Come, Pray, Connect: Minyan, Millenials and Why Services Matter
Over the past two decades, synagogue membership has declined across the United States, with less than one-third of American Jews choosing to affiliate with a congregation. According to the 2013 Pew Research Center Study, only twenty-three percent of U.S. Jews attend synagogue on a regular basis. And many rabbis suspect that self-reporting inflates that number.
By Rena Udkoff
The Abiding Optimism of Chabad Emissaries in Africa
When Paul told the visiting students about his father’s situation, they arranged to visit him after the holiday. “According to the map, Kitengela seemed to be about a 50 minute drive away,” says Plotkin. The trip turned out to be twice as long as expected, with multiple twists and turns on rough dirt roads and prolonged delays for sheep crossings.
Simple Shtieble, Soaring Sanctuary, Yom Kippur Is Calling
There is a “synagogue crisis” at large, and Chabad is not unaffected. Chabad rabbis and rebbetzins do draw crowds to their community events. Shabbat dinners and adult educational courses are well attended. Jews are engaging with us, and often in impressive numbers. But that’s not davening.
New Chabad Representatives to Duluth, Edge of the Great Lakes
Minnesota’s port city on the shores of Lake Superior is will soon have new Chabad representatives. Rabbi Mendy and Tirtza Ross and their two children will move shortly after the conclusion of the Sukkot holiday. Duluth’s Jewish population is small. Rabbi Mendy Ross estimates about 1,000 Jews living in the region. “But who knows? There could be even more.” But small is fine. “We’re not looking to attract thousands of participants to a big event."
Sitting Next To Your Spouse In An Orthodox Synagogue
This time of year, when people may feel more motivated to attend synagogue for High Holiday services, the mechitzah separating the men and women sometimes becomes a sticking point. The world is evolving with more equal rights for everyone. If Chabad would accommodate mixed gender seating, it would have wider acceptance. Why don’t you adopt this practice to better fit with the times?
By Rivka Slonim
Helping Hearing-Impaired Hear the Sound of the Shofar
When the time to sound the shofar arrived, one man approached me and, through the interpreter, asked if he was permitted to touch the shofar. I didn’t initially understand the meaning behind his request, but it became clear when I saw him stretch out his hand and lightly hold the shofar with me each time it was sounded, his eyes closed in deep concentration.
Taking Stock Before the New Year
We are in the final month of the Jewish calendar year—traditionally a time dedicated to taking spiritual stock of the year past. Examining our successes and failures, we need to look at those areas of life that are in our control. Have we given our relationships the time they require? Have we been more thoughtful and kind to our parents, our spouses, our neighbors? Has our bond with our people, our heritage, and our G-d grown stronger this year?
Tuition-Free Hebrew School Offered in Orange County, NY
Beginning this fall season, enrollment will be tuition-free for all new students at Chabad Hebrew School in Orange County, NY. The Hebrew School meets every Sunday morning for two hours of what Chana Burston terms, “FUNdamental Jewish experience that will last a lifetime.” Through hands-on activities and projects, 5-13 year old students are invited to engage in Jewish discovery.
By Ashira Weiss
Public Jewish Hour: 88 Years, Going Strong
It’s Wednesday afternoon and young men are streaming out of the yeshivah on Brooklyn’s leafy Eastern Parkway. Armed with snacks, crafts, and sheafs of paper, 180 instructors head to 90 public schools around New York City. Released Time is an offshoot of the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE). Their “Jewish Hour,” as it’s often called, was instituted by the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, in 1941.
By Dvora Lakein
Book Review: The Scientist Who Is A Chosid
Book Review: Both Brawer and Green are scientists who came to Chabad as adults. Both bring their scientific background to the table as they reflect on how they grapple with truth; both share some of the insights that have been most instrumental to their own thinking; both share their spiritual inspirations and journeys of growth with extraordinary candor.
Rohr Chabad House University of Wisconsin Nearly Triples Its Space
The new construction gives students 10,000 sq. feet of space over the current 4,000. The $4 million project gained major support from the Irwin A. & Robert D. Goodman Foundation, the Rohr Family Foundation, and local donors.
New Chabad Opens In Downtown Raleigh, North Carolina’s Capital City
What motivates young couples to pick up and move from their families and comfort zones to an unfamiliar place—without convenient access to Jewish resources—to build a community from scratch? It’s the Rebbe, they’ll all tell you.
Kulanu Circle: An All-Inclusive Hebrew School
“Is today Hebrew School?” Mendel Mann asks hopefully each Sunday morning. For the last three years on Sunday mornings, Mendel’s mother Devorah Leah has made the fifty-mile drive from South Beach to Kendall, Florida so the twelve-year-old can be part of the Kulanu Circle.
By Ashira Weiss
Traveling to Aruba? Check out Chabad.
Traveling to Aruba? Meet the Blasbergs. Here's some information that will make your kosher island stay a little easier.
By Staff Writer
From The Frat House to The Chabad House
Today, a third generation of Chabad representatives are serving Jewish students on American campuses. An alumnus of The University of Texas, Austin, Rabbi Zev Johnson has a high relatability factor. He’s been there, done that.
By Sarah Ogince
In Florida, Plans Underway For a 100,000 Square-Foot All-Kosher Assisted Living Facility
When Rabbi Aron Lieberman moved to the small city of Lauderhill, Florida, thirty seven years ago, the city’s Jewish community was made up of mostly older people, many Holocaust survivors among them. This year, the Aishel House—an assisted living community—is about to become a reality.
By Ashira Weiss
A Living, Thriving Judaism: How Our Personal and Global Impact Starts at Home
I am not sure that my children knowing about Jewish ritual, history and lore will make them better people, and yet a part of me feels they should have it in their lives. How can I make it relevant to them? The Torah begins with the creation story, and it is really a story lived by every human being, every day.
In Venice, FL, a City of Seniors Establishes a Jewish Future
It’s got one of the most senior populations in the country. But growing up in Venice, Florida, the children of Chabad representatives are bringing new life to the city’s elderly. In the process, they learn to relate with compassion and kindness.
By Sarah Ogince
Where There’s Peet’s Coffee, There You’ll Also Find Chabad
On their first wedding anniversary, next month, Rabbi Mendy and Menucha Blank will be moving to the S. Francisco Bay area to open Chabad of Emeryville. It’s an up-and-coming commercial city, headquarters to companies like Pixar and LeapFrog, nestled between Oakland and Berkeley and directly across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Florida Rabbi Speaks on DOJ Religious Liberty Panel
Chabad's Rabbi Ruvi New shared his 10-year battle to build a synagogue at the U.S. Department of Justice event Religious Liberty: Our First Freedom and Why it Matters. Opening remarks were made by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, after which Rabbi New and a panel of religious leaders examined the state of religious justice in the United States.
Empowered to Choose, Even Behind Bars
Prison reform is a buzzword among lawmakers, but one rabbi says the impact cannot be overstated. “A prisoner’s existence is painful, but these guys are on fire with the idea that by looking for opportunities to give they can choose to live.”
By Ashira Weiss
Chabad on Campus Accepts ZBT Fraternity Award
Chabad on Campus International received the prestigious Richard J.H. Gottheil Award, alongside Hillel International, from the Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) fraternity on Saturday night. Zeta Beta Tau is the world’s oldest Jewish fraternity.
By Ashira Weiss
First Chabad for Singer Island
It’s a long way from Sweden’s cold winters where Rabbi Berel Namdar grew up. He and his wife Tzivia, originally from Tennessee, are moving to Singer Island, Florida, where they will be opening Chabad of Singer Island and the Beaches, the 18th center in the Palm Beach area.
Auschwitz, The Polin Museum, The Chabad Tent
When was the last time Jews sparred over Talmudic arguments in Polish? Thousands of visitors encountered this scene in April, awed to discover that "faith didn't die in the Auschwitz" (Nissen Mangel). Judaism in Poland is alive and thriving. Baila Olidort, Director of Communications at Chabad-Lubavitch HQ, reflects on a visit to Poland...
Photo & Video
Kinus
Mitzvahs at the ADL Never Is Now Summit in New York City
Kinus
As 90,000 fans descend on Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for this year’s Super Bowl, Chabad is welcoming hundreds of Jewish visitors with kosher food, prayer services, and mitzvah opportunities throughout the weekend.
Kinus
New Chabad Center in Buckeye — The Gateway to Arizona’s West
Kinus
Chabad Young Professionals Rabbis Gather For Convention in Raleigh
Kinus
Texas Chabad Brings Aid To Flood Victims
Kinus
Chabad Brings Kosher Food To Wimbeldon
Kinus
Hundreds of young Dallas Jewish professionals joined Shabbat 500, an annual project of the Intown Chabad.
Kinus
Holocaust Survivor Margot Friedlander was laid to rest after her passing at 103.


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