Missionaries Enter 770, Trigger Response From Rabbonim

by Yosef Yitzchak Kratz

In the past few hours, a group of missionaries entered the 770 Shul wearing missionary and Christian symbols. They asked to put on Tefillin — while photographing and documenting the entire event.

It is important to understand that this is a well-known missionary tactic. They seek to create photos and publicity portraying themselves as supposedly connected to Judaism and its Mitzvos, thereby attempting to legitimize their belief in oso ha’ish and, Rachmana litzlan, draw unsuspecting Jews into the net of shmad.

When I approached them and asked them to leave, several bochurim wondered: Perhaps they are Jewish, and if so, shouldn’t they be allowed to put on Tefillin?

I therefore wish to make the following clear, in accordance with the instructions of the Rabbonim of the neighborhood:

As long as they are wearing Christian or missionary symbols, they should not be welcomed or assisted in putting on Tefillin as part of this activity. Their intention is to exploit this holy Mitzvah for missionary propaganda and, apparently, to associate the Mitzvah of Tefillin itself with their false beliefs, Rachmana litzlan.

Even after removing those symbols, they must not be given any opportunity to photograph, document, or publicize the event in any way that could serve their missionary activities. The purpose of such publicity is to create the false impression that their beliefs can somehow coexist with Judaism and the observance of Mitzvos, thereby misleading Jews, Rachmana litzlan.

We must distance ourselves completely from them and their missionary activities. If, chas v’shalom, they enter our premises for missionary purposes, they should be instructed to leave.

This is not the first time they have used this tactic. On several occasions, they have attempted to be photographed supposedly participating in Jewish practices in order to create a misleading impression and give legitimacy to their belief in oso ha’ish.

With the Tefillah and Bitachon that we merit, Teikef U’Miyad Mamash, the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu — the true and only Moshiach, when Hashem will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth, “and the idols shall be utterly destroyed,” with the true and complete Geulah, Teikef U’Miyad Mamash.

At the Ends of the Earth: Mehadrin Honey and the “Land of Memory” Initiative in the Jewish Autonomy

In the Russian Far East, approximately 7,000 kilometers from the capital city of Moscow, lies the Birobidzhan region. This vast area, located near the Chinese border, was established about ninety years ago as a “Jewish Autonomy,” yet authentic Judaism only began to flourish there in recent decades. Today, thanks to the dedication of the shluchim of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, this artificial vision has transformed into a vibrant, living Jewish reality. The active community, situated in a strategic location, is making the spiritual wasteland bloom and cultivating a fascinating mosaic of a complete Jewish life—from the meticulous observance of halacha, through Torah growth, to deep community involvement in the residents’ lives ahead of the New Year.

This awakening reached its peak last year when the community was privileged to welcome its very own Torah scroll to the local synagogue for the first time. The shliach and Mara D’Asra, Rabbi Ephraim Kolpak, who navigates the community’s activities with great success, led the historic event where the city’s Jews marched through streets adorned with Yiddish signs. This spiritual momentum, developing with the encouragement and guidance of the Chief Rabbi of Russia, the Gaon Rabbi Berel Lazar, shlita, establishes a solid foundation of Jewish identity and connects the Jews of the region to their roots.

The deep connection to tradition does not stop within the walls of the synagogue; it permeates the holiday tables of the community’s families as well. As part of the preparations for a good and sweet new year, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Marzel, rabbi of the Kashrut Authority of the Chief Rabbinate of Russia (founded by the Chief Rabbi of Russia), visited the city of Obluchye in the region. He came to closely supervise the production of pure, high-quality honey, which benefits from the area’s unique climate compared to general honey production in Russia. The meticulous supervision, adhering to the highest standards, is designed to ensure strictly kosher (mehadrin) produce for Rosh Hashanah and even for Pesach, symbolizing the personalized care given to the needs of every local Jew.

Alongside the flourishing Jewish life and the preparations for the month of Tishrei, the community serves as a beacon of chessed and support in times of both routine and crisis. Evidence of its close relationship with the authorities and local society was recently seen with the agreement to establish a unique memorial complex as part of the federal “Land of Memory” project. Prior to this, during a working meeting held by the region’s governor, Ms. Kostiuk, it was agreed that the complex would preserve soil from battlefields in memory of the holy fallen, Hy”d, with the community standing as a steadfast anchor alongside the families, offering them moral support.

“These memorial spaces are necessary for families today,” noted Governor Kostiuk when summarizing the joint initiative, while expressing her gratitude for the Jewish community’s involvement. The memorial complex will serve as a source of comfort, and the community will continue to provide families with whatever assistance is required. This integration of spreading Torah, hiddur mitzvah, and social involvement proves that Jewish life in the region is currently thriving more than ever, marching confidently toward a year of growth and good tidings.

Photo: Community Spokesperson

At CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin, Campers Make Judaism Part of the Fun

Ask any of the nearly 100 boys who spent their summer at CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin what camp was like, and you’ll get the answer every parent hopes for: “It was a blast! I had the best summer of my life!”

And there was no shortage of reasons why. 

Throughout the nearly month-long session, campers took part in a packed schedule of activities both on and off the campgrounds. They created woodworking masterpieces, competed in sports leagues, challenged themselves on the high and low ropes courses, raced go karts, played mini golf, and spent plenty of time swimming in the Olympic sized pool on the campgrounds. 

Beyond the daily activities, the session was filled with special experiences that gave campers plenty to look forward to. Senior division campers enjoyed an overnight trip to Devil’s Lake for camping and rock climbing, and the full camp gathered for a Fourth of July bonfire and Havdalah under the stars.  Night activities added another layer of excitement, ending the day with activities campers would sum up as  simply “epic!”

Together, these experiences helped create the kind of summer that leaves campers counting down the days until they can return the following year. 

“We work all year to make sure CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin is a place where, from the moment our campers arrive, they are taken in by the infectious positive energy of the camp environment,” said Mrs. Misia Cohen, director of camp operations at CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin. “We want it to be a place where every child has the opportunity to grow, thrive and flourish, develop a strong sense of Jewish pride, build lasting friendships, have fun and create memories that will last a lifetime.” 

But woven through all of it, so naturally that the boys themselves barely noticed it happening, was something else. Something deeper.

For many of these boys, camp is the one time all year they are surrounded by other Jewish kids. Many spend their school year as the only Jewish child in their class, without a Jewish day school or Jewish friends nearby. Campers come from places as far away as Hawaii, as close to home as small cities in Wisconsin, and everywhere in between!

So when Judaism shows up at camp, it does not feel like a separate lesson. It becomes part of the experience itself. 

That idea was brought to life Midway through the summer when the camp marked a Siyum HaShas made by Rabbi Shapiro himself after completing the full cycle of Talmud study. The celebration was all games and music, and every boy walked away with his own CKids Siddur.

That’s when things started happening on their own.

Counselors noticed boys flipping through their siddurim, looking for the right bracha to make. At a local 7-Eleven, campers began pausing before their first sip of a slushie to check which bracha applied, without anyone telling them to. 

“By the second week, boys were reminding each other to make a bracha before eating,” said Motty Gorman, the camp’s head of staff. “Nobody had to tell them.”

And then there were the yarmulkas and tzitzis. By midsummer, the boys were not just wearing them out of routine. They wore them with the kind of pride a kid might have in wearing a favorite team’s jersey. 

Rabbi Avremi Shapiro, the camp director, said that was exactly the point. “The goal is to give the children the best camp experience possible, with sports, trips, activities and everything that makes summer special. But it is also important that they experience Judaism not only as information being taught, but as something that becomes part of how they live.” 

That same enthusiasm showed up during Torah time, the camp’s daily learning session built around the CKids Camp Curriculum. It created an environment that was less like a classroom lesson and more like a conversation, connected to whatever the boys were already doing that day. 

It became so second nature that near the end of camp, staff found themselves with an unplanned half hour after the boys finished packing. Someone jokingly suggested squeezing in one more Torah time.

The room cheered.

It was a small moment, but one that means everything. Boys who came into camp knowing the basics left camp actively looking for more, with not only excitement and Jewish pride, but a real enthusiasm for practical mitzvos. 

Ten year old Elay, originally from Israel, did not hesitate when asked what he loved most about his summer: “I loved Torah time and the farbrengens!”

Near the close of camp, each boy wrote a letter to be left at the Rebbe’s Ohel. One camper needed help getting started and asked his counselor for a hand. When he finished, he asked if he could add just one more line.

“Thank you, Rebbe,” he wrote, “for the summer.”

Learn more: www.ckidsganisraelwi.com

Rabbi B. to Headline the Annual One Crown Heights FestivalA Celebration of Community, Culture, and Connection

The  Annual One Crown Heights Festival returns on Sunday, August 16, from 12:00–5:00 PM on Park Place between Brooklyn and Kingston Avenues, bringing neighbors together for an afternoon celebrating the vibrant diversity, culture, and spirit of Crown Heights.

This free, family-friendly festival will feature:

– Live music, headlined by children’s favorite Rabbi B., singing kids’ classics

– Roller skating

– A coached basketball tournament and clinic

– Free admission to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum

– A local artists market

– Opportunities to connect with neighborhood organizations

– Hands-on activities and fun for all ages

Organized by the One Crown Heights Coalition, the festival is a collaboration of neighborhood nonprofit organizations, community leaders, elected officials, and residents dedicated to building a stronger, more connected Crown Heights.

Coalition members include The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Community Conversations & Collaboration, Inc., Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC), Crown Heights Local Development Corporation, Crown Heights North Association, Epic Village Community Development, Friends of Brower Park, JCRC-NY, Jewish Children’s Museum, Save Our Streets (SOS/NIA), the 67th Precinct Community Council, the 71st Precinct Community Council, the 77th Precinct Community Council, and UJA-Federation of New York.

One Crown Heights is funded in part by the NYC Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes.

The festival showcases the people, cultures, and partnerships that make Crown Heights one of Brooklyn’s most dynamic and welcoming neighborhoods.

Community organizations, artists, and local businesses are invited to participate, table, or become festival sponsors. For more information, email [email protected], visit onecrownheights.com  or follow @och_festival

The Case against Cremation and for Traditional Burial – A Timely and Urgent Resource for Every Jewish Community

In recent years, a troubling and deeply concerning trend has emerged: too many Jews are choosing cremation without fully understanding its implications for the Torah, Jewish tradition, and eternal Jewish values. What may seem like a modern or convenient choice is, in fact, a decision with profound spiritual consequences.

My new booklet, The Case Against Cremation and for Traditional Burial, offers a clear, powerful, and accessible response to this growing crisis. Born of my own observations and reinforced by communal leaders’ concerns, it brings together key articles and teachings into a compact yet impactful publication that speaks directly to one of the most urgent issues facing the Jewish community today.

The pressure to normalize cremation is real. Nationally, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to be 63.4 percent in 2025, while burial is projected at 31.6 percent. Within parts of the Jewish community, cremation rates are already above 40 percent nationally and appear to exceed 50 percent in South Florida.

Those numbers should alarm every Jew who cares about tradition, continuity, and the honor owed to the dead. The issue is not only that cremation is becoming more common; it is that its spread has blurred the line between what is fashionable and what is permitted. Jewish law is unequivocal: the dead must be buried in the earth, and cremation is forbidden.

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, addressed this issue with extraordinary force. He wrote that the body retains a kind of life after the soul departs, and that some aspect of the soul remains attached to the body until decomposition is complete. Therefore, one who orders cremation is, in effect, agreeing to burn not only the body but also part of one’s own soul. The Rebbe called it “an act of unparalleled cruelty.” These are not words to be taken lightly. They reveal the deep spiritual gravity of this matter and the urgency of educating our people before irreversible decisions are made.

I also included two chapters: one on God as the sustaining source of all existence, uniting the physical and spiritual and deepening faith and trust; and another on gratitude as a central Jewish practice that turns both joy and hardship into greater awareness of God, purpose, and blessing.

This booklet is offered at a discount because the goal is impact, not profit. For 25 or more copies, the price is only $4.99 per copy, plus shipping and handling. It is ideal for Chabad Houses, shuls, outreach programs, and community centers, especially as the High Holidays approach and people reflect on life, death, legacy, and eternity.

The response has already been phenomenal. People are often surprised by what they learn, and once they understand the issue, many reconsider their decisions. In several cases, individuals changed their minds about cremation and influenced others to do the same. A single booklet can spark a chain reaction of awareness, responsibility, and renewal.

This is more than a booklet. It is an opportunity to protect Jewish dignity, preserve sacred tradition, and help ensure that others do not make a life-altering decision out of ignorance.

Now, before the High Holydays, is the best time to stock up and make this resource available where and when it can do the most good.

Let us pray that we soon see “awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust” (Isaiah 26:19), our expression of ultimate hope, comfort, and faith in the future resurrection of the dead and the coming of Moshiach.

www.rabbishlomoezagui.com
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/shlomo-ezagui/

To order 25 or more copies at the bulk price of $4.99 per copy, plus shipping and handling, please contact me at [email protected]

Shop on Amazon        https://a.co/d/0fzkkYaa

New Youth Center and Mikvah for Thornhill’s Russian Jewish Community

by Leibel Kahan – Lubavitch.com

In the 1950s, Chaya Esther Zaltzman traveled 36 hours by train each way — every month — from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to reach a mikvah in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Her husband, Rabbi Chaim Dovber (Berel) Zaltzman, eventually built a mikvah of their own, a pit dug in secret under Soviet rule.

On Sunday, August 2, their grandson — Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman — led the dedication and mezuzah ceremony for the Kholodenko, Murad, and Ressin JRCC Youth Centre, Library, and Mikva in Thornhill, Ontario — a house adjacent to the main synagogue of the Jewish Russian Community Centre of East Thornhill. The event, which drew hundreds for dinner, music, and celebration, marked the formal completion of a project years in the making.

Netanel Sakovitch, a community member who was born in Kherson, Ukraine, and attended Chabad programs in Israel before settling in Thornhill, said the building serves a need he didn’t have as a child. “When I was growing up, places like this didn’t quite exist,” he said. His four daughters now use the library weekly. “The new center covers all the generations — the library for the kids, the after-school for the young ones, and the mikvah for the adults.”

The JRCC was founded in Toronto in 1980 by Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak Zaltzman, who was sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to serve what was then roughly a thousand Russian Jewish families. Today, the organization operates a network of community centers, Hebrew schools, and programs serving an estimated 50,000 Russian-speaking Jews across the Greater Toronto Area — a community shaped by decades of Soviet-era suppression of Jewish life. Rabbi Mendel, Rabbi Yoseph’s son, opened the East Thornhill branch in 2005. For the first decade, the community operated out of rented spaces. In 2015, they moved into a permanent home.

In December 2020, the property next door came up for sale. The JRCC bought the standalone house and began a phased renovation. The lending library — Shloimele’s Library, named for the Zaltzmans’ late son, Meir Shlomo — moved in first in 2021. The mikvah, a ritual bath, was completed in 2023. Hebrew school and youth programming followed.

The library now circulates 20,000 books a year — and that number is growing annually. It also serves as the Canadian partner for a program that ships Jewish children’s books to Chabad emissaries nationwide. The lower level houses a mikvah and a guest suite; upstairs, a youth center, three classrooms, and an outdoor sukkah that seats 120.

The building is named for three donor families: Kholodenko, Ressin, and Murad. Weeks before the dedication, Rabbi Berel Zaltzman passed away at 91. Rabbi Mendel dedicated the mikvah to his grandfather’s memory. In the USSR, his grandfather had built one in secret. In Thornhill, this one has his name on it.

INBOX: Why I Will Never Shame A Child

by someone who grew up with a lot of shame

My father made a stern face, turned to me, and said, “If you continue being so big, you will need to buy two seats on the airplane.”

Yes, my weight was more than average. But why was I overweight? I think I was overeating because I was suffering from pain and shame.

My father was frightened that I might grow up being more husky than he had envisioned. In an attempt to scare me into losing weight, he told me that I would eventually have to buy two seats on an airplane.

At the time, I felt tremendous guilt, shame, and even fear. My body froze. I felt the blood rushing to my face. But because my father was caught up in his own fear, he didn’t notice what was happening inside of me.

I don’t think he intended to hurt me. He was worried about me. He wanted what he thought was best for his child.

But good intentions don’t always prevent us from hurting someone.

And honestly, I am not exempt from shaming others either**. I learned this lesson not only from being on the receiving end of shame, but also from a time when I made a mistake myself.**

Once, I was substituting for a class and felt that I had no control over the students. I picked on one boy and said, “Where did you learn to act this way? Is this how your parents act in your house?”

And guess what?

The boy stopped misbehaving.

It looked great.

But to my dismay, I later discovered the terrible mistake I had made. I had gotten the child to behave, but I had also shamed him terribly.

In this boy’s home, he didn’t even have two parents. His parents were separated.

I felt terrible.

Without making a big discussion about it, I patiently looked him in the eyes and asked him for forgiveness before Yom Kippur.

That experience taught me something important: Just because a damaging method works it doesn’t mean that it is the right thing. No, I shouldn’t have said what I said. And if I had no healthy way to get him to calm down, then, if there was no danger, perhaps I should have said nothing to him or perhaps sent him out of class rather than inflicting shame.

Unfortunately, my experience was not unique. I have also witnessed what happens when shame becomes a primary tool of discipline.

Most principals I know are truly amazing, kind people who are skilled at their jobs. There was one exception.

I once knew a principal who seemed to have complete control when he spoke. When a boy would speak, he would immediately respond with a quick shaming remark and a humiliating demeanor.

It worked.

The boys became quiet as soon as he spoke.

But what was really happening?

The boys in the room felt unsafe. Every student knew that if he disturbed, he could be shouted at and publicly humiliated. They felt that there was no sensitivity. Just control.

It was difficult to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with the principal’s behavior. He wasn’t necessarily using terrible words. But every boy could feel it.

It was in the tone.

It was in the volume.

It was in the lack of hesitation to embarrass a child in front of everyone.

Honestly, I have pity for that man. His primary tool for discipline was shame.

Had he had other tools, he would have been able to build the boys rather than crush them. But tragically, he never learned that there were healthier ways to accomplish the same goal.

A child can be sent out and spoken to privately. It may be harder for the principal or teacher, but it can be much healthier for the student.

A child can receive a consequence without being intimidated.

And a child can be disciplined without being made to feel worthless.

This brings me back to another personal experience. I remember how my father once secretly filmed me in shul and later showed me the video of my disastrous davening—how I was walking around and not focused. He had good intentions. He wanted me to improve my davening. Just as he wanted me to lose weight.

But I didn’t experience his intentions.

I experienced the shame.

I felt like a dirty piece of cloth. I felt like garbage that could be thrown out without any care or dignity.

Those experiences have shaped the way I look at parenting and discipline today.

The lessons I learned from both my painful experiences as a child and my experiences as an adult are the following.

If a child is more on the heavier side, that’s okay. That doesn’t make a child less precious. If you are struggling to make peace with your child’s weight, speak to a mentor or someone you trust. Find a way to love your child no less simply because he or she is a little huskier than you had imagined.

And if you feel that your child is overeating and that this may be contributing to the child’s weight, try to understand what might be behind the eating.

Does the child need more love?

More quality time with the parents?

More stimulation?

Could the child need help building friendships and feeling better about himself or herself?

There may be something underneath the behavior that needs attention.

And yes, if you want your child to eat healthier, you don’t need to embarrass the child. You can fill the house with delicious fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods. Make the healthy choices appealing and available.

Don’t say, “Look how much you’re eating.”

You can simply make healthier food the natural choice.

And if you want your child to daven better, catch the child doing something good.

Compliment him.

Build his confidence.

Tell him how good he is.

When a child has a positive image of himself, you can tell him how precious his davening is to Hashem—and he is much more likely to believe that his davening has value.

I am not saying that you should be as soft as a reed with your children.

Children need boundaries. They need guidance. Sometimes they need to be told firmly that something they did was wrong.

But there is a tremendous difference between saying:

“You are good, and I see that you made a mistake and something wrong.”

or saying:

“Now that you did something wrong, you have less value.”

The first builds a child.

The second may eventually wound a child.

May we all merit to experience the time when there will be Jewish pride in its fullest, with the coming of Moshiach and the Geulah, today.

Powerball Edges Closer to $1 Billion — The Biggest of the Year

New York Post

The Powerball jackpot edged closer to $1 billion, the largest prize of the year, after no one won Monday night’s lottery drawing.

Wednesday’s jackpot is estimated at $975 million, with a cash value of $422.3 million — making it the largest Powerball jackpot this year, and the biggest since last December’s colossal $1.817 billion prize.

The prize is also the eighth-largest in Powerball history.

Gan Menachem Montreal Boys Excel in Special Beis Habechirah Program

In honor of 50 years since the Rebbe introduced the special initiative to learn Hilchos Beis Habechirah during the Three Weeks, a special Beis Habechirah program was launched this summer for boys ages eight and up.

The goal of the program was for the boys to finish the summer, being knowledgeable about the Beis Hamikdash.

Each week, the boys received multiple-choice worksheets focusing on a different section of the Beis Hamikdash. At the end of class each day, the Rebbi showed them a 3D video model of the Beis Hamikdash. As they watched closely and learned about the different details presented, the boys simultaneously circled the correct answers on their worksheets. At the end of each week, the completed worksheets were collected.

In the first week of the program over seventy boys participated. As a reward for their efforts, special Rebbe pictures were given out for the boys to add to their personal Camp Rebbe albums. The albums were dedicated לעילוי נשמת הרב צמח יוסף יצחק בן ר’ יהושע, Rabbi Wilansky A”H, one of the founders of our camp.

The excitement continued throughout the following weeks. In the second week, participating boys received delicious popsicles, and by the third week, they were treated to a special ice cream party!

In addition, an Iyun track was offered for boys who wanted to take their learning even further. These boys took a written test each Friday on the material they had learned that week. In recognition of their extra effort and dedication, they were treated to a special pizza lunch.

Seeing so many boys enthusiastically invested in learning Hilchos Beis Habechirah and deepening their knowledge of the Beis Hamikdash, surely brought the Rebbe tremendous Nachas!

A special thank you to HC Rabbi Mendy Berkowitz for designing and leading the Beis Habechirah program this summer.
Special thank you to our on-site directors, Rabbi Shmuel Vaisfische and Rabbi Moshe Berkowitz, and to all of our dedicated Rebbis and staff for a successful summer in Camp Gan Menachem.

Outskirts Of Crown Heights Gets Relief From Alternate Side Parking — What About The Jewish Section Of The Neighborhood?

by a Crown Heights Car Owner

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has launched a seven-week Alternate Side Parking (ASP) pilot program in portions of North/West Crown Heights and Prospect Heights, a predominantly white neighborhood, reducing street cleaning regulations from twice a week to only once a week on participating streets.

According to NYC Council Member Crystal Hudson, the pilot program comes after years of hearing from local constituents on those affected blocks which are located near Washington Avenue just past Crown Heights, who allegedly questioned whether twice-weekly Alternate Side Parking was necessary for them.

The pilot, which already began on August 3, will test whether those streets can remain just as clean while easing the burden on the local residents. However, an overwhelmingly majority of residents in that yuppie enclave are pro permanent “open streets for pedestrians” and “anti-cars,” making one wonder the urgency of the requests in that specific portion of the neighborhood which despises all vehicles.

If successful, the program could become permanent and even serve as a model for other neighborhoods and council districts.

The announcement, however, has raised questions among many in parts of nearby Crown Heights North, a predominantly black neighborhood, which is represented under the very same city council district, vehicle owners question why they are deliberately left out and wonder why their neighborhood was not included in the pilot despite facing similar concerns.

For years, drivers in Crown Heights have dealt with the same challenges of finding parking, moving vehicles multiple times each week, and receiving costly parking tickets.

As well in Crown Heights South, which is a diverse and multicultural neighborhood where the Jewish and African American residents beautifully live side by side as one united community. Local leaders say that back when Councilwoman Crystal Hudson was initially elected and there was a much better _Shprach_between the newly elected Crown Heights council member and the Jewish community before she publicly became “Pro-Palestine” following the terrorist attacks by Gazans on October 7th. Askanim pointed out then to Councilwoman Hudson that most of residential New York City streets along with all other Brooklyn Jewish communities only have one day a week Alternate Side Parking and if those locations can perfectly manage with street cleaning once a week—so can we.

Askanim additionally noted that the Alternate Side Parking regulations on Friday which heavily interferes and overlaps with the community-wide early school dismissal of 14,850 students across all Chabad yeshivas of all age gaps. Buses coincide with the busy weekly Erev-Shabbos end of school rush, creating havoc, tension, drama and sometimes even road range incidents and arguments between bus drivers, parents picking up their children, and local neighboring residents in front of and near nearly every single Crown Heights Yeshiva and local Jewish school.

Ironically on the select Fridays that are ‘legal holidays’ in which Alternate Side Parking is suspended, even with all the yeshiva buses and parent vehicular pickups, the roads of the Shchunah are quiet, calm, relaxed and the neighborhood is peaceful. It’s a completely different experience for all those that live and work nearby both Jewish and Non-Jewish locals alike near each and every Yeshiva compared to most other Fridays when there are sanitation street sweepers aggressively honking, along with DSNY and NYPD traffic vehicles double parking blocking traffic so they can ticket those that parked in regular parking spots for two minutes to pickup their young children from school.

Askanim have repeatedly asked council members Crystal Hudson, Rita Joseph, and other local elected officials to advocate on behalf of their constituents to City Hall and to DSNY to discuss having one day a week of Alternate Side Parking. Community leaders expressed that if they doesn’t want to help and that if the neighborhood will be stuck with twice weekly Alternate Side Parking on each side of the road, then if the councilwoman can at the bare minimum at least request that the Friday Alternate Side Parking street cleaning permanently be switched to another day during the week to avoid the weekly Friday chaos—however, Crown Heights representatives have been waiting over four years for a response, to no avail.

If reducing Alternate Side Parking is worth testing in Prospect Heights, vehicle owners are asking whether Crown Heights should also be given the opportunity to participate in a similar pilot. Residents deserve to know what criteria were used to select the pilot area which consist predominantly of white residents, and whether surrounding neighborhoods—including the African American, Caribbean, Black, Brown and Jewish communities in Crown Heights will receive the same consideration.

In a message to the local elected officials, a member of anash said: “The noticeable disaster burdening the entire neighborhood each Friday afternoon during school dismissal of thousands of students can be avoided and fixed with two simple words “Common Sense.” Switch the Friday ASP (alternative side parking) to mid-week, or to remove the Friday ASP and have only one-day street cleaning each week instead—like nearly the entire Queens, Staten Island along with large swaths of Brooklyn and The Bronx which already have.”

“The combination of heavy neighborhood traffic on Friday’s, limited parking, schools buses and cars picking up our dear and precious yeshiva students along with the need at the very same time to move vehicles for Alternate Side Parking creates bumper-to-bumper grid lock congestion across the Shchunah and added stress to each and every resident both Jewish and Non-Jewish alike, even to those that are walking and  witness the streets and atmosphere their community declining.”

Residents also highlighted the fact that near many of the local dangerous buildings in the center of Crown Heights which generally have loitering, hangouts and drug-usage outside, along with most of the homeless shelters on the outskirts of Crown Heights, there are many abandoned vehicles left rotting for months and that if the local elected officials are even remotely serious about having “clean streets” in their district they would facilitate the removal of those abandoned vehicles which is another issue that constituents feel their concerns are actively being ignored.

As the pilot moves forward, many Crown Heights residents will be watching closely to see whether City Hall and the Department of Sanitation ultimately decides to expand the program to ensure that all communities are evaluated fairly.

Threat Prompts Evacuation of Chabad at the Shore in Ventnor

Chabad at the Shore in Ventnor was evacuated Monday after the Chabad building received a threatening message, prompting an immediate response from local law enforcement.

The incident occurred while a day camp was being held at the Chabad facility, according to the organization. Police responded quickly and evacuated the building as a precaution while officers conducted a search of the premises and surrounding area.

No suspicious items or other issues were found during the search, and authorities said there did not appear to be any immediate danger to the building or the community.

The specific nature of the threat has not been released, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Chabad at the Shore expressed its appreciation to the Ventnor Police Department for its swift response and assistance in ensuring the safety of the children and staff.

“We are grateful to the Ventnor Police for their quick response,” Chabad at the Shore said in a statement. “We will continue to remain vigilant and strengthen our security measures to protect our community.”

Chabad at the Shore, located on the Jersey Shore, provides Jewish educational, religious and community programming for local residents and visitors. The organization has been active in serving the Jewish community in the Ventnor and Atlantic City area.

The incident comes as Jewish communities and Chabad institutions across the country continue to maintain heightened awareness of security concerns. While no immediate danger was found in Monday’s incident, the evacuation underscores the importance of vigilance and appropriate security measures at Jewish institutions.

Information to be Menachem Avel Mendel Meijers

Mendel Meijers will be sitting Shiva in Crown Heights following the passing of his mother Mrs. Miriam Meijers OBM.

Shiva will take place at 591 Crown Street:

Shacharis: 9:00pm

Micha: 7:45pm

Maariv: 8:30pm

Mendel will be getting from Shiva after Shacharis on Thursday.

YEKA Boys’ Jewish Summer Camp Marks Its Largest and Longest Season Yet

This year’s YEKA Jewish summer program for boys brought together more than 160 children from over 20 cities and villages across Ukraine for 21 days of learning, friendship and adventure in the Carpathian Mountains. The largest YEKA boys’ program to date, the camp was built around the theme of growth—encouraging every child to grow personally, strengthen his connection with Hashem and become a more thoughtful and caring person.

More than 40 staff members, including administrators, directors, teachers, counselors and a Chassidic mashpia, worked together to create an exciting and meaningful summer experience for the Jewish children of Ukraine who are suffering from the ongoing crisis and tension. The camp was divided into three age-appropriate divisions—the main camp, Masmidim and the oldest CIT group—each with its own schedule, activities and trips.

The expansive campus offered ample space for sports and outdoor exploration, with three football fields, two lakes, fishing areas, a horse paddock with four horses and a full petting zoo. Special excursions included an exhilarating jeep trip through the mountains, while Activity Director Mottel Kleiman organized a packed schedule of creative programs, competitions and memorable events.

Jewish learning remained at the heart of the camp experience. The boys studied at least twice each day in carefully prepared classes led by a professional team of teachers. Head Counselor Chaim Kremer spent six months developing the camp’s educational curriculum and Tzivos Hashem program, ensuring that the spiritual side of camp was engaging and relevant to every age group. The program was one of the summer’s greatest successes, leading campers to expand their Jewish knowledge and take positive actions, such as caring for friends and helping others.

A typical camp day began with the optional “Cocoa Club,” where early risers gathered in a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy hot cocoa, a snack and inspiring stories. The entire camp then came together for lineup, where the boys sang and danced with their bunks, recited the Twelve Pesukim and raised the camp flag.

During prayer services, each bunk prayed in a designated area, allowing counselors to help the boys develop a more personal connection to prayer. Breakfast followed and was prepared by a specialized chef who provided plentiful and delicious meals throughout the program. The campers then began another full day of learning, sports and activities.

The program was directed by Levi Berger and Mendel Goodman, with David and Liora Vaskovsky serving as administrators. Rabbi Daniel Lenau served as the mashpia for the CIT division. Head counselors included Yasha Lerner, Chaim Kremer, Yasha Yakimenko, Yitzi Strasberg, Shloimy Ulman and Leibel Lipsker. Mottel Klein served as actvity director.

YEKA expresses its gratitude to its sponsors and donors from around the world, whose generosity made the expanded program possible, as well as to JRNU and Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm for their continued support.

The record-breaking summer gave the Jewish boys of Ukraine a special opportunity to return home stronger in their Jewish identity, enriched by new friendships and inspired to continue growing throughout the year.

How to Reduce Kids’ Screen Time Without the Tears

by Chana Kaiman, LCSW-RPT

It’s 6:15 pm on a Tuesday. Dinner’s on the stove, your phone is buzzing with a message from your sister, and your six-year-old is curled into the couch cushions, eyes locked on a tablet, completely somewhere else. You call her name once. Twice. Nothing. On the third try, you finally reach over and turn it off, and the sound that comes out of her could wake the whole block.

If you know this moment, you are not failing. You are parenting in 2026.

Every family on this block, from the brownstones on Union to the buildings on Nostrand, is fighting some version of this same battle. The tablets, the phones, the shows that autoplay one episode into the next like they were designed to never let go, because they were. Screens aren’t competing fairly for your child’s attention. They’re built by very smart people whose whole job is to make sure your kid doesn’t want to look away.

So no, this isn’t about willpower. It’s about strategy, and it’s about remembering what screens replaced in the first place: real conversation, real boredom that turns into real imagination, real hands doing real things alongside the people who love them. Here’s how Crown Heights parents are taking their evenings back and building a fuller, richer family life in the space that opens up.

Start With Connection, Not Confrontation

Ms. D. who’s raised three kids in the same Crown Heights apartment for almost twenty years, put it simply: “You can’t fight a screen with a rule. You have to fight it with something better.”

Kids don’t cling to screens because they love screens. They cling because screens are easy. No waiting, no negotiating, no boredom. If you want your child to let go of the tablet, you need to offer something that feels just as good, or better: your attention.

Before the transition even starts, get down on their level for two minutes. Ask about their day. Make eye contact. This isn’t a delay tactic, it’s the foundation. A child who feels seen is far more willing to be redirected than a child who feels ignored and then suddenly interrupted.

Give the Warning Before the Ending

Nobody likes being cut off mid-sentence, kids included. The tears often aren’t about the screen itself. They’re about the abruptness.

Try a twostep warning. “Five more minutes, then we’re done.” Then, a little later, “One more minute, let’s find a good stopping point.” Letting them choose where to stop, at the end of the show or the end of the level, hands them a small piece of control. And small pieces of control go a long way toward avoiding a full-blown standoff.

Fill the Space with Real Life

Taking something away and leaving a void is a recipe for whining. Taking something away and filling that space with real connection, real skills, and real people is where the transformation happens. The goal isn’t just to survive the moment the screen goes off. It’s to build a home life so rich that your child stops reaching for the tablet in the first place.

Read and write together. A nightly chapter book, a shared journal where you and your child take turns writing a line each day, even just sounding out the words on a cereal box together over breakfast. These small rituals do something screens can’t. They slow down time and put you and your child in the same imaginative world at the same moment.

Let them get bored enough to play on their own. This one is hard, because the whining right before independent play kicks in can be loud. But that stretch of not knowing what to do is exactly where imagination lives. Give them a corner, a bin of open-ended toys, blocks, dolls, art supplies, and permission to be bored for a little while before you swoop in. Independent play is a muscle, and like any muscle, it only grows with use.

Bring them into the work of the house. Setting the table, folding laundry, watering the plants, helping cook dinner. These aren’t chores to a young child, they’re an invitation into the grown-up world, and kids often light up when they’re trusted with something real. It builds competence and pride in a way that no amount of screen time ever will.

Send them out to help someone else. Bringing a plate of food to a neighbor, checking in on a bubby or zaide, helping an elderly couple down the block carry their groceries up the stoop. These moments teach a child that they have something to give, not just something to consume, and they root your family in the wider community that raised you.

Protect real time together as a family. A Friday night table with the phones tucked away, a weekend walk, a standing game night. The culture of a family isn’t built in the big moments, it’s built in the small, repeated ones. The more those repeated moments happen away from a screen, the more naturally your child will come to expect that connection, not content, is where the good stuff happens.

Make It a Rhythm, Not a Rule

Kids don’t fight what they can predict. If screen time only shows up randomly, as a bribe, a babysitter, a “just this once,” every ending feels like a negotiation. But if it’s part of a known rhythm, screens after homework, off before dinner, reading before bed, the boundary starts to enforce itself.

Post it somewhere visible, like a simple chart on the fridge. When the chart says it’s time, not just mom or dad, kids are far less likely to push back. They’re arguing with a clock, not with you.

Model It

This one stings a little, but it matters most. Kids notice when the phone comes out at the dinner table. They notice when “five more minutes” applies to your screen too. You don’t need to be perfect, just visible. Narrate it out loud. “I’m putting my phone away now so we can talk.” That single sentence teaches more than any rule you could set, and it’s the same sentence that gives your child permission to put down their own screen and pick up a book, a chore, or a conversation instead.

When the Kid Isn’t Six Anymore

Everything above works beautifully for a six-year-old. A ten-year-old is a different negotiation entirely, and if you’re trying to walk back screen time that’s already become a habit, you’re not managing a moment anymore. You’re renegotiating a relationship.

A few things shift at this age. By ten, kids can reason, and they know when a rule was decided for them versus with them, so sit down together and talk about what a fair daily amount looks like, when it happens, and what has to come first, homework, chores, being outside, helping around the house. A limit your child helped build is a limit they’re far more likely to respect, even grudgingly.

Get specific about where the screens actually live. Bedrooms and mealtimes are the two biggest battlegrounds. Devices that charge overnight in the kitchen instead of the bedroom don’t just cut down on hours, they protect the sleep that screen time quietly steals. The dinner table stays a no phones zone for everyone, parents included.

Go gradual instead of cold turkey. If your ten-year-old is used to hours a day, yanking it to zero overnight almost guarantees a war. Step it down, an hour less this week, a clearer stopping point next week and use the newly opened hours for something real. A ten-year-old is old enough to babysit younger siblings for twenty minutes, run an errand for a grandparent, or take real ownership of a family project, and that sense of responsibility often does more to pull them away from a screen than any restriction could.

Talk about the why, not just when. At this age, kids can handle real conversations about sleep, mood, and what too much scrolling actually does to a brain. You don’t need to lecture. A short, honest explanation of why you’re doing this goes further with a ten-year-old than any rule posted on the fridge.

And expect pushback anyway. A ten-year-old will negotiate harder than a six-year-old ever could. That’s not defiance, that’s development. Stay warm, stay firm, and remember you’re not trying to win the argument in the moment. You’re building the habit that outlasts it.

When the Tears Come Anyway

Some days, no strategy in the world stops the meltdown, and that’s okay. A young child’s brain isn’t fully equipped to regulate disappointment yet. Stay calm, stay close, and let the feeling move through them. You’re not failing when they cry. You’re teaching them that big feelings are survivable, and that you’ll stay steady even when they can’t.

The Real Win

This isn’t about screens being evil. It’s about making sure they’re not the loudest voice in your child’s day, and about rebuilding a family culture where reading together, playing alone, helping around the house, and showing up for a neighbor all feel just as natural as reaching for a device. Every small, calm transition you handle now, the ones nobody else on the block sees, is building a kid who knows boredom isn’t dangerous, who can sit with a feeling, who knows how to give as much as they receive, and who trusts that when you say almost time, you mean it.

About the Contributor

Chana Kaiman, LCSW-RPT, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist specializing in child, adolescent, and family therapy. She holds advanced training in Child-Centered Play Therapy, Filial Play, Adlerian Play Therapy, trauma-informed care, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), and her clinical work blends neuroscience and somatics with a deeply Torah-rooted approach to emotional wellness. 

Chana serves as the Education & School Relations Lead at the Bereishis Foundation, where she develops educator training and parent programming that weave contemporary mental health practices with Chassidus-based perspectives on the inner world of the child. Her private practice in Brooklyn supports children navigating anxiety, learning challenges, trauma, behavioral concerns, and low self-esteem, and she’s known for creating a warm, relational space grounded in safety and curiosity.

The Bereishis Foundation helps families afford therapy they couldn’t otherwise access and builds proactive emotional resilience in Jewish youth, partnering with a network of therapists who lower their rates to make care possible. To learn more or support the foundation’s work, visit bereishisfoundation.org, or reach Chana directly at [email protected].

Op-Ed: Private Struggle, Public Assault – Protecting Torah Life in the Digital Age

by Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui

A troubling trend has become increasingly visible in our communities, particularly online: individuals who have chosen to leave a Torah-observant way of life are publicly expressing dissatisfaction, doubts, and rejection of Jewish belief and practice. Some posts are personal accounts of struggle. Others go much further—mocking the Torah, deriding religious Jews, glorifying transgression, and portraying the abandonment of mitzvot as a form of liberation.

We must respond to this trend with clarity, wisdom, and compassion. This is not a call to reject, humiliate, or write off any Jewish soul. Every Jew remains precious. Each person may carry pain, confusion, trauma, loneliness, intellectual questions, or a sincere search for meaning. Our obligation to care for people does not end when they disagree with us or make choices we believe are wrong.

At the same time, compassion does not mean confusion. Loving a fellow Jew does not require us to expose our children, students, or vulnerable members of the community to content that ridicules the values on which Jewish life is built, nor does it require us to give public platforms or validation to those who promote such messages. A healthy community must know how to extend a hand to the person while setting appropriate limits on harmful public influences.

In earlier generations, a person’s private struggles generally stayed private. Today, a moment of doubt, anger, rebellion, or personal change can be broadcast instantly to thousands of viewers. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube reward provocative content. The more shocking, emotional, cynical, or confrontational a video is, the more likely it is to be shared.

This creates an unhealthy incentive. A person who struggles may find that public criticism of Torah observance brings attention, affirmation, followers, and a sense of belonging. Instead of working through difficult questions with trusted teachers, family members, counselors, or mentors, the individual may be drawn into an online community that reinforces resentment and celebrates rejection.

We should not underestimate this environment’s influence. Young people, especially those who are uncertain or emotionally vulnerable, are deeply affected by what seems popular. When they see many others publicly declaring, “I left, and now I am free,” they may come to view their private questions as proof that they, too, must leave. They may mistakenly accept public figures’ claims that discipline is oppression, that commitment is weakness, and that faith is intellectually unsustainable.

This is how social influence works. People are shaped by the attitudes, language, and examples around them. A single public voice can attract others; a group can make an idea seem normal; and eventually, what was once seen as destructive can be presented as admirable. We have seen this dynamic across many areas of society, and we continue to see it. Hatred spreads when it is celebrated. Recklessness spreads when it is glamorized. Cynicism spreads when it is treated as sophistication.

The same is true of Torah values. If contempt for mitzvot, Shabbat, kashrut, modesty, family purity, and faith in Hashem is repeatedly portrayed as courageous, enlightened, or a path to fulfillment and happiness, it will influence those who have not yet developed strong roots.

There is an important parallel in the way Jews rightly respond to antisemitism. When a person is attacked merely for being Jewish, the expected reaction is to stand up against the hatred. Silence can be interpreted as acceptance. When people are allowed to humiliate Jews, deny Jewish dignity, or spread hatred without consequence, such behavior can grow and embolden others.

It is essential to distinguish between private struggle and public advocacy. When someone wrestles privately with faith, observance, identity, or personal behavior, our first response should be concern, self-reflection, and compassion. We should ask what may be contributing to the growing number of people who feel alienated from Torah life, including a lack of education, emotional support, a sense of belonging, or a safe place to raise difficult questions. Such individuals should not be treated as enemies. They deserve to be heard, supported, and helped wherever possible.

The concern I raise in this article, however, is different. It arises when private struggles become public campaigns—especially when social media is used to attack, ridicule, or falsely portray the beliefs, practices, families, and institutions of Torah-observant Jewish life. There is a significant difference between saying, “I am struggling,” and declaring that Torah is foolish, that religious Jews are members of a cult, or that abandoning mitzvot is the only path to freedom. The former calls for empathy and support; the latter demands a clear, responsible communal response. We must protect our communities from messages intended to weaken faith, normalize transgression, and influence others—particularly the young and vulnerable—to reject the sacred foundations of Jewish life.

Our response must remain principled. We should firmly oppose hatred, but never become hateful. We should defend Jewish identity, but never abandon Jewish ethics. At the same time, we must not ignore—or pretend there is no danger in—aggressive anti-Torah messaging.

The presence of public dissent should also prompt us to look inward. Why are so many people unprepared to engage with questions of faith? Why do some feel they cannot voice their doubts at home, in school, or in their communities? Why do they turn to anonymous strangers online rather than to trusted rabbanim, educators, parents, and mentors?

We cannot assume that everyone who leaves observance does so because they lack knowledge or discipline. People are complex. Some are wounded. Some have experienced hypocrisy, unhealthy pressure, loneliness, abuse, rejection, or emotional distress. Others have intellectual questions that were never taken seriously. Still others may simply be drawn to the immediate pleasures and freedoms a less disciplined lifestyle seems to offer.

Our children need more than information. They need depth. They need to understand not only what Judaism requires but also why it matters. They need to encounter the beauty, wisdom, intellectual richness, emotional strength, and spiritual power of the Torah. They need educators who are not threatened by honest questions and parents who can say, “I may not have every answer right away, but your question matters, and we will explore it together.”

A Jewish education that relies solely on habit, fear, social pressure, or external conformity may not withstand the pressures of modern life. A person needs conviction. He or she needs to know that a life of Torah is not merely a list of restrictions but a path toward purpose, self-mastery, family, community, holiness, and a relationship with Hashem.

The claim that freedom means the absence of all limits is one of the great illusions of our time. A person without discipline is not free. Often, he is controlled by impulse, appetite, fashion, approval, and desire. A society without laws does not become liberated; it becomes dangerous. A person who ignores every boundary may feel unrestricted for a moment, but eventually discovers that a life without direction can be empty.

True freedom is not the ability to do anything one wants. True freedom is the ability to become the person one is meant to be.

Our communities need a thoughtful and practical response to this challenge.

We must create environments where questions can be asked safely. Young people should never feel that uncertainty automatically makes them disloyal, defective, or beyond hope. Honest questions are not the enemy of faith. Avoided questions are far more dangerous. We should not allow social media personalities to become our children’s primary educators.

Parents and educators must actively teach digital literacy. Not every confident speaker is knowledgeable. Not every emotional personal story is a universal truth. Not every video that receives thousands of likes contains wisdom. Children and adults alike must learn to ask: Who is speaking? What is their motivation? What information is missing? Is this person seeking truth, or seeking attention?

We should support individuals who are struggling. This includes access to compassionate rabbanim, therapists, mentors, educators, and community members who know how to listen without panic or judgment. People should not be forced to choose between silence and rebellion.

For this reason, communities must set reasonable boundaries. We must be mindful not to lend support to voices that openly demean Torah observance or seek to draw others away from it. This is not a denial of anyone’s humanity. It is a recognition that influence matters, especially when children and vulnerable people are involved.

The Jewish response must include a deeper commitment to Torah, stronger faith, healthier homes, better education, more honest conversations, and greater compassion.

Those who have taken a different path are not enemies to despise. They are fellow Jews, often carrying stories we do not fully know. We should continue to care for them, pray for them, and leave open every possible path to return and healing.

But we must also be honest: public campaigns that mock the Torah and glorify the rejection of mitzvot can harm individuals and communities. We cannot be passive in the face of that influence. We should not lend such messages legitimacy by liking, sharing, praising, or promoting them. When the Torah and Torah-observant life are publicly ridiculed or misrepresented, those claims should be answered publicly—with truth, dignity, intellectual seriousness, and moral clarity, not with personal hatred or humiliation.

The answer is not to retreat, ignore the problem, or pretend it does not pose a serious challenge to our communities. The answer is to build communities that are so strong, thoughtful, warm, intellectually grounded, and spiritually alive that the empty promise of “freedom from Torah” will no longer seem compelling. Along that path, the pushback and viral attacks on all that we hold sacred must be addressed.

INBOX: 13-Story Development Planned for Crown Heights – But Who Will this Housing Serve?

A major new development planned at the corner of Troy Avenue and East New York Avenue is raising concerns among Crown Heights residents about the direction of development in the neighborhood.

Permits have been filed for a 13-story, 94-unit mixed-use building at 767 East New York Avenue, with Yonah Grunhut of Grun Group LLC listed as the developer. The project would replace the former 770 Auto, a longtime car repair and maintenance shop, with a building that will dramatically change the site and surrounding streetscape.

The proposed apartments will average approximately 561 square feet.

That number has caught the attention of local residents, particularly in a neighborhood where many families are looking for larger, family-sized apartments. Critics question whether another development dominated by smaller units will do much to address the housing needs of Crown Heights families.

Community members also say the property was sold by a Lubavitch resident who owns the neighboring ODA building to a Satmar developer from Williamsburg, and that unused development rights from the neighboring property were included in the transaction.

The development is fueling a broader conversation about whether Crown Heights is getting the kind of housing it actually needs.

Residents point to Williamsburg and ask why projects of this scale and nature appear to face a different level of community scrutiny there. Why is Crown Heights so willing to accept development that may add density without providing the family-sized housing the neighborhood needs?

There is nothing wrong with development or new housing. The issue is what is being built, who it serves and whether the existing community benefits.

A 13-story building with 94 small apartments may increase the number of housing units, but that does not automatically mean it will make housing more accessible to the families who already live in Crown Heights.

As development continues to reshape the neighborhood, residents are increasingly asking whether Crown Heights is planning its future—or simply allowing developers to determine it.

The question is no longer whether Crown Heights will grow. The question is what kind of neighborhood that growth will leave behind.

Camp L’man Achai Releases New Theme Song

As another incredible summer at Camp L’man Achai comes to a close, the camp celebrates the fun, growth, and Jewish pride created throughout the summer with the release of a brand-new original song, ‘Where I Belong.’

Created by the dedicated staff of Camp L’man Achai, this upbeat anthem tells the story of a place where every Jewish child feels that they belong, where they can thrive, build friendships, and let their Neshama shine.
From sports, trips, and activities to learning, Davening, and doing Mitzvos, Camp L’man Achai gives boys from all backgrounds the opportunity to experience the beauty of Judaism in a Torah environment while creating memories that last a lifetime.

With its catchy tune and uplifting lyrics, the song carries a powerful message for Jewish children everywhere: to connect with Jewish friends, celebrate Jewish values, and embrace their heritage. Whether in camp, at home, or beyond, the song inspires children to be proud of who they are and carry that pride with them wherever they go. Filled with summer energy and Jewish spirit, ‘Where I Belong’ captures the unforgettable experiences of Camp L’man Achai.

Now available on all streaming platforms.

Composed and produced by Moti Muchnik (Yechida Studio). Sung by CLA camper Yasha Boyarskiy.

https://24six.app/app/music/content/446319

Picture of the Day: The Mechanchim of YKP

The dedicated Mechanchim of Oholei Torah’s Yeshivas Kayitz Program gathered for a group photo at the YKP campus in Pennsylvania, representing the experienced Chinuch team that guides hundreds of Talmidim throughout the summer.

A unique strength of YKP is the presence of devoted Mechanchim on site each day, providing shiurim, farbrengens, personal guidance, and a strong Chassidishe atmosphere across all four divisions.

YKP: Rabbi Mendel Blau, Rabbi Yisroel Levertov, Rabbi Yitzchok Klein, Rabbi Sholly Weiser, Rabbi Meir Heber.

YKP Mechina: Rabbi Meir Fischer, Rabbi Osher Broh, Rabbi Yossel Gerlitzky.

YKP Mesivta: Rabbi Moshe Silman, Rabbi Zalman Laufer, Rabbi Nissan Lagziel, Rabbi Peretz Kaplan, Rabbi Zalman Gurary.

YKP Beis Medrash: Rabbi Yossi Rubashkin, Rabbi Motty Hertz, Rabbi Lipman Heller.

Together with an outstanding group of bochurim serving as counselors, learning teachers, lifeguards, and staff, they create the warm, Chassidishe and uplifting environment that defines YKP each summer.

Powerball Jackpot Swells Past $900 Million

New York Post

The Powerball jackpot has swelled past $900 million, the eighth largest payout in history — but the odds show players are more likely to be struck by lightning twice win.

The jackpot is now $905 million ahead of the next drawing Monday after no one matched all six numbers in Saturday’s drawing. The largest ever jackpot was an eye-watering $2.04 billion in 2022, with the winning ticket purchased in California.

Monday’s top prize can be paid out in 30 payments over 29 years, or be collected in a $392 million cash up front before taxes, according to Powerball.

New Mikvah Inaugurated in Almaty on Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson’s Yahrzeit

Among the many gatherings and commemorative events held in honor of the 20th of Av, the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson OBM, a new and beautifully designed mikvah was inaugurated in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The new mikvah is located on the ground floor of the residential building at the city’s Chabad Center, near the resting place of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

The ceremony was attended by David and Sofia Yakubov of Moscow, the principal donors to the project. After experiencing a deeply personal blessing connected with their visit to the holy gravesite in Kazakhstan, the couple decided to express their gratitude by supporting the construction of a new mikvah for the local Jewish community that was carried out over the past year.

The facility was named “Mikvah Chana” in memory of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, the devoted wife of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and mother of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Mr. Yakubov and his wife, Sofia, traveled to Almaty for the dedication, accompanied by Kazakhstan’s Chief Rabbi and Chabad emissary, Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen. The couple unveiled the dedication plaque and were visibly moved to see the completed facility made possible through their generosity.

They were joined by their friend, businessman and philanthropist Mr. Lev Leviev, President of Federation of the Jewish Communities (FJC), together with members of his family. Leviev was warmly welcomed by Rabbi Cohen and affixed a mezuzah at the entrance to the building.

In his remarks, Leviev spoke about the self-sacrifice shown by his mother, grandmother and generations of Jews in the former Soviet Union in preserving the mitzvah of family purity. Mr. Yakubov expressed his gratitude and joy at being able to participate in such an important communal project.

Additional mezuzahs were affixed by Almaty’s Chief Rabbi and Chabad emissary Rabbi Elchanan Cohen; Rabbi Yechezkel Lazar of Moscow, a personal friend of the donor; Rabbi Younes Hamami, Chief Rabbi of Tehran; Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Turkey and Chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States; philanthropist Rabbi Avi Shaulson; Rabbi Yossi Cohen of NY, the Cohen rabbis eldest brother; Chabad emissaries serving throughout Kazakhstan; and Adam Malashvili, gabbai of the Levi Yitzchak Synagogue.

Although functioning mikvahs already serve Almaty and other cities in Kazakhstan, the existing Almaty facility was built approximately 30 years ago. The growing needs of the community created a need for a new, modern facility. The new mikvah features a private and discreet entrance, a reception area, preparation rooms, a spacious immersion pool and additional amenities.

Addressing the donors, Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen said that the new mikvah would undoubtedly bring great spiritual satisfaction to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, Rebbetzin Chana and their son, the Rebbe. He expressed his hope that rain would soon fall and fill the mikvah’s rainwater reservoir, allowing the facility to begin serving the community immediately.

Remarkably, just after the conclusion of the official opening event, at 22:30, rain began to fall over Almaty and filled the mikvah’s reservoir. The new Mikvah Chana has now entered active use, providing an important and lasting resource for the city’s Jewish community.

BDE: Betzalel Dovid Giller, 5, OBM

by CrownHeights.info

The Chabad community in Lod is mourning the tragic passing of five-year-old Betzalel Dovid Giller, OBM, who passed away on Sunday, 26 Av, after being found unconscious inside a family vehicle.

Betzalel Dovid was the son of R’ Menashe and Chaya Giller, members of the Chabad community in Shikun Chabad in Lod.

According to reports, the family had returned home following a drive during which the young boy had fallen asleep. After the family members exited the vehicle, Betzalel Dovid remained inside.

Approximately two hours later, his father realized that his son was not in the house and returned to the vehicle, where he found the child unconscious and suffering from severe heat exposure.

Emergency responders were immediately called to the scene. The boy was found without a pulse or signs of breathing and showing symptoms of severe heatstroke. Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah personnel launched intensive resuscitation efforts at the scene before transporting him in critical condition to Shamir-Assaf Harofeh Hospital.

Despite prolonged efforts by the emergency teams and medical personnel to save his life, doctors at the hospital were ultimately forced to pronounce the young boy’s passing.

MDA EMTs Chaim Shavit and Yosef Yitzchak Sagiv described the desperate efforts to revive the child, including chest compressions and ventilation, as he was transported to the hospital in a mobile intensive care unit. United Hatzalah personnel also provided emergency treatment at the scene.

The levaya of Betzalel Dovid Giller, OBM, is scheduled to take place this evening.

Boruch Dayan Hoemes

Hoax Call For A Fire Brings the FDNY to 770 Motzei Shabbos

by CrownHeights.info

A hoax call to 911 brought firefighters into 770 Motzei Shabbos as they searched the Shul’s basement for a fire that did not exist.

The call was made around 1:45am to 911 reporting a fire in the basement of 770 Eastern Parkway, bringing multiple fire apparatus and dozens of firefighters into the main Shul. After a short search, the firefighters deemed the call a hoax and left the building.

Another fire, this one real, was extinguished last night in Crown Heights after someone lit some garbage on fire in a Crown Heights alleyway. No one was injured and the incident is reportedly not being investigated as an arson.

        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by CROWN HEIGHTS RESPONSE (@ch_response)

Historic Milestone in Jūrmala: New Chabad House Opens with City Mayor in Attendance

Hundreds of residents, Jewish community leaders and visitors gathered on Jomas Street, Jūrmala’s central pedestrian promenade, for the inauguration of the city’s first permanent Chabad House in its central district.

“Welcome to the opening of Chabad House Jūrmala!” Announced Rabbi Mendy Zilbershtrom, Chabad emissary and Rabbi in Jūrmala, Latvia, as hundreds of participants assembled around the red ribbon. The ceremony marked the opening of a permanent Jewish home that will serve local residents and the thousands of Jewish tourists who visit the Latvian resort city each year.

“This Chabad House is not simply another center. It is a home—a home for every Jew, whether a resident, traveler or tourist—and everyone will be welcomed here with love,” Rabbi Zilbershtrom said.

Rabbi Mendy and Shoshi Zilbershtrom arrived in Jūrmala approximately four years ago as emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Since then, they have significantly expanded the Jewish activities that had previously begun in the city. Their work operates under the auspices of Chabad Riga, led by Chief Chabad Emissary to Latvia Rabbi Mordechai Glazman and Rabbi Shneur Kot.

After several years of holding programs in temporary locations, the community celebrated the establishment of a permanent Chabad House in the heart of the city. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, participants entered the new building, where a mezuzah was affixed and words of blessing were delivered.

The mayor of Jūrmala, who is not Jewish, spoke warmly about his personal connection to the Rebbe and expressed his appreciation for the opening of the Chabad House on Jomas Street, one of the city’s most prominent locations. “A Chassid should be joyful,” the mayor told the gathering. “Let us say l’chaim!”

Residents and guests from Israel, the United States, Europe and other countries raised glasses in celebration of the new center. The uplifting gathering marked the realization of a long-held dream and the beginning of a new chapter for Jewish life in Jūrmala.

Rabbi Zilbershtrom thanked Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos 302 and Director of the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries, for his extensive assistance in establishing the Chabad House. He also expressed his gratitude to the Rohr family for their generous support and encouragement.

Campus Shluchos Gather in DC for First-Ever JewishU Growth Summit

Hosted by Chabad on Campus International, twenty-five Shluchos from campuses across North America came together at Chabad at American University in Washington, DC, for the first-ever JewishU Growth Summit for Shluchos.

JewishU, Chabad on Campus International’s flagship Jewish learning program, gives students a structured, incentivized learning experience, turning casual interest into consistent learning. For many students, it is the bridge between showing up for a Friday night meal and engaging deeply with Yiddishkeit.

“Shluchim and Shluchos are dedicating themselves to deepening Torah learning for their students with tremendous results,” said Rabbi Yossy Gordon, CEO of Chabad on Campus International. “Through JewishU, students are strengthening their connection to Torah, Judaism, and Jewish values in a profound and lasting way. By investing in the teachers, the dedicated Shluchos, we are multiplying the impact of Torah education and ensuring that its benefits reach the lives of students in the most meaningful and transformative manner.”

The summit was built around a single question: how do we get more students learning more Torah on our campuses? 

Over the course of the gathering, the Shluchos moved through collaborative working sessions exploring how to turn the Rebbe’s focus on Mivtzah Torah into a pillar of their Chabad House and an irresistible experience for their students. They brainstormed on everything from content and methodologies to making time and marketing, walking away with practical takeaways for growing JewishU on their respective campuses.

“The purpose of this summit was to set real goals and direction for the year, and walk away with practical, targeted tools for implementation – objectives that are challenging to achieve in a group chat or Zoom call,” said Mrs. Esti Hecht, Director of Education and Shlucha at American University. “By attending the summit, Shluchos gained a new sense of clarity and confidence to level up the impact of Mivtzah Torah on their campus through JewishU.” 

In addition to the innovative workshops, the peer-to-peer component at the summit allowed Shluchos who have spent years building learning programs to share their playbooks with those just getting started. The room generated a shared bank of ideas no single campus could have produced alone.

“The goal is to give Shluchos the time and space to think collaboratively about Torah learning on their campus,” said Rabbi Avi Weinstein, COO of Chabad on Campus International. “Shluchos know their students best. When they are in a room together, they come up with unique and creative ideas only they could have thought of. They are now returning to their campuses with the tools and the confidence their vital Shlichus deserves.” 

Chabad History With Rabbi Dalfin – R’ Aron Dalfin: Atlit Transit Camp Near Haifa, Move to Ramla, and Relatives

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin, author and Chasidic historian shares interesting facts, many revealed for the first time. The purpose of his program is to inspire all but especially the youth. Watch another installment here on CrownHeights.info.

Visit Rabbi Dalfin’s website: Click Here

Park East Synagogue and Chabad of the Upper East Side Announce Historic New Chapter

by Moshe New – chabad.org

Manhattan’s storied Park East Synagogue and Chabad-Lubavitch of the Upper East Side, one of the city’s most active networks of Jewish institutions, announced today a new collaboration set to launch this Rosh Hashanah.

Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the world famous diplomat and Senior Rabbi of Park East—the longest-serving pulpit rabbi in New York history—will be joined by Rabbi Ben Tzion Krasnianski, longtime spiritual leader of Chabad of the Upper East Side, who will now also serve as Associate Rabbi of Park East Synagogue. Rabbi Yosef Wilhelm, who directs Chabad Young Professionals Upper East Side, will serve as Assistant Rabbi.

“This collaboration brings together two vibrant Jewish communities with a shared commitment to Torah, prayer, education, and acts of kindness,” Rabbi Schneier and the Synagogue’s president, Les Lieberman said in a note to the Park East congregation. “By working together, we will be able to expand the opportunities available to our members and create an even more dynamic and welcoming synagogue experience.”

The agreement, approved by the Park East Board of Trustees, will bring the bulk of Chabad of the Upper East Side’s extensive program network—including Chabad Young Professionals, Friendship Circle, Chabad Young Families, and the Upper East Side Kollel and Adult Education Center—into Park East’s historic building on East 67th Street.

Chabad’s mikvah and preschool will remain at its Schneerson Center for Jewish Life on East 77th Street.

136 Years on East 67th Street

![Rabbis Arthur Schneier and Ben Tzion Krasnianski share a "lechayim," toasting the joint venture.](https://w2.chabad.org/media/images/1381/lfjf13814327.jpeg?_i=_n504BC99DD0473598AAE3BCDC5D75568D "Rabbis Arthur Schneier and Ben Tzion Krasnianski share a "lechayim," toasting the joint venture.")

Rabbis Arthur Schneier and Ben Tzion Krasnianski share a “lechayim,” toasting the joint venture.

Park East’s institutional footprint runs deep. Founded in 1890 as Congregation Zichron Ephraim, the synagogue has stood for 136 years as one of the oldest Orthodox congregations in Manhattan, its landmarked Moorish and Byzantine-style sanctuary on East 67th Street designated a New York City Landmark in 1980 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Schneier’s 1962 ascension to that pulpit began in Vienna, where he was born in 1930 and experienced Kristallnacht in 1938. He survived the war hiding in Nazi-occupied Budapest, before eventually reaching the United States. A passionate voice in defense of Soviet Jewry and many other causes, Schneier was the first rabbi awarded the U.S. Presidential Citizens Medal, when President Bill Clinton hailed him for “devoting a lifetime to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance.”

Rabbi Arthur Schneier

Under Rabbi Schneier, the Park East Synagogue became a stage on which world affairs and Jewish life intersected. Heads of state, ambassadors, and religious leaders from around the globe have visited or addressed the sanctuary over the decades.

The synagogue’s high profile recently made it a target of antisemitic demonstrations and protestors. While worshippers at other synagogues have also faced harassment, it was the incidents outside Park East that led to New York City implementing buffer laws outside of places of worship.

‘A Match Made in Heaven’

Rabbi Ben Tzion Krasnianski

Krasnianski and his wife, Chanie, arrived to the Upper East Side in the summer of 1991 with a blessing from the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, and a mandate that the couple says has guided them ever since: that no Jew be left behind.

What began as a single Chabad House has grown, over 35 years, into a network of some ten distinct branches.

The Chabad Israel Center caters to the Israeli expat community, and its Chabad Young Professionals created the demographic on the East Side, becoming home to a generation of young Jews navigating careers in the city. Friendship Circle opened its doors to children and adults with special needs and the volunteers who serve them. Chabad at Hunter College invigorates Jewish life on campus. Chabad Care brings Jewish comfort into the area’s many hospitals.

Chabad of the Upper East Side has a dedicated senior program, with Chabad Young Families and its active Hebrew School creating a pipeline for the next generation. The Upper East Side Kollel and Adult Education Center anchors serious Torah study for adults of every background.

The agreement will bring the bulk of Chabad of the Upper East Side’s extensive program network—including Chabad Young Professionals, Friendship Circle, Chabad Young Families, and the Upper East Side Kollel and Adult Education Center—into Park East’s historic building on East 67th Street.

The Jacques and Hanna Schwalbe Mikvah—among the most beautiful in the country—and a flourishing Chabad Preschool rounded out a campus built, quite literally, one need at a time.

“As things were needed, we responded,” Krasnianski said. The result is a network built to serve “every aspect of the community by caring, embracing, and ultimately, engaging” wherever a need was found.

It is that record that, in Krasnianski’s words, makes the collaboration “a match made in heaven.” Schneier and Krasnianski’s relationship long predates this announcement: Krasnianski has taught classes at Park East over the years, and in 2022, the synagogue hosted a celebration of the Rebbe’s 120th birthday, streamed on Chabad.org, at which Senator Joseph Lieberman spoke.

A participant takes a moment to wrap tefillin during Chabad of the Upper East Side’s Walk 4 Friendship event.

“Park East approached us to see if we could collaborate and work together so we could accomplish much more than we could accomplish individually,” Krasnianski said, describing the combined reach of the two institutions as a natural fit.

“At this critical juncture in Jewish New York history, this collaborative effort sends a powerful message that Jewish New York is here to stay,” Krasnianski said. “We will not rest until all 70,000 Jews on the Upper East Side hold their heads up high and actively express their Jewish pride on a daily basis, one mitzvah at a time.”

Eye of the Storm – Hurricane Andrew and the Lubavitcher Rebbe

by Rabbi Raphael Tennenhaus

Chassidim all over the world will be saying L’Chaim this Shabbos, 25 Menachem Av, to commemorate 34 years since the amazing miracles associated with Hurricane Andrew, that experts predicted would have killed tens of thousands of people.

On Sunday morning, 24 Menachem Av 5752, the eye of the Category 5 storm was heading to the Dade/Broward line, where we are situated.

I called Rabbi Avrohom Korf, the Head Shliach of the State of Florida, and I asked him if he will call the Rebbe.

Rabbi Korf hesitated and suggested that I make the call. This was six months after the Rebbe suffered a stroke at the Ohel on 27 Adar 1, 5752.

I called the Rebbe’s office at 8 am. The Mazkir Rabbi Leibel Groner ז״ל answered, and I told him the details, including the fact that a good part of South Florida was being asked to evacuate.

Rabbi Groner told me that he cannot say for sure if he will get an answer. One hour later, at 9am, Rabbi Groner called, and said that the Rebbe was emphatic that we stay put.

A bit later, Rabbi Leibel Schapiro, from Miami Beach called, to inquire if the answer about not evacuating applies to Miami Beach as well. Once again, the Rebbe was emphatic not to evacuate.

A third inquiry was soon made by Rabbi Raphy Solomon, living in Sunny Isles (in between Hallandale Beach and Miami Beach) if the instruction to stay put applies to that area as well. Sure enough, the Rebbe was insistent that he too remain and not evacuate.

Thousands in South Florida can retell the wondrous miracles from their perspective.
Personally, I never let 25 Menachem Av go by without saying L’Chaim, usually in my Synagogue in the atmosphere of a Chassidishe Farbrengen.

The storm was the most powerful I have ever witnessed in my 40 years on Shlichus in South Broward.

The “experts” later said, that one of their errors in their horrific predictions, was that the storm was a dry storm, not a wet storm, as they had anticipated.

Chassidim knew, without a doubt, that we merited an open big miracle, predicted by the Rebbe.

Many years later, the Ish HaChesed Reb Yingy Bistrisky, told me at a wedding, that he was in the Rebbe’s room (as a dedicated member of Hatzalah) when the information was first brought to the Rebbe.

“Rabbi Groner asked the Rebbe regarding your 8am request that Sunday morning in 5 different ways, whether to evacuate or whether to stay. Each of the 5 times, in both the positive and the negative, the Rebbe nodded strongly, and was adamant to stay and not to evacuate”.

This open miracle of the Rebbe, was an inspiration to tens of thousands of Chassidim at the time, and it is celebrated every year with great enthusiasm.

The media picked up the story all around the world, including New York Newsday, which quoted how I remarked, “our sign “Torah in Action” stayed up. It didn’t get knocked over by the 150 MPH winds. The sign of the bank next door came crashing to the ground. It’s a reminder that money comes and goes. Torah lasts forever”!

May we merit big miracles in our current situation, both re the Pandemic and re social unrest, with the revelation of Moshiach, NOW!

Weekly Story: It Will Be Beneficial For You

by Rabbi Sholom Dovber Avtzon

Chassidim don’t need a reason to farbreng, but nevertheless there are occasions that demand a farbrengen. There are the Yoma d’Pagras (auspicious dates in our calendar), as well as other dates, such as every Shabbos Mevorchim, which the Rebbe mentions twice in HaYom Yom that chassidim should farbreng every Shabbos Mevorchim. 

Every mashpia or chossid that speaks at a farbrengen has their own sweetness and insights. 

This week I will note a few insights that Rabbi Nissan Mangel sheyichye mentioned last Shabbos at his weekly Shabbos farbrengen, to give the readers a taste of a farbrengen.

As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and most welcomed. 

 In honor of Chof Av, we will begin with a story connected to the Rebbe’s father, HaRav Levi Yitzchok, which I [Rabbi Mangel] heard directly from Reb Leizer Nannes. 

In 5678 (1918), I [Reb Leizer] visited the Rebbe RaShaB in Rostov. Towards the end of my yechidus, the Rebbe asked me how am I returning home. After hearing my reply that I am taking a certain train, the Rebbe said, “That train passes by the city of Yektrinislav, so would you be able to deliver for me a letter to HaRav Levi Yitzchok?”

“Yes”, I replied. The Rebbe than said, “Come back later and I will give you the letter.” 

Arriving in Yektrinislav, I immediately began walking to Reb Levi Yitzchok’s house and proceeded to give him the letter. After he concluded reading it, Reb Levi Yitzchok asked me if the Rebbe [RaShaB] said a ma’amar on Shabbos. When I answered yes, he requested that I review it for him. 

After hearing me review it, he asked me if I could stay for Shabbos, and in his drosha (sermon) he will explain the ma’amar according to Kabbalah. I remained for Shabbos and heard his explanations. 

On Sunday I took leave of him. After wishing me a safe trip he said, come with me, I would like to show you something. He led me to a room, slowly opened the door and told me, “take a good look”. 

I noticed that his son, the Rebbe, was immersed in his learning and in all probability, did not realize that his father and I had opened the door and looked into the room. 

Reb Levi Yitzchok then told me, look at him as it will be beneficial to you. Over 50 years later when I [Reb Lazer] was finally allowed to leave Russia after my 20 years of imprisonment etc., I was zocheh to have a yechidus with the Rebbe. The Rebbe said to me, you knew my father, please tell me something about him. I then repeated to the Rebbe the above-mentioned story. 

The Rebbe smiled and then asked me, “Was it indeed beneficial to you?” 

“Rebbe, you see that I am here!”, was my reply.

*****

The word עקב is not a common word when one wants to say “because,” so the question becomes why does the possuk use it here? Rashi explains that עקב also has the meaning of heel, and the possuk is guiding and instructing us to meticulously fulfill even those mitzvos that one may think that are not really so important and therefore some trample on them, but no, we should carefully follow them too.

The Ba’al HaTurim notes that the numerical value of עקב is 172, and he continues that there are 172 words in the Aseres HaDibros (the ten Commandments). In other words, the Torah is alluding that we all should be very careful with every mitzvah [as all mitzvos are included in the Aseres HaDibros].

Rabbi Mangel added that 172 is twice 86, and we know that the Hebrew word Elokim has the numerical equivalence of 86, and as Chassidus explains in great depth, that Elokim has the meaning of concealment. So, in essence, Hashem is telling us, that even when a Jew is living in a time when there is a double concealment on G-dliness, even in those dark hours, one should be careful to fulfill every mitzvah in its minutest detail. 

However, we all must remember what the Alter Rebbe tells us on the words of בחוקותי  אם, that the fact that Hashem is requesting that we fulfill His Mitzvos, that itself is giving us the strength to do so. As our sages tell us, Hashem does not give anyone a challenge that He did not give them the ability to overcome it.

A Taste of Chassidus

 אני לדודי ודודי לי Likutei Torah Devorim P. 32A

In general, in this section I normally write a concept that is discussed in the first ma’amar of Likkutei Torah on the parsha. However, being that in this week’s ma’amorim is the ma’amar of Ani l’Dodi, a ma’amar which I studied and wrote extensively on, I decided to focus on additional aspects and insights that we can glean from the Moshol of מלך בשדה – The King is in the Field.

Besides for the final thought noted here, which I note as my personal understanding, the thoughts and insights are based upon the numerous Ma’amorim and Sichos that the Rebbe said on this concept.

B’Ezras Hashem next week, being that there are no ma’amorim on Parshas Shoftim, I will write part 2. That part will focus on another aspect of the ma’amar, about those who are in the wilderness.

In this ma’amar the Alter Rebbe explains the now famous parable of מלך בשדה – The King is in the Field. 

The first letter of the four words אני לדודי ודודי לי, spell out the word אלול. We have to understand what is the connection and message of these words to our conduct and service of Hashem in the month of Elul.

The meaning of these words is:

 I draw close to my beloved and my beloved draws close to me. In Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, it is noted that we learn from these words that in the month of Elul we are to add [both in quantity (i.e. additional tefillos, such as לדוד ה’ אורי from the first day of Rosh Chodesh) as well as in quality (meaning, davening with more concentration), as that is how one draws closer to Hashem.

In Chassidic terminology this is defined as isarusa d’le’ttata isarusa di’le’eila – the Jewish people draw closer to Hashem, and that causes that Hashem comes closer to us.

The ma’amar begins with the statement that in the month of Elul, Hashem reveals His thirteen attributes of mercy/compassion upon us. So the question becomes, why isn’t every day of this month considered a Holiday? After all, on the other days that Hashem’s thirteen attributes are revealed (such as on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), they are holidays.

He explains, that while the thirteen attributes are out there and helping us, they are not openly revealed in a manner that is discernable – that all can actually see it, and subsequently, although one should be happy, tachanun is recited. 

He demonstrates how this can happen (that there is a revelation and at the same time it is not revealed) with the following moshol.

A king, on his way to his palace, passes through the fields wearing his civilian clothing unaccompanied by his large and impressive entourage. The people working in the field hear that the king is in their vicinity and go to greet him. The king greets/receives them graciously and smiles to them. And they then escort him to his palace and are invited inside.

One of questions that the Rebbei’im ask about this moshol is, how can you say that it is an initiative that comes from the people when the only way they are able to go and greet the king is because he traveled there without any guards to stop them from coming close to him. So, isn’t it Hashem’s initiative (an isarusa di’le’eila) that came first? [So technically, this is like the other possuk in Shir HaShirim that states לו ואני דודי לי – that Hashem made the first initiative.]

The Rebbe answers that when we speak about whose initiative came first which causes a response, that is saying that the response comes automatically. [For example, when one believes or understands that something is good for them, they desire it, and when they feel that something is dangerous, they distance themselves from it.] However, here the king’s presence in the field does not force, or even cause, the people to come and greet him, as many people could decide not to. The only thing it did is, it gave the people the ability to (and perhaps the thought of whether they should) seize the opportunity and greet the king. 

Therefore, it is completely through their own initiative.

As noted, around twenty-five years ago I wrote a booklet explaining many of the Rebbe’s insights on this Moshol.

Now based on what I gleaned from studying the Rebbe’s numerous Ma’amorim and Sichos on this topic numerous times for many years, I would like to note what I came to realize is the deeper intent of the moshol.

The moshol begins with the king on his way to his palace but doesn’t mention from where the king is coming from. Additionally, the Alter Rebbe does not say that he is returning to the palace (city), just that he is going there, seemingly for the first time. Furthermore, if his intent is to go to the palace, why did he intentionally first go to the field?  Couldn’t he have gone directly to the city and enter his palace?

In my opinion as I understood it being alluded to in the Rebbe’s words, this is not merely a moshol explaining what the month of Elul is, a month where Hashem openly displays His tremendous love for His people, and subsequently He openly embraces us on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, but in the larger sense it is a moshol on the purpose of creation.

Before Creation, there was no time or place, so one cannot say where the King is coming from. But what is the goal, destiny and purpose of creation, it is that not only can Hashem reside in His palace – which is this physical world – in His full glory and essence without any concealment, but that the people of the field can also be present there, as will be explained. 

When Hashem created the world, He chose to create it in a way of concealment that His essence not be automatically felt by the creations, as then they would be naturally nullified because of His overwhelming greatness. But rather, that they on their own choose to nullify themselves to Him.

Therefore, the King came without His royal entourage and garments, which will demand respect, but in civilian clothing, and the people chose on their own to show respect and greet Him.

But as the Rebbe explains the possuk   םלך לשדה נעבד- A king is dependent on the field, that the reason He came to the field is because the King and his citizens (subjects) who live in the city need the food that is produced in the fields. The same thing is true in Creation; Hashem chose that the only way that the world could be elevated, is by us humans working with the material aspects of this world and utilizing them to honor and glorify Him. 

That is accomplished by taking an animal and sacrifice it on the Mizbei’ach, while using an animal hide to create parchment upon which a scribe would write a mezuzah, tefillin or sefer Torah. As well as using the food we eat to serve Him.

Only when we serve Him on our own accord and demonstrate that we recognize that everything is G-dliness (so essentially, we saw through the concealment) does His essence become completely revealed even on the earth, and He enters His palace, where He dons His royal garments and is surrounded by His entourage. Meaning that only when we finish our task of revealing this truth, can Hashem’s essence be openly revealed in this world (as well as in the higher supernal worlds (something that never happened before)). Therefore, it is the first time He is entering with His full essence revealed into His permanent dwelling place on this world.

And then those who worked in the field, while remaining humble, are allowed to enter the palace with the king, and are able to see Him in His true essence and remain intact (and not being completely nullified).

And that will happen speedily in our days with the coming and revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

Kesiva V’Chasim Tova, L;Shana Tova U’Mesukah

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at [email protected]

YTTL Queens Celebrates Graduation of Shiur Daled – 40 Bochurim participating in completing Bava Kama

Parents, grandparents, and the Hanhala of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch Queens gathered Sunday for a grand and elegant Seudas Mitzvah celebrating the graduation of the Shiur Daled talmidim from Mesivta.

Joining in the celebration were 15 talmidim who marked an additional remarkable achievement: completing and being tested on the entire Maseches Bava Kama.

The banquet-style event was skillfully emceed by the Menahel, Rabbi Yossef HaCohen Hendel , who set the tone for an evening celebrating Torah, growth, and achievement.

Rabbi Zalman Liberow , member of the Hanhala, opened with the Rebbe’s kapitel of Tehillim. The Pesachim Bichvod Achsania was then given to the Rosh Yeshiva of Tomchei Tmimim Poconos, Rabbi Menachem aizenman , who delivered a Hadran and connected the four Avos Nezikin to the avodah of a Yid.

The Poconos Yeshiva’s Menahel Ruchni, Rabbi Mendel Silman , expressed heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated staff and highlighted the tremendous accomplishments of the Yeshiva. A special highlight was the Siyum HaMasechta, delivered by the talmid M.M. Lazarus , followed by words from Eitan Avital on behalf of the talmidim who completed the Masechta.

The devoted Mashpia of Shiur Daled, Rabbi Levi Liberow , connected the learning of Bava Kama to the personal growth of the talmidim, weaving together meaningful lessons with lively Chassidishe stories and humor.

The evening concluded with the graduation presentation, as Rabbi Yossef HaCohen Hendel highlighted the unique qualities of each of the graduating Temimim and presented each talmid with his certificate.

The proud parents and grandparents marveled at the accomplishments of their children and grandchildren, as the evening left a deep impression on the entire Yeshiva community—especially the graduating talmidim of Shiur Daled.

As the Temimim now embark on the next stage of their journey, they carry with them the Torah, Chassidus, and experiences gained in Mesivta, with the hope and tefillah that they will merit to continue their journey together with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, מיד ממש.

Weekly Dvar Torah: The Jewish Time Machine

Science fiction has always dreamed of traveling back in time.

Novelists have imagined it. Physicists have debated it. Entire movies have been built around it.

Judaism doesn’t tell us how to travel back in time.

It tells us something even more astonishing.

It teaches us that through Teshuvah, even the past can be transformed.

Impossible?

Of course it is.

The past is the one thing no human being can ever change. Yesterday is history. A word once spoken cannot be withdrawn. A deed once done cannot be undone. We may regret it, apologize for it, or learn from it, but we cannot relive it.

Unless…

Unless the Creator of time decides otherwise.

That is the extraordinary gift Hashem gives us every year during the month of Elul.

Before Rosh Hashanah, before the Day of Judgment, before we stand before the King of Kings, Hashem gives us an entire month unlike any other.

Why?

If Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment, why not simply judge us? Why dedicate thirty precious days beforehand?

Perhaps because Hashem wanted us to understand a fundamental truth.

Judgment is not where our relationship with Him begins.

Mercy is.

Elul is not merely a month of preparation. It is the month in which Hashem awakens His attribute of mercy, making possible the greatest miracle He ever bestowed upon mankind: Teshuvah.

Most people translate Teshuvah as “repentance.”

The Torah means something far deeper.

Teshuvah means return.

But return to where?

Not merely to better behavior.

Not merely to greater observance.

Return to ourselves.

Every Jew possesses a Neshamah that is literally a spark of G-dliness. Before descending into this world, that soul knew nothing but closeness to Hashem. Then it entered a physical body and a physical world, where survival, success, worries, responsibilities, and countless distractions often conceal its true identity.

The soul never changes.

We do.

Or more accurately, we lose sight of who we really are.

Teshuvah is the journey back.

Not becoming someone new.

Returning to the person we always were.

But here we encounter another question.

If Teshuvah is such a precious gift, why don’t we naturally do it? Why doesn’t every Jew immediately seize the opportunity to return?

Here the Alter Rebbe introduces a remarkable insight.

The beginning of Teshuvah is not regret.

It is mercy.

The Alter Rebbe explains that before a Jew can truly return, he arouses Rachamim Rabim—great Divine mercy.

Why?

He reflects upon the journey of his own Neshamah.

A soul that was once completely united with its Creator has descended into a world that often obscures its own identity. It becomes occupied with earning a livelihood, raising a family, paying bills, pursuing comfort, and coping with the endless demands of life. These are all necessary parts of our mission, yet they can also make us forget who we truly are.

When we contemplate the extraordinary descent of the Neshamah, we ask Hashem to have mercy.

Not merely to forgive us.

But to illuminate the Neshamah itself.

And when Hashem’s mercy shines upon the Neshamah, something remarkable happens.

That awakening is felt here below as well.

Suddenly the heart begins to long for what it may have ignored only days before.

Another Kapitel of Tehillim.

A more heartfelt Shemoneh Esrei.

An extra act of Tzedakah.

A repaired relationship.

A stronger commitment to Torah and Mitzvos.

The yearning to return is itself Hashem’s gift.

We often imagine that first we do Teshuvah, and only then Hashem has mercy upon us.

Perhaps Elul teaches the opposite.

Hashem first showers us with mercy.

That mercy awakens the Neshamah.

The awakened Neshamah awakens the Jew.

And the awakened Jew returns to Hashem.

Now we can understand why Chazal teach that Teshuvah was created before the world itself.

Without Teshuvah, a mistake would remain forever.

Without mercy, Teshuvah would remain forever beyond our reach.

So before creating a world in which people would inevitably stumble, Hashem first created the possibility of returning home.

That is why Elul precedes Rosh Hashanah.

Before judgment comes mercy.

Before accountability comes compassion.

Before Hashem asks us where we have been, He reminds us where we belong.

Perhaps that is the greatest miracle of all.

The Jewish time machine does not take us back to yesterday.

It lifts us above yesterday.

It reconnects us with the Creator Who stands above time itself, and from that place, the past no longer imprisons the future.

That is the miracle of Teshuvah.

That is the gift of Elul.

As we bless the month of Elul, may Hashem shower each of us with His infinite mercy, awaken the deepest yearning of our Neshamos to return to Him, and inscribe every one of us for a Kesivah Vachasimah Tovah—a year of revealed goodness, health, joy, and peace.

Have a Merciful Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Yosef Katzman

A Taste of the Rebbe’s Farbrengens – Shabbos Mevorchim Elul & Parshas Re’eh

The Rebbe held 38 farbrengens on Shabbos Parshas Re’eh. The sichos from these farbrengens span almost 1,000 pages in the Yiddish Hanochos (transcripts) in Sichos Kodesh, and around 120 pages in the 12 English Hanochos published by Sichos in English.

Each farbrengen is a priceless treasure. It was the highlight of the week for those fortunate to be present when the Rebbe farbrenged. Nowadays, these farbrengens are preserved in thousands of pages, waiting to be relived by every chossid.

To get a taste of these farbrengens (Some selected highlights appear below), visit taste.study/reeh to explore this week’s “Taste”. You can download and print it for Shabbos, with curated suggestions for which farbrengens to learn, along with a qr code to access each one.

To receive the “Taste” each week via whatsapp/email/sms, subscribe for free at taste.study/subscribe

Bonus for this week: An exclusive Taste entirely in Laha”k (Lashon Hakodesh) – centered around the farbrengens of Rosh Chodesh Elul, of which there are 42

View/download/print the טעימה at taste.study/mevorchim-elul

May we merit to once again experience a farbrengen with the Rebbe—now!

Ahead of Record Dating Event, Humorous Animated Series Depicts Challenges of Today’s Dating Reality

Ahead of the world’s largest Jewish virtual dating event, a new viral social media series from Met@Chabad humorously showcases the lack of trust, weak ties and shallow choices that shape today’s dating world.

In today’s world, a dating profile can be judged in seconds. Trust takes longer. Even after two people match, hard questions remain: Is this person real? Are they serious? Do they share the values needed to build a Jewish home?

Those questions drive a new series of humorous animated social media shorts on the @jewishmarriage account. The clips show how fast swipes, weak trust and a focus on looks can keep singles from forming a deeper connection.

The account reached 1.5 million people in the past two months alone, according to campaign data. That reach points to a wider need. 

From the start of met@chabad in 2021, shluchim knew that the problem was not only a lack of dating options. Today’s singles also needed guidance on how to date with purpose and recognize the values needed for marriage.

“We knew we needed to shift the culture around marriage,” said Rabbi Beryl Frankel, director of Chabad Young Professionals International. “This animated series is one part of that effort.”

Since its founding, Met@Chabad’s approach has had three parts. A values-based AI tool searches a wide pool for a match with marriage potential. Shluchim verify each person and measure whether the idea makes sense in real life. Jewish dating education helps singles focus on the values that matter in a lasting marriage.

“This is about giving young Jews across the world a real path to meet, marry and build strong Jewish homes,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, executive director of Merkos 302. “We utilize the best technology to help find a possible match, but the shliach brings trust, care and knowledge of the people involved which is the most important part.” 

Met@Chabad also found that meeting the right person was only part of the challenge. Singles needed the tools to know what they valued and to notice those traits in the person sitting across from them.

That need led to a Jewish marriage course now offered in 75 cities, along with the @jewishmarriage podcast and social media account. Each part helps singles date for marriage instead of judging a match by one photo or first impression.

That educational element will continue during the Aug. 9 global online dating event, with 12,000 singles already registered; the event is set to break a new record. 

Drawing from a network of 1,000 Chabad House communities across 30 countries. Each participant will join five nine-minute video dates. Short mindset sessions between rounds will help singles clear their heads and enter the next talk with the right goal.

“These mindset setters will help singles enter each date with the proper expectations, many feel that as soon as they are sitting across from their soulmate they will just know!” said Dassi Gansburg, director of Met@Chabad. “The goal is to help each person approach the next date with purpose and clarity.”

When one video window closes and the next name appears, the goal is not only to help a single meet another person. It is to help that person see clearly who may already be sitting in front of them.

It’s not too late for singles in your community to register, visit metatchabad.com today to signup

Weekly Letter: Fearful Confusion and Insecurity In The Young Generation

During a time when we are experiencing fearful confusion and insecurity besetting the young generation of today, frequently erupting in open defiance and revolt against the elementary laws of human society – we are sharing a letter of the Rebbe in which he analyzes this problem and gives clear directives. As reflected in the teachings of Chabad.

By the Grace of G-d

24 Teves, 5729

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

(excerpt of a letter)

One of the basic principles of Chabad philosophy and way of life is that the head and the heart (the intellect and the emotions) should govern and inspire the daily life of the individual in complete mutual harmony, and in a way that the mind should rule the heart. Where the inner harmony between the intellect and the emotions prevails, then all the material and the spiritual are carried out properly, without conflict, without contradictions and without vacillations.

There can be no doubt that the fearful confusion and insecurity besetting the young generation of today, in this country and elsewhere, frequently erupting in open defiance and open revolt against the very elementary laws of human society, is the result of the inner split and disharmony between reason and emotions, often giving way to unrestrained misconduct. It is also a sad fact that these symptoms have affected some segment of our Jewish youth.

In these critical times there is especially a vital need to strengthen among our Jewish youth their spiritual equilibrium, and the only way to attain this is through Torah and mitzvos, with unity and harmony between the intellect and emotions, and the mastery of the mind over the heart.

For us Jews, the said inner unity is more than the secret and foundation of a satisfactory personal life. This subject is treated in depth and breadth in the teachings of Chabad.

The said unity is the key to unity in the world at large and is intimately correlated with the concept of G-d’s Unity (monotheism), the realization of which in actual life is the special task of every Jew and the Jewish people as a whole. This is alluded to in the words – A people one on earth – which the Alter Rebbe explains (Iggeres Hakodesh 9): the Jewish people, which is one, brings into reality the Oneness of G-d, to achieve oneness (in life) on earth.

                                                            With blessing

Cheder Ohr Menachem completes 5786 on a high

Fulfilling the Rebbe’s Horaah to continue Cheider throughout summer, talmidim of Cheder Ohr Menachem concluded their school year with a spirited Chagigas Siyum for Kitos Daled-Zayen.

Fathers, mothers and the graduating grades gathered on Tuesday in Anashi Lubavitch hall for a spectacular graduation. The unique event captures Cheder’s spirit – immersive Torah learning, chassidishe warmth, and unwavering hiskashrus to the Rebbe.

The program was emceed by the Menahel, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Dov Yusewitz .

The ceremony opened with a Dvar Malchus – a video Sicha of the Rebbe, emphasizing how each Siyum is a springboard for further growth.

Rabbi Zalman Goldstein of the Hanhala then read the Rebbe’s letter addressing the Talmidim HaMesaymim, summarizing the Rebbe’s words on the avodah of the summer months for the talmidim and their parents.

The Menahel Kloli of our continuum Mosdos, Rabbi Menachem Mendel HaKohen Hendel , gave Birchas Kohanim, setting a tone of heartfelt tefilla for the imminent Hisgalus.

The crowd then rose to recite the Rebbe’s Kapital, led by Rabbi Zalman Liberow , member of the Cheder’s Vaad Haruchni.

In a special display of Yegia BaTorah, Rabbi Yossef Overlander , Vice Principal, came up to congratulate the Mishnayos Baal Peh leaders of every Kita, who then led the Kahal in the Yud-Beis Pesukim – the Chassanim and Sganim of each class.

The assembly was honored to hear a Dvar HaBadatz from Harav Yosef Yeshaya Braun , Mara D’asra and a proud parent, who addressed the talmidim and parents.

Rabbi Oren Popper, Parents Representative of the graduating class, addressed the crowd on behalf of the parents, expressing appreciation to the Hanhala and Melamdim for their dedication.

A highlight of the Ohr Menachem graduation is the personal Teuda ceremony. The talmidim of each Kita – Daled, Hey, Vov and Zayen – came up to receive their certificates from their Melamdim. Menahel Rabbi Yusewitz announced for each boy the unique Shevach – the special praise chosen by his Melamed to define his unique light and contribution to the class this year.

While every Kita came up, a year-in-review video was screened, showcasing the chayus, the learning, the mivtzoim and the special moments of Shnas HaLimudim 5786.

The climax of the evening was the Siyum Maseches. Talmidei Kita Zayen, together with Rabbi Yisroel Greenberg, completed Maseches Tomid, which they had been learning throughout the year, and recited Kaddish with great chayus.

The graduates of Kita Zayen then received their graduation certificates, marking their transition to Mesivta.

The event concluded on a high note with an exclusive screening of the 7th grade students’ play about Shmuel HaNovi – a fitting finale that brought their learning to life and left parents beaming with nachas.

The Children’s Rally That Almost Didn’t Happen

As the summer of 1986 came to a close and the children returned home from camp, everyone expected the annual children’s rally at 770. Each year, the Rebbe would come downstairs, join the children, and address them. But this time, because of a misunderstanding between the organizers, Tuesday passed without a rally – and no one knew whether anything would happen the following day.

Then, shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, word spread that the Rebbe would come downstairs to daven Minchah with the children. It was made clear that this was only for Mincha, and the Rebbe’s secretaries strongly indicated that there would be no Sicha. Still, a microphone, a platform, and coins were quietly prepared – just in case.

The Rebbe remained in his room, waiting for the campers to arrive. At approximately 4:00, some sixty boys from Camp Gan Yisroel entered the shul and sat on the front benches. A smaller group of girls from Camp Emunah gathered in the women’s section.

At 4:15, the Rebbe entered the shul, encouraging the children’s singing as he walked to his place. After Shmonei Esrei, he informed Rabbi Leibel Groner that he wished to speak to the children. The microphone was hurriedly brought forward, and the Rebbe then motioned for a Chumash. One of the shul’s Chumashim was brought to him, and the Rebbe studied it throughout the remainder of the davening.

Immediately following the final Kaddish – without the customary recitation of the Twelve Pesukim – the Rebbe began a twelve-minute Sicha. At its conclusion, he said that the talk should be translated into English for the children. When the translation ended, and Rabbi Avraham Shemtov (who had done the translation) hesitated, unsure what should happen next, the Rebbe motioned that the children should begin singing.

The crowd was so small that, from the back of the shul, the children were barely noticeable. With bochurim and adults standing behind them, it appeared almost like an ordinary weekday sicha rather than a children’s rally.

The Rebbe then stepped down from the platform and distributed three coins to every child and counselor: one for that day, one for the following day, and a third “to do with as they see fit.”

What had seemed unlikely to happen became a uniquely intimate rally – just a small group of children, an unexpectedly delivered Sicha.

Nearly forty years later, while looking through old boxes, Avraham Berns discovered a tape bearing the date of the rally – 22 Av, 5746 (1986). Suddenly, the obscure event was no longer preserved only in written recollections. There it was on film – faded and grainy, but recorded! 

This discovery captures the heart of JEM’s work: locating, preserving, restoring, and sharing the audiovisual record of the Rebbe’s life and teachings. Every old tape has the potential to hold something that has been unseen – or even unknown – for decades. Recovering this footage does more than add another recording to the archive; it brings a nearly forgotten moment back to Chassidim worldwide.

WATCH HERE

Many thanks to Rabbis Mendel Gourarie, Motti Hazan, Memkeh Schmukler, Yossi Wolowik and Mendel Kaplan of the JEM team for going above and beyond to ensure the tapes were published.

Backstage with Benny: The Music Was Always There With Baruch Levine

Baruch Levine started composing as a kid and the rest is Jewish music history. The beloved composer and singer joins Benny for a conversation that covers it all — childhood favorites, hit songs, the stories behind them, and even some regrets along the way. Packed with nostalgia, laughs, and of course, music – this is what happens when Baruch comes Backstage with Benny.

Finale session of the 25th Knesset with the Distribution of “Tanya HaShalem”

The current 25th Knesset—elected on November 1, 2022 (7 Cheshvan 5783) and set to complete its term on October 27, 2026 (16 Cheshvan 5787)—holds the distinction of serving the longest tenure since the 20th Knesset, making it the first to complete a full term since the 11th Knesset.

During the intense final week of the summer session, the Rebbe’s emissary to Israel’s Ministry of Transportation, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Wilhelm, visited the Knesset building. He presented the remaining members of parliament who had not yet received it with the magnificent set of “Tanya HaShalem” (The Complete Tanya).

The distribution was dedicated by a prominent Chabad Rabbi in memory of the senior elder of Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis and mentors in Israel, the renowned scholar Rabbi Tuvia Blau, o.b.m. (16 Iyar 5796 – 23 Tammuz 5786).

Rabbi Blau himself guided and advised the entire distribution project. In his final days, with complete clarity of mind, he ruled—in accordance with the Rebbe’s directives in such matters—that the work must be completed to merit all members of parliament. He emphasized reaching every representative regardless of political views or religious affiliation, utilizing appropriate and receptive communication.

List of Knesset Members and Public Figures:

MK Dvora (Debby) Biton – Yesh Atid

MK Mati Sarfatti Harkavi – Yesh Atid

MK Michal Shir Segman – Yesh Atid

MK Yasmin Sacks Friedman – Yesh Atid (Chair of the Special Committee for Holocaust Survivors)

MK Shelly Tal Meron – Yesh Atid

MK Hamad Amar – Yisrael Beiteinu

MK Yulia Malinovsky Kunin – Yisrael Beiteinu

MK Sharon Nir – Yisrael Beiteinu

MK Tsega (Tseganesh) Melaku – Likud

MK Adi Aliza Azouz – Yesh Atid

MK Eliyahu (Eli) Dallal – Likud

MK Aida Touma-Sliman – Hadash

MK Yasser Mahmoud Hujirat – Ra’am (Chair of the Science and Technology Committee)

MK Merav Ben-Ari – Yesh Atid (Chair of the Yesh Atid Faction & Opposition Coordinator)

Yuval Chen – Knesset Sergeant-at-Arms (former Head of the Security Department at the Ministry of Defense)

MK Samir Ben Said – Ta’al

MK Walid Khalil Al-Huwashla – Ra’am

MK Ofer Cassif – Hadash

MK Naama Lazimi – Labor (Chair of the Special Committee on Youth Affairs)

MK Dan Eliyahu Yaakov Illouz – Likud

Naftali Bennett – Chairman of the ‘Together’ party

Matan Kahana – Member of the ‘Yashar’ party

Yoez Hendel – Chairman of the ‘Miluimnikim’ (Reservists) party

MK Walid Yosef Taha – United Arab List (Ra’am)

MK Efrat Rayten Marom – Labor (Chair of the Labor Faction)

MK Iman Khatib-Alshin – United Arab List (Ra’am)

MK Yael Ron Ben-Moshe – Blue and White

MK Mohammad Abu al-Hija – Yesh Atid

Arabic Edition Presented to Arab Parliamentarians

In addition to the “Tanya HaShalem” set, Arab Members of Knesset were presented with a special copy of the Tanya translated into Arabic.

These Arabic copies were provided through the generosity of the sons of the late scholar Rabbi David Bouskila, o.b.m., who dedicated himself with immense effort to the translation project under the supervision of the renowned emissary to Morocco, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Raskin, o.b.m.. This effort was facilitated by his son, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Raskin, emissary to Côte-Saint-Luc, Montreal.

Upon arriving at the Knesset, Rabbi Wilhelm met the newly appointed Deputy Foreign Minister from the Right National party, MK Michel Bouskila, who was appointed that very morning. Rabbi Wilhelm presented him with a special copy of the Arabic Tanya, translated by his late relative, Rabbi David Bouskila (1932–2020), head of the Ozar Hatorah educational network in Morocco and France. The Deputy Minister was deeply moved and proudly shared the volume with his colleagues at the government table and coalition benches in the Knesset plenum.

Historical Background of the Arabic Translation

The translation of the Tanya into Arabic (specifically the Judeo-Moroccan dialect) began in November 1971 (Kislev 5732). Several years later, when the completed translation of Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah was presented to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the editors received a rare and extraordinary response.

During a Chassidic gathering (Farbrengen) on Shabbos Parshas Shemos 1977 (5737)—published this past year by Vaad Hanochos B’Lashon Kodesh in a remarkable Divine Providence on the exact week this new edition appeared—the Rebbe expanded on the great significance of this Arabic edition. The Rebbe explained that this translation elevates not only those who speak the language, but effects a general refinement of all languages of the world as a preparation for the Era of Redemption, speedily in our days.

In Memory of the Holy Shaliach, Hy”d: Dedication of a Beacon of Light for the Youth of Beitar

During the month of Menachem Av, as we yearn for the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash and await complete consolation, miniature sanctuaries that illuminate the darkness of exile continue to be built across the globe. In the city of Torah and Chassidus, Beitar Illit, at the bustling commercial center that serves as a daily crossroads for human connection, a deeply emotional moment took place this week with the dedication of “Migdal Or – Youth Center and Synagogue – Beis Zvi.” The center, named in pure memory of the holy Shaliach, Rabbi Zvi HaCohen Kogan, Hy”d, symbolizes above all the eternal Chassidic response: transforming profound human pain into a tremendous momentum of action and drawing hearts closer.

In an uplifting and majestic ceremony, the honor of affixing the mezuzahs at the entrance of the new center was given to the Gaavad of Beitar Illit, Hagaon Rabbi Chaim Elazar Weiss, and the city’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Hagaon Rabbi Yitzchak Moalem. Afterward, the two were honored with saying ‘L’chaim’ and encouraged the work of the Shaliach, Rabbi Pini Deitsch, on behalf of the youth’s future. The rabbis then blessed the teenagers attending the event and even joined them in a dance of joy and encouragement.

The lighthouse commemorates the wondrous figure of Rabbi Kogan, Hy”d, who grew up in Jerusalem, was drawn to the light of Chassidus, and worked with immense dedication in Abu Dhabi under the Chief Rabbi and Head Shaliach of the UAE, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak HaLevi Duchman. This continued until the 20th of Cheshvan, when he was brutally kidnapped and murdered by evildoers, his holy body found three days later. The murder that shook the Jewish world became the cornerstone of a tremendous spiritual enterprise operating under the “Bayit BaKikar” organization, headed by Rabbi Deitsch and his wife.

The story of “Bayit BaKikar” is interwoven with wondrous Divine Providence (Hashgacha Pratis). It all began over three years ago with modest activities of putting on Tefillin with the workers of the ‘Kikar Ha’Ir’ center. Step by step, the initiative developed into regular Torah classes, until it has now expanded into a permanent center that serves as a warm, inclusive home, offering prayer services and spiritual inspiration on weekdays and Shabbos.

A deeply moving moment coming full circle was felt when the father of R’ Zvi Kogan, Hy”d, Rabbi Alexander Sender HaCohen, shared a touching memory. A few years ago, his son R’ Zvi needed to urgently arrange a passport issue with the Ministry of Interior, and the only place he could get an appointment was the branch in Beitar Illit. His father went to assist him, and on his way, he passed through ‘Kikar Ha’Ir,’ where he met the Shaliach, Rabbi Pini, who was helping passersby put on Tefillin. The father was deeply impressed by the activity. “Today,” the father said in a trembling voice before the tearful crowd, “in the exact same place where we met Pini, a beacon of Torah is being opened in the name of my son, Hy”d, and by that very same Shaliach.”

Special emotion was added to the event as the dedication of the lighthouse and youth center coincided with the joy of the ‘Chalakah’ (Upsherin) of the Shaliach Rabbi Pini Deitsch’s son. The double celebration left a profound impression on all the participants, who witnessed firsthand the continuity of tradition and the future generation growing up on the knees of Torah and Chassidus. The curls of the boy, who had just turned three, were cut in front of the moved audience, serving as a clear symbol of life, growth, and hope—the ultimate and decisive answer to all those who seek our harm.

Many friends participated in the event, including Deputy Mayor Rabbi Gedalia Eisenstein; Chabad askanim, among them Rabbi Moshe Kahana and R’ Yaakov Hershkop, as well as R’ Boaz Beck; along with close supporters of this blessed activity, and teenagers who work in the area and are part of the “Bayit BaKikar” family, regularly participating in the extensive activities held for them year-round.

This extensive activity crosses the city’s borders and radiates the light of Ahavas Yisroel. Every Friday, Rabbi Deitsch goes with his father-in-law, Rabbi David Beck, to the nearby Border Police base to give the soldiers the merit of putting on Tefillin and to distribute Shabbos candles. This deep connection birthed an extraordinary gesture: the soldiers voluntarily collected donations to purchase a beautiful pair of Tefillin, choosing to present it to one of the youths of “Bayit BaKikar.” The young man who received the Tefillin during the event stood before the crowd and expressed his gratitude through choking tears.

The uplifting event concluded with a grand and festive double Seudas Mitzvah in honor of the center’s dedication and the Chalakah celebration, hosted by the Shluchim in the hall adjacent to the Chabad House. In an atmosphere of spiritual elevation, filled with the singing of soul-stirring Niggunim and the taking on of good resolutions (Hachlatos Tovos), the participants left with a profound sense that “Migdal Or – Beis Zvi” is not merely a memorial monument, but an active lighthouse building a bright, connected future for the younger generation. The light of the holy Shaliach will continue to shine in the hearts of the youth, with fervent anticipation for the complete and immediate Redemption.

Photography: Avraham Yeshayahu

Dovi’s Camp Gan Israel Florida 5786

Dovi’s Camp Gan Israel Florida 5786 posed this week for their annual group photos, with hundreds of boys in attendence.

Photo Credit: Fishel Kleinman

An Interview With Reb Aron Dalfin Part #7 – The Rebbe Didn’t Let R’ Shlomo Chaim Send Me A…

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin has released a seventh installment from an interview with Reb Aron Dalfin touching on an incident involving the Rebbe and R’ Shlomo Chaim.

Crown Heights Block Wins Title of Greenest Block In Brooklyn

timeout.com

Brooklyn has no shortage of picturesque brownstone blocks, but one Crown Heights street now has the official bragging rights to call itself the borough’s greenest.

Lincoln Place between New York and Nostrand Avenues has been named the 2026 Greenest Block in Brooklyn, taking first place in Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s annual competition. (Apparently, these neighbors have very green thumbs: the block also won the top prize in 2024, 2022 and 2019.)

Read More at timeout.com

HY’D: Second IDF Soldier Killed In Lebanon Blast Identified

Two reservist soldiers were killed and four were seriously wounded after being hit by an explosive device in the southern Lebanon town of Majdal Zoun yesterday, the IDF announced.

The slain troops are named as: Maj. (res.) Harel Birenstock, 34, a company commander from Nokdim; and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Tamir Vaknin, 33, from Eilat. Both served in the 55th Paratroopers Brigade’s 2855th Battalion.

According to an initial IDF probe,at around noon on Wednesday, troops of the reserve brigade entered a structure in Majdal Zoun, during efforts to demolish Hezbollah infrastructure. As they entered the building, an explosion occurred, killing and injuring the forces.

The wounded troops were taken to a hospital and their families were notified, the army adds.

Following the explosion, the IDF carried out strikes on Hezbollah targets in the area.

Here’s My Story: The Stay-At-Home Mom

Rabbi Yisroel Gordon

Click here for a PDF version of this edition of Here’s My Story, or visit the My Encounter Blog.

Let me tell you a short story that happened in a small Belarusian town called Dokshitz in 1930. Dokshitz was what you might call a chasidic fortress. It had five or six synagogues for the two thousand Jewish people who lived there, and all but one of them were Chabad synagogues. One of those Jewish people was a chasid who served as the town shochet, the ritual slaughterer, like his father had before him, and his father had before him.

At the time of this story, this chasid’s wife became pregnant. She was past forty — which is not very old, but neither is it very young for a woman to give birth. She had already lost one or two pregnancies, besides having a child pass away in infancy, so the couple was worried. The woman traveled to Vilna, which was the nearest big city with a hospital, to consult a doctor there.

“This time,” the doctor said after conducting his examination, “you should do something different — give birth in a hospital, not at home with a midwife as you usually do. Not only that, but you must spend the entire ninth month here in the hospital. Otherwise you and your baby will both be in jeopardy.”

Back then, this was considered radical advice. To go give birth in a hospital? So the husband asked the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, what they should do.

“Let her give birth at home the way she always does,” said the Previous Rebbe, “and she’ll have a healthy child.”

The couple was concerned no longer. The doctor had given his opinion, but if the Rebbe said differently, they were going to listen to the Rebbe. The woman stayed home and had a healthy child — me.

I consider myself fortunate to have been born with the blessing of the Previous Rebbe. Not only that, but the blessing was for a child who will live and be well, which has also held true: Thank G-d, I’ve been around for quite a number of years now.

Around the time that I was born, the Previous Rebbe instructed my family to move to America.

“I’m afraid to go to America,” my father, Reb Yochanan Gordon, had told the Previous Rebbe. He had heard that America was no place to raise a Torah-observant family. In those days, people who came here would cool off in terms of their Jewishness, their study of Torah, and observance of the mitzvot. Why would he want his children to be exposed to such a land?

“I promise that your children will remain faithful Jews,” the Previous Rebbe told him.

But my father wasn’t satisfied. He wanted his children to study in Tomchei Temimim, the yeshivah network headed by the Previous Rebbe, and in the 1930s, it had no presence in America.

“Your children will learn in my yeshivot,” the Rebbe reassured him.

My father assumed this meant that when my brothers and I grew up, we would go back to Europe — maybe to Warsaw, or to Vilna — to study in a Tomchei Temimim yeshivah there. He couldn’t imagine that the yeshivot would come to America. But in the end, our whole family arrived in New York in 1934, and in 1940, my older brother Sholom was one of the first ten students of the new Tomchei Temimim yeshivah that was founded there. After the yeshivah had moved to 770 Eastern Parkway, they opened a class for younger boys in 1941, which I joined as a ten-and-a-half-year-old.

By then, World War Two had broken out, and the Previous Rebbe had come to America with some of his immediate family. His daughter, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, and her husband Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, our Rebbe, were still stuck in Europe.

o make a long story short, they managed to get out, and when they arrived in America in the summer of 1941, we were all elated.

The future Rebbe, who was then known as the Ramash, began to join us yeshivah students for the 9:00 AM prayers in 770, and a couple of days after arriving, he was with us for the morning prayers on Rosh Chodesh, the first of the month of Tammuz. In the middle of the Rosh Chodesh service, before the Musaf prayer, men remove their tefillin. Now, most Jewish men wear one pair of tefillin, following the accepted opinion of the sage Rashi. Some put on a second pair, as well, in accordance with the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam — which meant putting them on and removing them before Musaf as well. However, there are actually two more versions of the head tefillin, following the views of the Raavad and the Shimusha Rabbah, although they are only worn by such a select few that most people haven’t even heard of them.

As we were about to learn, the Previous Rebbe’s newly arrived son-in-law donned all four every morning, having been instructed to do so by the Previous Rebbe himself.

Not wanting to stand out, however, the Ramash practically hid in a corner of the room and, with his body covered by his tallit, started the whole procedure of putting on these three other sets of tefillin. Of course, we yeshivah students noticed, and we couldn’t understand why he was taking his tefillin on and off; we didn’t even know that there was such a thing as four sets of tefillin. We were just flabbergasted.

There was also an elder chasid by the name of Dovid Shiffrin who was present. He had been a chasid of the Rebbe Maharash, the fourth Rebbe of Lubavitch, and had known the Previous Rebbe as a child. He watched how the Ramash conducted himself, as he was doing things quietly, trying not to be noticed or observed, and he recognized that this was someone very special.

“Children,” he said to us about the future Rebbe, “this is the real merchandise — the real thing.”

A few years later, there was another interesting thing that happened in 770 with the future Rebbe. One day, he suddenly came into the study hall from upstairs, where the Previous Rebbe’s quarters were, walked over to the large Torah-reading table in the center of the room, and gave a little bang on it with his hand to get our attention.

“I have an announcement to make,” he began. “I am coming from my father-in-law, who told me that his father just visited him, and that I should tell you what he said.” The Previous Rebbe’s father, the Rebbe Rashab, had passed away twenty-five years earlier, in 1920. And yet, somehow he had come to his son and asked him a question: “Why is it that in your synagogue, people are talking during the Torah reading?”

Having made this announcement, the Ramash left the room.

For a long time after that, maybe ten or fifteen years, you could hear a pin drop in 770 during the services, although once our family of chasidim grew a little bigger and there were more little children around 770, things began to change.

I still remember the way the Rebbe gave us that message. We realized then that 770 was truly a holy place. G-d is there, as He is in every synagogue, and along with Him were the saintly founders of our yeshivah. We had to behave differently there.

Rabbi Yisroel Gordon was a Chabad emissary and educator in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Morristown, New Jersey, for over sixty years. He was interviewed in May 2005. He passed away in 2023.

A Milestone 12,000 Signups Reached Ahead of Historic Event 

Shluchim across the globe spearhead record registration ahead of largest virtual Jewish dating event this Sunday. 

Across more than 1,000 Chabad House communities, shluchim are calling local singles. They are sending messages, answering questions and encouraging community members to take the next step.

That effort has helped the initiative pass 12,000 signups. The milestone comes just before its global dating event on August 9.

Singles from more than 30 countries will take part. Each person will meet five matches through nine-minute video dates. Every participant is checked by a local rabbi.

“The Rebbe charged us to reach every Jew and use every tool to help build the next generation,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, executive director of Merkos 302. “Technology can help people find each other. Shluchim bring the trust, care and support that help those connections grow.”

The idea began in June 2021. About 50 shluchim who serve young professionals met in Stamford, Connecticut, for their annual Kinus. They were all hearing the same question on the ground: Where should a Jewish single go to find someone who wants marriage?

Their answer was a global system built around local Chabad Centers.

Singles fill out profiles about their values, Jewish life and family goals. A local shliach or shlucha confirms each person’s identity. Shluchim and matchmakers then help guide the process to make sure that the algorithm’s suggestion adds up in real life.

“Today’s young Jews are looking for more than another dating app,” said Rabbi Beryl Frankel, director of Chabad Young Professionals International. “After everything happening in the world, many want someone who understands them, shares their values and wants to build a Jewish home.” 

The system uses matching technology developed with input from Yale researchers. Still, the work starts with people. Shluchim know the singles in their own communities. They encourage them to join. They also speak with other shluchim when a match may live in another city or country.

Together, they form a worldwide support network that can connect singles far beyond their own communities.

Since 2021, the network has led to more than 23 engagements and marriages. Many of those couples lived far apart when they first met.

“Each signup starts with a real conversation,” said Dassi Gansburg, who leads Met@Chabad. “A shliach knows the person behind the profile. If a match lives elsewhere, another Shliach can step in. That gives both people support from the first call onward.”

“Technology can point to a strong match,” said Gansburg. “But people still need someone who knows them, follows up and can guide them.

On August 9, screens will light up across six continents. Thousands of singles will wait for a new face to appear. Behind each date will be a shliach or shlucha who believed one more introduction could lead to a Jewish home.

Registration is still open at metatchabad.com. 

        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by Chabad Young Professionals International (@cyp_international)

HY’D: Reservist Harel Birenstock fell in Southern Lebanon

israelnationalnews

The Gush Etzion Regional Council announced on Wednesday evening the death of Harel Birenstock, a resident of Nokdim, who was killed in battle in southern Lebanon. He was 34 years old.

Birenstock is the son of Shlomo and Yonat Birenstock from Neve Daniel and the grandson of Nechama Birenstock of Efrat.

In a statement, the council said, “The Gush Etzion Regional Council announces with deep sorrow the death of Harel Birenstock. We mourn the heavy loss and extend heartfelt condolences to his parents, wife, brothers, sisters, and all the members of the family.”

Read More at israelnationalnews

Housing Lottery Launches for 920 Montgomery Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

NewYorkYimby

The affordable housing lottery has launched for 920 Montgomery Street, a six-story mixed-use building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Originally built in 1920, the structure yields eight residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are three units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $111,532 to $238,160.

Residences are equipped with patios or balconies, air conditioning, intercoms, washers and dryers, and name-brand kitchen appliances, countertops, and finishes. Amenities include an elevator. Tenants are responsible for electricity as well as gas for stove and hot water.

Read More at NewYorkYimby

Special Delegation Presents “Tanya HaSholeim” to the Rachmastrivka and Skulen Rebbes in Yerushalayim

Special delegation had recently the privilege of meeting the Rachmastrivka and Skulen Rebbes in Yerushalayim. The delegates presented both Rebbes with the newly released monumental work, the multi-volume set of “Tanya HaSholeim,” published by Kehot Publication Society.

The delegation was led by R’ Moshe Gelbstein of Kfar Chabad, a world-renowned authority in the field of Kashrus, alongside R’ Yaakov Gelbstein of Ashdod. They conveyed greetings on behalf of the Tanya HaShalem Institute — a select panel of distinguished Talmidei Chachamim and Mashpichim who devoted twenty consecutive years to crafting this comprehensive commentary on all 53 chapters of Likkutei Amarim, fulfilling the holy vision of the Rebbe.

Deep Appreciation in Rachmastrivka

The Rachmastrivka Rebbe listened with visible emotion as the delegation recounted the history behind the project—from the Rebbe’s initial notes on Tanya nearly a century ago and his early preparations for its publication in the United States, through decades of painstaking work by a dedicated editorial team led by the renowned R’ Yoel HaKohen Kahn, known as “Reb Yoel,” the chief Chozer (oral scribe) for the Rebbe.

Offering his heartfelt blessings, the Rachmastrivka Rebbe expressed his wish that this work be warmly embraced throughout Klal Yisrael as a daily staple of study. He remarked that when such a new light in Torah is revealed, it serves as a clear herald of the approaching Geulah Shleimah.

Warm Memories with the Skulen Rebbe

During the meeting, the Skulen Rebbe meticulously examined the various sections of the book, repeatedly expressing his admiration: “Zeier reich! Zeier shein!” (“So rich! So beautiful!”).

The conversation naturally turned to the historical bonds between Lubavitch and Skulen. The founding Skulener Rebbe, Rabbi Eliezer Zusia Portugal, and his son and successor, Rabbi Yisroel Avrohom Portugal resided in Crown Heights near Beis Chayeinu (770). They were frequent participants at the Rebbe’s Farbrengens and were privileged to enter for private Yechidus on numerous occasions.

The Ninth Children’s Sefer Torah

The discussion also touched upon the upcoming, momentous Siyum of the Ninth Children’s Sefer Torah, celebrating the completion of all 304,805 letters purchased by tens of thousands of Jewish children across the globe, in accordance with the Rebbe’s sacred initiative.

Both Rebbes bestowed rich blessings upon the organizers, participants, and all the children and their families celebrating this special occasion on the auspicious day of Chaf Menachem Av—marking the 82nd Yahrzeit of the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson.

The delegation recalled a historical story: In Sivan 5742 (1982), when a Chabad delegation visited the first Skulener Rebbe (comprising Rabbi M. Mentlik, Rabbi D. Raskin, and Rabbi S.M.M. Botman), the Skulener Rebbe registered his entire family in the Second Children’s Sefer Torah—just months before his passing on 29 Menachem Av. After submitting a report of the visit to the Rebbe, including the Skulener Rebbe’s insights on a verse in Tehillim, the Rebbe cited that very explanation during the following Shabbos Farbrengen.

Op-Ed: Is Our Obsession with “Breaking News” Actually Breaking Us?

By a Fellow Chossid

It usually happens right after Maariv, or maybe during a quick break at work, or while sitting on the couch when we should be listening to our children talk about their day in Cheder.

We pull out our phones. We open a news app or scroll through WhatsApp status updates. We read about the latest political turmoil, the rising tide of global antisemitism, the ongoing painful situation in Eretz Yisroel, or the latest communal tragedy.

We sigh. We feel a heavy weight in our chests. We put the phone away.

And then, ten minutes later, we check it again. Just to see if anything changed.

We live in a time of unprecedented access to information. But as a community, we need to have a serious conversation about what this constant influx of “breaking news” is doing to our minds, our Shalom Bayis, our chinuch, and our Avodas Hashem.

There is a common misconception that being glued to the news makes us more empathetic Jews. We feel that by reading every tragic detail and following every geopolitical development, we are somehow fulfilling the mitzvah of carrying the burden of our fellow Jew. We think it shows we care.

But does it?

In Tanya (Chapter 26), the Alter Rebbe explains at length that sadness and a blocked, heavy heart are the greatest weapons of the Yetzer Hara. To explain this, the Alter Rebbe gives a very practical example. He compares our spiritual struggles to two men wrestling. If one wrestler is sluggish and depressed, he will easily be defeated and fall, even if he is physically stronger than his opponent. A soldier cannot win a battle if he is sluggish and depressed, even if his intentions are noble.

When we spend hours consuming negativity, it does not usually lead to profound tefillah or increased ahavas Yisroel. More often, it leads to anxiety, irritability, and a lingering sense of despair. We become shorter tempered with our spouses. We lack the patience to learn with our children. Our davening becomes rushed because our minds are racing with the latest headlines.

Our children are incredibly perceptive. They might not read the articles we are reading, but they absolutely feel the anxiety we are projecting. When a father or mother is physically in the room but emotionally trapped in a state of worry over the news, the child feels it.

The Rebbe’s approach to world events offers a striking contrast to our modern habits.

The Rebbe was arguably the most informed Jewish leader in the world. He read the news, received briefings, and knew the intimate, often painful struggles of thousands of individuals. The Rebbe knew everything that was going on.
Yet, the Rebbe never lost his simcha. He never projected despair. Why?

Because for the Rebbe, information was only valuable if it was a catalyst for action. If there was a physical or spiritual danger, the Rebbe used that information to launch a new Mivtza, to encourage the saying of more Tehillim, to demand more Tzedakah, and to spread more light. Information was a tool to know where to bring Hashem into the world. It was never meant for passive consumption.

In fact, we see this exact guidance explicitly in the Rebbe’s letters. In numerous letters printed in Igros Kodesh, when individuals wrote to the Rebbe expressing deep anxiety, nerves, or depression about world events or their personal situations, the Rebbe gave them a very practical instruction. He told them to stop reading the newspaper and to stop listening to the news on the radio. The Rebbe understood that if consuming the news paralyzes your Avodas Hashem and damages your Menuchas Hanefesh, it is not a mitzvah. It is an obstacle.

As Chassidim, we need to set boundaries for ourselves. This is not just about limiting screen time for our kids; it is about guarding our own minds.

Here are a few practical steps we can all try to implement:

1. Designate “News” Times: Instead of checking updates twenty times a day, check once in the morning and once in the evening. The world will still be turning, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu is still running it, even if you do not refresh the page.

2. Turn Anxiety into Action: If you read a piece of news that makes you feel worried for Acheinu Kol Beis Yisroel, do not just sigh and keep scrolling. Close the app, open a Tehillim, and say a kapitel. Put a dollar in the pushka. Turn the negative emotion into a positive, concrete action.

3. Be Present at Home: When you walk through the front door, or when you sit down for supper, put the phone in another room. The news cycle thrives on urgency, but the most urgent thing in your life is the spiritual and emotional well being of your family.

We are living in the final moments of Golus, and the darkness outside can seem overwhelming. But the Rebbe assured us time and again that the Geulah is already here on the threshold; we just need to open our eyes and bring it into reality.

We cannot do that if we are constantly distracted, anxious, and weighed down by the world’s narrative.

Let us reclaim our simcha, our bitachon, and our time. Let us choose to focus not on the darkness the world is broadcasting, but on the infinite light we have the power to create.

May we immediately hear the only “breaking news” that truly matters: the announcement of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, right now.

Picture of the Day: A New Landmark on Eastern Parkway

New signage and flags now proudly adorn Oholei Torah’s newly acquired property at Eastern Parkway and Bedford Avenue, announcing it as the future home of the Oholei Torah Rabbinical Campus.

The flags offer a glimpse of the Torah learning and programming that will fill the new campus, including Beis Medrash, Shiur Hey, Semicha and Dayanus, while highlighting the timeless values at the heart of Oholei Torah’s mission, including Ahavas Hashem, Ahavas HaTorah and Ahavas Yisroel. Together, they mark a new chapter in Oholei Torah’s continued growth and its mission to educate and inspire generations of talmidim.

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Innisfil Gets Its First Year-Round Jewish Home

by Leibel Kahan – Lubavitch.com

For decades, Jewish families from Toronto have spent their summers on the shores of Lake Simcoe. “This is the Canadian Catskills,” said David Turk, a Toronto businessman who moved to Innisfil two years ago. A seasonal synagogue opened in the village of Belle Ewart in the 1940s; kosher groceries arrived weekly from the city.

But every September, the synagogues closed, the cottages emptied, and Jewish life in Innisfil went dark until the following summer.

That changed in 2021, when Rabbi Zevi and Mussy Kaplan moved to town to establish a year-round Chabad presence. On July 26 of this year, the community marked its latest milestone — hundreds of residents, summer visitors, and dignitaries gathered for the grand opening of the Chabad Innisfil Jewish Community Centre, the area’s first permanent Jewish home.

An hour north of Toronto, on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, Innisfil was once known mainly for its beaches and summer cottages. The town’s population has roughly doubled in the last 20 years as many people, priced out of the Toronto market, moved north. And with that population boom comes, as Turk said, “a lot of young Jewish families” — families who are looking for Jewish connection. Rabbi Kaplan estimates some 350 Jewish families now live in Innisfil year-round, a number that keeps growing.

When the Kaplans arrived, programs ran out of their home, and a Hebrew school was launched in a borrowed daycare space on Sundays.

Before the 2023 High Holidays, Mario Cortellucci, an Italian-Canadian developer and head of the Cortel Group, offered the Kaplans free use of a vacant commercial building he owned — a former sales office for a nearby subdivision. The arrangement became permanent: eventually, renovations began, stalled through months of permit delays, and finally reached completion earlier this year. Cortellucci, who is not Jewish, was instrumental in making the center a reality; he and his son Peter cut the ribbon at the grand opening.

The renovated building now houses a synagogue, classrooms, a library, and a preschool. A kosher café is set to open soon, and a mikvah — the first within an hour’s drive — is next.

The grand opening drew Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin, Member of Provincial Parliament Andrea Khanjin, and a representative from the local federal MP’s office. Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, director of Chabad activities in Ontario and Rabbi Kaplan’s grandfather, addressed the crowd.

Turk, who dedicated the ladies’ sanctuary in memory of his late wife, watched a twenty-something-year-old rabbi accomplish something he never expected. “The grand opening was just magical,” he said. “What the Kaplans have done here is remarkable — this is the first full-time synagogue we have.”

Shluchim Hit the Road with CTeen Xtreme on Sold-Out Summer Trip

Somewhere between a jet ski on a Utah lake and a Shabbos table in Las Vegas, forty Jewish teenagers were putting on tefillin, wearing tzitzis, and committing to keep Shabbos.

Many teens who came to this summer’s sold-out CTeen Xtreme boys trip are the only Jewish kids in their school. A few had never wrapped tefillin before boarding the bus.

“I never imagined I’d be in the desert or riding on a jet ski with a rabbi,” said Bobby Cohen, one of the teens who came from Manchester, UK.

CTeen Xtreme is CTeen’s flagship summer trip, a two-week road trip across the American West planned by Rabbi Mendy Lepkivker of the CTeen Summer team at Merkos 302, and led by Shluchim doing CTeen in the field. This year the group pushed through national parks, white-water rapids, mountain biking, rappelling, horseback riding, and a Six Flags run.

“The Rebbe understood that young people have an idealism you can’t manufacture. You just have to give them the right environment,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, executive director of Merkos 302. “These are teens who are often the only Jewish kid in their school. When they finally have the space to live their Yiddishkeit openly, surrounded by peers who get it, you see something remarkable happen.”

The adventure is real. But what parents and teens kept coming back to wasn’t the rapids or the mountains. It was the people. This year, two CTeen Shluchim joined the trip alongside their teens, and both say it changed the way they think about summer programming.

Rabbi Zevy Geisinsky, CTeen Shliach in Great Neck, New York, came for a week of the trip to see his teens in action. He was so struck by what he saw that he came back, unplanned, for the second week’s Shabbos. He showed up as a surprise.

“Shia was so happy for Rabbi Zevy to surprise them at the end,” said Dina Kalaty of Great Neck, NY, whose son was on the trip. “He’s especially thankful for Rabbi Zevy.”

“I feel I made a stronger connection with the boys in just one week than I did over the past year,” said Rabbi Geisinsky. “The hashpa’ah was next level, with real, tangible outcomes.”

Rabbi Sholom Cohen, CTeen Shliach in Manchester, England, brought a group of Manchester boys and stayed for the full two weeks. The Manchester families couldn’t say enough.

“The best part of this trip was Rabbi Cohen,” said parent Hannah Salomon. “He thought of everything and cared for each participant and staff member on another level.”

Parents Melanie and Ed Anderson agreed: “Sholom was absolutely incredible. He gave us reassurance, confidence, and full trust.”

The fact that the program was sold out this year wasn’t a coincidence. When the Shluchim committed to the trip, they recruited harder, and families who might have been on the fence saw their own Shliach going. The sign-ups quickly reached the capacity.

The teens, for their part, described something that went well beyond a road trip.

“I learned Judaism is more than a religion,” said Joseph Attias of Manchester. “Judaism is a community where people are always there to help you wherever you’re from, and it provides opportunities to grow and connect.”

Nathan Lyubarsky said the trip inspired him “to become more observant and feel proud appearing visibly Jewish. I came to enjoy wearing a kippah and tzitzis in public. It made it easy to do mitzvos.” At the end of the trip, Nathan was one of the teens who committed to put on Tefillin daily and received a gift at the farewell program: his very own pair of Tefillin along with a custom CTeen bag.

Nearly every teen on the trip resolved to continue specific mitzvos at home. Tefillin was the most common, followed by tzitzis, Shabbos, brachos, and Torah learning. Avi Hamburger said his first move when he got back would be to “sign up for the Shabbaton in September.”

By the time the two-week trip wrapped, the effect it had on the teens uplifted their homes and communities. Sharon Fox said her son came home putting on tefillin every day. Jessica Makhluf, a parent from Boca Raton, said her son came home wearing tzitzis. Shluchim saw the impact it made on their teens as well; New Haven CTeen Shliach Rabbi Shalom Cheruff noticed how one of the boys he sent on the trip started putting on tefillin every day.

This summer, CTeen is running multiple trips across the globe: separate boys and girls CTeen Xtreme trips across America, Israel journeys for both, a combined Poland-Israel Heritage Quest, and a separate boys and girls program for French teens in Vietnam.

The Boys Xtreme numbers tell their own story. Forty boys from communities around the world. Two Shluchim who came along and saw it firsthand. And a busload of teens who came home ready to keep going. Next summer, the bus has room for more. Pre-registration for the upcoming summer is already open at CteenSummer.com.

Op-Ed: The Age Filter That May Be Costing Us Good Shidduchim

A letter from an older single 

I never thought I would be writing these words.

When I was younger and just starting shidduchim, I had a very clear picture of what I was looking for. Like many girls, I had my preferences, my expectations, and the things I thought were important in finding my bashert.

One of those things was age.

I believed that the age of the guy mattered. I had a certain range in mind, and when a shidduch suggestion came along and the guy was older than what I had envisioned, I would automatically become hesitant.

Looking back, I realize that many times I was reacting to a number, not to the person.

As the years went by and I gained more life experience, my perspective changed. I started meeting more people, hearing more stories, and seeing that the assumptions we sometimes make about age simply are not always true.

In our community, there is often a lot of discussion about girls getting older in shidduchim — and rightfully so, because there are real considerations and challenges. But sometimes we unintentionally create another problem by treating an older guy as if his age automatically makes him less desirable.

It doesn’t.

A 37-year-old man is not a completely different category from a 33-year-old man. Those four years may sound significant when written down, but in reality, both may be at the same stage of life: looking to build a bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel, ready for commitment, and searching for the right person.

The number alone does not tell the story.

A guy’s age does not tell you about his middos. It does not tell you if he will be a caring husband, a supportive partner, or someone who will build a home filled with warmth, Torah values, and chassidishkeit.

Those things come from who he is.

In fact, sometimes the extra years bring with them growth and maturity. A person may have spent those years learning more about himself, developing emotionally, building a career, strengthening his ruchniyus, or simply becoming more prepared for the responsibility of marriage.

Being older does not mean something is wrong. It does not mean he “missed his opportunity.” Every person has their own timeline, and every shidduch has its own hashgacha pratis.

I think many of us, myself included, can sometimes get caught up in an image of what a shidduch is supposed to look like. We focus on age, height, background, or other details before taking the time to see the person.

But when we talk about finding a partner for life, shouldn’t the focus be on the qualities that will actually determine the success of the marriage?

Is he a mentch?

Does he have good middos?

Does he have yiras Shamayim?

Does he have the ability and desire to build a loving home?

Are we compatible?

Those are the questions that truly matter.

Of course, everyone has preferences, and nobody should ignore legitimate concerns. A shidduch has to feel right. But perhaps we should be more careful before automatically dismissing a wonderful person because he is a few years older than the number we had in mind.

To the girls in shidduchim, especially those who may be getting older: I understand. I once thought the same way. I know it can feel uncomfortable to step outside the expectations you created for yourself.

But sometimes the person Hashem sends your way does not arrive exactly how you pictured him.

Sometimes the extra years are not a disadvantage. Sometimes those years are what helped shape him into the person you were waiting for.

Don’t let a number prevent you from getting to know a person.

Because at the end of the day, you are not marrying an age. You are marrying a person.

New Shluchim to Golden, CO and the Colorado School of Mines

Rabbi Yosef and Basya Stevenson, together with their daughters Chaya and Rivka, will be establishing Chabad of Golden and the Colorado School of Mines in time for the new school year.

Golden, CO sits in the foothills of the Rockies just west of Denver and is home to the Colorado School of Mines, one of the top engineering and science schools in the country. The area has a growing local Jewish population alongside hundreds of Jewish students at Mines, but until now there has been no permanent Jewish address for the community, nowhere for a Shabbat dinner, a Passover seder, or the kind of everyday connection that turns neighbors and students into family.

Chabad of Golden will serve both groups under one roof, with Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, weekly Torah classes, one-on-one learning, and community social events, bringing together longtime local families and students navigating Jewish life on their own for the first time.

The Stevensons bring their own personal connection to this mission: both Yosef and Basya discovered their commitment to Yiddishkeit while on campus, an experience they hope will help them relate to the Mines students who walk through their doors searching for the same connection.

Originally from S. Barbara, CA, Yosef studied computer engineering at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where the campus Chabad House, run by the Sharfstein family, became a home away from home and the place where his connection to Yiddishkeit took root. He went on to learn in Mayanot and later Tiferes in Morristown, and continued his learning in kollel after getting married, before bringing his engineering background into conversation with the students at Mines.

Basya grew up in Miami, FL, and was studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan when she connected with campus shlucha Malka Werde, an encounter that set her on her own path in Yiddishkeit. She went on to learn at Machon Alta, and looks forward to creating that same sense of connection for the women and families of Golden.

The Stevensons most recently completed a three-year internship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Chabad House under Rabbi Mendel and Henya Matusof, gaining hands-on experience serving a campus Jewish community before taking on their own shlichus in Golden.

Together, the Stevensons look forward to building a home in Golden where every Jewish resident and student knows there’s a place waiting for them.

You can partner with the Stevenson family in launching Chabad of Golden through their campaign:
charidy.com/golden

As Wildfires Ravage Spokane, Chabad Assists Displaced Families

by Faygie Levy Holt – chabad.org

Three wildfires continue to burn across eastern Washington State, having already consumed more than 10,000 acres and damaged or destroyed at least 600 structures. Roughly 60,000 residents of Spokane and Stevens counties have been ordered to evacuate since the fires broke out on Saturday morning.

More than 900 firefighters, some arriving from neighboring states, are working to contain the blazes, which a government incident report listed as zero percent contained as of Tuesday morning, though two of the three fires have “moderated significantly.”

“Gusty winds will continue to influence fire behavior today as firefighters continue their full suppression efforts,” the report noted, adding that additional equipment has been brought in to assist.

More than 10,000 acres have been damaged by the fires, while at least 600 structures have been destroyed. Roughly 60,000 residents of Spokane and Stevens counties have been ordered to evacuate since the fires broke out on Saturday morning.

Rabbi Yisrael and Chaya Sarah Hahn have led Chabad-Lubavitch of Spokane for two decades. The fires erupted on Shabbat, when Jewish law prohibits the use of electronic devices such as phones and computers, and the couple learned of the conflagration when an employee told them the flames were “out of control.” The Chabad center sits roughly 20 minutes from the fire zone.

The Hahns have since been checking in on members of their community. Some had been evacuated, but were spared the worst of the destruction. By Sunday, the rabbi was touring the wider area to assess what Chabad could do to help.

“I went from one place to another, and there’s a lot of blocked areas,” he said.

What he encountered, he said, was destruction that felt “surreal”: water pouring from broken pipes, smoldering embers where houses once stood.

“You see these pictures, and you don’t realize; there’s nothing like seeing it for real,” Hahn said. “You can tell it was a beautiful house, a gorgeous, well-maintained home. You can imagine the family running away in minutes, and thank G‑d, alive but losing everything, and then you see there’s another house and another house. It’s just heartbreaking.”

Unlike an earlier wildfire that struck the region several years ago, this one reached into the city itself, Hahn said: “If you look at the pictures, the fire took a bite. There were tremendous winds, and it just went inward.”

Among his stops on Sunday was the regional fire command center, where Hahn met with Marty Cohn, a California fire official deployed to Spokane as part of an interagency response to the wildfires.

On Monday, Hahn said, Chabad began delivering snacks, electrolyte drinks and hygiene supplies, including wipes and toothbrushes, to firefighters on the front lines.

The need, he said, extends well beyond those battling the flames. Though he believes that most residents affected by the fires carry insurance, Hahn said many face an immediate gap before claims are processed. Chabad of Spokane has launched a fundraising campaign to help cover residents’ urgent needs, including clothing, toiletries and medication, while they wait.

“We shouldn’t have the attitude that we are safe, we’re taken care of, our house isn’t burned down, let’s move on,” Hahn said, recalling how the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—sent his shluchim to every corner of the world to help others. “Rather, when something happens, we see what we can do to help.”

To contribute to Chabad of Spokane’s efforts, click here.

Rabbi Yisrael Hahn delivering snacks, electrolyte drinks and hygiene supplies, including wipes and toothbrushes, to firefighters on the front lines.

Three Photos. Five Divisions. Two Campuses. One Extraordinary Summer

Across two campuses in Lakewood, PA and Crown Heights, NY, more than 1,200 talmidim are spending their summer immersed in the Oholei Torah experience. Each program is thoughtfully designed to provide an uplifting experience in both gashmiyus and ruchniyus, combining meaningful learning with exciting, age appropriate activities tailored to every age and stage.

This past week, three annual group photos were taken, capturing five vibrant divisions that together reflect the remarkable scope of Oholei Torah’s summer programming. While each division has its own unique identity, they all share one mission: to provide every talmid with the most enjoyable and impactful summer in both gashmiyus and ruchniyus. 

Lakewood, PA****Yeshivas Kayitz Program (YKP)

With over 475 bochurim, including talmidim and staff, YKP continues to provide an exceptional summer yeshivah experience across its three divisions:

• YKP Mechina
• YKP Mesivta
• YKP Beis Medrash

United in one inspiring group photo, the annual photo captures the energy and spirit that define YKP each summer.

Crown Heights, NY****Gan Menachem

Serving over 770 talmidim, Gan Menachem’s two divisions provide an exciting, nurturing, and enriching summer experience:

• Gan Menachem Kiddie Camp
• Yeshivas Kayitz Gan Menachem

From engaging learning and davening to sports, swimming, trips, crafts, shows, and countless memorable experiences, every camper enjoys a summer carefully crafted to help him grow while having the time of his life.

Together, these three photos tell one story: a summer in which more than 1,200 talmidim and bochurim are growing, learning, and creating lifelong memories. 

Five divisions. Two campuses. One extraordinary summer. One mission.

To give every talmid with the most enjoyable and impactful summer in both gashmiyus and ruchniyus

NYC Starts Slapping Giant, Neon-Green ‘Shame Stickers’ on Cars Running Afoul of Parking Rules

New York Post

City officials on Tuesday began slapping giant, neon-green “shame stickers” on the cars of drivers who fail to follow alternate side parking rules.

The 8.5 x 11-inch adhesives were brought back by Manhattan Council Member Gale Brewer, who sponsored a bill allowing street sweepers to stick it to scofflaw drivers.

Video posted to social media showed Brewer gleefully anointing the first unlucky vehicles to be shamed on an Upper West Side street.

Picture of the Day

As Oholei Torah prepares the future home of its future Rabbinical Campus, signs have gone up on the building’s exterior face.

Avraham Fried Releases Newest TYH Music Video “No Shtus”

Just say no to Shtus!

There is a mind-boggling question that pierces to the very essence of our lives. How could a holy Yid, who possesses within him a Chelek Elokah Mima’al, a soul rooted in the highest of worlds, ever fall into sin? How could something so holy ever do something that is so beneath its stature?

Chazal reveal that a person only falls into sin when a spirit of folly, a sense of “silliness,” takes hold of them. Each person has their own version of Shtus in their lives, and this song reminds us that we can overcome it all by remaining connected to that chelek elokah within us by connecting ourselves to the Torah and mitzvos that Hashem gave us.

Our Tzaddikim expound on this idea to show the immense power every Yid possesses to choose their path. While the struggle between good and evil feels intense, the choice in every moment is actually quite simple. Deep down, our hearts already yearn for Elokus (G-dliness); we just need to push aside the Shtus that clouds our vision.

The Mezritcher Maggid shares a transformative insight on the mishna, “Da ma Lemala Mimcha,” which means “Know what is above you.” He reveals a hidden meaning in these words: Know that everything happening in the higher realms is actually Mimcha, meaning it is “from you.” This highlights the incredible impact a single action has on the entire universe, vibrating throughout both the spiritual and physical worlds.

We should take a moment every day to pause and remind ourselves why we are here and what our true purpose is.

Rebbe Nosson composed a masterpiece of prayers called Likutei Tefillos, filled with the most authentic and beautifully worded communications with Hashem. In the very first prayer of this collection, he provides the perfect words matching the theme of this song:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְפָנֶיךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁנִזְכֶּה לְגָרֵשׁ וּלְבַטֵל אֶת הָרוּחַ שְׁטוּת וְכָל מִינֵי שִׁגָּעוֹן שֶׁנִּתְדַבֵּק בָּנוּ עַל־יְדֵי מַעֲשֵׂינוּ הָרָעִים, הַכֹּל נִזְכֶּה לְגָרֵשׁ וּלְבַטֵל עַל־יְדֵי לְמוּד וְעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה הַקְדוֹשָׁה:

TYH Music/Mendy Portnoy/Farbrengable Studios
Written by Avraham Fried, Blumstein Bros, Yehudah Pinsker
Produced and Arranged by Yehudah Pinsker
Guitars: Yochai Sufrin
Keys: Mendy Portnoy, Yehudah Pinsker
Backing vocals by Yehudah Pinsker
Vocal Recording & Production by Yossi Tyberg

Video Credits:
AI Video Produced by TYH Creative and Naftoli Winter
Edited by Ezriel Gross

US Supreme Court Rejects PA Attempt to Block $656 Million Terror Judgment

israelnationalnews

In a significant blow to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor turned down a request on Monday to stay a massive $656 million financial judgment awarded to American victims of Palestinian Arab terrorism, The Associated Press reported.

The decision follows a ruling by the US Supreme Court last year favoring the victims and their surviving family members.

Lawyers representing the PA and PLO had appealed to the high court to suspend the payment during an ongoing appeal against the verdict’s reinstatement. In legal filings, officials in Ramallah argued that enforcing the multi-million-dollar penalty immediately would disrupt civil services across PA-governed areas of Judea and Samaria.

Read More at israelnationalnews

Powerball Climbs to $786 Million

Pix11

The Powerball jackpot climbed to $786 million after no players matched all six numbers in Monday night’s drawing.

The winning numbers were 8, 30, 41, 48, 54, and the Powerball was 4.

The prize now carries an estimated $786 million or $327.5 million in cash value, according to lottery officials.

Read More at Pix11

Ufaratzta Academy – The South Florida Chabad School Where When Every Child Is Truly Seen – Expands For The Coming Year

It usually begins quietly. A child who once bounded out the door each morning now lingers a little longer before getting dressed. Homework that used to take twenty minutes stretches into an evening of frustration. The sparkle in his eyes begins to fade. He insists everything is “fine,” but his parents know otherwise.

They know their son is bright. They know he is kind. They know he is capable. Yet somewhere along the way, in the rush of crowded classrooms and busy schedules, he has begun to feel invisible. For some children, the challenge isn’t a lack of ability. It’s that the environment around them has become overwhelming.

Large classes, constant stimulation, and the pressure to keep up can quietly erode a child’s confidence. Anxiety begins to replace curiosity. A love of learning gives way to a fear of making mistakes.

Parents often spend sleepless nights asking themselves the same question: “What does my child need in order to thrive?” For many families, the answer has been Yeshivas Ufaratzta.

Founded on the belief that every child deserves to be seen, understood, and cherished, Yeshivas Ufaratzta offers something increasingly rare: a warm, child-centered environment where students are known not just by name, but by heart. Small class sizes allow teachers to meet each child where they are, helping them grow academically while nurturing their emotional well-being and love of Torah, mitzvos, and Yiddishkeit.

One family’s journey beautifully illustrates the difference that kind of environment can make.

After years in public school, Yosef’s parents decided they wanted him to receive a Jewish education. Their hopes were dashed when a new school they planned to enroll him in never opened. As they searched for alternatives, they encountered one disappointment after another. ”Yosef was rejected from a lot of schools because he was too far behind and too religious,” his mother recalls. For a time, he was homeschooled while the family continued searching for a school that would truly welcome him. Then they found Yeshivas Ufaratzta. After meeting with the school’s founders, Rabbi Levi and Mrs. Channie Kurinsky, everything changed. ”They opened their hands and hearts to him,” his mother says. “Within a month he was davening from a siddur, wanting to make Kiddush Friday nights, and so on.”

Today, Yosef has celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. Looking back on the journey, his mother reflects, “Without Levi and Channie, I do not know where Yosef would be. From the bottom of our hearts we would love to say a huge thank you to Levi and Channie Kurinsky for these last two years that you opened your doors and hearts to a boy who just wanted to fit in and belong to the beautiful family of Ufaratzta Academy.”

Another student, Menachem, came to Yeshivas Ufaratzta with a very different story—but arrived at the same destination.

Menachem is an exceptionally intelligent, thoughtful, and capable young boy. In a larger school setting, however, the constant activity, larger classes, and social pressures left him struggling with anxiety. Although he had every ability to succeed academically, anxiety often prevented him from demonstrating what he knew. School became exhausting instead of exciting, and his family watched as his confidence slowly diminished.

They knew the problem wasn’t his potential. He simply needed a place where he felt emotionally safe. At Yeshivas Ufaratzta, Menachem found that safety.

In small classes surrounded by caring teachers and kind classmates, he no longer felt like just another student. He felt known. He felt understood. As trust replaced anxiety, his confidence began to grow. He started participating more freely, developed meaningful friendships, and rediscovered the joy of learning. The same child who once felt overwhelmed now comes to school eager for the day ahead.

His parents share:

“We are deeply grateful for Yeshiva Ufaratzta School. Baruch Hashem, our son is thriving in its warm, nurturing environment with dedicated teachers and kind students. He comes home happy every day, and the small class sizes ensure personalized care. The support from his principals and teachers is truly heartwarming, and the home-cooked meals are a wonderful bonus. We feel so blessed to be part of this amazing school.”

While every child’s journey is unique, these stories share a common thread. When children feel safe, seen, and genuinely cared for, remarkable things happen. Confidence replaces fear. Curiosity overcomes anxiety. Learning becomes joyful again. Students discover not only what they can achieve, but who they are.

Our Sages teach that every child is an olam malei—an entire world. True chinuch begins when we recognize that no two children are exactly alike, and that each one deserves to be educated according to his or her unique strengths, needs, and potential. The Lubavitcher Rebbe often emphasized that successful education is not achieved by treating every child the same, but by recognizing the unique mission and potential within each precious neshamah and educating them accordingly.

That vision is at the heart of Yeshivas Ufaratzta.

Every child who walks through our doors is more than a student—they are a precious neshamah, created with unique gifts and an irreplaceable contribution to make to Klal Yisrael. Our mission is not simply to prepare children for the next grade, but to help them discover a lifelong love of Torah, confidence in themselves, and the knowledge that they are deeply valued.

Because when a child knows they belong, they begin to believe in themselves. And once a child believes in themselves, there is no limit to what they can become.

Kingston and Brooklyn Ave Residents Concerned as Construction Begins on Crown Heights Bike Lane

by Crown Heights Askonim

Initial construction has begun on New York City’s controversial new bike lane project in Crown Heights with the city installing pedestrian ramps in middle of busy Avenues to make room for the bike lanes. Under the current plan, the protected bike lanes will be placed on Kingston Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue from East New York Avenue south to Winthrop Street and regular bike lanes will be installed on Rutland Road and Winthrop Street between Kingston and Brooklyn Aves.

The infamous project against the safety and pedestrian security of the Jewish community was originally proposed by Brooklyn Community Board 9 (CB9), along with Assembly member Brian Cunningham, State Senator Zellnor Myrie and NYC Council member Rita Joseph (who represents South CH) when they penning a signed letter to the Department Of Transportation (DOT) requesting a ‘protected’ bike lane in the Jewish part of their district—on Kingston Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue.

The request from the Crown Heights elected officials was for the ‘protected’ bike lane on Kingston and Brooklyn Aves to begin in phase 1 at Empire Boulevard and continuing south till Kings County Hospital with an option to extend the ‘protected’ bike lane all the way in the heart of Crown Heights till Eastern Parkway in phase 2.

However, in 2025 as the construction street linage was being placed to begin work the very next day, serious safety concerns were immediately raised overnight by the Crown Heights Jewish community leaders to former Mayor Eric Adams office, the proposal was fully paused by city hall before construction began.

Crown Heights Jewish community leaders, Askonim_,_ activists and advocates tirelessly worked for countless hours and attended numerous meetings on behalf of the Shchunah with city officials under the former Adams administration to stop this disastrous, dangerous, reckless and recipe for injury—project.

Although former Mayor Adams office refused to abandon the Kingston and Brooklyn Avenues ‘protected’ bike lane proposal after receiving letters of support of this controversial project from local elected officials including Assembly, NY Senate and City Council members who all represent the affected area and requested the bike lane. The efforts from the CH Jewish leaders led to productive changes resulting in the starting point at the northern section being shortened two-blocks south to East New York Avenue, reducing the negative impact on the Center of Crown Heights and issuing a complete “pause” on the entire project.

According to Jewish community leaders and representatives, discussions with city officials under the Mamdani administration are ongoing, and they continue working to prevent the protected bike lane from extending farther north into Crown Heights in an effort to limit expansion.

Opponents of the protected bike lane which include nearly every parent residing on the affected Avenues in question, argue that while they are intended to improve cyclist safety, the ‘protected’ bike lanes also create unintended extreme dangers for children, especially for kids while waiting for their school (yeshiva) bus and safety concerns for pedestrians, emergency vehicles and deliveries in this densely populated neighborhood.

Residents point to experiences in the Jewish section of Williamsburg, where protected bike lanes installed along parts of Bedford Avenue generated dozens of accidents on pedestrians, some with serious and permanent injuries involving young Satmar Yeshiva students entering and exiting their school buses. Other accidents on the same stretch in Williamsburg included Satmar children being struck by cyclists and e-bikes while exiting a vehicle which they then had to cross over the ‘protected’ bike lane to get to the sidewalk.

Widespread community concerns are that what has transpired with dozens of accidents and injuries of young kids disembarking their Yeshiva buses getting struck by cyclists in the Jewish section of Williamsburg, would happen here as well in Crown Heights. Just worse because Brooklyn Avenue is emptier and downhill, which will result in cyclists, illegal mopeds, e-bikes and e-scooters speeding even faster.

Supporters of the Kingston and Brooklyn Aves protected bike lanes—most who ironically don’t even live in the district, maintain that it is to encourage safer cycling by separating bicycles from vehicle traffic and that if Jewish parents are so concerned that their young children may veer into the bike path and get injured—then parents should not let their kids out of their home or they should have less children.

Opponents, however, believe that each neighborhood has unique traffic patterns and pedestrian needs, and Avenues such as Kingston and Brooklyn which has one of the highest ratio in the city of young kids residing on or immediately near the Avenue-should be carefully considered before implementing permanent street redesigns which may compromise the safety of the children.

Many of our friends and neighbors in the district from the African American and Hipster community of West Crown Heights in closer proximity to Prospect Park have been repeatedly requesting from the local elected officials and at Brooklyn Community Board 9 (CB9) meetings the installation of a protected bike lane along Rogers, Bedford, Franklin, Washington and Classon Avenues.

Yet our elected officials, including Assemblyman Brian Cunningham, Senator Myrie, Councilwoman Hudson and Councilwoman Joseph have deliberately ignored their pleas. This shows how far-fetched from reality, lacking common sense, and disassociated from the district’s locals our elected officials are when they care more about forcing a ‘protected’ bike lane only in the Jewish section of their district, and refuse to request a ‘protected’ bike lane in the yuppie and African American parts of the district against the wishes of the entire community.

A Caribbean-American lifelong resident of the district that resides near Bedford Avenue stated: “Shame on our local elected officials for prioritizing the Jewish community by giving the Jews special treatment and awarding them with protected bike lanes which saves lives—while allowing their black and brown cyclist constituents to be mowed down daily by ‘traffic violence.’ The elected officials do not care about the lives of the African American community living in the western section of Crown Heights.”

“Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights west is one of the top dangerous roads in the entire New York City, with one-of-the-most ‘cyclists struck’ crashes citywide according to public NYC accidents data. This is a civil rights racial discrimination tactic by the Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens elected officials for deliberately silencing the safety of the African American, black, brown and Caribbean community by refusing to give us a ‘protected’ bike lane, while they prioritize only the safety of ‘others’ on Kingston and Brooklyn Aves_,_”the resident concluded.

Brooklyn Community Board 8 (CB8) in partnership with Council Member Crystal Hudson, has also proposed a ‘protected’ bike lane on Albany Avenue which the Department Of Transportation (DOT) has approved their request with construction set to take place in the spring of 2027.

Notably, the only local elected official that has not requested ‘protected’ bike lanes installation in the Center of the Crown Heights Jewish community is Congress Member Yvette Clarke, Lubavitchers in the neighborhood are very thankful to the Congresswoman for being the “lone voice of reason” caring about our children’s safety and Askonim are looking forward to continue working hand-in-hand together with Rep. Clarke on behalf of the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish community.

Last week elected officials in Flatbush and parts of Boro Park with a pro bono attorney sued NYC to stop a “regular” bike lane that was proposed to pass through their district, while any local Crown Heightser or concerned citizens can sue NYC and the local Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens elected officials for their support letter requesting the Kingston and Brooklyn Aves bike lanes, along with the option to sue the local East Flatbush and neighboring area elected officials for requesting, funding and sponsoring legislation in support of local homeless shelters and supportive housing facilities despite the crime concerns. Nobody in Crown Heights has done it as of yet.

As the Kingston and Brooklyn Aves protected bike lanes construction continues, Askonim say they will remain engaged with city agencies to try their best that future decisions reflect the real safety concerns of Crown Heights residents while at the same time hoping that most of the local elected officials get their act together and start to finally represent their constituents and not just the pro-bike lane lobbyists and out-of-district donors and nonprofits.

Hundreds Gather in Tannersville for Annual Yarchei Kallah Honoring the Rebbe’s Father

Hundreds of Jewish vacationers representing a wide range of communities gathered Motzaei Shabbos at Beis Menachem – Chabad Lubavitch in Tannersville, New York, for the community’s annual Yarchei Kallah and Melaveh Malkah in honor of the 82nd Yahrtzeit of Harav Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, zt”l, the Rebbe’s father.

Held each year on the eve of Chof Menachem Av, the event has become a highlight of the summer season in the Catskills, drawing Anash, Chassidim from various courts, members of the Yeshivish community, kollel yungeleit, and yeshivah students for an evening of Torah, Chassidus, and farbrengen.

Nestled in New York’s scenic Hunter Mountains, the longtime summer destination of Tannersville welcomes thousands of Jewish vacationers each year from across the Jewish spectrum. What began as a peaceful getaway quickly became a thriving Torah community, with bustling shuls, batei midrash, kollelim, summer yeshivos, kosher shopping, day camp, and accommodations tailored to the needs of frum families.

At the heart of this vibrant summer life is “Beis Menachem – Chabad Lubavitch”, led by Mara D’Asra Rabbi Mordechai Stern. The historic “Anshei HaSharon” Congregation (“The White Shul”)”, under the leadership of Rabbi Yehoshua Bornstein, and the Boston Shul, established by the Bostoner Rebbe, zt”l, and today led by his son-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Meir Stockhammer. Together, these institutions serve the thousands of families who transform Tannersville into one of the Catskills’ most vibrant summer Torah communities.

The program opened with Rabbi Mordechai Stern, Mara D’Asra of Beis Menachem, who shared insights from the Rebbe’s teachings on his father’s life and legacy. Reflecting on Harav Levi Yitzchok’s extraordinary mesiras nefesh during his years of Soviet exile, Rabbi Stern encouraged participants to draw inspiration from his unwavering dedication to Torah, mitzvos, and the Rebbe’s mission of spreading Yiddishkeit.

Rabbi Yehoshua Bornstein of Anshei Hasharon spoke about the importance of strengthening Torah study and mitzvah observance with emunah and bitachon, emphasizing that these efforts hasten the coming of Moshiach.

Rabbi Chaim Meir Stockhammer, son-in-law of the Bostoner Rebbe, zt”l, continued his longstanding tradition of participating in the annual gathering. In his address, he praised the Rebbe’s shluchim around the world for their tireless work bringing Jews closer to Torah and mitzvos through the Rebbe’s Mivtzoim.

The gathering was also honored by the participation of philanthropist Reb Sholom Ber Drizin, one of the longtime residents and founders of Tannersville’s Chabad community. Speaking on the Torah portion, he shared a message about Hashem’s boundless blessings and offered heartfelt brachos to those in attendance.

The evening concluded with the singing of the Hakafos Niggun associated with the baal hahilula, followed by Birchas Hamazon. Participants left inspired by the atmosphere of achdus and the meaningful tribute to the Rebbe’s father.

The event was organized by the leadership of Beis Menachem, with the dedicated efforts of Rabbi Sholom Dovber Rabkin and Rabbi Dovid Shputz, who coordinated the annual program.

Mikvah Taharah Be’er Yitzchak Dedicated at YKP Following Inspiring Shabbos with the Michalashvili Family

Just weeks after the exciting announcement that a new mikvah would be added to the campgrounds of Oholei Torah’s Yeshivas Kayitz Program (YKP), the vision has already become a reality.

Mikvah Taharah Be’er Yitzchak was completed in time for this summer season and has quickly become one of the most meaningful additions ever made to the YKP campus. Beautifully designed and meticulously constructed as a kosher mikvah for tevilah d’Oraisa, the mikvah is now used daily by more than 475 bochurim and staff who spend their summers immersed in Torah, avodah, and chassidishkeit at YKP.

In honor of the dedication, Reb Yossi and Mrs. Michalashvili joined the YKP family for an uplifting Shabbos. Throughout the weekend, Reb Yossi experienced every facet of Yeshivas Kayitz life, davening Friday night with the Mesivta division, Shabbos morning with the Beis Medrash division, joining the general staff for their minyan’s Shabbos afternoon kiddush, and concluding Shabbos by davening Minchah and Maariv with the Mechina division.

Following the inspiring Shabbos, a special dedication and plaque unveiling ceremony was held in Sunday in honor of the completion of the mikvah.

Rabbi Yehoshua Lustig, Menahel Klali of Oholei Torah, served as master of ceremonies, expressing heartfelt appreciation to Reb Yossi and Mrs. Michalashvili for their extraordinary generosity and presenting them with a special gift of appreciation.

Rabbi Lustig noted the special significance of the mikvah’s name, Mikvah Taharah Be’er Yitzchak, dedicated in memory of Reb Yossi’s grandfather, Harav Hachassid Reb Yitzchak ben Harav Hachassid Reb Avraham Michalashvili A”H. 

“Reb Yitzchak devoted himself with extraordinary mesirus nefesh to building and maintaining mikvaos throughout Georgia and the former Soviet Union during years when preserving Yiddishkeit required tremendous sacrifice,” Rabbi Lustig remarked. “It is especially fitting that a mikvah serving hundreds of bochurim each summer now bears his name, ensuring that his legacy of strengthening taharah continues to inspire future generations.”

Rabbi Lustig also shared a touching personal story he had heard from his father, Rabbi Hershel Lustig, illustrating Reb Yossi’s longstanding connection to Oholei Torah. As a bochur, Reb Yossi deeply wished to participate in the children’s rallies with the Rebbe in 770, even though attendance was limited to talmidim and their teachers. Rabbi Lustig recounted how Reb Yossi would volunteer to be a substitute teacher, without compensation, on rally days simply to be part of the yeshiva and merit participating in the special Tzivos Hashem rallies with the Rebbe. That same initiative and devotion has remained with him throughout his life, and today he continues to support Oholei Torah and its mission in countless ways.

Rabbi Mendel Blau, Roish Moissed, spoke about the profound importance of tevilah in the life of a bochur. “For many bochurim,” he noted, “their journey of going to the mikvah begins during the summer. We did not build this mikvah for those who would brave the lake or the pool in every kind of weather. We built it so that every single bochur has the opportunity to go to the mikvah each day in a proper and dignified setting.”

Representing the talmidim, Menachem Majeski of the Mesivta division thanked the Michalashvili family on behalf of the bochurim. “This mikvah has completely transformed our daily experience at YKP,” he shared. “Having such a beautiful and comfortable mikvah on campus is something we appreciate every day, and we are deeply grateful to the Michalashvili family for making it possible.”

Both Rabbi Lustig and Rabbi Blau also expressed their appreciation to Rabbi Yisroel Levertov, Director of YKP, and Rabbi Meir Heber, Associate Director, for their outstanding leadership in creating an exceptional summer experience for the talmidim. They noted that when the idea of building a mikvah was presented, Rabbi Levertov immediately embraced the vision, and together with Rabbi Heber, quickly assembled the necessary team, oversaw the planning and design, and managed the project from the ground up. Thanks to their dedication and tireless efforts, the mikvah was completed in record time and was ready for daily use shortly after the opening of camp, allowing hundreds of bochurim to benefit from it throughout the summer.

The ceremony concluded with a festive VIP luncheon attended by guests, YKP families, and members of the Oholei Torah leadership. Divrei Torah were shared in honor of Chof Av, the yahrzeit of the Rebbe’s father, Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, adding further inspiration to an already memorable occasion.

What began as an announcement only weeks ago has already become a lasting reality. Each day, hundreds of bochurim benefit from Mikvah Taharah Be’er Yitzchak, ensuring that the legacy of Reb Yitzchak Michalashvili continues to inspire generations through increased taharah, chassidishkeit, and avodas Hashem.

Photo Credit: Mendy Golomb

When Benny Friedman Traveled to Kazakhstan

A couple of years ago a group of men from Anshei Lubavitch traveled first what would be the first of many trips to visit the resting place of the Rebbe’s father, Harav Reb Levi Yitzchak Schneerson.

“We learned more about his life, his story, and his otherworldly self-sacrifice,” Benny Friedman wrote. “And of course, we studied from his Torah writings.”

Today, on the 82nd Yahrtzeit anniversary of this great and holy man, it’s a perfect time to refresh our knowledge about Chof Av, and recommit ourselves to live our lives with this level of commitment, without compromise, and without fear or doubt.

Rabbi Sholom Ber Eber, 78, Documented the Rebbe for Posterity

by Mendel Braun – chabad.org

There are those who stand in the spotlight, and those who help that light reach others. Rabbi Sholom Ber Eber, who passed away on June 29 (14 Tammuz) at the age of 78, belonged to the latter category.

Type “the Rebbe” into any search engine today, in any time zone, and hundreds of videos of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—will surface nearly instantly.

There are videos of Chassidic gatherings, of public prayers, of the hours-long lines during “Sunday Dollars,” when visitors filed past the Rebbe to receive a dollar for charity and a blessing, an encounter that lasted seconds but became a powerful memory that lived on for posterity.

Years before livestreams or digital archives existed, it was Eber, spending his days in a small storefront in Brooklyn, N.Y, meticulously preserving thousands of hours of that footage. The work he did there still fuels the inspiration millions draw from the Rebbe today, 32 years after his passing.

A young Sholom Ber Eber helps a Jewish man wrap tefillin on a bus.

From Tel Aviv to Crown Heights

Born in 1947, young Sholom Dov Ber grew up in Tel Aviv, among a small circle of Russian Lubavitcher Chassidim. His grandfather, Rabbi Eliyahu Eber, served as a mashpia, or Chassidic mentor, in the famed town of Nevel in White Russia. His great-uncle, Rabbi Yehudah (Yuda) Eber, worked for years in the underground Chabad yeshivah system in the Soviet Union. After escaping in 1930, the Sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory, appointed him the rosh yeshivah of the Chabad yeshivah in Vilna, then of Warsaw. Rabbi Yuda Eber and his family were murdered by the Germans in Riga, Latvia, in 1941.

Sholom Ber’s father, Rabbi Nissen Eber, grew up in Nevel amid the Russian Revolution and immigrated to the Land of Israel just before the Holocaust, where he taught for years and inspired generations of students.

“It was as a boy in that environment in Tel Aviv, where my father absorbed much of the Chassidic character that went on to define who he was,” said his son, Rabbi Yossi Eber, co-director of Chabad of West Pasco. “His humility, his generosity, and his sense of urgency were all ingrained deeply in him from those formative years.”

With his father, Rabbi Nissen Eber.

As a 19-year-old yeshivah student in 1967, Eber traveled from Israel to study in the Rebbe’s court at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He went on to marry his wife, Esther Gurwitz, and settled nearby, buying the Ess & Bentch Luncheonette on the corner of Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, directly across from 770.

Rabbi Chaim Boruch Halberstam, who had run the restaurant before selling it to Eber, recalled the diner’s environment fondly, but remembers Eber’s approach to its business side even more.

“The profits from the first customer each day, he always gave away to charity,” Halberstam said. “It didn’t matter if it was a modest purchase or a major one.”

Preserving for Posterity

Halberstam, who remained life-long friends with Eber, had already begun recording the Rebbe’s farbrengens and streaming them live, building the technical systems that allowed eager communities around the world to hear the Rebbe speak in real time, a rarity in that era. He then began regularly photographing and filming events at 770 and selling copies on cassette and VHS tape.

Halberstam dubbed his operation “World Lubavitch Communications Center”—with the acronym WLCC, and the tagline “spreading Judaism via all means of audio and visual communications.”

By 1982, as demand grew, Halberstam asked the Rebbe if he should open a storefront devoted to WLCC’s work of preserving and distributing the recordings. The Rebbe directed him to a look for a location near 770.

“As soon as I finished reading the Rebbe’s answer, I walked out of 770 and bumped into Sholom,” Halberstam recalled.

Eber had recently leased a storefront down the block and wasn’t sure what to do with it. Halberstam described his plan and the guidance from the Rebbe he had just received.

“When he said he had the empty space, I told him a place for my work has been found,” Halberstam said. “Sholom was enthusiastic, and that is how we became partners.”

Eber guides a tour group through the WLCC broadcast room at 770 Eastern Parkway.

Together, the two men recorded the Rebbe, duplicated thousands of audio and video tapes, and cataloged footage so it could reach people far from away from the epicenter in Crown Heights. The partnership in WLCC that began on that sidewalk lasted decades and eventually touched countless people around the globe, an impact that continues to this day.

When the Rebbe began distributing dollars for charity each Sunday in 1986, Eber and Halberstam arranged for photographers to capture each of the thousands of encounters, letting visitors purchase a photo or video afterward—keepsakes to be treasured forever.

“Sholom was never comfortable standing in front of the Rebbe with a camera,” Halberstam says. “But behind the scenes, he was running everything.”

While Halberstam held the cameras, Eber managed the selling, copying, preparing materials and handling whatever the day required.

“Whenever I arrived at the store in the morning, Sholom was already there, deep in the middle of his work,” Halberstam recalled. “He worked tirelessly to make sure the Rebbe’s words reached as many people as possible.”

Eber also spent years tracking down recordings from the Rebbe’s earliest years of leadership, gathering and restoring tapes and film scattered among private collections.

“My father understood that every word, every image and every encounter with the Rebbe was a priceless part of history that deserved to be preserved for generations,” says Rabbi Yossi Eber. “My father worked on this project tirelessly. Today, recordings from those early years have become invaluable treasures.”

Eber also helped produce projects including Maaseh Rav, a collection of stories shared by the Rebbe during farbrengens, and K’tanim U’Pninim, which brought meaningful encounters and lesser-known moments from WLCC’s archives into homes and schools around the world.

Together with Halberstam, the two men recorded the Rebbe, duplicated thousands of audio and video tapes, and cataloged footage so it could reach people far from away from the epicenter in Crown Heights. When the Rebbe began distributing dollars for charity each Sunday in 1986, Eber and Halberstam arranged for photographers to capture each of the thousands of encounters.

‘Tomorrow Was Not Part of His Lexicon’

In 1992, the Rebbe’s health declined and public appearances grew less predictable. Eber helped develop the beeper system that alerted holders whenever the Rebbe appeared in public, allowing them to spend time with the Rebbe.

When Eber noticed the Rebbe needed larger print for parts of the prayers, he arranged to have those pages printed on large paper himself.

After the Rebbe’s passing in 1994, Eber and Halberstam recognized that visitors to the Ohel—the Rebbe’s resting place in Queens, N.Y.—would need somewhere to stay nearby.

Eber helped raise funds, encouraged supporters and personally assisted with payments to get the project built. Since then, millions of visitors have since passed through the welcome center.

Despite his many responsibilities, those who knew Eber describe his warm smile, his genuine interest in every individual, and his generosity.

“My father insisted on helping new immigrants get started when they came to the United States. He gave jobs to yeshivah students who needed it, and gave free photos of the Rebbe to those who couldn’t afford them,” said Rabbi Nissi Eber, who together with his wife Chaya directs the Chabad Jewish Center of FiDi in Manhattan. “He was always offering encouragement to those around him.”

Eber always considered himself a humble soldier of the Rebbe, despite his extraordinary work. Several of his children became Chabad emissaries and encouraged him to attend the annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries as their guest. Eber consistently declined, believing that those who had dedicated their lives to serve as the Rebbe’s emissaries deserved that honor. He never considered himself worthy of standing among them.

“Sholom was a man who saw a need and got it done,” Halberstam said. “He never sat idle. If something needed to be done, it was today. Tomorrow was not part of his lexicon.”

In addition to his wife, Esther, he is survived by their children: Chani Steigman (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Chevy Lepkivker (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Yossi Eber (Trinity, Fla.); Chaya Neuwirth (Bay Harbor, Fla.); Nechama Dina Dubrowski (Tampa, Fla.); Zeldy Stillerman (Islip, N.Y.); and Nissi Eber (New York); and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Chof Av in Alma Ata: Gala Banquet Gallery

Courtesy of Akiva Scheinberger, we present a gallery from Alma Ata of the Chabad delegation at the Gala Banquet.

Pomona Hosts Chof Av Farbrengen with Rabbi Yossi Paltiel

In honor of Chof Av, the yahrtzeit of the renowned mekubal Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the Rebbe, Anash and community members came together for a special Farbrengen at Bais Levi Yitzchak in Pomona.

The Farbrengen featured renowned teacher, mashpia, and founder of InsideChassidus.org, Rabbi Yossi Paltiel, who shared words of inspiration connected to the life and legacy of Harav Levi Yitzchak and the significance of Chof Av.

The event took place on Sunday, Chof Av, at 130 Camphill Road in Pomona, NY.

For those unable to attend in person, the shiur was livestreamed on Reb Levik’s Torah beginning Monday at BuildBLY.com.

The evening offered an opportunity for the community to gather in the spirit of Chassidus, commemorate the yahrtzeit of Harav Levi Yitzchak, and drew inspiration from his enduring legacy through a meaningful Farbrengen.

BLY is fundraising for building: https://buildbly.opengiv.com/

Special Learning Publication For Chof Av From Yagdil Torah

In honor of Chof Av, the Yohrtzeit of Reb Levi Yitzchak, the Rebbe’s father, Yagdil Torah has compiled a publication with Mishnayos and selected pieces of his Torah. The guide will be available in local shuls, at the Yagdil Torah office and website.

The publication contains stories of the Rebbe’s father and the entire Mishnayos that corresponds to his name.

As per the Rebbe’s request, learn Pirkei Mishnayos beginning with the letters of the Rebbe’s fathers holy name: המקובל הגה”ח הרב לוי יצחק זצ”ל

Your audio companion – alongside Yagdil Torah’s Kovetz Limud: Click Here

chof-AvDownload

Historic Full Circle: Memorial Plaque Unveiled at Kyiv Prison Where the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Father Was Imprisoned

A remarkable chapter of Jewish history came full circle on Monday, 20 Menachem Av, the yahrzeit of the renowned gaon and mekubal, Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson zt”l, father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, as an official memorial plaque was dedicated at Kyiv’s Lukyanivka Detention Center — the very prison where he was incarcerated under the Soviet regime for his unwavering commitment to Judaism.

The dedication marks a moving act of historical recognition, taking place exactly 86 years after Harav Levi Yitzchak was arrested and imprisoned simply because he courageously continued to serve as a Rav and strengthen Jewish life despite relentless Communist persecution.

The memorial became a reality following extensive efforts by Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, Chabad shliach and Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, who also serves as Chief Rabbi of Ukraine’s Prison Service. Working together with his son, Rabbi Ariel Markovitch, a Chabad shliach in Kyiv who oversees Jewish activities throughout Ukraine’s prison system, the two spent many months coordinating with prison authorities to ensure that the site where Harav Levi Yitzchak suffered for his faith would receive permanent recognition.

The dedication ceremony was attended by the commander of the detention center and his deputy, who joined Rabbi Markovitch in unveiling the commemorative plaque.

During the ceremony, the prison commander expressed deep regret over the injustice committed against Harav Levi Yitzchak, acknowledging that he had been imprisoned despite having committed no crime other than being a Jewish rabbi and spiritual leader.

He described the imprisonment as a painful chapter in history that deserves to be remembered and preserved for future generations.

The memorial plaque recounts the story of Harav Levi Yitzchak’s arrest and imprisonment and also features one of his own reflections from that difficult period.

In addition, the prison received a copy of Nitzotzei Levi Yitzchak, a volume based on the Torah teachings of Harav Levi Yitzchak. The book will remain in the prison’s library, where it will be available for the benefit and use of Jewish inmates.

“There is profound significance in the fact that specifically on the yahrzeit of Harav Levi Yitzchak we have merited to establish a memorial at the very place where his freedom was taken from him simply because he was a Rav spreading Yiddishkeit,” Rabbi Markovitch said.

“This represents a historic rectification and an emotional closing of the circle. At the very place where the Soviet regime sought to silence the voice of Judaism, there now stands a permanent memorial telling the story of the courage, sacrifice, and unwavering mesirus nefesh of Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson zt”l, the father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.”

Chof Av in Alma Ata: Pan Klali Gallery

Courtesy of Akiva Scheinberger, we present a gallery from Alma Ata of the Chabad delegation as they read the Pan Klali Sunbday.

One Minute Halacha Group Expands In Crown Heights

A fast-growing WhatsApp group was recently launched to encourage the daily study of practical halacha. Each day, participants receive a one-minute voice note covering a halacha from the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, making it easy to incorporate practical halacha study into their daily routine.

The initiative continues the legacy of Rabbi Peretz Feigenson ע”ה, a respected Chosid and Talmid Chochom who dedicated his life to spreading Torah throughout the Crown Heights community. Following the Rebbe’s launch of Mivtza Torah in 5731 (1971), he sprung into action, and – working closely with Rabbi Dovid Raskin ע”ה of Tzach – began organizing shiurim in shuls throughout the neighborhood.

Many fondly remember the countless shiurim and chavrusos he established and led over the years.

In his tzava’ah, he asked his children to learn one seif of Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch each day. In fulfillment of that request and in his memory, his son, Rabbi Mendel Feigenson, Shliach in Sugar Land, Texas, now shares a brief daily halacha voice note through this WhatsApp group, thereby allowing others to learn and benefit as well.

This Tuesday, 21 Av (August 4), the group begins the practical laws of Tishrei. New participants are invited to join nearly 200 others already benefiting from the daily one-minute halacha.

To join the WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GUi3R2P5cOg1KsNQV4JrPm

Earthquake Centered in Egypt Felt Across Central and Southern Israel

israelnationalnews

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck Egypt early Monday morning, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which added that the earthquake was at a depth of 10 kilometers.

Residents reported feeling the quake in central and southern Israel, with emergency alerts triggered on some mobile devices.

This past April, numerous residents in northern Israel reported feeling strong tremors in their homes.

Read More at israelnationalnews

Keren Levi Yitzchak Launches Interest-Free Financing For Educator’s Weddings

For decades, Keren Levi Yitzchak has provided interest-free loans to Chabad educators, helping families navigate unexpected financial challenges with dignity. Today, we are proud to announce a significant expansion of that mission.

Eligible teachers can now finance their share of the Keren Hachomesh Wedding Package through an interest-free Keren Levi Yitzchak loan, with no payments required before the wedding.

This is the first time Keren Levi Yitzchak has introduced a dedicated loan program for a specific life milestone, helping educators meet one of the greatest financial challenges many families face: marrying off a child.

The initiative builds on the success of the Keren Hachomesh Wedding Package, which has already enabled dozens of  families to celebrate beautiful weddings at significantly reduced cost. By making interest-free financing available for the remaining balance, even more educators will be able to benefit.

After the required $5,000 booking payment is made to secure the wedding package for both families, eligible educators may finance their remaining share—currently $12,250—through an interest-free Keren Levi Yitzchak loan. Repayment begins one month after the wedding and may be spread over 12 months, allowing families to celebrate their simcha before beginning repayment.

Weather Alert Issued For NYC As Heavy Rains and Localized Flooding Head to the City Monday

The New York City Emergency Management Department (NYCEM) is advising New Yorkers to prepare for periods of heavy rain, scattered thunderstorms, and the potential for localized flash flooding on Monday, August 3, as a weather system moves through the region.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), isolated showers may develop on Sunday, before a low-pressure system approaches the region on Monday. Showers are expected to become more widespread Monday morning, with the greatest risk for heavy rainfall and thunderstorms expected between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. While rain is not expected to fall throughout the day, individual thunderstorms may produce rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, which could lead to isolated to scattered instances of flash flooding of urban, poor drainage, low-lying areas, and along quick-responding streams. Showers are expected to dissipate early Monday evening.

 “Summer storms can arrive with little warning, bringing flash flooding, downed tree limbs and dangerous lightning,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “ I urge every New Yorker to stay alert, take these storms seriously and head indoors when conditions become unsafe. The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is to stay informed — sign up for emergency alerts by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692.”

“While the forecast continues to evolve, now is the time for New Yorkers to prepare,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell. “Heavy rainfall can quickly create dangerous travel conditions and flash flooding. We encourage everyone to stay informed, plan ahead for Monday’s commute, and never drive or walk through flooded roadways. New Yorkers in basement apartments should know their exits now and be ready to move to a higher floor when heavy rain begins.”

The region is also under a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms on Monday. The strongest storms could bring gusty winds, lightning, and brief heavy downpours. Wind gusts of 60mph are possible in any stronger storms, which could damage trees and power lines and result in power outages. Stay informed by checking the forecast at weather.gov/nyc and signing up for emergency alerts at nyc.gov/notifynyc.

NYCEM has activated the city’s Flash Flood Emergency Plan, coordinating closely with NWS, city and state agencies, utility providers and private sector partners. This proactive approach includes pre-storm actions, such as targeted inspections and clearing of catch basins in flood-prone areas by agencies like the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation, to help reduce street flooding before heavy rain begins. The Downed Tree Task Force has been put on alert to respond to any fallen trees or branches, as well as the Tow Truck Task Force to assist with any stranded vehicles. Coordinated interagency calls ensure partners are briefed on emerging risks and prepared to escalate response operations as needed, while specialized emergency assets and response teams remain on standby for rapid deployment. NYCEM’s 24/7 Watch Command continuously monitors weather conditions and tracks developing systems in real time.

New Yorkers should allow extra travel time during periods of thunderstorms and heavy rain. Do not remain in or return to areas or buildings that are flooding, and do not drive through flooded streets. Even shallow water can stall vehicles. Secure loose outdoor items such as patio furniture or trash bins before winds increase. If thunder is heard, move indoors and stay away from open areas. Clear debris from nearby storm drains if it is safe to do so to help reduce street flooding.

Chof Av in Alma Ata: Sunday Morning Gallery

Courtesy of Akiva Scheinberger, we present a gallery from Alma Ata of the Chabad delegation on Sunday morning.

Brand-New JEM Film: The Hidden Story Behind a Letter from the Rebbe’s Father

As we mark the yahrzeit of the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, JEM is proud to present a brand-new short film, now available on YouTube.

Featuring in-depth insights from renowned scholar Rabbi Shais Taub, along with newly recorded historical commentary from JEM Executive Director Rabbi Elkanah Shmotkin and fascinating, never-before-seen documents, the film traces Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s unwavering stand against Soviet oppression, his refusal to abandon his community despite mounting persecution, and the remarkable story behind the letter he wrote to his son, the future Rebbe. 

Amid the hardships of Soviet rule, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak received a simple gift from his son, the Rebbe: a pair of shoes. His heartfelt letter of thanks, however, reveals far more than gratitude. Within its lines lies a message that reflects Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s unwavering worldview and offers a timeless perspective on finding purpose, even in the face of adversity.

Now streaming on YouTube.

This video was made available to all on YouTube in loving memory of Mrs. Riva Geisinsky (רבקה דינה בת ר’ זאב וואלף ע”ה גייסינסקי), whose yahrzeit is on 13 Av, by Yitzy and Yehudis Geisinsky.

Your support helps make films like this possible. Become a JEM.tv member at JEM.tv/membership.

LIVE NOW: Rebbe’s Father’s Yahrtzeit Visit to the Ohel in Alma-Ata to Be Broadcast Worldwide

For the first time, the central visit to the Ohel of the gaon and mekubal Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the Rebbe, on the night of 20 Menachem Av, will be broadcast live to Jews around the world.

At midnight local time in Alma-Ata, hundreds of guests who have traveled from across the globe for the yahrtzeit will gather at the tziyun of the Baal HaHilula. The gathering will include the recitation of selected chapters of Tehillim and the reading of the Pan Klali, all of which will be streamed live worldwide.

Organizers note that, for the first time, the scheduled time of the gathering is particularly convenient for communities across multiple time zones, allowing shluchim and Anash around the world to participate simultaneously in this special moment.

Live Broadcast Times

The Pan Klali and central gathering at the Ohel will begin at:

12:00 AM – Alma-Ata (Almaty) local time

10:00 PM – Israel time

3:00 PM – New York time

The live broadcast will enable thousands of Chassidim who are unable to travel to Kazakhstan to join in the tefillos and commemorate the yahrtzeit of Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, whose legacy continues to inspire generations of Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidim.

Lake Oconee Chabad Pop-Up Builds “New Jewish Family” In Georgia

by Tzemach Feller – Lubavitch.com

Lake Oconee is a reservoir in central Georgia that has become a vacation destination. Dozens of towns, resorts, and golf communities dot the 374 miles of scenic shoreline. Scattered along the shore are an estimated several hundred Jewish families.

Chabad reps to rural Georgia, Rabbi Chaim and Chayala Markovits, hosted a four week popup Chabad center at Lake Oconee where Jewish residents, snowbirds, and vacationers had the opportunity to connect.

Fred Benoff has been meeting Rabbi Markovits once a month for years. Rabbi Markovits will often drive hours each way to visit a few Jews in a remote town, and Lake Oconee has been a regular stop for some time. 

“I joined them for Shabbat dinner, and for bagels, lox and tefillin on Sunday morning,” Benoff said. “Then I asked the rabbi if he would start a Talmud class for us. Markovits, of course, gladly agreed, and the burgeoning Lake Oconee Talmud class plans to transition to Zoom during the winter months. 

Besides Shabbat meals, community prayer services, and brunches, the Markovitses spent quality time with many locals over mahjong evenings.

Joyce Gropper is a Florida resident who spends her summers in Lake Oconee. A friend introduced  her to the Markovitses after a Providential meeting at a grocery store. Joyce met Chayala at a home on the lake for a friendly evening of mahjong. “Chaya was learning how to play, but we made sure she won her first game,” Gropper said. 

“It’s so important because I got to meet multiple Jews at one event—15 or 20 at a time,” Gropper said. After years of barely knowing anyone Jewish in the area, Gropper now has meetups scheduled with many new Jewish friends 

“Because of this encounter, I have a bigger comfort level in my surroundings here,” she said. “I’m reaching out to people like crazy to get together. Because of the Markovitses I have a new Jewish family up here.”

As the Markovitses prepared to head back to Atlanta and their work serving Georgia’s rural communities across the state, Joyce and her friends stopped by with a token of their gratitude and newfound friendship for Chayala: her own mahjong set. 

“Now, when I walk into a room, I don’t feel like a stranger,” Joyce said. “And I wanted to say thank you for that.”

An Uplifting Event Marking the End of the Academic Year at the Yeshiva Ketana in Moscow

The days of the month of Menachem Av, bringing with them a breeze of comfort and renewal, are deeply felt throughout the pastoral educational campus in the Istra neighborhood in the suburbs of Moscow. In this uplifting atmosphere, the 5786 graduating class of the Central Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva Ketana of Russia gathered for a moving end-of-year ceremony, blending the culmination of their hard work and dedication with a new beginning as they ascend to the Yeshiva Gedolah. The event opened with “Maros Kodesh” featuring words from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, explaining that in Torah study, there is no such thing as an end; rather, one must always continue to add more and more.

The MC, Mashpia Rabbi Chanan Teichtel, opened by speaking about the magnitude of this moving event and warmly welcomed the excited parents who traveled from near and far. Next, the dedicated Rosh Yeshiva, HaGaon HaChasid Rabbi Moshe Lerman, was invited to deliver the keynote address. He spoke with great emotion about the “Nachas” of seeing the students elevate themselves in Torah and Chassidus since they first entered the walls of the Yeshiva. The excited parents and students also had the privilege of hearing from the Mashpia of the graduating class.

The climax of the event came with the screening of a special blessing from the Yeshiva’s founder, the Shliach and Chief Rabbi of Russia, HaGaon Rabbi Berel Lazar. In his remarks, he discussed the virtue of a conclusion, which is actually a beginning on a higher level, much like Simchas Torah, where immediately after completing the Torah, we start anew. Rabbi Lazar wished the Temimim that they merit to study diligently with true joy and sweetness in Torah.

The meticulously planned event, organized with great taste by the campus director, Shliach Rabbi Yosef Moshe Weisberg, and the Yeshiva director, Shliach Rabbi Chaim Moshe Weber, concluded with a profound sense of spiritual elevation. The Temimim embarked on their new path, equipped with immense spiritual reserves and ready to continue dedicating themselves in the tent of Torah with even greater vigor.

Speaking on behalf of the parents, the CEO of Chabad Institutions in Petersburg, Shliach Rabbi Chaim Shaul Brook, served as the voice for all the parents, expressing profound gratitude for the immense and unceasing dedication to the students. He also presented a gift to each of the educators on behalf of all the excited parents.

The conclusion of the event was dedicated to appreciating the fruits of their labor, as graduation and appreciation certificates were distributed to all Shiur Gimmel students. Alongside these, elegant Chitas sets embossed with each student’s name were awarded. Acknowledgments were also given to the student Shluchim who worked devotedly for their peers throughout the entire year.

The full transcript of Rabbi Lazar’s blessing screened at the event: “Dear students of the Yeshiva Ketana in Moscow. First, I would like to bless you upon the conclusion of the academic year and ahead of the new beginning that stands before us starting today. As is known, every conclusion carries with it a great joy, similar to how we celebrate the ‘completion of the Torah’ on Simchas Torah, only to immediately begin anew with ‘Bereishis Bara.’ This means that we proceed right away, with renewed strength, toward a new period and a higher level of learning. After all, every year, with the conclusion of our studies, we ascend a level thanks to the knowledge we have acquired, and we embark on a new path filled with limitless possibilities.

In light of this, my hope and wishes are that, with G-d’s help, the rest of your journey will be even more successful. May you invest your utmost energy into Torah study with diligence and perseverance. As we request every morning: ‘V’ha’arev na Hashem Elokeinu et divrei Toras’cha’ (‘Please, L-rd our G-d, sweeten the words of Your Torah’) – our goal does not merely end with the study itself, but with studying out of true joy; that the Torah should be sweet to us, creating a connection of pleasantness and sweetness. It goes without saying that one should aim to study ‘Torah Lishmah’ (for its own sake), but beyond that – we must feel the ‘Giving of the Torah’ every single day. Indeed, the Rebbe always emphasizes that they should not just be ‘like new,’ but ‘truly new.’ Our aspiration is that every time we open the Gemara, the Maamarim, the Halacha sefarim, or any other area of study, we will learn it with a sense of new discovery, accompanied by all the vitality and enthusiasm characteristic of new beginnings.

This enthusiasm is especially important, because when you finish a chapter of study in one place and move to a new chapter, you must invest immense vitality into it. I recall from my own time studying in Yeshiva, the thought occurred to me that the ideal approach would be to open a new ‘Zman’ (semester) or move to a new Yeshiva every single month, because the beginning of a new year brings with it an abundance of vigor, fresh energy, and great enthusiasm. This is exactly my wish for you – that every single day should be for you like this kind of new beginning. How much more so now, with the start of the summer season – a period which the Rebbe notes is capable of bringing a significant increase in Torah study. I ask that you channel all the vitality pulsing within you toward your learning, and that you embody the concept of ‘Maalin Bakodesh’ (ascending in holiness), through constant elevation and unstoppable progress.

Finally, alongside my wishes for abundant success, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the entire dedicated Yeshiva staff: the Rosh Yeshiva, the Ramim, the Mashpiim, the Mashgichim, and the student Shluchim – to all those who invested immense effort and endless resources in you.

The greatest reward you can give them is for them to see how you continue, both this year and in the upcoming good year, to reap great success in Torah study with joy and a glad heart. Once again, a blessing of Mazal Tov is sent to you, along with my sincere wishes for great and immense success in your continuing journey!”

Photography: Levi Nazarov

Live 8:30 PM: Chof Av Farbrengen with Reb Asher Farkash

To the Lubavitcher Community and Shluchim Worldwide,

As we approach the auspicious day of Chof Av, the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, Kollel L’lomdei Dach (part of Merkos 302’s Merkos Torah) invites you to a farbrengen taking place today led by the renowned Mashpia:
Rabbi Osher Farkash

When: This Sunday, Erev Chof Av
Time: 8:30 EST
Join the Farbrengen here: https://merkostorah.com/open?pageId=open&step=3568133727931

Chof Av in Alma Ata: Motzei Shabbos Gallery

Courtesy of Akiva Scheinberger, we present a gallery from Alma Ata of the Chabad delegation on Erev Shabbos.

Elazar Bitton Releases Moving New Chuppah Melody

Following the success of his upbeat summer hit, Chabad singer Elazar Bitton is taking a different musical direction with the release of a powerful new chuppah ballad. Featuring an authentic Chassidic sound and rich orchestral arrangements, the new single is poised to become a wedding favorite. Listen below.

As wedding season reaches its peak, the world of Chassidic music is being enriched with a heartfelt new release from rising Chabad singer Elazar Bitton, one of the most promising and sought-after voices in today’s Jewish music scene.

Fresh off the success of his energetic summer single—which received widespread attention on radio stations and across social media—Bitton now shifts gears with a moving chuppah melody that evokes the timeless warmth and authenticity of classic Chassidic music.

The new single embraces a traditional Chassidic style, remaining true to the deep roots and soulful spirit of authentic niggunim. To bring that nostalgic atmosphere to life, Bitton teamed up with acclaimed arranger Chaimke Chadad, whose rich orchestral production beautifully complements Bitton’s emotional vocals, creating a song that feels both timeless and deeply inspiring.

Reflecting on the new release, Bitton shared:

“After the high energy of my last song, I felt a deep desire to return to the source—to emotion, to holiness, and to genuine Chassidic melody. Wedding season is a special opportunity to bring joy to chassanim and kallos at one of the most meaningful moments of their lives. My heartfelt prayer is that this song will touch people’s hearts and bring tears of joy beneath every chuppah.”

With its stirring melody, classic Chassidic flavor, and elegant orchestration, Bitton’s latest release is expected to become a meaningful addition to wedding celebrations throughout the Jewish world.

Chof Av in Alma Ata: Erev Shabbos Gallery

Courtesy of Akiva Scheinberger, we present a gallery from Alma Ata of the Chabad delegation on Erev Shabbos.

Sarasota Man Arrested After Chabad House Window Smashed in Alleged Hate Crime

CBS12

A Florida man is accused of shattering a synagogue window with a brick, then telling police he targeted the building because it is a Jewish place of worship.

The Sarasota Police Department arrested 30-year-old Brayton Laschinger after investigators say he broke the front window of Chabad of Downtown SRQ on Cocoanut Avenue around 6 a.m. Wednesday.

According to police, surveillance video shows Laschinger wearing a blue towel over his head and face before throwing a brick through the building’s front window.

Read More at CBS12

Video of the Day

Collaboration between Boro Park Shomrim, Crown Heights Shomrim, and the NYP brought a pair of reckless criminals into custody this past week. Watch the action go down.

The Gift from New York

by Dovid Zaklikowski for Hasidic Archives

Her parents may have been immigrants from Russia, but the young Bassie Posner was American through and through. She had high hopes for marriage, yet struggled to find a match who truly captured her heart. Throughout the process, she corresponded with the Rebbe, who guided her on how to determine which match was right for her.

In 1958 she married Rabbi Gershon Mendel Garelik, a recent immigrant from the Soviet Union. Soon after their wedding, the couple wrote to the Rebbe expressing their desire to receive a shlichus, a mission to spread Judaism on the Rebbe’s behalf. At the end of November that year, they moved to Milan, Italy.

Life there was not easy for Mrs. Garelik. She soon became pregnant, yet remained a driving force behind many of their activities, including the day camp. The demands took a toll on her, and she wrote to the Rebbe several times about her struggles. At the beginning of August she reported that things had improved.

“I was pleased to read in it that your general mood has improved,” the Rebbe replied a few weeks later in English (Hebrew words translated), “and may G-d grant that you enjoy the fullest measure of peace of mind and contentment. All the more so as the merit of the community and the mission which you and your husband have will certainly stand you in good stead to have success in your public as well as private affairs.”

During their first ten months in Milan, Rabbi Garelik traveled to New York to spend the anniversary of passing of the Rebbe’s father.

Through years of corresponding with Mrs. Garelik, the Rebbe had come to understand her personality and needs. As she later described it, “I am an American girl; he is a Russian guy.” The Rebbe wanted to know whether Rabbi Garelik was giving her the emotional support she needed.

During his stay in New York, the Rebbe asked Rabbi Garelik to describe their relationship. He did so in a letter and concluded with the words, “Maybe I should not have written at length of her praise.”

The Rebbe amended the sentence, changing it to: “You should have written so much of her praise.” He underlined the words “at length.”

Afterward, the Rebbe’s chief aide, Rabbi Chaim Hodakov, asked Rabbi Garelik whether he was bringing his wife a gift from New York. Knowing that Mrs. Garelik enjoyed snacks and that the cakes she loved were unavailable in Milan, Rabbi Garelik replied that he was bringing her cake.

“Perhaps you should get her something in gold?” Rabbi Hodakov suggested.

Rabbi Garelik decided to buy her a wristwatch. Rabbi Hodakov offered to help him choose one, and Rabbi Garelik gladly agreed. A jeweler was asked to bring a briefcase of watches to Lubavitch World Headquarters. Several of the Rebbe’s secretaries examined the selection and offered their opinions. Then Rabbi Hodakov gathered up the watches and carried them into the Rebbe’s office.

When he emerged, he relayed the Rebbe’s instructions: “If there is time, take the face of this one and replace it with the band of another watch. If there is no time, then simply purchase the other one.”

The Rebbe then handed Rabbi Hodakov a machzor and said, “This is my present to her.”

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Rabbi Dovid Nachshon Closes 50 Year Circle In Cincinnati

Rabbi Dovid Nachshon, Menahel of the “Mitzvah Tank office” in Eretz Yisroel, came to Cincinnati to Frabreng for 15 Av. This marked an amazing  closing of a “50 year circle” since his last visit to Cincinnati.

In 5736, the Rebbe told Rabbi Nachshon to begin spreading Yiddishkeit in Eretz Yisroel through “Mitzvah tanks”. He spent months travelling around America, trying to raise the funds. Finally, he came to Cincinnati and Rabbi Sholom Ber Kalmanson worked tirelessly to arrange with his contacts in the city and within a short period of time, the first two Mitzvah Tanks were on their way to Eretz Yisroel! 

At the Farbrengen, Rabbi Nachshon said over the full history of the tanks and gave an emotional thank you fo Rabbi Kalmanson.

Years in the Making: Renewal Facilitates its First Living Kidney Transplant in Australia

For the first time in Australia, Renewal has facilitated a living kidney transplant—marking a milestone years in the making and an important step toward expanding living kidney donation across the globe.

Renewal is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about living kidney donation and facilitating life-saving kidney transplants. Through education, advocacy, and comprehensive support for both donors and recipients, Renewal guides individuals through every stage of the transplant process, making living kidney donation possible for those in need.

The recipient, Stanley, a Sydney dentist, spent nearly 25 years caring for generations of patients in the Randwick and Maroubra communities. A devoted husband, father of 2, and grandfather of 9 KA”H, he dedicated his life to looking after others. But as kidney failure gradually took its toll, he found himself in need of someone willing to save his.

That life-changing act of kindness came from Leah, a mother from Melbourne.

The journey began when Stanley’s son reached out to Yaisef Telsner, an old friend who had previously donated a kidney through Renewal, setting the search for a living donor in motion. Recognizing that awareness of living kidney donation in Australia remained limited, Renewal partnered with Chabad Youth to host a kidney donation awareness and swabbing event. Renewal enlisted Mendy Goldberg, a previous Renewal kidney donor who had recently relocated from Toronto to Australia, to help lead the initiative. The event introduced community members to living kidney donation and gave attendees the opportunity to begin compatibility testing.

Among those who attended was Leah.

Months later, testing revealed that she was a match. She made the extraordinary decision to donate one of her kidneys, giving a man she had never met the opportunity for a new lease in life.

Making that moment possible required far more than finding a donor. Because living kidney donation remains relatively uncommon in Australia, the medical, logistical, and regulatory process required years of coordination among transplant specialists, medical authorities, and Renewal’s team before the surgery could finally take place.

Renewal’s Australian liaison, Irit Lang, led the effort, dedicating hundreds of hours over several years to identifying a compatible donor, guiding and holding the hands of both Stanley and Leah through every stage of the process, and coordinating with medical teams across multiple time zones. 

 Yaisef, who had been involved with the case in its earliest stages, happened to be in Melbourne for a family simcha and represented Renewal on the day of the transplant, helping Renewal maintain its signature hands on support throughout the Kidney donation journey.

“This transplant is about far more than one successful surgery,” said Irit Lang. “It demonstrates what is possible when awareness, education, and extraordinary kindness come together. We hope this milestone inspires many more Australians to learn about living kidney donation and consider how they, too, can save a life.”

Renewal extends its heartfelt gratitude to Leah, whose selfless gift made the transplant possible; to the Australian transplant teams whose expertise guided the process; and to the many volunteers and community members whose dedication helped transform an ambitious vision into reality.

For Renewal, this historic transplant is more than a single success—it is proof that education, perseverance, and the generosity of living donors can change lives. The organization hopes this milestone marks the beginning of a new era in Australia, where many more patients will be given the opportunity to receive the gift of life through living kidney donation.