Counted & Blessed

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As soon as we got into the car, the Rebbe expressed concern. Might the photographer have been offended by his blessing? After all, the Rebbe said, she wasn’t Jewish, and she would not be celebrating Rosh Hashanah as her new year. The Rebbe suggested that I call Mr. Goldman and ask him to explain to Ms. Washington that on the Jewish New Year we pray for all of humanity.

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Jewish Children Put War Out of Mind at Camp Gan Israel — Kharkiv, Ukraine

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For children from the beleaguered city of Kharkiv, near the border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine, the sounds of war have been a part of their lives for more than 18 months. But this summer, Kharkiv’s Jewish children were able to put the trauma, pain and loss aside for a few weeks and join Camp Gan Israel — just like Jewish kids around the world do.

The Kharkiv Jewish Community — led by Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz — partnered with the Jewish Relief Network Ukraine (JRNU) to overcome the practical and logistical hurdles inherent in creating a summer camp in the middle of a war zone.

Parents found out about the camp as they ventured from their homes to pick up the aid packages provided by Chabad-Lubavitch and JRNU. Children brought their friends — for many of whom this was the first time they learned about their Jewish heritage. 

The campers enjoyed two fun-filled weeks of swimming, sports, study, and crafts. They went bowling and played laser tag. They went rowing and horseback riding. They visited an amusement park and an escape room. They helped pack and deliver humanitarian aid packages for local residents. And they baked challah, prayed each day, and studied Torah.

For those few weeks, the sights and sounds of war were almost forgotten as the children enjoyed a genuine Jewish day camp experience, despite everything.

And on the last day of camp, they paused for reflection. They wrote letters to be sent to the Ohel — the gravesite of the Rebbe — asking for a blessing for peace and an end to the destruction they have witnessed. 

City Names Street “Chabad Way,” Recognizing Chabad at University of Illinois’ 20-Year-Anniversary

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When the 4,000 or so Jewish students who call the University of Illinois home walk down Armory Ave. in Champaign, Illinois, they’ll notice a new sign up among the fraternities and sororities that dot the street. 

That’s because the City of Champaign’s City Council recently voted to rename the stretch of Armory Ave. that runs past the Chabad House to “Honorary Chabad Way,” recognizing the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Living at U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, directed by Rabbi Dovid and Goldie Tiechtel. 

In the years since it was founded, the Illini Chabad Center, as it’s often referred to, has grown in leaps and bounds. Back in 2017, they opened a hospitality house for students and their families, and more recently, they opened university-affiliated Jewish student housing with a full kosher meal program as they recently purchased and moved into an expansive new building on Armory Ave., right on fraternity row.  

“We are honored by this recognition and look forward to many great things ahead,” said Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel, “We are excited to welcome back the thousands of students to campus and Chabad way. As we enter our third decade, look out for many more amazing things to come! We are just beginning!”