of bloodthirsty Arabs carrying knives, hatchets and pitchforks rampaged through the streets of Hebr A Match Made In Iraq By : Dvora Lakein The 15th of Av corresponds this year to Wednesday, August 15th. Of this date on the Jewish calendar, the Mishna says, “There were no holidays so joyous for the Jewish People as the Fifteenth of Av and Yom HaKippurim, for on those days, daughters of J A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Broadway By : R. C. Berman On campuses around the world, Chabad’s newest representatives are getting ready for their first season meeting and greeting, reaching and teaching Jewish students.Among them, two of Chabad’s newest campus representatives took a short break to talk wi Children Learn Through Art and Community Service At A Toronto Chabad School By : D. Lipson A new Chabad center in an unlikely Toronto neighborhood is getting noticed for its unique Hebrew arts school.Chabad of York Mills quietly opened before the 2007 Jewish high holidays in the northern suburb home to more than 7,300 Jews Chabad Hebrew Day School Integrates SMART Boards In All Classes By : Dvora Lakein Dusty chalk and dry-erase boards are so Twentieth-century. The Hebrew Academy of Huntington Beach, California, known for its progressive educational methods is moving ahead once again. Rock and Roll and Payos. All about Jewish Singer-Songwriters By : Mark Etinger The history of new alternative Jewish music Flashback: Teacher Donates Back Pay to Charity By : B. Olidort Jewish education is organic to Chabad-Lubavitch, and factors into all of its activities. In this week's flashback, we've uncovered an interesting press release by our news service, dated 1964, in which "the Rebbe called for an increase in salaries for teachers of Jewish studies so that they at least equal that paid for secular teaching," and established a loan fund to help schools better finance their payrolls. Chabad Education Initiative Gives New Meaning to - No Child Left Behind By : Tzivia Emmer A visitor to a middle school classroom in Los Angeles on a sunnymorning some months ago was greeted with what appeared to be utterchaos. The desks were not lined up, everyone seemed to be talking atonce, and almost no one was paying any attention to the youngtwenty-something teacher, who was unfazed by the scene in front of her. Unearthing Temple Instruments in JLI's Latest Course By : R. C. Lundy The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute unveiled its latest course, “Heavenon Earth: Timeless Vessels, Timely Lessons” to 2,500 students thisweek. The three-week program comes on the heels of last year’sminiseries which explored the significance of the structure of the BeitHamikdash (the Temples that stood in Jerusalem). This year, itscontinuation focuses on the spiritual significance of the Temple’s sixprimary instruments. Buenos Aires Center Unites Women in Study, Sport, and Celebration By : Dvora Lakein Music piped through the hallway mingles with sounds of aerobics and dance classes and the beautiful décor is evocative of an exclusive country club. Open from nine in the morning until nine at night, Beit Jana’s days are packed with stimulating classes and hundreds of ladies. Israel's President To Chabad: You Give Life to the Living By : Miriam Davids “I have no idea when the dead will come back to life, but I am certain,” said Israel’s President Shimon Peres, “that your work that gives life to the living, is no less important.”Speaking to Chabad-Lubavitch representatives from the FSU at their annual convention in Jerusalem, the President, visibly inspired, said, “From Mumbai in India, to Siberia in Russia, Chabad Shluchim are in the trenches, breathing life into places remote and removed from centers of Judaism."The event was Russia Denies Right of U.S. Courts To Rule On Chabad Claims To Confiscated Library By : B. Olidort In a surprise announcement filed with the federal court in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2009, Russia declared that it has decided "not to further participate" in the much drawn-out case in which Chabad is seeking to recover part of its historic library. School's Out, Chabad Campus Emissaries In For Annual Conference By : Dvora Lakein Esther Stein began her religious journey in Lima and continued it in Brooklyn where she studied at a women’s yeshiva. During her time in America, Stein’s mentor, Rabbi Uri Blumenfeld, kept in touch with her and her teachers, gave her money to purchase warm clothing for the cold New York winter, visited regularly, and introduced her to her future husband. President of Dominican Republic Meets With Chabad Emissaries By : Zalman Nelson Rabbi Shimon Pelman, Chabad emissary to the Dominican Republic, was formally welcomed to the country in a meeting Thursday with President Leonel Fernández Reyna at the National Palace in Santo Domingo.Following the president’s greeting, Pelman discussed the Lubavitcher Rebbe, noting that he was meeting the President on the third of Tammuz, the day of the Rebbe’s passing. He spoke about the mission of Chabad, its global network of embassy-like Chabad Houses, and the need to develo Jewish Publishing - Part I By : Mark Etinger Have you ever wondered who are the current five most influential publishers in the Jewish literary world? Or have you ever been intrigued by the general history of Jewish publishing? The answer to both these questions begins at advent of Jewish publishing itself. The earliest known Jewish publication was in the year 1487; we know this from the trademark that printer's placed on their title page. Still the Rebbe Reaches Out By : Rabbi Michael Paley Excerpt of an editorial viewpoint in New York Newsday, April 15, 1994, by Rabbi Michael Paley. The Rebbe passed away two months later, on June 12. Rabbi Michael Paley is scholar-in-residence and director of the Jewish Resource Center of the UJA-Federation of New York Dear Rebbe, I Have A Story For you By : B. Olidort The following letter was sent to the Lubavitcher Rebbe probably inthe early 1980s, and brought to the attention of the Wellspringsjournal by the Rebbe’s secretariat. To protect the identity of theindividuals involved, the writer’s name, and that of her partner’s were changed. Touchdown: Chabad Jets to Success in Western Monmouth By : Dvora Lakein Last year David Findel made international news when he purchased the rights to two seats at the new Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. For $400,000. When Findel believes in something, he goes the whole 100 yards. Atlanta Yields A New Crop of Rabbis By : Dvora Lakein There was no tossing of mortarboards at this graduation. Instead, eight young men, fedoras firmly on their heads, accepted their new calling with pride.Since 2005, the Atlanta Smicha Program has ordained 32 rabbis (including this year’s crop of eight students) in a unique combination of rigorous personal study and community instruction. In addition to standard Jewish law and ethics, the students also completed a course of “practical rabbinics,” including public speaking, fundrais Far Right Gains Shock Hungarian Jewish Community By : Dvora Lakein In a shift unheard of since pre-Nazi Europe, multitudes of Hungarians took to the polls last week in support of an extreme neo-Nazi party. As often happens in times of economic meltdown and general woe, far-right parties (representing anti-Semitic and racist views) come out on top. At Tulane, Jewish Student Life Grows With Chabad Family By : Baila Olidort In Conversation: Mrs. Sarah Rivkin Sarah Rivkin is Chabad representative at Tulane University. Mother of six, Sarah and her husband have created a dynamic experience for the university's Jewish student body. Scholarship Requests Soar As Chabad Camps Try To Meet Demand By : Dvora Lakein Bonfires at overnight camps throughout the country will have spare marshmallows and graham crackers this summer. Day camps are scrounging for campers and parents are searching for scholarships.Welcome to the summer of the recession.As many camps are witness to a drop in registration and a hike in financial aid requests, Chabad camps around the world are presenting creative ways to ensure their camps’ appeal, and affordability.“A parent called me this week and told me that her dau Defiance Survivors Help Send Kids To Camp By : Dvora Lakein Until he was three and a half, Isaac lived with 10,000 other Jews in the Nowogrodek ghetto. His father Zev Wolfe, a successful farmer, was licensed to provide the prisoners with wheat and potatoes from his nearby farm. Shavuot with Chabad: It's a Kid Thing By : Dvora Lakein “Who wants to be a Torahnaire?” is playing Friday at Chabad of Port Washington. Throughout the live game show featuring Shavuot related questions (“what do we decorate the synagogue with on this holiday?”), parents will “socialize and laugh and kids will get an education,” says youth director Rabbi Ilan Weinberg. A Couple of Volunteers By : Dvora Lakein He met Sheva and her husband over a traditional Shabbat dinner on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. By the time dessert was cleared, Sheva had a hunch that Michael Corwin, 29, was a perfect match for Julie Ames, a fellow volunteer. Though he had never dated someone through a matchmaker, and later admits that he only followed through “to be agreeable,”Corwin and Ames are now engaged. Sheva, he says, was on the mark. Business Unusual: A Chabad Rabbi Helps Businesses Grow By : R. C. Lundy If necessity is the mother of invention, a rotten economy begets innovation. In today’s tough times, a resourceful program in Moscow is disproving the theory that every man is for himself. Quite the contrary, in fact.“I share my clients, my money, and referrals with friends. I take care of my own before anyone else. And Israelis, Jews, are my family.”So says Alona Goldenberg, co-founder of the Israel Moscow Business Center (IMBC), a networking nexus for Israeli and Russian profes Jewish Communities Celebrate Maimonides By : B. Olidort Thousands are expected to converge Wednesday evening at the gravesite of Maimonides in Israel’s northern city of Tiberias to celebrate the completion of the annual study cycle of Maimonides’s (the Rambam) Jewish legal compendium and magnum opus, Mishna Torah. Lag B'Omer: Of Mystics and Merriment By : Dvora Lakein More than a million people visit annually, but it is during the 24-hour period of Lag B’Omer that the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai really gets rocking. From Monday night until Tuesday, vibrations will echo through the hills as over 400,000 Jews converge in Meron to pray and party. Diamond in the Rough By : B. Olidort South Africans are facing the unknown, again. Following new president, Jacob Zuma’s triumph last week, many in the broader Jewish community are trying to decipher their place in this ever-changing land. More than 30 years ago, the Lubavitcher Rebbe encouraged the community to stay put, stating that, “South Africa will be good for the Jews until Moshiach comes.” Today, despite widespread concern, his 40 Chabad representatives stationed throughout the country are ensuring that his pledge remain tr No Cop-Out: Minnesota Police Stand in Solidarity with Israel By : B. Olidort A rabbi, a priest, and 15 police officers step off an airplane at Ben Gurion Airport. This sounds like the first line of a corny joke. But for Rabbi Mayer Rubinfeld, this yarn bears all the trappings of a great story. At US Colleges, Students Explore Traditional Jewish Values By : B. Olidort “In this essay, I examine how my understanding of G-d affects how I should live my life. I ask, ‘what is God, where is God and what does He have to do with me?” Zelda: Remembering an Israeli Poet By : Baila Olidort Among the poets in Israel’s literary circle, many quietly remembered Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky on Tuesday (April 21) 27 Nissan. That Zelda, as she was simply called, died on the same day designated by the state of Israel as Holocaust Remembrance day, is in itself poetic; her poetry, for which she received the Bialik Prize in literature, treats of death and darkness but also of renewal and transcendence. Remembering Every Day By : Dvora Lakein Communities in Israel and around the world are commemorating the deaths of six million Jews on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. But for the steadily dwindling generation who survived those horrific years, Holocaust Remembrance is a daily experience. Expelled From Russia, Chabad Rabbis Lead By Remote By : Dvora Lakein Following their recent expulsion from Russia, several rabbis have been working across phone lines and emails guiding their communities in Passover preparations. Passover Kitchen Confessions: Behind the Scenes With Chabad on Campus By : B. Olidort The refrigerator truck is winding its way north along the six-hour route from Los Angeles to Berkeley. Inside are 250 pounds of chicken, 100 pounds of meat, and 60 pounds of turkey. Flanking that are 18 cases of wine and another six of grape juice. A crunchy 70 pounds of matzah are making the trip as well. In Conversation: Rabbi Moshe Meir Lipszyc By : Baila Olidort From the way Rabbi Moshe Meir Lipszyc greets an endless stream of visitors to the Chabad center and the Kabbalah Café in Ft. Lauderdale, one would never guess that the 45 year old father of five, among them children with special needs, has twice battled cancer and continues to struggle with his own health while working creatively to build and grow Jewish life in the area. PM Harper To Chabad: Canada A Defender of Jews, Israel By : B. Olidort Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper greeted Chabad-Lubavitch Canadian representatives Thursday, denouncing anti-Semitism and promising to repudiate it wherever it surfaces. Purim Spring Break By : Dvora Lakein Sun. Surf. Scuba. Nightlife. Ancient Mayan civilization. Ancient Persian history. Ancient Persian History? Well yes, if you are spending Purim with Chabad in Cancun.Almost 2 million students across the country will be hitting the beaches and slopes this week. But though they will have finished their midterms and packed away their notes, Jewish students won’t be closing the books on their Jewish experiences. Wherever they are for spring break, Chabad is bringing Purim to them.The Purim Thoughts: The Donkey, The Foal and The Pig By : Chana Silberstein A donkey, her foal, and a pig lived in a barnyard. The foal complained to her mother that the pig was fed generously although it did nothing all day, while she and her mother worked hard all day bearing heavy burdens yet received more moderate amounts of food, . “Do not be jealous,” said the donkey. Purim Starts Early for Israel and Chabad By : Zalman Nelson The Jewish festival of Purim begins sundown on Monday, but thecelebrations and preparations in Israel have been underway since thestart of the month. Candy displays and colorful costumes of characters,modern and ancient have filled the shop windows for weeks. Days beforethe holiday, young and old costumed characters—pirates, superheroes,princesses and cowboys—take to the streets with parades, parties andcarnivals. In Conversation: Russia's Chief Rabbi On Russia and the Jews Today By : B. Olidort Even by Western standards, Moscow’s Jewish infrastructure is impressive. In the Marina Roscha part of the city, a complex of buildings houses the community's comprehensive social and educational institutions catering to Moscow’s Jewish population. The erosion of Jewish life during communism makes Jewish population numbers hard to evaluate, but by the country's Chief Rabbi's estimates, there approximately half a million Jews in this city of 10 million. Daily, 1000 Jewish people on average come In Late Life, Isolated Holocaust Survivors Find New Friends By : Dvora Lakein It is nearly 70 years since the start of the systematic, state-sponsored murder of over six million European Jews. Today, with anti-Semitism on a global rise and Holocaust deniers stridently espousing their hate, survivors are facing their own enemy: loneliness and depression. Shalach Manot and the Tradition of Giving By : sharadbhai jain The holiday of Purim is steeped in tradition. I could literally talk about every activity that takes place during Purim and how it relates to the story of Esther and Mordecai, when the Jews were facing persecution. Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters Deeply Disturbed At Russian Court's Decision To Expel Rabbi By : B. Olidort A Russian district court on Wednesday overturned an appeal and upheld its ruling to expel Rabbi Yisroel Silberstein, Rabbi of the Primoryeregion in Russia's far east. Once in a Rare Sun: Birkat Hachamah By : Miriam Davids The waxing and waning of the moon is regularly celebrated in Jewishlife. The Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle, familiar toJewish children even as preschoolers who learn to welcome the new moonwith regular Rosh Chodesh celebrations. In a popular depiction byJewish painters, a minyan of men stand outside the shtetl shul andbless the new moon under a dark sky The Arts/Special Needs Interest Comes to the Big Screen By : Mordechai Lightstone With the growing awareness and greater education about autism and otherdisorders that once condemned children thus afflicted to lives ofisolation and loneliness, come bold attempts to push the envelope anduncover possibilities for creative achievements few imagined existamong this misunderstood and marginalized segment of the population. On Jewish Women, Education, Philanthropy By : B. Olidort Transcript of Rabbi Krinsky’s speech at the International Conference of Chabad Representatives. Google Earth Brings Exodus Story to Life By : Zalman Nelson Flying virtually around mountains and over seas, Adult Jewish educationstudents in Carmiel are experiencing the Torah’s account of the Exodusfrom Egypt from a bird’s eye view using the interactive, threedimensional maps of Google earth. Got Question? Askmoses Website Counts More Than 1 Million Questions By : Miriam Davids (lubavitch.com) Askmoses.com, possibly the largest online Jewish knowledge base, took its one millionth chat session recently. Timeless Perspectives on Timely Problems Rohr JLI Course Examines Civil Law Through Jewish Principle By : Dvora Lakein The Talmud documents rabbinic discussions regarding Jewish history,law, and ethics. Written over 2,000 years ago, it continues to occupyand engage Jewish students. It is, according to Silberstein, “thepinnacle of Jewish intellectual creativity, incorporating the essenceof morality and legality: the two timeless questions of ‘whose is this’and ‘is it fair?’” Hard Times Don't Stop Opening of New Jewish School By : Zalman Nelson With the difficulties that Jewish communities everywhere are facing asphilanthropic resources dry up, the completion this week of a newschool building in the Ohr Avner network in Orenburg, Russia, was goodreason for a celebration. The project reached its successful goal withthe help of Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, local officials,supporters and parents. Torah Study, Then and Now By : Baila Olidort For all the blessings of the internet age—and they are enormous—this generation may spell the end of certain social conditions vital to the existential experience. Welcome To A New President By : B. Olidort In January 1981, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of blessed memory, addressed the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. The following excerpts were adapted from his remarks. Reflections: Return to Mumbai By : Shmuel Klatzkin What had changed since last August, when I had first visited Mumbai?The Indian Army squad in a sandbagged position in front of the KenesethEliyahoo Synagogue, where Gabi Holtzberg had served as rabbi. New Uniform Makes the Grade At Fashion Conscious Lyons School By : Jennifer Bleyer Under sultry beats of café jazz and club electronica, a string of young women strutted down the catwalk, as lithe and stone-faced as contestants on "America's Next Top Model." They wore playful confections made of gauzy fabric and delicate trim. The bohemian chic skirts and couture-style gowns they modeled looked well suited to the fashion week tents of New York or Milan.But this was neither. Rather, it was Ecole Beth Menachem, a Jewish school in the city of Lyon in the south of In Five Towns, Jewish Community Rallies Behind Chabad By : Dvora Lakein Sometimes it takes a little darkness to shed light on something so remarkable. News reports on December 25 spoke of the wreckage that a BMW X3 caused when it plowed through the windows of Chabad of the Five Town’s annual Chanukah Wonderland. Visit to Israel Confirms Mayor Bloomberg's Support of Israel's Strike Against Hamas By : Miriam Davids Returning from a solidarity visit to Israel Sunday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference with the media and representatives of Jewish organizations on Monday, in which he shared his impressions and personal feelings about the situation in Israel. Chabad Stays Open, Reliable, As Gaza Responds With Rockets By : Zalman Nelson Israel’s air strikes on Gaza, aimed at bringing relief and restoring some kind of security to the country’s southern residents, have been greeted with an onslaught of more than 150 rocket attacks, chasing many residents out of their homes and cities, and confining the rest to bomb shelters. Chabad Rabbi's Seminars Help Unemployed Find Authentic Life Passion By : R. C. Berman Usually, when the pink slip blues get former financial services whiz, Fran Gerrish of Aurora, CO, down, she phones a buddy from work, another former VP flung off the corporate ladder by the dismal economy. Lightning Up Chanukah By : B. Olidort Some 500 Jewish fans noshed on Glatt kosher hot dogs Thursday as Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche played an intensely tight game Volume 29 of Rebbe's Correspondence Published By : B. Olidort Kehot Publication Society, the Lubavitch Publishing House, announced the publication of the 29th volume of Igrot Kodesh, “Holy Epistles,” by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. In Mumbai, A Ray of Light Punctuates Great Sadness By : B. Olidort Tears, songs and resolve permeated Shabbat meals hosted by Chabad of Mumbai in undisclosed locations this past weekend. On Campus, A Females-Only Shabbat With Chabad By : Dvora Lakein Friday, November 21st is Michelle Bentsman’s 19th birthday. It will be her first birthday as a student at the University of Chicago. And she has chosen to spend it with Chabad. How Elena Met Rami or The Chabad-Lubavitch Network: A Model of Causality By : R. C. Berman Elena Lourie and Rami Kafarov never would have met let alone married in Oslo this summer were Chabad-Lubavitch no more than a bunch of affiliated synagogues and rabbis doing what they do, without the Shluchim's trademark passion for a greater vision. Chabad Women on Campus Defy Stereotype of By : R. C. Berman Now that the votes have been counted and barriers have been shattered on one front, will 2012 be the year of the woman? Teach Me, Master: Bankers and Businesspeople Become Today's Talmudic Students By : Dvora Lakein The study of Talmud is high on the list of skills, most adults say ruefully, that you either got as a young yeshiva student, or not at all. Not so, say developers of a successful Chabad Talmud study program for adults that is gaining popularity in Jewish communities worldwide. International Conference of Chabad Representatives to Lead With Theme of Jewish Unity By : Dvora Lakein Rabbi Shlomo Silverman is the new campus rabbi at Carnegie Mellon University. He and his wife arrived in late July, a mere few weeks before the new academic year began. With several successful student programs up and running already, the young Chabad representative is bursting with energy to do more. Jewish Life in Germany 70 Years After Kristallnacht By : Dvora Lakein November 9-10th marks the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht or the “Night of Broken Glass.” On that dark, German night, 92 Jews were murdered. An additional 30,000 were arrested and many were sent to concentration camps. Over 200 synagogues were destroyed and several thousand Jewish businesses were vandalized. Today, 70 years later, Chabad operates in 15 cities throughout Germany, serving the country’s 150,000 Jews. Lubavitch.com takes a glance at contemporary Jewish life in the German state. When Shluchim Come Marching In: Gala Banquet Concludes Chabad-Lubavitch Conference By : Dvora Lakein As temperatures in New York City dipped to unseasonably low digits Sunday night, the atmosphere inside Pier 94 heated up. Well over 4,000 Chabad-Lubavitch shluchim, lay leaders, and supporters filed into the 175,000 square ft. hall for the highlight of the International Conference of Shluchim: banquet night. Attendees have been participating in workshops, round-table discussions, and informal meetings all weekend, but it is the banquet that brings it all together for a dramatic f She Could Have Danced All Night - Joy & Fervor On the Happiest Day of the Year By : Dvora Lakein The festivities of Simchas Torah, one of the happiest days on the Jewish calendar, begin Monday night. In communities around the world, people will celebrate the completion and subsequent resumption of the Torah cycle, by literally giving the Torah feet and dancing it around the synagogue. "I Didn't Know Them Personally, I Knew the Work They Were Doing . . ." By : Chani Lifshitz The following letter was written by Yolanda Rogers, a mother of three who did not know the Holtzbergs, but was inspired by their dedication to call upon her friends. New Rabbinical Yeshiva To Open in New York City's Financial District By : Miriam Davids Chabad-Lubavitch of Wall Street will be opening a yeshiva in the world financial district this week. The new international Yeshivat Hakedoshim, named for the targeted victims of the recent Mumbai tragedy and those of 9/11, is set to open with 10 students who will train for the rabbinate. Chabad Opens Center For Jewish Life for Memphis Jewish Community By : Dvora Lakein As in years past, two Memphis day schools and the community high school will be slicing and polishing rams’ horns as they participate in Chabad’s pre-Rosh Hashana Shofar Factory. Unlike year past, this time the students will be making their shofars at Chabad’s own building. Within Chabad, A New Year Brings New Ideas In Jewish Education By : R. C. Berman Fully 13% of the 230,000 students in American Hebrew schools are enrolled in Chabad-run programs, a recent study found. Economic Woes and All, Hundreds of College Students Flocked and Rocked At National Shabbaton By : Dvora Lakein Gabe Rosenthal, senior at USCD reports from the ground. Going into the Chabad-on-Campus International Shabbaton in Brooklyn, I didn’t think that Chabad could attract enough students to match the success at last year’s Shabbaton. After all, our country is suffering from economic troubles. Many students like myself, hold part-time jobs while attending university, and the recent financial woes have made job opportunities scarce, a good salary scarcer, and vacation days the scarciest Chabad of Columbus Opens LifeTown for Developmentally Disabled Children By : Dvora Lakein Justin Swan has a busy day ahead of him. After getting his annual check-up at the doctor’s office, this developmentally disabled 17 year-old must make a deposit at the bank, stock up on snacks for his golden retriever, and return books to the library. Only when those errands are complete, can he relax at the cinema with friends. The Art of Making Peace in Jewish and Zen Practice By : Brenda Shoshanna Today we are living in a world where conflict is raging out of control and all are seeking ways of making and finding peace. The practices of both Zen and Judaism offer time tested tools to heal the conflict, loneliness and separation we feel. This article describes some of these practices and how they can help you. Beat the Drum for Marriages on Earth! By : Rabbi A. Frank It is not one fine day the Jews get religion; God is the foremost matchmaker for the Jewish pairs. They ideally appraise the concept of marriages made in heaven. According to the Jews, a child is born with a partner stringed from heaven itself. Jewish marriages solely lie on the religious persuasions handed over by their ancestors. The Dual Nature of the Torah By : Classical Judaism holds that there is a dual Torah, consisting of the Torah Sh'b'ktav (the Written Torah) and the Torah Sh'Ba'al Peh (the Oral Torah). Commandments derived from the written Torah are called "d'Oraita" from the Aramaic word meaning "from the Torah." The Concept of Jewish Law By : The revelatory experience at Sinai is considered by Jews as the seminal event in the history of the Jewish people. Are there Different Kinds of Jews? By : The primary divisions among Jews beginning in the medieval period were Sephardim and Ashkenazim. Its quite clear however that dividing Jews into only these two categories is incorrect and oversimplification. What are Shabbat Candles? By : One of the most well known Jewish practices related to the observance of Shabbat (the Sabbath) is the lighting of oil lamps or candles before its commencement. Kabblah and the Divine Name of God By : In the Kabbalah, the divine name of God in Hebrew written in four Hebrew characters YHVH, represents the concept of Midat HaRachamim ( God's Attributes of Mercy).
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