A Greeting Letter from the President of Russia and a Flurry of Activity Ahead of Rosh Hashanah in Moscow

The autumn winds blowing through the streets of Moscow, signaling the changing of the seasons, bring with them a great sense of anticipation and immense excitement among thousands of members of the Jewish community. The month of Elul has given way to the days of mercy and forgiveness of the exalted month of Tishrei, and every corner of the Russian capital is taking on a festive spirit. From the grand sanctuary of the Central Synagogue to the very last of the Chabad Houses scattered across the vast metropolis, meticulous peak preparations are underway, designed to grant every Jew the opportunity to begin the New Year with spiritual uplift and peace of mind.

The feverish preparations and extensive community work are, as in every year, receiving official state recognition. Once again, a special greeting letter was sent from the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the office of the Chief Rabbi, the Gaon Rabbi Berel Lazar shlit”a. In the warm letter, addressed to all of Russian Jewry, the President emphasized that the festival of Rosh Hashanah symbolizes the aspiration for moral and spiritual elevation, and provides believers with the joy of connection to their historical heritage. The President commended the significant contribution of Jewish organizations in advancing educational and charitable initiatives, as well as their sincere commitment to preserving family values and educating the younger generation. This letter joins a series of congratulatory messages from government and municipal leaders, attesting to the tremendous appreciation for the community’s work.

On the ground, the preparatory work is evident in every detail. At the Central Synagogue in the Marina Roscha Jewish Community Center, the arrangement of the sanctuary has been completed to accommodate the masses of congregants and numerous guests. The premises have been equipped with machzorim, tallitot, kippot, and all necessary items, alongside preparations for magnificent holiday meals. Simultaneously, the shluchim of the Lubavitcher Rebbe are working tirelessly throughout the city—in campaigns distributing holiday kits, visiting prisons to bring the sound of the shofar to Jewish inmates, and offering attention and a welcoming countenance to the elderly, the lonely, and the hospitalized.

The spirit of renewal of the New Year is also tangibly expressed in the expansion of community institutions. As Chief Rabbi Lazar quoted in the name of the holy Baal Shem Tov on the verse “Blow the shofar at the new moon (ba’chodesh)”—the word “ba’chodesh” does not only denote time, but shares a root with “chidush” (renewal). A person must perform their mitzvot and good deeds in a constant state of renewal; they must feel every day and at every moment that their service of G-d, prayer, and actions are entirely new, as if it were the first time. This spirit resonates in the momentum of institution-building across Russia in general, and in its capital in particular.

The new child development center “Smile of the Heart,” officially opened under the direction of the shaliach Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Gadz, serves as an exciting crowning achievement of these endeavors. The highly invested facility was built to the highest professional standards known from the Land of Israel, and is designed to provide comprehensive and accessible care—by top experts—for children, youth, and adults with special needs. Its unique and pioneering status in the Russian capital is already generating significant interest from non-Jewish special education institutions seeking to learn from this innovative model.

Moments of immense emotion marked the opening ceremony. After affixing the mezuzah at the main entrance, Chief Rabbi Lazar expressed great joy and gratitude to the Almighty for the realization of this community dream—despite all challenges—and for the professional and dedicated care that will now be provided to families. During the comprehensive tour of the building, upon reaching the therapeutic kitchen where students learn baking integrated with Jewish concepts, Rabbi Gadz shared a moving message: he compared the sound of the shofar to the silent cry of a special child who does not speak, yet whose parents understand their wishes from their eyes. “And so is our prayer, that the Creator of the world will understand our inner cry during the shofar blasts,” he said with emotion.

Additionally, the 39th Chabad House in Moscow was inaugurated, where the Chief Rabbi affixed the mezuzah. The new center, located in the Cheryomushki neighborhood opposite the large medical center of Jewish Professor Mark Kurtser, will operate under the leadership of the shaliach Rabbi David Khunelidze, and is destined to serve as a beacon of Torah, prayer, and Chassidut for the area’s residents.

Alongside the spiritual expansion, a strong emphasis was also placed on broadening kashrut infrastructure for the public’s benefit. Chief Rabbi Lazar affixed a mezuzah at the entrance of the new and spacious “Kosher Style” restaurant, located on the central Novoslobodskaya Street near the Marina Roscha neighborhood. Following a comprehensive tour accompanied by the initiator, Rabbi Alexander Lakshin, and the establishment’s managers, the restaurant was awarded a premium kashrut certificate. The distinguished guest was impressed by the diverse menu and praised the owners, noting that the affordable prices indicate their primary goal is to bring joy to the public and make kosher food accessible to all, while wishing them great success in their endeavors.

Meanwhile, the community’s charitable enterprise is operating at full force. In the magnificent lobby of the “Shaarey Tzedek Chesed Center,” the various stages of the massive “Kimcha D’Tishrei” project were successfully conducted, as part of the “Oneg Shabbos V’Yom Tov” organization run by the central free-loan fund “Keren Chaya Mushka.” Through an organized distribution with a dignified and welcoming approach, those in need and large families received premium food baskets filled with an abundance of goods, ensuring that their holiday tables will overflow with plenty and bounty.

Now, as the preparations are completed, the institutions expanded, and the food baskets distributed, the entire community turns its eyes to the holy moments of the New Year’s arrival. The public is excitedly preparing for the uplifting prayers and holiday sermons, after which the multitudes will pass by to be personally blessed by Chief Rabbi Lazar, to receive an apple, honey, and a pomegranate from his hands, and to merit wishes for a good and sweet year, a year of redemption and salvation.

Photography: Levi Nazarov

Living With the Rebbe – Living With the Times

The new year, 5787, will begin, this coming Friday night..

The year’s calendar configuration is Zashah (זשה): Rosh Hashanah begins on Shabbos (ז); it is a complete (שלימה) year, with 30 days in both Cheshvan and Kislev (ש); and the first day of Pesach falls on Thursday (ה). 5787 is also a leap year, with both Adar I and Adar II. The year contains 385 days and 55 Shabbosim.

This year will mark several significant milestones:

– 40 years since “Didan Notzach,” the victory of Hei Teves 5747;

– 100 years since the Chag HaGeulah of the Frierdiker Rebbe, Yud-Beis–Yud-Gimmel Tammuz 5687;

– 200 years since the Chag HaGeulah of the Mitteler Rebbe, Yud Kislev 5587.

Many Anash, shluchim, and temimim have taken upon themselves to spend the coming year learning and studying the Rebbe’s Torah from 5736, whose kvius corresponds to that of the coming year, throughout all 13 months.

The maamarim and sichos from that year were recently published in four volumes of Toras Menachem – Hisvaaduyos: Volumes 82, 83, 84, and 85. They are available through Kehot branches in Eretz Yisrael and around the world, as well as through Jewish bookstores in Chabad communities and shlichus locations worldwide.

In addition, in honor of the 45th anniversary of Lahak Hanochos, a special new project is being launched.

Through this project, it will be possible to learn, study, and download the texts of the Rebbe’s sichos from 5747 and 5750 — two years whose kvius was similar to 5787, with Rosh Hashanah beginning on Shabbos.

The material will be available on Lahak’s website. This project has been made possible through the generous support of R’ Yitzchak Mirilashvili.

For all of the maamarim and sichos from Tishrei 5747:
https://www.lahak.org/templates/lahak/article_cdo/aid/7502441/jewish/page.htm

For all of the maamarim and sichos from Tishrei 5750:
https://www.lahak.org/templates/lahak/article_cdo/aid/7502951/jewish/page.htm

Shmully and Dina Hecht from Crown Heights had a baby boy!

Beth Din of Crown Heights: “Do Not Let Him Into Your Homes”

In advance of the yomim tovim, the Beth Din of Crown Heights has issued a stern alert to residents: Do not invite Shachar Luz to your seudos, allow him to join your minyanim, or even engage in social activity with him.

The unusually harsh letter comes after years of efforts to convince the 44-year-old Luz, a Crown Heights resident, to grant his estranged wife, Ilana, a get. 

According to the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), Shachar and Ilana have been separated since December 2021, with their civil divorce finalized in September 2024. Because Shachar refuses to issue a get, Ilana, who lives in Chicago with their children, remains an agunah. 

Due to his refusal, the Beth Din of America issued a seruv (order of contempt) against him in 2023. This order has been endorsed by the Chicago Rabbinical Council (in 2024) and the Association of Chabad Rabonim of Illinois (in 2025), urging Shachar to comply with the beis din and alerting the community to take active distancing measures as required by halacha.

The Badatz’s letter calls upon the community to take care not to:

– Allow Luz into any shuls

– Invite him for Shabbos or Yom Tov meals

– Conduct business with him

– Socialize with him

The public is asked to adhere to the halachah, in the hope that this added pressure will finally convince him to mend his ways.

Shachar Luz Badatz LetterDownload

September 11th and the Birth of Living Torah

Twenty-five years ago, on September 11, 2001, America awoke to a day that would change the world as we knew it.

That morning, it was unmistakable that a certain darkness was descending on the world.

Three miles from the World Trade Center, however, at the very moment the towers were struck, something very different was taking place: the first edition of a new JEM “video magazine,” named Living Torah, was being mastered for the very first time.

As the world was suddenly confronted with tremendous darkness, fear, and uncertainty, a new vehicle was taking shape to bring the Rebbe’s clear and steady voice—a voice of clarity and hope—to the world.

The timing was impossible to overlook.

That first Living Torah would mark the beginning of an extraordinary journey. From the program’s launch later that month until today, not a single week has passed without a new edition of Living Torah reaching audiences around the world.

Twenty-five years later, that mission has become ever more vital. In a world facing growing challenges, darkness, and confusion, the Rebbe’s words continue to reach millions with ever-greater relevance and clarity. Today, the Rebbe’s voice is further amplified through JEM’s social media platforms, reaching a vast audience from varied backgrounds around the world.

To mark the beginning of Living Torah’s 25th year, JEM has released a short film going behind the scenes of that first Living Torah—exploring the story of its creation, the remarkable timing of its beginnings, and the Rebbe’s timeless message of confronting darkness with light.

New Children’s Book Brings Civic Responsibility to Crown Heights Children

In honor of the new year, the Jewish Future Alliance (JFA) mailed a new children’s book to 4,000 families across Crown Heights in time for Rosh Hashanah.

The book, the first in a planned series, follows a young Shlucha visiting her cousin in Crown Heights, where she takes the school bus to Bais Rivkah for the first time. Along the way, the story introduces young readers to how government and civic participation affect everyday life, from publicly funded school transportation to the importance of voting, which the Rebbe strongly encouraged.

“Our goal is to introduce these ideas to children in a simple, positive and age-appropriate way, while remaining firmly guided by Torah and Chassidishe values,” said JFA founder Yaacov Behrman.

While developing the book, Behrman repeatedly read the story to his own children and refined it based on their questions and reactions. The book was also shared with mashpiim and Rabbanim to ensure its message and hashkafah were appropriate.

JFA hopes the book will give parents an opportunity to discuss with their children how responsible participation in society can help bring more goodness and light into the world and hasten the coming of Moshiach.

The story was deliberately set in Crown Heights, using familiar places and experiences to make its message more relatable and meaningful for local children. Research shows that children connect more strongly with ideas when they are presented through familiar settings and experiences.

A video version of the book has also been released for families to watch and enjoy together.

BDE: Mrs. Chaya Laine, 80, OBM

With great sadness we report the passing of Mrs. Chaya Laine OBM, a beloved educator and longtime member of the Bais Rivkah High School administration in Crown Heights. She passed away on Wednesday, the 27th of Elul, 5786.

She was 80 years old.

Mrs. Laine devoted more than five decades of her life to chinuch, including nearly four decades at Bais Rivkah, where she served as a teacher and principal of the General Studies Department. She was a beloved mentor to thousands of students, known for her warmth, vibrancy, wisdom and unwavering commitment to helping every student succeed.

A Bais Rivkah alumna herself, Mrs. Laine pursued higher education with the Rebbe’s approval. After teaching English at a Bais Yaakov school, she received a call from Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner, on behalf of Rabbi Hodakov, informing her that the Rebbe wanted her to teach at Bais Rivkah.

For Mrs. Laine, the Rebbe’s direction carried profound significance. She accepted the opportunity with complete devotion and dedicated herself wholeheartedly to Bais Rivkah and its students.

Over the years, Mrs. Laine played a pivotal role in establishing and developing Bais Rivkah’s General Studies Department. Under her leadership, the department pursued a high standard of academic excellence while remaining firmly aligned with the Rebbe’s vision and directives.

In a 2023 tribute marking more than 50 years of Mrs. Laine’s work in education, it was recalled that during her tenure, the percentage of students successfully earning state diplomas rose dramatically, with the passing rate reaching close to 90 percent. The Rebbe had emphasized that Bais Rivkah should strive for the highest level of achievement that would enable its students to receive a state diploma.

Yet for Mrs. Laine, education was about far more than academic achievement. She had a remarkable ability to recognize students who needed additional support and would often go far beyond what was expected of her. When students required tutoring but their families could not afford it, she would quietly arrange for tutoring and personally cover the expense, ensuring that financial circumstances would not stand in the way of a girl’s success.

Her influence extended far beyond the classroom. Many of the students she taught went on to become educators and shluchos of the Rebbe, serving Jewish communities around the world.

In 2020, after decades of service, Mrs. Laine transitioned from her position as principal of the High School General Education Department to serve as a consultant to the department, continuing to lend her experience and guidance to the faculty. Bais Rivkah expressed its gratitude for the “integral role” she had played in the growth and success of the high school.

In 2023, her family, colleagues and former students gathered to honor her remarkable five decades in chinuch, in a celebration she had unknowingly helped plan herself.

Mrs. Laine is survived by her husband, Rabbi Eliezer Laine; and children; Mrs. Sara Jacks (Johannesburg, South Africa), Rabbi Sholom Laine (Lauderhill, FL), Rabbi Levi Laine (Crown Heights), and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Laine (Crown Heights).

She was predeceased by her son, Rabbi Peretz Laine OBM.

The levaya will take place Thursday, with the procession passing by Bais Rivkah High School, 310 Crown Street, at approximately 12:20 p.m. Alumnae and former students are encouraged to join the levaya as it passes the school that was so central to Mrs. Laine’s life and legacy.

Shiva information to be announced.

Boruch Dayan Hoemes

Benyamin Popack (Hollywood Lakes, FL) to Annabella Nemer (Atlanta, GA)

Sholom Ber Liberow (Crown Heights) to Teibel Scheiman (Des Plaines, IL) L’Chaim: Tonight, Wednesday, 8:30pm at Ulam Chana

History in Kostroma: Holy Books Discovered Inside Building Walls and the Writing of a New Torah Scroll

The powerful contrast between the days of terror under the Communist regime and the magnificent Jewish flourishing of today could not be more tangible. During ongoing exterior renovations at the Jewish educational center in the city of Kostroma, Russia, workers were surprised to uncover a moving historical treasure: prayer books and holy books that had been concealed within the building. One of them was even bound inside the cover of a secular book—a silent testament to the fear that prevailed at the time and the desperate desire to hide any connection to Judaism. The book was found open precisely to the chapters of Tractate Avot, symbolizing the Jewish pride that beats in this place today.

The historic building, established in 1880, was purchased in 1892 for the city’s rabbi at the time, the Gaon Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Schneiderman. Later, in 1903, the central synagogue was built in its courtyard. Miraculously, Rabbi Schneiderman’s granddaughter, who currently lives near the mother of the mara d’atra and Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to Kostroma, Rabbi Nissan Rupo, recently transferred the spiritual rights of the building in a symbolic manner to the emissaries, who proudly carry on her grandfather’s legacy.

The path to returning the buildings to the community was paved with perseverance and immense effort. Twenty-four years ago, in a complete leap year that begins on a Shabbat—exactly like the upcoming new year—the emissary arrived in the city and received the synagogue building, but the rabbi’s house remained in the hands of the authorities. Following tremendous efforts, the building was gradually returned, until, with the generous assistance of the philanthropist Mr. David Aminov, it was granted to the community free of charge for forty years.

The interior phase of the renovation was already completed in the past, and the inauguration of the mikvah and the kindergarten was graced by the presence of the Chief Rabbi of Russia, the Gaon Rabbi Berel Lazar. These activities echo the work of the Chassid Rabbi Michoel Dvorkin, of blessed memory, who arrived in the city, renovated the mikvah, and established a cheder for Jewish children, in order to prepare the way for the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch, of blessed memory, who was exiled to this city following his miraculous rescue from his well-known imprisonment in Petersburg.

Now, alongside the exterior renovations intended to preserve the crumbling walls, another moving spiritual circle has been closed. On the eve of the holy Shabbat of the Torah portions Nitzavim-Vayeilech, when we read in the Torah “And Moses wrote this Torah,” a historic ceremony to commence the writing of a Torah scroll was held near the holy Ohel. The writing was initiated by the Chief Rabbi of Russia, with the participation of guests from the Torah and Education Fund of Russia who arrived for the annual “Shabbat Selichot with the Rebbe” journey. The magnificent scroll will, God willing, be welcomed on the Festival of Redemption, the 12th and 13th of Tammuz, 5787—the day the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch was informed of his redemption—ahead of the centenary of that event.

The scroll was donated by the president of the community’s supporters committee, the philanthropist Mr. Netanel Berkowitz, in loving memory of his mother, Mrs. Margarita bat Yisrael, of blessed memory. The chain of kindness among the supporters is woven with awe-inspiring Divine providence: one of the donors for the renovation is the son of a Jew who was circumcised by the Chassidic shochet R’ Yerachmiel Kugel, in whose home the Rebbe stayed; and another donor, a bank manager and a Kohen by descent who assisted following a photo of the Priestly Blessing, reached the community through a professional connection with Mr. Berkowitz.

With the opening of the school year at the Sunday school under the dedicated management of the Shlucha, the Jewish community in Kostroma looks to the future with confidence and unprecedented momentum. The historic building, which will now stand in its full exterior beauty and house the new Torah scroll alongside the voices of learning children, stands as a beacon of light testifying more than anything that the Jewish heritage will continue to expand, flourish, and illuminate the entire city.

Photo: Mendy Mor Yosef

From Rooftops to Rowboats, Sound of Shofar Reaches Far and Wide

by Karen Schwartz – chabad.org

Rabbi Yosef Wolvovsky climbs onto the roof of a business in Glastonbury, Conn., lifts the shofar to his lips and lets the sound carry over the block below. Some mornings, he takes to the Connecticut River instead, blowing the horn from a boat as the notes travel across the water.

Either way, people stop what they’re doing and listen to the unmistakable sound of the ram’s horn.

It’s shofar season. Throughout the Jewish month of Elul, in the lead-up to Rosh Hashanah, the familiar blasts have been sounding in synagogues, homes, parks and now, rooftops and rivers.

This Sunday, Sept. 13, Jews around the world will gather to hear the shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah. For those who won’t be in the synagogue, people are gathering in public spaces to fulfil this central mitzvah of the Jewish New Year, an alarm that calls on humanity to examine their deeds, and reconnect with G‑d.

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, launched Chabad-Lubavitch’s Shofar Campaign prior to Rosh Hashanah of 1953, sending yeshivah students out of Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood with shofars in hand to Jews on park benches along Eastern Parkway, patients at Kings County Hospital and shopkeepers on Pitkin Avenue in nearby Brownsville. He explained that one of the aspects of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah is to coronate G‑d Almighty as king of the universe, a coronation in which every Jew has a part.

Taking a mitzvah out of the synagogue and into the street was unheard of back then, and the campaign became the template for his many mitzvah campaigns that followed. In 1975 the Rebbe extended the Shofar Campaign across the entire month of Elul and pressed for it to reach the Jews least likely to hear the shofar otherwise: soldiers on duty, prisoners, the hospitalized and the homebound.

The Shofar Campaign was introduced by the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—in 1953. In the decades since, Chabad emissaries and countless volunteers have brought the call of the shofar to street corners, public parks, hospitals, prisons and military bases. Rabbi Shmuel Greisman (center, holding shofar) can be seen bringing the shofar to Israeli soldiers during the month of Elul, 1980.

Stepping Up to Blow

Alex Behar, of New York City, started blowing shofar for Rosh Hashanah two years ago, in the aftermath of Oct. 7.

“It was a particularly serious and sober time for Jews in New York,” he says, “so I think I felt a little more responsibility to not hide in the shadows and be someone who could in some way inspire other people to show up and be Jewish in public.”

Behar follows his father and grandfather in blowing shofar for his community, and this year, he’s ready again.

He is part of a shofar-blowing group on Manhattan’s Upper East Side organized by Rabbi Yosef Wilhelm, director of Chabad-Lubavitch Young Professionals of the Upper East Side, that goes around the city on Rosh Hashanah to homes, businesses and the streets, to ensure every Jew has an opportunity to perform the mitzvah.

“It’s a really beautiful thing, when other people see you as a Jew practicing your religion,” he says.

By Land and by Sea

Back in Connecticut, Wolvovsky, who serves as executive director of the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Center of Glastonbury—about 20 minutes southeast of Hartford— alongside his wife Yehudis, has made a project of finding new places to blow shofar. A mitzvah that makes a sound, he says, grabs people’s attention in a way that quiet ones don’t, turning even an everyday office building into something holy.

“I think it leaves an impression that might be even deeper than the impression of the shofar they might hear in shul,” he says. “It says G‑d is welcome everywhere.”

He spends much of Elul meeting people where they are and blowing shofar for them, hoping the sound does what words sometimes can’t.

“Even though sometimes we can’t articulate it, sometimes we fall short in our personal observance or our adherence to every detail of the law, the shofar is an essential, visceral connection between the Jewish soul and G‑d’s essence,” he says. “It symbolizes the core connection we have with G‑d in every situation, and opens up avenues of expression of our relationship with G‑d that might otherwise remain dormant.”

That’s why he keeps climbing to rooftops and heading out onto the river.

“It became a thing where people look for environments to get ready for Rosh Hashanah, especially with the shofar, in a special, uplifting way,” he says. “By land and by sea, on the ground and on the roof, wherever a Jew might hear and be inspired by it.”

This year, the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, so the shofar won’t be blown that day. Wolvovsky’s community will instead hear it the following morning at synagogue and again at tashlich that afternoon.

“We have found throughout the years that the shofar, in addition to being a biblical mitzvah and a mitzvah campaign the Rebbe was very passionate about, we also see the results,” he says. “It does evoke in people a special feeling, a special connection.”

Wolvovsky sharing a shofar moment with a community member.

Bringing It Into Public View

Sam Probber, who is involved with Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper East Side as well as Chabad of the Upper East Side, went to a public shofar blowing last year in Long Island City and a few years ago, walked to Brooklyn’s Crown Heights with one of his rabbi’s sons, blowing shofar for people along the way. He says he plans to be at services for Rosh Hashanah and to attend these community shofar events again, as well as to encourage other people to join in.

“I think it’s important for a lot of unaffiliated Jews around the city, who aren’t maybe going to services, just to hear and have some contact with something Jewish, especially around this time of year,” he says.

He makes a point of sending word about the public shofar blowings to relatives and friends who might want to come.

“I don’t know if people recognize it when they see it or hear it, or when they’re going by, but it has that kind of symbolism in my mind.”

Probber is glad shofar-blowings on the street are happening where others can see it.

“It’s uplifting to bring parts of Judaism that’s normally behind closed doors out into the world,” he says.

Sam Probber (left) at a Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper East Side event.

This year, he adds, the sound carries a little more weight: “It can be a wake-up call for the city and for other residents.”

He’s focused less on security concerns than on the support he sees around him. “I think the majority of people in New York City and in the country are supportive and empathetic to what’s been happening to American Jews,” he says. “This is something that’s done every year, but it’s just to be present, continually be present, and show other people that when things get tough, Jews continue being Jews.”

Sara Armet has been involved with Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper East Side since 2018, and has chaired its Shofar in the Park event since 2020. In collaboration now with Manhattan’s storied Park East Synagogue, the group will again offer people several chances to hear the shofar together.

“Hearing the shofar blast is like coming home,” she adds. “When someone walks by, you see it, their eyes see it, they hear it. It is a calling, and it’s almost a relief for them that they’re there to connect in that moment.”

Every year, the turnout grows, she says, and other synagogues on the Upper East Side have started joining in as well. “It’s just an amazing moment of unity. You can feel the power and the strength and the unity of the community. And if we can impact one person, it means the world.”

A Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper East Side Sukkot event.

BookBeSimcha.com Launches “Mazal Tov Free Graphics” — Create Beautiful Event Invitations in Seconds

BookBeSimcha.com is excited to announce the launch of Mazal Tov Free Graphics, a new feature designed to make creating beautiful, shareable graphics for your simcha easier than ever.

Whether you’re announcing a Bar Mitzvah, Bas Mitzvah, engagement, wedding, birth, upsherin, or another special occasion, the new Mazal Tov Free Graphics section offers a wide selection of professionally designed templates and styles that can be customized in just a few simple steps.

Easy to Use — Just Enter Your Information

The new system was created with simplicity in mind. Users can select the style they like, enter the relevant information for their simcha, and let the system do the rest.

The graphic is automatically generated with the information provided, creating a polished announcement that is ready to download and share.

There is no need for graphic-design experience, complicated software, or waiting for someone else to create the announcement. Choose a design, enter your details, generate your graphic, and download it.

A Variety of Styles and Options

To ensure that everyone can find something that fits their simcha, the Mazal Tov Free Graphics collection features many different designs, styles, layouts, and options.

From elegant and traditional designs to modern and colorful looks, users can choose the graphic that best matches the occasion and their personal taste.

And because the graphics are generated automatically, creating an announcement is quick and convenient—even when you’re on the go.

Completely Free

As the name suggests, the Mazal Tov Free Graphics feature is available completely free of charge.

BookBeSimcha.com created this feature as a resource for the community, making it simple for families to create attractive Mazal Tov announcements without having to pay for a custom graphic.

Have a Graphic You’d Like to Share?

BookBeSimcha.com is also inviting designers, businesses, and community members to help expand the collection.

If you have a Mazal Tov graphic that you would like to make available to the community for free through the BookBeSimcha.com platform, you can email it to [email protected].

The BookBeSimcha.com team will review submissions and, where appropriate, add them to the growing collection of free graphics available to the community.

Visit BookBeSimcha.com today and try the new Mazal Tov Free Graphics feature.

Create it. Download it. Share the simcha.

Trump Bans Import of Canadian Alcohol, Dairy and Motorcycles as Trade War Intensifies

New York Post

President Trump on Tuesday signed orders banning the import of Canadian alcohol, dairy and motorcycles — retaliating hours after Ottawa imposed a 50% tariff on American clothing, cheese, metals and wood.

The dramatic announcement follows Canadian provincial bans on US-made alcohol during an initial round of trade tensions last year, an administration official told reporters.

“Canada set this precedent of banning things,” the official said, adding that the alcohol import ban and other restrictions will take effect in about three weeks.

Tallinn Mikvah Reopens in Historic and Moving Ceremony

After several months of closure, Estonia’s Jewish mikvah in Tallinn reopened on September 6 following a comprehensive renovation completed in just a month and a half.

“For a Jewish community, a mikvah is not simply another room in a building or another renovation project,” community members said. “It is one of the foundations of Jewish life. Jewish law places such importance on a mikvah that a community may even sell a Torah scroll in order to make its construction possible.”

The renovation was made possible with the support of philanthropist Rabbi David Derli, the Rabbinical Centre of Europe, and donors and friends from around the world.

The inauguration began with melodies associated with the approaching Rosh Hashanah holiday, as violinist Evgenia Gulman filled the room with music. When one of the donors joined in the singing, the formal ceremony took on a particularly warm and personal character.

One of the evening’s most meaningful moments came when Eduard Klas, President of the Jewish Community of Estonia, shared a remarkable connection between the date of the reopening and his own family history.

Exactly 90 years earlier, on September 6, 1936, his parents were married in Tallinn and began building their Jewish home there.

September 6, 1936. September 6, 2026.

Ninety years separated the two dates, yet during the ceremony they seemed to come together. Ninety years ago, a Jewish couple stood under the chuppah in Tallinn and began their life together. Nine decades later, their son, now president of the Jewish community, stood in the same city to celebrate the reopening of a mikvah — a place intended to help Jewish couples and families continue building Jewish homes for generations to come.

Between those two moments lies much of the story of European Jewish life over the past century: flourishing communities, years of profound loss and hardship, decades in which Jewish identity and tradition faced enormous challenges, and, ultimately, renewal.

Estonia’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Kot, spoke about the renovation process and the importance of creating the infrastructure needed for a Jewish community’s future. Jewish continuity, he noted, depends not only on aspirations but on the institutions that make Jewish life possible — education, Torah learning, an active synagogue and a mikvah.

Together with the community president, donors and Rebbetzin Chani Kot — who oversaw the mikvah renovation project alongside her leadership of the community’s Jewish educational institutions — Rabbi Kot participated in the ribbon-cutting and the unveiling of a dedication plaque.

As the doors opened, guests entered the newly renovated mikvah. For those familiar with the facility before the work began, the transformation was striking, particularly given that the extensive renovation had been completed in approximately six weeks.

The evening concluded with a festive meal, bringing together community members, supporters and guests for blessings, melodies, stories and celebration — marking not only the reopening of a building, but another step in strengthening Jewish life and continuity in Tallinn.

Bruce Blakeman Visits the Rebbe’s Ohel Ahead of Rosh Hashanah

by CrownHeights.info

Nassau County Executive and Republican nominee for Governor of New York Bruce Blakeman visited the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Queens earlier Monday evening, ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

During the visit, Blakeman wrote a kvitel and spent time davening at the Rebbe’s Ohel, seeking a bracha as the Jewish community prepares to enter the new year.

The visit comes as Blakeman continues his campaign for Governor of New York. He was formally listed as the Republican candidate for Governor in the 2026 New York election, with Todd Hood as his running mate.

Blakeman has maintained a close relationship with the Chabad community on Long Island and has visited the Rebbe’s Ohel on previous occasions. In September 2025, he visited the Ohel together with Chabad shluchim from Nassau County, where he put on tefillin, heard the shofar in honor of Chodesh Elul, and entered the Ohel to daven.

His connection to the Rebbe and Chabad has also been reflected in his public comments. In a recent interview, Blakeman spoke about the impact of the Rebbe’s teachings on his outlook, describing the Rebbe as a model for how a person should conduct himself as both a citizen and an individual. He said that visiting the Ohel on the Rebbe’s yahrtzeit was, for him, both a blessing and a mitzvah.

Blakeman has also made Jewish community concerns a prominent part of his gubernatorial campaign, speaking frequently about antisemitism, public safety, and the security of Jewish communities throughout New York. He recently visited Crown Heights, meeting with community members, business owners, and local activists to hear their concerns.

As Rosh Hashanah approaches, Blakeman’s visit to the Ohel places him among the many thousands who come to the Rebbe’s tziyon during the days surrounding the new year to daven and seek a bracha for themselves, their families, and Klal Yisroel.

Oholei Torah Staff Selichos Farbrengen Dedicated in Memory of Reb Yehoshua “Shea” Safrin, zt’l 

As the new year approaches, the Oholei Torah Mechanchim gathered on Motzei Shabbos Parshas Nitzavim Vayeilech for its annual Selichos Farbrengen, bringing together the Yeshiva’s dedicated mechanchim and staff for an evening of inspiration, achdus, and preparation for the Yomim Noraim.

This year’s farbrengen was dedicated in connection with the conclusion of Shiva for Reb Yehoshua “Shea” Safrin, zt’l, known as the Komarna Rebbe of Manhattan, a longtime supporter of Oholei Torah and a dear friend of the Yeshiva’s founders, Reb Michoel Teitelbaum and Rabbi Yosef Rosenfeld.

Over the years, Reb Shea generously supported Oholei Torah in many ways. He attended the Yeshiva’s Annual Dinners and dedicated the Rosler Beis Medrash at Oholei Torah’s Yeshivas Kayitz in Lakewood, Pennsylvania. More recently, he took a particular interest in the continued growth of the Beis Medrash, regularly asking how many talmidim were learning there, what they were learning, and following its development with great pride. He was proud to be associated with a moisad that brought such kovod to Lubavitch.

In his memory, the 447 talmidim of the Raitport Beis Medrash divided and learned Mishnayos, culminating in a siyum held during the farbrengen.

Rabbi Nosson Blumes, Director of Donor Relations, who maintained a close connection with the Safrin family, shared heartfelt words about Reb Shea and his longstanding relationship with Oholei Torah. He also announced that the Shabbos minyan will dedicate its activities throughout the entire month of Tishrei l’ilui nishmas Reb Shea Safrin.

The gathering took place at 10:30 PM in the Michelashvili Beis Medrash at 667 Eastern Parkway, shortly before Selichos.

The featured speaker was Rabbi Sholom Dovid Geisinsky, a Mechanech in Oholei Torah Mechina, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim Queens, and a longtime Nosei V’nosein in Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim at 770. Rabbi Geisinsky shared words of hisorerus and practical inspiration, encouraging the mechanchim to approach the new year and their vital responsibility in chinuch with renewed chayus and purpose.

The gathering brought together members of the Oholei Torah family from across the Yeshiva’s many divisions and departments, providing an opportunity to spend meaningful time together and reflect on their shared mission of educating and caring for the Yeshiva’s talmidim. Shalom Osdoba, a bochur in Beis Medrash, also made a Siyum Mishnayos at the farbrengen, adding to the evening’s atmosphere of Torah and inspiration. As Selichos began, the staff entered the final stretch before Rosh Hashanah strengthened by an evening of achdus, Chassidishe inspiration, and renewed appreciation for the tremendous zechus and responsibility of chinuch. 

Photos by: Yossi Fajland

Hochul Announces Record $70 Million Security Funding, Chabad Institutions Among Potential Beneficiaries

by CrownHeights.info

Ahead of the upcoming Yom Tov season, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday the distribution of a record $70 million in security funding to 290 nonprofit community organizations considered vulnerable to hate crimes and attacks.

The funding is being distributed through New York’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes (SCAHC) program, administered by the State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Eligible organizations include houses of worship, religious institutions, community centers, daycares, cultural institutions and other nonprofits considered at risk because of their beliefs, ideology or mission.

For Chabad institutions throughout New York, the program could provide significant assistance in strengthening security at Chabad Houses, shuls, schools and community facilities.

Organizations were permitted to request up to $250,000 each, the highest maximum award since the program was established in 2017. Funds can be used for a wide range of security improvements, including surveillance and alarm systems, panic buttons, reinforced doors, fencing and barriers, access-control systems, shatter-resistant glass, blast-resistant film, lighting, public-address systems and cybersecurity upgrades. Security training is also eligible.

While the state is not releasing the names of recipients in Tuesday’s funding round, citing security concerns, state records demonstrate that Chabad institutions have been among the beneficiaries of the SCAHC program.

The New York State Comptroller’s Open Book database shows that Chabad of Bedford received a $200,000 SCAHC grant, with nearly $187,000 spent as of the latest state records. Chabad of Queens College was awarded $200,000 through the same program, while Chabad of Greenpoint has a $200,000 SCAHC grant recorded with the state.

That history makes the newly announced $70 million particularly significant for Chabad, which operates hundreds of centers and institutions throughout New York, many of which serve as community hubs where large numbers of Jewish residents gather for davening, shiurim, children’s programs, holiday events and other activities.

The precise number of Chabad organizations receiving funding in the latest round will not be known until the state provides additional information to successful applicants. DCJS said it will begin notifying grant recipients this week.

Of the $70 million being distributed, $35.79 million will go to 147 organizations in New York City, making the city the largest regional recipient.

Another $24.19 million will go to 99 organizations in the Mid-Hudson region, while Long Island will receive approximately $6 million through 25 grants. Additional funding is being distributed across the Capital Region, Finger Lakes, Central New York, Southern Tier and Western New York.

The awards come as Jewish communities across New York prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur amid continued concerns over antisemitism.

According to NYPD data cited by the governor, reported hate crimes in New York City were up 16 percent through August 30 compared with the same period last year. Anti-Jewish hate crimes increased 8 percent, from 212 to 229 incidents, and accounted for 53.9 percent of all confirmed hate crimes in the city.

In addition to the grant funding, Hochul announced that New York State Police will increase their presence around Jewish communities and religious institutions during the High Holidays.

Troopers will conduct high-visibility patrols and have been instructed to coordinate with local law enforcement, including the NYPD, as well as Jewish security organizations including the Community Security Initiative and Secure Community Network.

The governor said the increased presence is intended to provide both a deterrent against potential attacks and greater reassurance to Jewish communities gathering for the holidays.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority,” Hochul said. “As Jewish New Yorkers prepare for the High Holidays, we’re continuing our record investments to protect sensitive sites and surging State Police resources to keep communities safe across our state.”

Mivtza Shofar Within Crown Heights – Now for the 8th Year

We are organizing people to go and blow Shofar in the homes of those in Our community, Crown Heights who for whatever reason are not able to go to shul for Tekiyas Shofar.

Please see links below for REQUESTS and for VOLUNTEERS.

REQUESTS:
Please submit before Thursday evening the 10th of September, 28th of Elul.
All names are confidential and will only be shared with the person attending your home.
https://goo.gl/forms/8DWCqQ1srZ8JTe642

VOLUNTEERS:
If you are able to blow Shofar for someone, please fill out the form below and you will be contacted regarding where and when to go.
https://goo.gl/forms/mihajSVLLjS31dcE2

A project arranged by Chabad Air and Bais Shmuel Chabad.
For any questions or comments please email [email protected]

Please share!
כתיבה וחתימה טובה

Rosh Hashana Michtav Klali From The Rebbe Applicable To This Year

As was the Rebbe’s custom, a yearly letter called a Michtav Kloli was sent out to the Chassidim. The Michtav Klali suitable for this year’s Rosh Hashanah is available here for download in three languages.

מכתב כללי לחי אלול תשלב – אנגלית – מודפס לקראת חי אלול תשפוDownload

מכתב כללי לחי אלול תשלב – עברית- מודפס לקראת חי אלול תשפוDownload

מכתב כללי לחי אלול תשלב – אידיש – מודפס לקראת חי אלול תשפוDownload

Zalman Davidsohn (Crown Heights) to Mushka Laufer (Providence, RI) L’Chaim: Tonight, Tuesday, 8:00p, at The JCM Upstairs

“Homel”: A New Link in the Chain of Shlichus to the Historic Chassidic City

The pages of Eastern European Jewish history are woven with golden threads of Mesirus Nefesh and Torah. Among the cities that hold a special place in the annals of Chassidic history is Homel (Gomel), Belarus—once a thriving center of Chassidic life and a gathering place for thousands of Chassidim.

The city was home to the rabbinate of the famed Gaon and Chossid Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Epstein, known as R’ Isaac Homiler, who was appointed to serve as Rav by the Alter Rebbe, the author of the Tanya and Shulchan Aruch. Homel also witnessed the establishment of a clandestine branch of Tomchei Temimim during the Soviet era, as Chassidim worked with tremendous Mesirus Nefesh to preserve Torah and Yiddishkeit under Communist rule.

Following decades of upheaval and spiritual desolation, Homel is now poised to enter a new chapter in its Jewish history.

A New Shliach to Homel

This renewed spirit was palpable at a warm and Chassidic Tzeischem Leshalom farbrengen held this week in Moscow, led by the Rosh Kollel, HaGaon HaChassid Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Marzel.

Members of the Kollel gathered to bless and bid farewell to their fellow student, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kot, who is departing together with his family to establish themselves as Shluchim in Homel.

For Rabbi Kot, a life dedicated to Shlichus is deeply rooted in his family heritage. He grew up in the home of his father, the Rabbi and Shliach of Estonia, HaGaon HaChassid Rabbi Shmuel Kot, who has led a remarkable transformation in Jewish life throughout the country.

His commitment to Shlichus was further strengthened in the home of his father-in-law, the Shliach in Kfar Daniel, HaRav HaChassid Rabbi Moshe Marinovsky.

Now, the family’s longstanding chain of Shlichus is extending to another corner of the Russian-speaking Jewish world.

“Adding Vitality to the Existing Community”

The Chief Rabbi of Russia, HaGaon Rabbi Berel Lazar shlit”a, who oversees the development of Jewish communities throughout the region, addressed the gathering and blessed the Kot family’s departure.

Rabbi Lazar spoke about Homel’s illustrious Chassidic history, while emphasizing that the city already has an active and impressive Jewish community today.

The community is led by its president, Mr. Yosef Zholdov, a dedicated communal leader who has played a central role in maintaining and developing Jewish life in the city.

Rabbi Lazar warmly welcomed the Kot family to Homel and its Jewish community, noting that their arrival will bring additional vitality to the existing activities, expand their reach, and introduce an even greater measure of Torah, Yiddishkeit and Chassidic content to the community.

Looking Toward Tishrei

As the Shluchim family packs their belongings and makes the final preparations for the journey, their focus is already turned toward the tremendous work that lies ahead.

The timing is particularly significant, as the family arrives on the threshold of the High Holidays and the month of Tishrei—a period filled with opportunities to reach and inspire every segment of the Jewish community.

Homel’s streets, once filled with the melodies and stories of generations of Chassidim, are preparing to welcome a new generation of Shluchim.

Working in close cooperation with the local community leadership, the Kot family will seek to expand and strengthen the existing Jewish activities, bringing renewed energy and Chassidic warmth to the city and its surrounding communities.

The hope and vision is that Homel will once again become a beacon of Torah and Yiddishkeit, with its light extending throughout southeastern Belarus and joining the network of cities across the country where dedicated Rabbonim and Shluchim serve the Jewish population with Mesirus Nefesh and devotion.

Photography: Community Spokesperson

Teens Enter School Year Empowered With Jewish Pride and Knowledge 

Long after the CTeen Extreme activities, sightseeing, and adventures wear off, the lessons, friendships, and personal growth the teens gained are traveling with them into the school year. 

They landed in Denver in the early afternoon, met their counselors, learned each other’s names on the bus, and were in the water at Idaho Springs before dinner.

That was day one. Over the next two weeks, the girls on the CTeen Xtreme summer trip climbed a ropes course in Boulder, rappelled off the sandstone of the Colorado National Monument, biked the trails at Glenwood Springs, walked the arches at Moab, hiked the Narrows in Zion, rode horses through Utah canyon country, slept in cabins under the stars in Salina, and finished the trip surfing at Santa Monica Beach. In between, they spent two Shabbosim that most of them now describe as the best part of the whole thing.

“White water rafting on night one, our first Shabbos, pretty much the whole day, and tubing,” said Annabel Studley of Lake Placid NY, when asked to name her three favorite moments.

CTeen Xtreme is one of several summer programs CTeen ran this year: Fourteen days of American wilderness and a group of Jewish teenage girls, most of whom arrived not knowing anyone.

“The real impact of the summer begins once the summer is over,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Chairman of CTeen International. “The Rebbe taught to think long-term. A teen who spends two weeks discovering what her Judaism actually feels like will be joining her teen club in high school, her Chabad in college, and building a Jewish home around it years from now; that is the return we are after.”

Ask the girls what they expected before they left and almost none of them mention the destinations. Hailey Peykarian of Great Neck, NY said she never imagined she would meet so many people. Raya Rubinstein of Surfside, FL listed her favorite moments as making friends, new memories and new experiences.

“The counselors and the people I’ve met were so nice and welcoming,” said Leah Weinberg of North Palm Beach, FL. “It really was an amazing community.”

Every girl was asked about the all-girls format and said some version of the same thing. It made the trip easier, not harder. Shayla Ferraro of Roslyn, NY said it was special and easier to bond with everyone. Mijal Kempe who travelled all the way from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico said the format created a comfortable environment where the group could be themselves and grow together in Torah and Mitzvot. Annabel Studley said it let her concentrate on what she came for. “It made it easier to focus on Judaism and work on my relationship with G-d,” she said.

The first Shabbos was hosted by Rabbi Mendel and Estee Popack at Chabad of Denver North, after a Friday spent on a ropes course and a candlestick workshop. The girls led the Kiddush themselves with presentations they had put together. The second was hosted at Chabad of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, where the group came from a morning of water sports at Sand Hollow State Park and joined the local Jewish community for davening, a brunch, skits, and a Havdalah and kumzitz that ran late into the night.

Something shifted for a lot of the girls over those two Shabbats.

“Judaism is also fun,” Weinberg said. “Throughout this trip Judaism wasn’t just a serious thing that adults do, but something that we can bring into our own lives.”

Mijal Kempe described a shift in scale. “Judaism”, she said, “turned out to be more than a religion. It’s a family, a way of life, and a source of joy. And also not about being perfect, but about growing one step at a time.”

The clearest measure of the trip is what the girls said they planned to do when they got back, because most of them had a specific answer ready. Kali Heiken and Nava Evans of Peachtree Corners, GA  both named Modeh Ani every morning. Shayla Ferraro said she’d begin saying Shema at night and washing before bread. Leah Weinberg, who said she had not done much tzedakah before the trip, came home planning to give every day. Annabel Studley was going to give tzedakah daily instead of only before Shabbos, and make a chart of the brachos for different foods to put on the fridge.

“Our teens went home from the trip with a love for mitzvot and a confidence to be more openly Jewish,” said one of the trip leaders, Mushka Osdoba.

Parents noticed. Lana Studley said her daughter came home with a deeper understanding of herself and her abilities. “The opportunity to travel to the West Coast of the USA and connect more deeply with her religion was truly a once-in-a-lifetime journey,” she told CTeen.

Liat Mosker of Orange County, NY, said her daughter Yasmine had a blast, made lifetime friendships, and could not wait to go back. Yasmine has since become seriously involved in her local CTeen chapter, which is the pattern CTeen organizers watch for. Teens who show up for one summer tend to reappear at a Shabbaton in February, and then at more local events, and so on.

The last night was a farewell banquet at Chabad of Brentwood, after a day of sightseeing in Los Angeles and a walk down Hollywood Boulevard. By then the group had been together for two weeks, and the goodbyes took a while.

Asked what she would tell a friend considering the trip, Mijal Kempe said, “Don’t think twice. You’ll laugh, grow, challenge yourself, meet incredible people, and create memories you’ll never forget.”

Alongside the Xtreme road trips, CTeen ran separate Israel Journeys for boys and girls, the Heritage Quest program through Poland and Israel, and separate boys and girls programs for French teens in Vietnam.

Registration for summer 2027 is now open at cteensummer.com

NYC Bins Now Required for Trash Collection or Risk Facing Fines

Pix11

New York City homeowners or owners of a residence with nine or fewer units will need to start using NYC Bins or risk facing fines starting on Tuesday.

The New York City Department of Sanitation will start issuing summonses and $50 fines to those who do not use the black NYC bins to set out their trash.

Fines increase to $100 for the second offense and $200 for the third and subsequent offenses.

Read More at Pix11

Thousands of Jewish Students Begin New Academic Year Across FJC’s ‘Or Avner’ Network

Thousands of Jewish children and youngsters across seven countries of the former Soviet Union are returning to their classrooms as the Federation of Jewish Communities (FJC) ‘Or Avner’ Jewish Educational Network opens the 2026–2027 academic year.

From daycare centers and kindergartens to elementary schools, high schools and higher education institutions, hundreds of educational institutions and informal educational initiatives are beginning a new year of learning, personal development and connection to Jewish heritage.

Alongside the formal school network, FJC’s broader educational framework includes the SmartJ afternoon school network, JFuture Sunday Hebrew schools, the Darkeinu Jewish heritage curriculum, the EnerJew youth movement and YAHAD programs for students and young professionals.

As in previous years, the opening days are being marked in communities with festive “First Bell” ceremonies, bringing together students, parents, teachers, rabbis and community leaders. With the academic year beginning during the Jewish month of Elul, the educational institutions are also sounding the shofar, connecting the excitement of a new school year with the approaching Rosh Hashanah and its message of renewal and growth.

For more than three decades, the ‘Or Avner’ network has successfully combined accredited general education with Jewish studies, Hebrew, history and tradition, providing thousands of Jewish children from a wide range of backgrounds with a supportive environment in which they can develop academically and socially while building a meaningful connection to their Jewish identity, roots and community.

“Every first day of school reminds us that Jewish education is built one child at a time,” said Mrs. Chana Rynkov, Director of the ‘Or Avner’ School Network and ‘Darkeinu’ curriculum. “Our students come from different cities, families and backgrounds, but they all deserve an education of the highest standard together with the opportunity to know where they come from and to feel that Jewish heritage is a living and meaningful part of their lives.”

The opening of the new academic year follows a busy summer for FJC’s educational network, during which professional teams and educators prepared new programs, teaching tools and activities for the months ahead.

Established with the support of FJC President Mr. Lev Leviev, the Or Avner network has educated over the years tens of thousands of Jewish children from all across the FSU.

Two People Shot Minutes Apart Along West Indian Day Parade Route, One On Eastern Parkway and Kingston Ave

Pix11

There were two separate shootings along the J’Ouvert and West Indian American Day Carnival route on Labor Day, according to police.

Police received a 911 call at 4:02 p.m. for a reported shooting on Nostrand Avenue. Officials said one man was shot and was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.

Officers said a firearm was recovered at the scene and one person was taken into custody.

Five minutes later at 4:07 p.m., another call came in from Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue for a report of a woman shot.

Read More at Pix11

Popular Chassidus Podcast Back After Summer Hiatus

After a summer hiatus, Conversations in Chassidus is back with Episode 14, in conversation with Rabbi Avraham Glick, a teacher of Chassidus in Melbourne, Australia for over 55 years. With his broad knowledge of Chassidus and his gift for clear explanations, Rabbi Glick takes us on the King’s journey, through the fields of Elul and the palace of Tishrei, enlightening us to appreciate the Alter Rebbe’s Moshol and live with it the entire year.

How is “Melech Basadeh” relevant for the entire year?

How does it express the fundamental principle of “Dirah Betachtonim”?

What does it mean to make a “Dirah”, and why is this idea so central to Chassidus?

What is the Chiddush of the Alter Rebbe’s Moshol over how this concept is already brought by the Ba’al Shem Tov?

Conversations in Chassidus Episode 14, with Rabbi Avraham Glick. Live with the King the entire year!

Watch it on YouTube, Spotify or 24Six.

At This Israeli Bee Farm, Every Kind of Jew Finds a Sweet Welcome

by Bruria Efune – chabad.org

A week before Rosh Hashanah, the buses stream into this Chassidic village in central Israel.

They carry children from public schools and religious ones, from Chassidic neighborhoods and Israeli towns and kibbutzim. They have come to discover what happens before the honey reaches the Rosh Hashanah holiday table: how a tiny bee gathers nectar, how tens of thousands of bees work together inside a hive and how a golden drop of honey travels from flower to jar.

Some schools deliberately schedule their visit for the opening days of the academic year.

“They like to begin with something sweet,” explains Shoshi Rivkin, who runs the center together with her husband, Shlomo. “To open first grade and begin the school year with sweetness. But with us, it’s sweet all year round.”

Making Havdalah candles with beeswax.

At M’achoray Hadvash, or “Behind the Honey,” a family-run apiary (or bee farm) and educational visitor center on the outskirts of Kfar Chabad, children encounter the world of bees through a series of immersive activities. They peer into a glass bee hive, meet a beekeeper, watch the honey-production process, dress up as bees, make candles from beeswax and taste the finished product.

Yet the sweetness is not found only in the honey.

Under one roof, Jews who may rarely encounter one another gather around the same hive. Children dressed in every manner search together for the queen bee. Parents from vastly different communities sit through the same performance.

“It’s our Chabad House, staffed by bees!” Rivkin exclaims.

A tribute to founder Rabbi Moshe Zalman Schneerson is displayed on the walls, and includes the Rebbe’s letter discussing how farming and a life of Torah were not in conflict. A living example, the Rebbe wrote, could accomplish more than words alone.

The Teacher Inside the Beekeeper

The “Behind the Honey” story began nearly half a century ago with Shoshi Rivkin’s father—Rabbi Moshe Zalman Schneerson: a farmer, educator and school principal who was raising a family of 20 children with his wife, Uzit.

As the family grew, Schneerson needed an additional source of income. He considered returning to agriculture and wrote to the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, about his plans.

The Rebbe encouraged him, explaining the importance of Torah-observant Jews working in agriculture and demonstrating that farming and a life of Torah were not in conflict. A living example, the Rebbe wrote, could accomplish more than words alone.

A copy of the letter remains displayed at “Behind the Honey.”

Schneerson studied professional beekeeping through Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture and established an apiary in Kfar Chabad. But although he had left the formal classroom, he never stopped being an educator.

He became fascinated by the extraordinarily ordered society inside each hive: the division of labor, the communication among the bees, their cleanliness, diligence and collective responsibility.

“He would always say it was such a wondrous and mysterious world,” Rivkin recalls. “Inside the beehive there is harmony and cooperation, but people know nothing about it. To them, a bee stings—and that’s all.”

Schneerson could not accept that children might walk through G‑d’s world without recognizing the wonders hidden within it. He installed a transparent observation hive on the third floor of the family home and invited neighborhood children, teachers and anyone else interested to come and see the bees. Visitors climbed the stairs, searched for the queen and peppered him with questions.

Soon, so many people were coming that the informal exhibit became impossible to manage alongside his work in the apiary.

But the experience convinced Schneerson that Kfar Chabad needed a proper center where children could encounter the wonders of the beehive and recognize the Creator behind them.

Shoshi Rivkin welcomes a group of vistiors to M’achoray Hadvash.

Built With Their Own Hands

Around 32 years ago, Shoshi and her husband, Shlomo Rivkin, took on the project. They were a young couple with three children, soon to be four, and almost no financial resources.

The original center was simple. Rivkin describes temporary construction, gravel floors, fans for ventilation and tables made from crates. Nevertheless, visitors came. Over time, the Rivkins expanded, paved and air-conditioned the facility, developing the elaborate program offered today.

There were setbacks along the way. Construction requirements, fire-safety regulations and other unexpected challenges repeatedly forced the family to alter or rebuild parts of the center.

“Each time a new difficulty came, it was like a wave,” Rivkin says. “We drew strength from the Rebbe’s blessings, passed through the wave, and afterward, the center became even better.”

Shlomo Rivkin leads an interactive exploration into the world of bees, and teaches visitors about the wonders of G-d’s creations.

From the beginning, the Rivkins emphasized active, multisensory learning, rather than lectures alone.

“When a child learns something, experiences it and encounters it through all the senses, the child remembers it for years,” Rivkin explains.

Today, children watch a performance about life inside the hive, observe a beekeeper working with real bees and follow the entire honey production process. They take part in interactive games, create beeswax candles and leave with a small jar of honey.

“It was so much fun, my kids are asking to go back again,” mother Tziona Handler wrote in an online review. Another recent visitor reported arriving at noon and remaining until 6:30 in the evening because her children were so engrossed.

But for the Rivkins, the educational program has always been part of something larger.

From humble beginings, the center has grown out into into a expanded and modern facility, with activities and elaborate programs.

“All of Am Yisrael Is Here”

In its early years, Rivkin says, few public schools came to the center. Some educators were wary of bringing their students into the religious village of Kfar Chabad.

Gradually, that changed. Teachers discovered a professional program that genuinely taught children about bees and nature, while allowing its Jewish identity to emerge naturally. The presentations include ideas drawn from the Tanya and references to the Creator, but the center adapts the delivery to each audience.

“Some visitors want the Torah-themed songs, while others prefer our track that’s focused on nature,” Rivkin says. “We try to understand who is in front of us and share the bees’ message in the way best suited for our guests.”

The Rivkins do not disguise who they are. Before tasting honey, Shoshi makes a bracha. Her husband appears as both a beekeeper and a Chassid. Children see a religious family living its Judaism naturally and joyfully.

“We don’t preach anything,” Rivkin says. “We just live it ourselves, and often, that’s what makes the biggest and most lasting impression.”

Multiple People Stabbed in Crown Heights as Notoriously Violent West Indian American Day Parade Kicks Off

New York Post

Three men were stabbed in Crown Heights, Brooklyn early Monday morning — just before the notoriously violent West Indian American Day parade was set to kick off, according to police.

A 32-year-old man and 23-year-old man were stabbed in the neck and a 36-year-old was stabbed in the face near Carroll Street and Utica Avenue around 5:48 a.m., cops said.

EMS responded and rushed all three to Kings County Hospital, where the 32-year-old man remains in critical condition.

“Tefilah LeDavid”: Marina Roscha Releases New Musical Project for the High Holy Days

With the month of Elul underway and the Jewish community preparing for the High Holy Days, the Marina Roscha Central Synagogue in Moscow has unveiled a major new musical project designed to help worshippers connect more deeply with the tefillos of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The album, titled “Tefilah LeDavid,” was produced at the initiative of Russia’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Berel Lazar, and marks the 100th anniversary of the Marina Roscha Jewish community.

The project was entrusted to the synagogue’s Chief Cantor, Rabbi David Caytak, who selected some of the most beloved prayer segments, traditional nuschaos, and melodies that have been sung in the Marina Roscha sanctuary over the years.

The musical arrangements were created by composer and musician Rabbi Elor Velner, who crafted the album with a blend of traditional Chassidic melodies and contemporary musical production.

The goal of the project extends beyond producing a cantorial album. Rabbi Lazar envisioned “Tefilah LeDavid” as a tool to help Jews prepare for the High Holy Days and arrive at the long and meaningful tefillos with a greater familiarity and emotional connection.

For many members of Russian Jewry who did not grow up with a strong Jewish educational or synagogue background, the melodies of the tefillos can be unfamiliar. Becoming acquainted with the niggunim and prayer melodies before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur can help transform the experience from one of unfamiliarity into a meaningful and uplifting spiritual journey.

The album features 12 carefully selected tracks drawn from the tefillos of the High Holy Days.

Among the selections are “Avinu Malkeinu” in the Chabad tradition, a sweeping medley of High Holy Day prayers, as well as “Hineni He’ani Mima’as,” “Kol Nidrei,” “Ki Hineh Kachomer,” “Haben Yakir Li,” and “Tiher Rabbi Yishmael.”

The album also includes moving performances of “Ve’al Yedei Avadecha,” “Ya’aleh,” “Ki Anu Amecha,” and “Ata Hivdalta.”

Each track was arranged to capture the atmosphere of the Days of Awe as experienced in the Marina Roscha synagogue, combining the traditional melodies of the community with a polished musical production.

As Russian Jewry approaches Rosh Hashanah, “Tefilah LeDavid” is being presented not simply as another Chassidic or cantorial album, but as a tool of Shlichus—using music to prepare Jews for the holiest days of the year and open their hearts to tefillah.

The Marina Roscha community hopes that the melodies will inspire listeners throughout Russia and beyond, awakening hearts to teshuvah, strengthening their connection to Yiddishkeit, and bringing a year of blessing, success, and revealed good to all of Klal Yisroel.

כתיבה וחתימה טובה — לשנה טובה ומתוקה.

Benny Friedman’s “Homeward Bound” Gets a Hebrew Version

From the very first time I heard “Homeward Bound,” I connected deeply with its message and its musical style. The longing for home, for Jerusalem, and for where we truly belong touched me.

This Hebrew version is not a word-for-word translation. Because of the differences between English and Hebrew, and the need to fit the original melody and rhythm, some lines had to be adapted. My goal was to stay as close as possible to the meaning, spirit, and message of the original song.

Before creating this Hebrew version, I reached out to Nochum Levitan, the song’s writer and composer, and to Benny Friedman, the original performer, and received their permission to create the Hebrew adaptation. I’m very grateful to them for allowing me to give this beautiful song a Hebrew voice.

Credits

Original song: “Homeward Bound”
Original performer: Benny Friedman
Lyrics & Composition: Nochum Levitan
Hebrew Adaptation: Chani Krishevsky
Music Production & Video: Chani Krishevsky

Link to the original song:

Michoel and Zelda (nee Gutnick) Lerner from Crown Heights had a baby boy!

BDE: Mrs. Hadassah Carlebach, 99, OBM

by CrownHeights.info

With great sadness we report the passing of Mrs. Hadassah Miriam Carlebach OBM, a matriarch of a large Lubavitch family and a woman whose life was intertwined with the history of Chabad-Lubavitch and the Rebbe’s family. She passed away on Sunday, 24 Elul, 5786.

She was 99 years old.

Mrs. Carlebach was born on Yud Shevat, 5687 (1927), in the Soviet Union, to Rabbi Zalman Schneerson and his wife, a first cousin of the Rebbe’s father, Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson.

Her childhood was marked by the mesirus nefesh of her father, who was deeply involved in the underground yeshivos established by the Frierdiker Rebbe during the years of Soviet persecution. The family moved frequently, and young Hadassah often accompanied her father as he distributed funds to melamdim and supported Jewish education under the watchful eye of the Soviet authorities.

In 1935, at the age of eight, the family managed to escape the Soviet Union and eventually settled in France. There, Rabbi Zalman Schneerson established kosher homes and Talmud Torahs for Jewish refugees, while the family’s home became a refuge for Jews fleeing the Nazis.

Hadassah, still a young teenager, became an active participant in her father’s rescue efforts. At just 14 years old, she helped transport groups of Jewish children through Vichy France to Marseille, assisting in getting them to safety in Switzerland or placing them in hiding. She personally accompanied children on trains and helped maintain Jewish life even under the most dangerous circumstances.

During the war years, the family also hid Jewish refugees, while Hadassah helped ensure that Yom Tov and Jewish observance continued. She recalled helping arrange the baking of matzah for Pesach, reading the Megillah on Purim and assisting with the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

Following the war, the family continued its work supporting Jewish survivors in France. In 1947, they moved to Brooklyn to be near their cousin, the Rebbe. It was there that Hadassah met Reb Eliyahu Chaim Carlebach, a Tomim and twin brother of the famed Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. The couple married in 1949 and initially lived in Crown Heights before settling in New Jersey.

Mrs. Carlebach maintained a particularly close relationship with Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson. She was a frequent visitor at the Rebbetzin’s home on President Street, where the two would sit together and speak about current events and everyday matters. On one occasion, she was invited to dinner at the home of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin on New York Avenue.

She was also close with Rebbetzin Chana, the Rebbe’s mother, with whom she would often sit and sing niggunim.

In a 2018 interview with The Jewish Press, Mrs. Carlebach spoke about her childhood, her family’s connection to the Rebbe, and her years married to Reb Eliyahu Chaim Carlebach. She recalled that growing up in the Schneerson home never meant relying on yichus, but rather understanding that it carried an obligation to do more for Yiddishkeit.

Over the decades, Mrs. Carlebach became the matriarch of a large Lubavitch family, raising children and meriting to see grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue in the ways of Torah, Chassidus and the Rebbe’s shlichus.

Remarkably, even in her final years, she remained active and engaged with the younger generation. Just one month ago, she farbrenged with a group of bochurim from Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch in Queens, sharing memories and stories from her extraordinary life.

Mrs. Carlebach is survived by her children; Mrs. Shterna Citron (Los Angeles, CA), Mrs. Sheina Berkowitz, Mrs. Beila Dayan, Mrs. Freida Laufer and Mrs. Esther Kugel (Brooklyn,NY), as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The levaya will pass by 770 Eastern Parkway on Monday, the 25 Elul, at approximately 9:00am.

Shiva details to be announced.

Boruch Dayan Hoemes

JLI: The Real Meaning of the High Holidays With Rabbi Manis Friedman

What are the High Holidays really about?

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot are often associated with judgment, repentance, fasting, and fear. But what if we’ve misunderstood the deeper meaning behind these days?

In this powerful conversation, we explore a different way of looking at the Jewish High Holidays not as a time to simply fear judgment, but as an opportunity to reconnect with God, rediscover our Jewish identity, express our deepest spiritual desires, and make the coming year truly meaningful.

The High Holidays may be about much more than we think.

Eli Rosenfeld (Lake Worth, FL) to Margalit Rivkin (Hillsboro, Oregon) L’Chaim: Tonight, Sunday, 8:00pm at The Simcha Hall 571 Albany Ave

Menny Labkowski (Hollywood, FL) to Mushky Gurevitch (Offenbach, Germany) L’Chaim: Tonight, Sunday, 8:00pm at Ulam Chana 556 Crown Street

Sholom Rosenblum (Brussels, Belgium) to Zelda Nemanow (Brunoy, France) L’Chaim: Tonight, Sunday, 8:00pm at Beis Rivkah Seminary 461 East New York Ave

Selichot Night in Moscow: Three Centers of Spiritual Awakening

The atmosphere of Elul and the approaching High Holidays reached a powerful crescendo this weekend, as Jewish communities gathered across three locations for the first recitation of Selichot, ushering in a new year with prayer, reflection and spiritual awakening.

At the central Marina Roscha Synagogue in Moscow, the evening began well before midnight with a soulful Chassidic farbrengen, preparing the congregation for the solemn prayers ahead.

As midnight approached, the sanctuary filled with worshippers. Rabbi Elazar Mordechai Koenig served as the baal tefillah, leading the Selichot amid traditional melodies and an atmosphere of heartfelt awakening.

Meanwhile, hundreds made their way from Moscow to the village of Lyubavichi, the cradle of Chabad Chassidut, for a special Shabbat dedicated to spiritual preparation.

The program was organized and led by local Shliach Rabbi Gavriel Gordon, with the assistance of Rabbi Nachman Vaksman. Approximately 200 avreichim and students participated, including a group from Yeshiva Gedolah led by its director, Rabbi Yechezkel Lazar.

Shabbat began in the early morning with the recitation of the entire Book of Tehillim near the holy Ohel, followed by classes, tefillos and Chassidic farbrengens throughout the day.

Joining the participants were Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Mondshine, Rav and Shliach in Smolensk, and Rabbi Shimon Bergman, Rav and Shliach in Nizhny Novgorod, who arrived together with groups of mekuravim from their respective cities.

Following a Melaveh Malka farbrengen in the “Large Zal” of the original Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva, participants gathered after midnight in the shul adjacent to the holy Ohel.

Rabbi Zalman Shimon Deren served as baal tefillah, leading the Selichot with powerful Chassidic warmth and emotion.

A third gathering took place in the United States, where supporters and philanthropists of the Russian Torah World Fund assembled for a special Shabbat of spiritual preparation.

The delegation was headed by Chief Rabbi of Russia Rabbi Berel Lazar and gathered in close proximity to the holy Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The program was organized by Rabbi Mordechai Weisberg, director of the Moscow Jewish community.

Selichot were recited at midnight in the Rebbe’s private residence, with Rabbi Moshe Zilbershtein serving as baal tefillah.

Participants described the experience as deeply moving, leaving the gathering with a renewed sense of purpose and a commitment to strengthening and supporting Torah institutions serving Russian Jewry.

The three gatherings reflected the spirit of the season: preparing for the Yamim Noraim not only through tefillah, but through Chassidic inspiration, communal unity and concrete hachlatos tovos for the coming year.

Photo: Community Spokesperson

CHJCC Urges Tishrei Guests: Don’t Travel Without Medical Insurance

As thousands of guests prepare to travel to Crown Heights for Tishrei, the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC) is urging visitors to take one important step before leaving home: purchase adequate medical travel insurance.

The warning comes from experience. Each Tishrei, medical emergencies arise involving visitors from overseas, and when a guest does not have proper insurance, an already frightening situation can quickly become a serious financial crisis.

Medical care in the United States can be extremely expensive. A hospital stay, emergency procedure or other unexpected treatment can result in bills reaching thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. Without appropriate coverage, families can face devastating expenses, and lack of coverage can also complicate access to certain follow-up care and treatment.

“We are asking every Tishrei guest to take this seriously,” said Shmuly Rosenstein, Acting Chairman of CHJCC. “We have seen too many situations where people came without proper insurance and a medical emergency became a financial crisis as well. For the relatively small cost of travel insurance, this is a risk nobody should be taking.”

CHJCC is emphasizing that this needs to be taken care of before departure, not after arriving in Crown Heights.

Travelers should make sure their policy provides adequate medical coverage in the United States, remains in effect for their entire stay, and covers every member of the family traveling. They should also understand the policy’s limits, deductibles, exclusions and what to do if emergency care is needed.

“Please don’t wait until there is an emergency,” Rosenstein added. “Before you get on the plane, make sure you and your family are covered. A few dollars spent before traveling can potentially prevent tremendous hardship later.”

CHJCC is asking Shuls, Mosdos, travel organizers and community WhatsApp groups around the world to help get the message to Tishrei guests before they leave home.

Crown Heights looks forward to once again welcoming guests from around the world for Tishrei.

The message is simple: Be prepared. Stay covered. Safe travels.

שנה טובה ומתוקה

Day-to-Day Guide for Tishrei 5787 Part #1

We present a guide of laws & customs and selected sichos for the month of Tishrei, 5787. Part I covers from the 20th of Elul 5786 – until the 13th of Tishrei 5787.

By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.

Day-to-Day Tisheie 5787Download

לוח יומי תשרי א – תשפזDownload

Serial “Mega” Package Thief Arrested in Crown Heights With Help From Shomrim

by CrownHeights.info

A serial package thief and burglar who has been terrorizing Crown Heights residents with a string of thefts has been arrested, thanks in part to the efforts of Crown Heights Shomrim and the NYPD’s 71st Precinct.

The suspect was taken into custody Friday afternoon following what Shomrim described as a successful collaboration with local police.

The individual had been the subject of a recent Shomrim alert identifying him as being wanted in connection with multiple thefts and other criminal activity in the neighborhood.

Shomrim members worked closely with officers from the 71st Precinct to help locate and apprehend the suspect.

Crown Heights Shomrim is reminding residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity immediately. Crown Heights Shomrim: 718-774-3333

        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by CrownHeights.info (@chinfo.official)

Selichos Held at Chabad Shul in Paris With Avraham Fried

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a special Selichos was held at the Chabad Shul on 17 Rue de Rosiers in Paris, under the leadership of Rabbi Mendy Azimov.

The Selichos lasted approximately one hour and forty minutes and were attended by renowned Chassidic singer Avraham Fried.

Photos by Mordechai Lubecki

Miami’s LEC Welcomes 2,500 Students With Two New Buildings

Miami’s Lubavitch Educational Center launched the new school year welcoming 2,500 students into six buildings across five campuses, including two newly acquired facilities, marking a major milestone in the institution’s rapid growth.

“With Hashem’s help and the Rebbe’s brochos, we had a successful first day of school across all eleven divisions—from our infants in Early Stages to our bochurim in Yeshiva Gedolah,” says Rabbi Benjy Korf, Head of School.

The expansion includes a new Mesivta campus in Miami Gardens and two wings of a recently-purchased building on an expanded Campus Chaya Mushka, adjacent to the Beit Apel girls’ school. The new facility houses the Rebbetzin Rivka Korf Preschool Building—generously dedicated by Avraham and Brochie Shaulson—and the Rebbetzin Rochel Pinson High School Building, home to Beis Chana High School, dedicated by Reut and Mendel Pinson.

“We are thankful to our generous supporters who have made this growth possible,” Rabbi Korf says. 

Preparing the new spaces for school required around-the-clock work throughout the summer. “We had shifts of construction crews working 24/6 to make sure the buildings were ready and helping us move in,” says Rabbi Menachem Mendel Korf, who oversaw the renovation projects. “The speed at which the buildings were renovated was extraordinary.”

When students arrived, they were warmly greeted by their teachers in beautiful classrooms. “We are lucky to have the most incredible team at LEC, with close to 500 staff members who are all dedicated to the chinuch of our children,” said Rabbi Yossi Zavdi, Associate Head of School. “They remain the heart of our school.”

“Boruch Hashem, we are off to a great start,” says Rabbi Benjy Korf

LEC thanks the leadership teams for their tireless and ongoing efforts in the chinuch of our children, including principals Ms. Tziporah Elazar, Mrs. Bina Rosenblum, Mrs. Tzivi Schurder, Mrs. Dina Lieberman, Mrs. Chaya Sara Dalfin, Mrs. Nomi Yerushalmy, Mrs. Shevi Sossonko, Mrs. Tzippy Dalfin, Mrs. Leah Spalter, Mrs. Musha Krasnjanski, Mrs. Naomie Selwyn, Mrs. Judy Kitchner, Rabbi Moshe Stern, Rabbi Yakov Garfinkel, Rabbi Nochum Schapiro, Rabbi Eli Spalter, Rabbi Motti Schurder, Rabbi Eily Smith, Rabbi Y. Leib Schapiro, and Rabbi Chaim Stern. LEC thanks building and construction managers Rabbi Menachem Mendel Korf, Rabbi Menachem Kozlovsky, and the entire operations team.

        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by Lubavitch Educational Center (@lubavitcheducationalcenter)

New Feature Helps Visitors Find Videos They Watched at Ohel

One of the most common questions asked by visitors after leaving the Ohel is: “Where can I find the video I saw while I was there?”

To help answer that question, JEM has launched an updated page at JEM.tv/ohel.

The iconic video feed at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, the Chabad House serving visitors to the Rebbe’s Ohel, is often a first stop for individuals on their way into, or as they leave, the Ohel. Generously dedicated by Michael and Ricki Verbitsky, the feed features clips of the Rebbe’s addresses and conversations, as well as songs and precious moments with the Rebbe, and has become a meaningful part of the Ohel experience for many.

The upgraded webpage shows the clip currently playing on the Ohel video broadcast in real time, along with an archive going back two weeks that shows, down to the minute, when each clip was played.

If you don’t recall the exact time, you can search for words, ideas, people, or events you remember from the clip to help find exactly what you saw.

Visit JEM.tv/ohel to explore the new page.

The schedule, archive, and search are available for everyone to explore. Watching individual videos on JEM.tv requires a JEM membership.

David Nacash (Paris, France) to Odel Assouline (Paris, France)

The Pain of Causing Pain

by Dovid Zaklikowski for Hasidic Archives

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein didn’t have an office. The great authority on Jewish law would sit at his desk in the study hall of his yeshivah, Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem. He had no secretary to shield him from nudniks. Anyone could walk into the yeshivah and ask him a question. Although he had a telephone at his desk, if someone called the yeshivah payphone, he did not mind walking across the entire study hall to answer someone in need.

Even at home, he set aside designated times to receive visitors. Once, a rabbi arrived at the appointed time, and Rabbi Feinstein’s wife told him that she was sorry, but her husband was too ill. “It is impossible for him to speak to you.”

As the rabbi began to leave, he heard a weak voice from the other room asking who it was. When he identified himself, Rabbi Feinstein invited him in.

To the rabbi’s horror, Rabbi Feinstein, always formal and impeccably put together, was lying stretched out on the sofa, unable even to lift his head.

“I am terribly ill,” Rabbi Feinstein said. “I just had an experience that left me without strength. I just went through a terrible episode. It has been years since I experienced such anguish.”

Expecting to hear that he had fallen, suffered a tremor, or felt faint, the rabbi asked what had happened.

The great legal scholar explained that there was a rabbi whom he believed had acted with personal bias in a case he had adjudicated. There could be no greater insult to a rabbinic figure, but Rabbi Feinstein had to make his opinion clear: the rabbi should withdraw his ruling because of his personal interest in the case and direct the parties to seek the judgment of another rabbinic authority. 

“I had to insult a Jew,” Rabbi Feinstein said. “I had to. I couldn’t help it. I had to.”

He felt that he had no choice, but insulting another person, regardless of the reason, left him physically incapacitated.

Find Hasidic Archive’s, latest book Yards of Kindness here.

West Indian Day Parade to Return to Eastern Parkway Monday With Heightened Security Measures

by CrownHeights.info

The annual West Indian American Day Parade will once again take over Eastern Parkway this Labor Day, with hundreds of thousands of revelers expected to descend on Crown Heights for the city’s largest Caribbean cultural celebration.

The 59th annual New York Carnival Parade is scheduled for Monday, September 7, with the festivities expected to run from approximately 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The parade will travel along Eastern Parkway from the Utica Avenue area toward Grand Army Plaza, bringing elaborate costumes, music, dancing and Caribbean food vendors to the neighborhood.

This year’s celebration will take place under an extensive security operation following violence associated with the parade in previous years.

In 2025, five people were shot and two others were slashed during the Labor Day festivities, according to police.

The NYPD is expected to deploy specialized units, drones, barricades and additional personnel throughout the area. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch are scheduled to brief the public on the security operation ahead of Monday’s festivities.

Security measures are expected to be particularly noticeable along Eastern Parkway, with attendees urged to expect checkpoints and restrictions when entering the parade area.

The heightened security comes as city officials seek to balance the enormous popularity of the event with the need to keep participants and residents safe.

For residents of Crown Heights, the parade will mean significant street closures and traffic restrictions throughout Monday.

Eastern Parkway will serve as the centerpiece of the celebration, with crowds expected to stretch for blocks along the route. The event traditionally attracts more than one million participants and spectators, making it one of New York City’s largest annual outdoor celebrations.

Residents should expect significant disruptions to vehicle traffic and should plan ahead if traveling through the neighborhood.

Public transportation is expected to be the easiest way to access the area, although subway service and entrances in the immediate vicinity of the parade may also be affected.

The Making of Benny Friedman’s “Homeward Bound”

With just three weeks until release day, Benny Friedman and producer Nochum Levitan head upstate for a race against the clock to complete the hit EP Homeward Bound.

Follow along as the songs come together, vocals are recorded, and the final production takes shape. With serious creative discussions and plenty of fun along the way, go behind the music in this inside look at The Making of Homeward Bound.

CREDITS:

Arranged & Produced by Nochum Levitan
Vocals Recorded at Big Poppa Studios

Homeward Bound – Composed & Written by Nochum Levitan

Adios – Composed & Written by Nochum Levitan

Yerushalayim Our Home – Originally Performed by MBD
Composed by Yair Rosenblum | Written by Dina Storch & MBD
Choir: Nochum Levitan, Srully Nachfolger

The Road Back Home – Composed & Written by Chayala Neuhaus

Inside a Room Full of American Warriors in Tefillin

by Tzali Reicher – chabad.org

Rabbi Mordechai Rubin, who has directed the Colonie Chabad Chai Jewish Center near Albany, N.Y., alongside his wife, Chana, since 2018, was excited when he was asked to help arrange a daily morning minyan at the 131st National Convention of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America.

“Initially, it looked like they just wanted a pretty basic service, and asked me to bring Siddurim and a Torah,” Rubin said of the early planning conversations. “Instead, it was a much more inspiring experience. About 20 people came every morning to wrap tefillin—many for the first time in decades—pray, and hear the shofar and a Torah thought. It was incredibly inspiring and connecting.”

The morning minyan became the centerpiece of the convention, held last week at the Marriott in Colonie, just north of the state capital. It was the first time in the organization’s history that the convention came to the Albany area. The minyan happened because of Fred Altman, commander of Albany’s Jewish War Veterans Post 105, a veteran and lawyer who has known Rubin for years.

Rabbi Mordechai Rubin blows the shofar at the convention. Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A.

Roughly 150 members came from Florida to California to Texas. Jewish War Veterans, founded in 1896 by a group of Jewish Civil War veterans responding to antisemitism and slander that Jews hadn’t served their country in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, is the oldest active national veterans’ organization in the United States.

Albany Post 105 counts 35 members, who share resources, march in parades and visit lonely veterans during the holiday season.

“Many people thought Jews were disloyal,” Altman told the gathered veterans in his convention remarks. “Let this convention show there is no shortage of loyalty. It all comes down to one theme: Jews are part of this country, and will always stand up proudly to defend it.”

Roughly 150 proudly Jewish veterans gathered from around the country for the annual event. Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A.

‘You Are Still Enlisted’

“My takeaway is how beautiful the Jewish people are,” Rubin said. “The story of the neshamah shining through, no matter the level of observance, the joy in service, and the pride of Jewish identity in the face of antisemitism.

“When you have a room full of Jewish warriors, you blow the shofar,” the rabbi continued. “You let them hear that sound they heard at Sinai. You let them know: You are still enlisted, this time as a member of the Jewish people fulfilling G‑d’s mission for us.”

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy stopped by the minyan as well, shaking hands and thanking the veterans for choosing the area for their convention.

Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A.

Altman, who enlisted during the Vietnam draft in 1969 and went on to serve 21 years in the Army and the New York National Guard, followed the path of his father, who served in the Pacific during World War II. Altman later became a JAG officer at the National Guard headquarters in Albany, where he worked until his retirement.

“We’re a country worth fighting for, and Jewish veterans, though relatively small in number, are very proud of our service,” Altman said. “Our mission remains pertinent, and unfortunately, it’s a timely one again.”

The convention wrapped up days before the start of the High Holiday season, a timing Altman called especially meaningful.

“To be surrounded by Jews, ahead of the High Holidays,” he said, “that was particularly special.”

Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A.

Chabad History With Rabbi Dalfin – His Mashpia, Reb Shlomo Chaim Kesselman

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

Lubavitcher Yeshiva Brings the Halachos and Minhagim of Elul to Life

As the talmidim of Lubavitcher Yeshiva learned the halachos and minhagim of Chodesh Elul, the Yeshiva turned the learning into a real-life experience.

The talmidim learned the importance of checking tefillin and mezuzos. Rabbi Mendy Tiefenbrun, sofer, was brought to the Yeshiva to check the mezuzos throughout the building.

In each classroom, the talmidim watched as their mezuzah was carefully removed and checked, learning firsthand what a sofer looks for and what goes into making sure that a mezuzah is kosher and mehudar.

Afterwards, the talmidim had the opportunity to participate as the mezuzah was properly returned to the classroom door.

What began as a halacha learned in class became something the children could see and experience.

By bringing the minhagim of Elul to life, the talmidim were able to connect their learning with practical action, making the lesson that much more meaningful and memorable.

Laws and Customs: Selichos

Rabbi Shmuel Lesches, Magid Shiur in the Yeshiva Gedola of Melbourne, Australia, has compiled a guide to the laws and customs for the period of Selichos for the benefit of the wider Lubavitch community.

Please note: All times listed are for Melbourne only.

Laws & Customs_ Week Of SelichosDownload

Weekly Story: A Chai Elul Farbrengen

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

As we are towards the end of Chodesh Elul, the month when we try to clarify what our goals should be in our service of Hashem, I contemplate how to use this forum to its fullest. Lately, I have been approached with the request to reprint A Day To Recall, A Day To Remember, which has been out of print for some years.

My reply has been, I want to focus on the biographies of the Rebbeim.  But, quietly I was thinking that to reprint it as it is, is not necessary, as the story of each of those auspicious days can be found in their respective biographies. However, perhaps it would be something to consider if I add to each date some of the farbrengens I gave or wrote during the last eleven years in this column.

When more than a few people told me this week they enjoyed the thoughts I shared in 770 on Chai Elul, I decided to write them up and share it with you, my readers. This way I can gauge if there is an interest and need to do so, on the other special days in the Lubavitcher calendar.

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

Gut Yom Tov

Being that Chai Elul is the birthday of the two luminaries, the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, there is always the question, on whom we should focus on? Since there are various opinions/ ways to decide, we will begin this farbrengen with discussing the commonality that exists by both of them; namely what is the greatness of Chassidus. 

Chassidus is called אור (Ohr – light), as it is well known that today is called יום הולדת של שני מאורות הגדולים – the birthday of the two great luminaries. The purpose of a light and especially a great light is that it illuminates and brings out aspects and meaning of the artifact it is shining upon. Chassidus brings light to the inner dimension of the Torah,  that otherwise would have not been seen and recognized.  

Essentially, this is the meaning of the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov that the numerical equivalent of the word אור is 207, which is also the numerical equivalent of the word רז (secret). He continues that one who knows the secret of an entity can bring light [and illuminate it]. 

To bring this concept out in more clarity, we will illustrate it with the following story. 

A king instructed his workers to find an architect to design a museum that is worthy of displaying some of the priceless artifacts that belong to him. Some of them are portraits of his illustrious ancestors of the last few hundred years, as well as the crowns and jewelry they wore. Additionally, there are numerous unique and exquisite gifts that other monarchs had given his ancestors as a gesture of friendship etc. 

After a lengthy search, they informed the king that they narrowed it down to three people, and each one is going to present their thoughts and vision to the king in a few days. Each one brought along the impressive designs of their previous buildings. The king immediately recognized that by two of them, even though the numerous buildings that they designed were different, however he could see in each one, a pattern. These architects had their unique style. But by the third one, each of his famous buildings were unlike the other. 

Turning to that architect the king asked, why isn’t your signature written someplace in the design?

Your majesty, the buildings are not a testament of me, it is a testament for the one who commissions it and for the purpose they want it. Being that different people commissioned these buildings, I try to portray their signature on the building. The king was impressed and hired him, offering the others to work together with him.

After carefully cataloguing all the artifacts that the king plans on showcasing, and surveying the place where the museum was going to be built, the architect began working on his design. 

When the building was finally completed, the architect remained on site and made sure that each item was placed exactly in the spot he has designated and it be accompanied by the accessories he had noted.

Opening day came and the king invited five hundred individuals to have a guided tour, with each invitation given a specific time frame when to be there. The people waiting on line for their time slot, saw the expressions and exclamations of admiration and awe from those who exited the museum, knew that this wasn’t just another museum, it was in a class of its own.

However, when one of the final groups entered one of the main exhibits, their faces were crestfallen. There was nothing extraordinary or even outstanding here. In fact, they have seen better paintings in the local museum! 

The guide noticed their disappointment and said, the paintings and artifacts here are one of a kind, nothing you have seen can be compared to them. However, that is when the sun shines on them. But now that it is late in the afternoon, and the rays of the sunshine doesn’t pass through the windows, I will turn on the artificial light.

Saying that he turned them on and after a moment of silence there was gasps of astonishment and awe, as people grasped their breath in disbelief. Now they understood why they heard people marveling about these portraits and artifacts. 

The same thing is about the light of Chassidus. When a Jew grows up in a religious community and learns Torah, they are familiar with it. But when they later on become exposed to the light of Chassidus, their mouths open up in amazement. Then they say this is truly incredible!

This explains why the Baal Shem Tov was extremely fond of light and always wanted that his Beis Hamidrash should be brightly lit.

While many bring out this concept with the story that once the  Baal Shem Tov entered his Beis Hamidrash and asked in bewilderment why isn’t it brightly lit? When he heard the reply that they couldn’t obtain additional candles, he said take the icicles (which in yiddish is called אייז ליכטילאך – ice lights) and light them and they will burn. 

The students obediently acted upon his instructions and those icicles gave off a tremendous light.

But being that we are dealing with a day that is connected with both of them, the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, we will relate the following story of icicles that began to burn and spread warmth. 

One wintery night shortly before midnight, the Baal Shem Tov told his attendant that he wants to go to the mikva. 

When the attendant replied that the mikvas are closed, he said so take your ax/pick and break the ice on the river, and I will toivel (immerse myself) there.

Being that it was a freezing night, the attendant filled the lamp with kerosene, and they put on their heavy fur coats and warm boots and set out. When they arrived there, he too the ice pick and made a large opening  in the frozen ice over the river and the Baal Shem Tov immersed himself there.

The attendant thought that they would be there for a short time, especially since it was a freezing wintery night with a strong wind blowing, however, the Baal Shem Tov remained there for an extensive period of time.

The attendant noticed that the kerosene was almost completely depleted and the fire in the lantern would be extinguished in a few moments. That would  leave them without any light to see where they were going on their way back as well as losing their little source of warmth heat.

He said Rebbe, the fire is about to burn out, implying that the Baal Shem Tov should exit the water of the river.  The Baal Shem Tov replied by saying,  take an icicle and it would burn.

When he came out of the water (mikva), he said, tonight a neshoma chadasha came down, and it will illuminate the world.

Chassidim say that the reason the Baal Shem Tov waited until he told  his attendant to light an icicle is, that this Neshoma Chadash would accomplish, that even those who are frozen will begin to shine, and spread the light and fervor of Chassidus and warm up other Jews. In other words, the Chutzah itself will be spreading the maayonos to the chutza.

This is just like the icicles began to not only shine but they also brought warmth to others.

Take a look at our surroundings, see how many wonderful chassdishe families are there who are shluchim all over the world inspiring entire communities of thousands and thousands of Jews, who they themselves or their parents were drawn to Judaism/ Yiddishkeit through the light, beauty and warmth of Chassidus, and they in turning are passing it forward to inspire and warm up another Jew.

While to many a story of any tzaddik and especially of the Baal Shem Tov is the strongest proof and leaves a powerful impression, nevertheless, there are those who desire to also see it in Halachah. 

One of the reasons why we light Shabbos candles is that this way one can see the food that they are about to eat, as otherwise it diminishes the enjoyment of the food.

Until now we spoke about Chassidus in general, but as Chassidei Chabad, we must understand what new dimension did the Alter Rebbe add with Chassidus Chabad. The Rebbe addressed this question in a farbrengen on Chai Elel 5722 (1962). He said it is explained in the well-known parable of the flax and linen.

The Frierdiker Rebbe related, In the year of 5627 (1867) my melamed (mentor), Reb Shmuel Betzalel visited (in his capacity as a personal emissary (Shadar) of my grandfather, the Rebbe Maharsh), the city of Kremenchug. Some of the Polish chassidim who lived there at the time had sharp tongues and would chide him because he was a litvak. 

One of them Reb Pinchas, was highly regarded, although he was known to be tough and tongue-biking.  In fact, as soon as the Rashbatz arrived in town, his fellow Chabad chassidim warned him to be careful from this individual.

Now it was the custom of Reb Pinchas who happened to be quite wealthy, that whenever a _tzedakah-_emissary came to town, even if he was dispatched by a Rebbe other than his own, he would [invite the townspeople and] serve a lavish meal in  honor of the emissary. However, when the Rashbatz arrived, Reb Pinchas first wanted to know what manner of man he was, so he attended a farbrengen presided over by Rashbatz. 

The Rashbatz was elucidating aspects of Chassidus Chabad, so Reb Pincos challenged him by saying: “In our region, in Poland and Volhynia, we had the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch – but what did you people have over there in Lithuania?”

The Rashbatz immediately answered: “It’s obvious that you’re a city dweller. If you were a villager, you would know that flax is grown by peasants in the villages, but if it is to be turned into fine linen, it has to be sent off to Leipzig, where they have the fine machinery that can do that.

“True,” he continued, “the Baal Shem Tov was in your region, but after his message was entrusted to the Rebbeim in Lubavitch, it became a perfected product.”

In simple terminology, flax is coarse, and can be used to make sacks or rough clothing. But to turn it into linen and especially fine linen you have to send it to those who have the ability to spin it etc.

Once it is turned into fine linen, it can be used to make and create luxurious clothing befit of the nobility. 

In essence the Rashbatz was saying, Yes, you are correct, you have the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, but you retained their teachings in their original form. That can be compared to a diamond or some other precious stone that was found. It is definitely valuable, but does its value compare to the preciousness of a polished and finished diamond or Gem.

Chassidus Chabad brings out the beauty of the Chassidus of the Baal Shem Tov and Maggid, (similar to the way that Chassidus in general brings out the beauty of the Torah).

We opened this farbrengen with wishing each other a Guht Yom Tov. It is interesting to note that for many years chassidim had no idea what Chai Elul was. It was only on Chai Elul of  5653 (1893) shortly after the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Bar Mitzvah that his father, the Rebbe Rashab greeted him with a Guht Yom Tov, revealing to him that it was the birthday of both the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, and therefore he should not say Tachanun on that day.

Fifty years later in 5703 (1943) the Frierdiker Rebbe publicized this information  to the Chabad Community at large. 

A Taste of Chassidus אתם נצבים היום

 Likkutei Torah Devorim 44

We lein the Parsha of Nitzovim every year on the Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah, so obviously there is a connection between them.  So it is not surprising that the Alter Rebbe explains the first few pesukim of this parsha, to bring out a central theme of Rosh Hashanah. 

The midrash states that Hashem says to the Jewish people, recite in front Me [ten] passages from the TaNaCh which state that I am your King as well as the King of the entire world, in order that you should coronate Me as your king. 

The question is, one can be a king over his contemporaries, but not over his own family, advisors or animals. So we, who are His creations, and are so detached from His essence (even more than animals are detached from humans), how can we coronate Hashem as our King? Who are we to accomplish this?

The possuk itself answers this with the words לעברך בברית, that Hashem makes a bris (treaty/covenant) with us. The reason why two best friends would make a bris between themselves, that their friendship will endure all challenges is, that if ever something would occur in the future that has the ability to break their friendship, this treaty would dismiss that offense and reason to do so, and we will remain friends. In other words, while logic would have dictated that our friendship should be severed, we will conduct ourselves above logic and remain friends, as if you are one unit.

This explains why we can be Hashem’s subjects and coronation Him as our King on Rosh Hashanah. Although we are His creations and truly insignificant, through this covenant we are elevated to be considered Hashem’s contemporaries.

The question is how does this work?

As noted the possuk says לעברך בברית, which is translated to mean, For you to enter the covenant. However, לעברך also has the meaning of to transport you from one place to another. [As we are called עברי, because Avrohom crossed over one from side of the river to the other.]

At the beginning of the parsha, the possuk enumerates ten levels or status of the Jewish people, from the leaders of the tribes all the way to the water carriers. But the possuk says that even though there are these distinctions, nevertheless, the word כולכם stresses that now we are all one solid unit. 

How did this transformation from being ten separate entities to being one entity occur?

The explanation is, when Hashem actually created the world, He did so through the power of speech. When one speaks each letter and vowel is distinct from the other. Therefore there are trillions of separate and diverse creations. However, the source of all of our Neshomos is one, as that was created by Hashem’s thought.

Chassidus explains another difference between speech and thought is that speech once spoken is separated from the one who spoke them. Thought, on the other hand, is always connected to the one who is thinking.

So when Hashem placed our Neshomos in this physical world, which is the world of speech, there are ten distinct levels amongst us. However, when we are transformed by this covenant to Hashem’s thought, there we are not only one unit, but we are one with Hashem. 

Subsequently, as creations, your question is correct, we don’t have the ability and power to coronate Hashem as the King, as we are in a different league from Him. However, when Hashem transports us back to our essence, there we are One with Hashem, since the concept of having a nation entered His thought before the actual process of Creation began, and subsequently we were given the ability to coronate Him as the King.

This explains why after Hashem instructed us to say those passages of His sovereignty, remembrance, and Shofar, He commanded us to blow a Shofar.

Prayer is connected to words, and as noted words are not the essence of a person, as they can become detached from him. However, the sound of a shofar comes from blowing the air that is part of his essence, as Hashem wanted to inform us that our connection is not based just on our learning and good deeds, but it is an existential one. And that bond can never be broken. 

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].

Weekly Dvar Torah: Dreams and Aspirations Before Rosh Hashanah!

I begin with blessings and good news: Mazal Tov to our daughter Chaya Mushka and her husband, Rabbi Yaacov Raskin, the Rebbe’s Shluchim in Ellenville, NY, on the birth of their daughter, who was named Bracha!

May she indeed bring Bracha—blessings—to all of us for a Happy and Sweet New Year, materially and spiritually. And may she be a source of endless Chassidishe Nachas to her parents and to us, her grandparents, for many happy and healthy years to come.

Dreams and Aspirations Before Rosh Hashanah!

On the final Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah, we read:

“Atem Nitzavim Hayom Kulchem Lifnei Hashem Elokeichem”—“You are standing today, the day of Rosh Hashana, all of you, before Hashem your G-d.”

The Torah lists ten categories of Jews, from the heads and leaders down to “your woodchopper and your water-carrier.” From the highest to the simplest, Hashem says: Kulchem. All of you are standing before Me.

A person might approach the Day of Judgment apprehensively. I know who I am. I am certainly not at the top of that list. Perhaps I don’t stand much of a chance.

Hashem answers: Before the judgment even begins, I gather all ten categories together and bring you into a covenant with Me.

Why a covenant?

When close friends want to establish that their friendship will survive through thick and thin, they make a covenant. Something is divided into two pieces and they pass between them, symbolically declaring: these may appear to be two separate pieces, but essentially they are one.

A covenant says that our relationship runs deeper than circumstances.

That is what Hashem tells us before Rosh Hashanah: From the heads of your tribes down to the water-carrier, you are Mine. We are bound together.

There is something fascinating about that final category.

The Hayom Yom records that the Alter Rebbe explained Choteiv Eitzecha—“your woodchopper”—on a deeper level. The word Eitz, wood, can also allude to Eitza, counsel. We must chop away at “the many thoughts and counsels in the heart of man”—all those (materialistic) competing thoughts and desires that fill our hearts.

And Sho’eiv Meimecha—“your water-carrier.” Water causes things to grow. We need to drain away the “water” that causes our worldly pleasures and desires to grow.

Suddenly, the woodchopper and water-carrier have given us an assignment for Rosh Hashanah.

Hashem tells us: All of you are standing before Me. Everyone belongs. Now ask yourself: What have I been watering? What do I want to grow in the coming year?

Which brings us to a simple New Year’s resolution:

Get spiritual!

We all have desires, passions and pleasures. The question is not whether we seek pleasure, but where we seek it and what we do with it.

We don’t have to eliminate our capacity for desire. We have to teach it what to desire.

Enjoy good food—but eat to be healthy and to honor Shabbos and Yom Tov with a beautiful meal.

Appreciate beauty—but use beauty to beautify a Mitzvah, a Torah, a Shul and a Jewish home.

Enjoy music—but discover the music of the Neshama. A Niggun allows the soul to say what words cannot express.

Enjoy helping others—but recognize that it is not only about feeling good. You are serving Hashem by bringing kindness into His world.

Love intellectual study? Fill your mind with Torah, Hashem’s wisdom.

Take our passions and point them upward. Love our families. Love another Jew. Love Hashem.

Getting spiritual does not mean abandoning the physical world. It means allowing the Neshama to lead the body, rather than allowing the body to drag the Neshama behind it.

And perhaps this is exactly what the past seven weeks have been preparing us for.

Since Tisha B’Av, an extraordinary dialogue has been taking place between Hashem and the Jewish people.

Hashem begins: “Nachamu, Nachamu Ami”—Comfort, comfort My people.

But the Jewish people respond: “Hashem has forsaken me; Hashem has forgotten me.”

Comfort from a messenger is not enough.

You are our Father. How can the prince be exiled from his father’s palace and be satisfied with a letter saying that his father loves him? We don’t want to hear from a messenger how much You love us. We want You.

The prophet returns to Hashem: the Jewish people have not been comforted.

And Hashem accepts the complaint:

“Anochi, Anochi Hu Menachemchem.”

I, yes I, am the One Who comforts you.

Then the tone changes. Hashem tells us: You felt barren and alone? Rejoice. Your children are coming home. Expand your borders.

Then comes: “Kumi Ori Ki Va Oreich”—Arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem shines upon you.

Until finally we arrive at the seventh Haftorah.

And now we answer:

“Sos Asis BaHashem, Tagel Nafshi B’Elokai.”

“I will rejoice intensely in Hashem; my soul will exult in my G-d.”

Seven weeks ago we were sitting on the floor mourning a destroyed Beis Hamikdash and crying over our distance from Hashem.

Now we are singing.

What changed?

We rediscovered the relationship that was there all along.

Despite exile, darkness and apparent abandonment, the Jewish Neshama remains one with Hashem. Nothing can sever that connection. Sometimes it becomes covered, but the oneness remains. We simply have to dust it off and uncover it.

And now listen again to the opening words of the Parsha:

“Atem Nitzavim Hayom Kulchem Lifnei Hashem Elokeichem.”

Here we are.

Standing before Hashem.

All ten categories. Every Jew. Nobody left behind.

What a way to enter Rosh Hashanah.

So our resolution for 5787 should not only be to do a little more, give a little more, or learn a little more—important as all of those certainly are.

We should resolve to become more spiritual.

The Rebbe strongly encouraged people to memorize the passage from Tanya:

“V’hinei Hashem Nitzav Alav, Umelo Kol Ha’aretz Kevodo…”

Hashem Himself stands over us. The entire world is filled with His glory. He looks upon us to see whether we are serving Him as we should.

There is that word again:

Nitzav.

We are Nitzavim (standing) before Hashem, and Hashem is Nitzav (stands) over us.

Imagine living with that awareness. Wherever I go, Hashem is there. Whatever I am doing, I am living in His presence.

The ordinary business of life will continue. We will eat, work, sleep, shop and pay the bills.

But it doesn’t have to be an ordinary life.

Chop away some of the noise. Stop watering what doesn’t deserve to grow. Start nurturing what does.

For seven weeks we have been asking Hashem to come close. This Shabbos He tells us: You are all standing before Me.

And on Rosh Hashanah we ask:

“Meloch Al Kol Ha’Olam Kulo Bichvodecha.”

Reign over the entire world in Your glory.

And reign over me.

After seven weeks of dialogue, the children are coming home.

Let us come home not merely to begin another year, but to begin a higher one.

Get spiritual!

Have an uplifting Shabbos and a Sweet, Happy and Spiritual New Year,
Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Yosef Katzman

International community of Young Shluchim start new year with MyShliach 

For the average child growing up in a large frum community, having Chassidishe friends, regular learning opportunities and a full calendar of activities can feel like a natural part of childhood.

But for a child growing up on Shlichus, that isn’t always the case.

“There are thousands of Yaldei Hashluchim living in cities around the world, often far from other Chabad families and without a regular group of Chassidishe friends their age,” shared Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Chairman of MyShliach at Merkos 302. “Our goal is to create that sense of community, so they know they are part of something greater”.

For almost two decades, MyShliach has been the global community where Yaldei Hashluchim can connect with other children who understand their unique experience, learn with dedicated teachers and mentors, and grow with pride in their Shlichus.

Now, as the new year begins, the MyShliach team at Merkos 302 is preparing for another year of programs designed to meet Young Shluchim and Shluchos wherever they are and whatever their needs may be.

Registration is now open for a full lineup of MyShliach programs beginning throughout the coming months.

Ach Sheli and Achos Sheli give boys and girls the opportunity to build a personal connection with an older Chassidishe mentor through a weekly chavrusa. Beyond the learning, the goal is to create a genuine relationship, a person who knows the child, looks forward to speaking with them each week and can become a friend and role model.

Yeshivas Erev gives boys in grades 4–8 a meaningful way to spend their evenings, with live Torah learning, chavrusas, interactive programming, prizes and the opportunity to learn and connect with Young Shluchim from around the world.

For girls, Shiur-It offers live, interactive learning twice a week, with dedicated teachers, age-based classes, chavrusa review and guided lesson journals, all from the comfort of home.

Chassidus Club brings Young Shluchim and Shluchos together every Sunday for an engaging Chassidishe experience filled with learning, friendship, activities and the spirit of a farbrengen.

And for girls, MyShliach Extreme brings something special every month, combining hands-on activities, creativity, Chassidishe content, friendship and exciting packages delivered to their homes.

Together, these programs provide children with something that can be difficult to find when growing up on Shlichus: a regular connection to a worldwide community of children just like them.

“Every Young Shliach and Shlucha deserves to know that they are not alone,” says Rabbi Mendy Shanowitz, Director of MyShliach. “Wherever they live, there are other children who understand their life, their Shlichus and the unique experience of growing up as a Shliach’s child. Our goal is to give them those friendships, those connections and the Chassidishe experiences that help them grow with pride and joy.”

Behind the thousands of children participating in MyShliach programs is a growing team dedicated to making sure every program is meaningful, engaging and accessible to Yaldei Hashluchim around the world.

Leading the organization is Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Chairman of MyShliach, Rabbi Mendy Shanowitz, Director of MyShliach, together with Rabbi Moshe Weiss, program director.

The team includes:

• Rabbi Shmuli Andrusier,  Tzivos Hashem & Chidon Coordinator
• Rabbi Avrohom Goldberg,  MBP
• Rabbi Avremi Wolvovsky,  Ach Sheli Coordinator
• Ms. Malka Resnik,  Achos Sheli
• Ms. Tzivia Osdoba,  Tzivos Hashem / MyShliach Extreme
• Rabbi Dudi Ashkenazi,  Chassidus Club
• Rabbi Mendy Hirsch,  Regional Shabbatons & Shabbos Tzuzamen
• Ms. Esti Kamman,  Girls Coordinator
• Mrs. Elky Venkert,  Girls Hebrew Coordinator
• Rabbi Shneur Naftolin,  Hebrew Department
• Mrs. Nechama Bluming,  Yaldei Hashluchim Book Library

Together, the team works throughout the year to create opportunities for Yaldei Hashluchim to learn, connect, make friends and experience the warmth of a Chassidishe community.

As the 5787 school year gets underway, thousands of Young Shluchim and Shluchos will once again be learning, connecting, laughing, and growing together, from communities around the world.

The year is just beginning. There’s a lot more to come.

For more information and to register for MyShliach programs, visit MyShliach.com.

130 Years Later: Historic “Se’u She’arim” Composition Performed Again at Kaliningrad Synagogue

During the month of Elul, as Jewish communities throughout Russia prepare for the Days of Awe, a remarkable historic event took place in Kaliningrad, the city formerly known as Königsberg.

The local Jewish community recently marked 130 years since the dedication of the city’s historic synagogue, with an evening that combined Jewish history, music, Torah and a powerful message of Jewish continuity.

The magnificent synagogue, which was completely destroyed during Kristallnacht, was rebuilt eight decades later on its original foundations. Today, the building has once again become a vibrant center of Jewish life, serving the community under the leadership of Mara D’asra Rabbi Dovid Shvedik and Shliach Rabbi Avraham Baruch Deutsch.

Hundreds of community members, public figures and friends of the community filled the synagogue for the special gathering.

The evening opened with remarks by Jewish community president Mr. Eliezer Yermiyahu Flitman, who recounted the rich history of Jewish life in Königsberg and the community’s remarkable revival.

Rabbi Dovid Shvedik then blew the shofar and addressed the gathering, speaking about the extraordinary privilege of maintaining Jewish life in a building with such a profound history.

Certificates of appreciation were also presented to friends and supporters of the community in recognition of their dedication and assistance throughout the year.

The emotional highlight of the evening came when the synagogue choir performed “Se’u She’arim Rasheichem” — “Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates.”

The composition was written by Eduard Birnbaum, the chief cantor of Königsberg, specifically for the dedication of the synagogue 130 years ago.

Hearing the historic composition performed once again, in the very same sanctuary for which it was originally composed, created a powerful connection between the Jewish community of Königsberg of 1896 and the Jewish community of Kaliningrad today.

The performance served as a moving expression of the eternity and continuity of the Jewish people, with the melodies of the past resonating once again within the synagogue’s restored walls.

The musical program continued with stirring violin performances of “Kol Nidrei” and “A Yiddishe Mamme,” adding to the emotional atmosphere as the community prepares for the upcoming High Holidays.

At the beginning of the event, a special letter from Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, was read to the assembled crowd.

In his letter, Rabbi Lazar highlighted the remarkable Divine Providence reflected in the discovery and preservation of the synagogue’s original foundations, upon which the current Jewish community has been rebuilt.

He also pointed to the profound spiritual transformation that has taken place in the building over the course of its history.

“The spiritual transformation this place has undergone—from a synagogue that was formerly liberal to a synagogue that now leads an Orthodox community—is the most profound proof that the Jewish heart always yearns for the pure source.”

The words resonated deeply with those gathered, underscoring the extraordinary revival of Jewish life in a place that had once witnessed the destruction of the city’s Jewish community.

Another highlight came with the opening of a special exhibition in the synagogue’s museum, featuring historic photographs connected to the Baal HaTanya Shul in Jerusalem.

Displayed alongside the photographs was a letter sent in honor of the occasion by Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Deutsch, on behalf of the management of Kollel Chabad.

The letter revealed a remarkable historical connection linking Königsberg, Jerusalem and the Chabad community of Kaliningrad.

Approximately 130 years ago, a prominent philanthropist from Königsberg, R’ Yitzchak Shub, contributed toward the establishment of the Chabad synagogue Ohel Yitzchak in Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim neighborhood.

Today, generations later, the grandson of one of the founders of that Jerusalem synagogue serves as a Chabad emissary in Kaliningrad—the very city from which the philanthropist originated.

The remarkable connection was described as a “closing of the circle,” highlighting the unexpected ways in which Jewish history continues to connect generations and communities separated by thousands of miles and more than a century of history.

Still inspired by the historic gathering, the Kaliningrad Jewish community is now preparing for the upcoming month of Tishrei and the High Holidays.

The celebrations are expected to continue with the welcoming of a new Torah scroll into the synagogue, generously donated by Mr. Eduard Elchanan Migirov of Moscow, in merit and honor of his parents, Avraham and Sarah.

From the historic foundations of the old Königsberg synagogue, Jewish life has once again taken root.

The melodies of a composition written 130 years ago have now been heard again, a Torah scroll is preparing to enter the sanctuary, and a new generation of Jews continues to build upon the foundations laid by those who came before them.

From within the walls of this historic synagogue, the Kaliningrad Jewish community continues to spread the light of Torah and Chassidus throughout the city.

Photography: Andrey Boyts

Mendel Levitansky (Simcha Monica, CA) to Shaina Geisinsky (Great Neck, NY) L’Chaim: Sunday, Sept. 6th, 8:00pm at The JCM

Machne Israel Development Fund Relaunches With New Generation of Supporters

by Tzemach Feller – Lubavitch.com

Some 100 guests met over an intimate lunch at the elegant, historic Glass House overlooking Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan. Chabad representatives and their supporters had come for the relaunch of the Machne Israel Development Fund (MIDF). 

Hosted by Steve Rosenberg, founder and CEO of Greystone, the event convened longtime MIDF participants and a new generation of supporters.

Founded and named by the Rebbe in 1985, MIDF was created to support Jewish life through the work of Chabad shluchim — representatives — wherever the need arose. The Rebbe himself was the fund’s first donor. 

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, the Rebbe’s secretary and Chairman of Machne Israel and MIDF, recalled asking the Rebbe before Rosh Hashanah 1985 for a blessing that the Rebbe should have a dedicated group of financial partners. And indeed, within a short while, he was joined by a growing cohort of philanthropists who were willing to look beyond their own communities for the benefit of world Jewry. 

In recent years, the MIDF sought to enlarge its base. Rabbi Shmaya Krinsky, Executive Director of MIDF, spearheaded the fund’s renewal, bringing together a new generation of supporters around an updated version of the model established by the Rebbe in 1985.

At the luncheon, he unveiled a new platform giving supporters a direct connection to the projects they fund, allowing them to explore needs, direct their support and follow the impact.

“The fund is going to operate with an unparalleled level of transparency and efficiency,” Krinsky said. “Our focus will be on a minimal amount of time spent on bureaucracy, but the highest level of responsibility.”

Developed following extensive research and consultation with Chabad representatives, the renewed MIDF will initially focus on four areas: early childhood education; emergency assistance to Chabad reps, families and communities facing crises; the Frontier Fund for smaller, developing and remote Jewish communities; and the Israel Pillar Fund for critical needs in Israel.

“Our goal is to bring a new generation of supporters into this shared responsibility — strengthening Jewish life and standing behind the Shluchim bringing its light to communities around the world,” Rabbi Shmaya Krinsky said.

Rabbi Levi Wolff, Chabad rep and Rabbi of Sydney’s Central Synagogue, placed the evening’s mission in the context of the aftermath of the Bondi massacre. Wolff described the extraordinary response that followed the horrific attack: Jews responding with greater pride, unity and light, and an outpouring of support from non-Jews inspired by the collective Jewish response. Machne Israel, he said,  supports Shluchim around the world as they work to enlarge the light they bring to their communities and to the broader world, especially in moments of challenge.

The event inspired a $1 million grant to MIDF by philanthropists Mordechai and Naomi Gutnick, who have emerged as new leaders in Jewish charitable giving. The announcement drew enthusiastic applause and prompted several others in the room to increase their participation, giving the renewed fund immediate momentum.

Mr. Rosenberg spoke of the extraordinary talent, creativity and dedication Chabad reps and their families bring to their mission.

“Each of these couples possesses the drive, creativity and vision to succeed in the business world,” Rosenberg said. “Yet, inspired by the Rebbe’s vision, they choose instead to dedicate their lives to ensuring that our children and grandchildren have a loving place where they can explore and embrace their Jewish identity.”

Partnership with MIDF, he said emphatically, should not be seen simply as philanthropy, but as a privilege for themselves and their families.

Mrs. Chagit Leviev Sofiev, President of Leviev Companies USA, recalled that her father, Mr Lev Leviev, would emerge from encounters with the Rebbe with another mission — to accomplish more for the Jewish people, to give more and, at the same time, to grow spiritually.

More than four decades after MIDF was established, the scale has changed, but the mandate has not.

Mamdani Administration Transfers Ownership of Three Crown Heights Buildings Away from Negligent Owners

Today, Mayor Mamdani celebrated the transfer of three long-neglected, rent-stabilized apartment buildings in Crown Heights to new ownership.

The buildings, previously owned by Rubin Dukler, who routinely ranked among New York City’s worst landlords, were sold Wednesday to Mark Schwartz. Following the sale, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) will work with tenants and the new owner to ensure the buildings receive the repairs and maintenance they have been denied for years.

“The tenants of the Dukler Tenant Union have suffered from neglect and disinvestment for years. Today, a new chapter begins for these buildings. We will work alongside tenants and the new owner to put these 88 homes on a path toward stability and make clear that every New Yorker deserves a safe, well-maintained and stable place to call home,” said Mayor Mamdani.

The three buildings – 1018 Eastern Parkway, 1074 Eastern Parkway and 1392 Sterling Place – are part of HPD’s Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP), which targets buildings with the most severe uncorrected violations. Together, the buildings have nearly 1,000 open code violations, and HPD has been required to make emergency repairs at each property. HPD and the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants (MOPT) have supported tenants in their fight for better conditions, including through Housing Court litigation seeking to compel the previous owners to make repairs.

Following the sale, HPD and MOPT will continue working with tenants and Schwartz to ensure the new ownership adequately invests in repairs and maintenance.

Tenants at the three buildings began organizing in 2018 for repairs and investment with support from Housing Organizers for People Empowerment (HOPE), a member-led tenant organizing project of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB), and Brooklyn Legal Services. They formed the Dukler Tenant Union in 2025 to organize for resident ownership and the transfer of ownership away from the Dukler family. The tenant union has reached an agreement with Schwartz that commits to rehabilitating the three buildings with tenant oversight and moving toward resident ownership.

The transfer is part of the Mamdani administration’s broader effort to hold the city’s most negligent landlords accountable and improve conditions for tenants across the New York City. The administration is using the enforcement and litigation tools available to the City to stand up for tenants, pursue repairs and work toward transferring buildings to more responsible ownership.

This work is part of the Mamdani administration’s commitment to addressing New York City’s housing crisis with the scale and urgency New Yorkers deserve. In Mayor Mamdani’s first budget, the administration invested $22 billion over five years in affordable housing capital, including $2.6 billion over the next two fiscal years specifically for affordable housing preservation.

Zalmy Silberberg (Mexico City, Mexico/Postville, IA) to Dvory Shachar (Miami, Florida) L’Chaim: Tonight, Thursday, 8:00pm at Lubavitcher Yeshiva Crown Street

Weekly Letter: The Basic Points of Teshuvah

In this month of Elul – as we prepare for Rosh Hashana and focus on teshuvah – we share a letter which the Rebbe writes to one desiring a life of Torah and mitzvos and asks for direction in achieving this goal. The Rebbe explains some basic points of teshuvah.

By the Grace of G-d

26th of Iyar, 5744

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mr.

London, N 4 2PT

Great Britain

Greeting and Blessing:

I received your letter and of course read with special interest about your urgent desire to live a full life as a practicing Jew. You also ask for guidance and help to achieve this goal.

Needless to say, such a subject cannot be adequately discussed in a letter. However, this is not really necessary, for my suggestion is that you should discuss this matter personally with an Orthodox Rabbi in your community and he will be able to give you the proper guidance. Inasmuch as Rabbis treats such matters in confidence and they have experience, and at the same time have the knowledge of Torah and Torah living, to which an Orthodox Rabbi is dedicated, you can be sure of getting the proper advice and guidance

I will make reference to one point in your letter, where you write about the fact that the whole thing is new for you and the difficulties which you expect in the course of readjusting yourself in accordance with the Torah and mitzvos. The Torah declares, and it is also a matter of common sense, that Hashem does not expect of anyone anything which is beyond ones capacity. Since He expects every Jew, without exception, to order his life in accordance with His Will, namely in accordance with the Jewish way of the Torah , it is clear that this is well within the capacity of every Jew and that every Jew has been provided with the necessary capability to overcome whatever difficulties he may face in this connection. If a Jew experiences extraordinary difficulties, it only goes to show that Hashem has given him extraordinary capacities to overcome them, and thus to have the extraordinary satisfaction of having achieved his goal. Moreover, since the challenge has been met with the necessary inner potential strength, the newly discovered strength becomes part of the person’s arsenal to utilize for his benefit, for the benefit of those surrounding him and for the benefit of the community at large.

If you will let me know your full Jewish name, together with your mother’s Jewish name, as is customary, I will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart’s desires for good, especially for a greater measure of hatzlacha towards the speedy achievement of your goal, since time is of the essence, as is obvious. For this reason, this letter is being sent to you by special delivery.

                                                             With blessing,

Here’s My Story: How My Father’s World Became Mine

Mrs. Chana Sharfstein

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

My father, Rabbi Yakov Yisroel Zuber, studied in Tomchei Temimim, the yeshivah founded by the fifth Chabad Rebbe, and after getting married, he was sent by the sixth Rebbe — also known as the Previous Rebbe — to become the rabbi in Sachkhere, a town in the Soviet republic of Georgia.

He was a good speaker, a teacher, and integrated well with the locals, and so my parents accomplished a great deal in the five years they were there. And yet life was very harsh, especially for my mother, Zlata; it was far more primitive than anything they had encountered in Russia. The language was different, the people were illiterate and superstitious, and one of her four children who were born there died in infancy, partly because of poor health and sanitation standards.

Looking to leave Stalin’s Soviet Union, my parents first went to Riga, where the Previous Rebbe was living at the time, and before long, he asked them to go to Stockholm. There, the Jewish community was looking for a rabbi — as well as a teacher, mohel, and shochet, all rolled into one. As far as my parents were concerned, Sweden was a desolate country of icebergs and polar bears, but to their surprise, when they arrived in 1932, Stockholm was a modern, beautiful city, with a nice Orthodox community. I was an infant when we moved, and my earliest memories are from there. Life was incredibly good in Sweden, and when the Second World War broke out, we were safe because the country remained neutral.

Throughout the war, people fleeing Nazi Europe would stop by our home — for a meal, some advice, or lodging — and afterwards my father was especially involved with providing women whose husbands had been killed with the halachically required documents for them to remarry. It was only through the foresight of the Previous Rebbe, who felt that this was the right place for him to be, that he ended up being in this critical position; my father wouldn’t have dreamt of moving to Sweden on his own.

In 1940, the Previous Rebbe was able to leave Europe for the United States, and he spent four days in Stockholm before setting sail. My father was absolutely thrilled. He made arrangements for the Previous Rebbe to stay in the prominent Grand Hotel, which stands across from the Royal Palace and to this day hosts all the Nobel Prize winners each year. My mother prepared food for the Previous Rebbe and his entourage, and my father went over to bring it, and then spent every day with his Rebbe, catching up and discussing developments in Sweden.

One day, my father brought my siblings and me for an audience with the Previous Rebbe.

We got dressed in our Shabbat clothes, our hair was perfectly brushed, and we went in a taxi cab, which was new and extremely exciting for us. We had never been in a fivestar hotel either, and the Grand Hotel was absolutely gorgeous, as was the Previous Rebbe’s suite. There were lots of people in the room speaking Russian and Yiddish; my older brothers — who had been old enough to remember everyone there from their time in Riga — were talking a mile a minute, while my mother was writing notes to Rebbetzin Nechama Dina, the Previous Rebbe’s wife, who couldn’t hear well. It was like a family reunion. But, too young to be familiar with anyone there, I was quite overwhelmed by it all. Seeing the tremendous enthusiasm my parents had for their Rebbe was deeply meaningful for me, even though I felt like something of an outsider.

When it was time for our personal audiences with the Rebbe, my father took us up to him one at a time. Sitting in a chair, he had somber eyes and a grayish beard. To me, he looked like the oldest person I had ever seen in my life. He had not yet turned 60, but it was clear that his traumatic experiences in Russia had aged him beyond his years. I was in awe.

“What is your name?” he asked me in Yiddish.

When I told him, he gave me a blessing: “Chana is a very good name,” he said. “You should always cherish your name, and be proud of it.”

My father felt a tremendous sense of isolation in Sweden and was eager to join the Previous Rebbe, along with his siblings who had already emigrated, in America. Soon after the war, we made the move, and in 1947, the Previous Rebbe sent him to become the rabbi of a tiny Lubavitch shul in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He also became the dean of a yeshivah there, and then the rabbi of the larger Crawford Street Synagogue nearby in Boston.

From Boston, my father would travel to New York quite often to see the Previous Rebbe and was devastated when he passed away in 1950. The Previous Rebbe was soon succeeded by his son-in-law, our Rebbe, but for my father this was a hard adjustment to make. The new Rebbe was his contemporary, so although he of course accepted him, it was a different kind of experience.

Meanwhile, I was busy with my life in Boston. I had made friends, finished high school, and was starting college. This was all my father’s world, and not really mine.

And then, in 1953, my father lost his life in a shocking and still unsolved street crime. This tragedy was particularly horrific because he had lived through so many difficult life experiences, only to pass away in this horrific way in Boston, Massachusetts, the “cradle of liberty.”

The Rebbe sent chasidim to represent him at the funeral and was very concerned about our family. My mother, in turn, felt that she needed to speak with the Rebbe, so that spring we went to New York. We took the midnight bus, traveled through the night, and in the morning we went to stay with my aunt Sophie in East Flatbush.

My experience with the Previous Rebbe had been so overwhelming that I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about all of this. I was a dutiful daughter, so I came along with my mother, but it wasn’t anything I was excited about.

It all changed once we came into the Rebbe’s room for the audience. The Rebbe was very young, smiled easily, and was extremely personable, with a pleasant, low-key presence. He was also probably one of the best listeners I have ever encountered in my life. Not only did he listen to every word you said, but he would even remember it precisely when you came back, even if it was years later.

My mother unburdened herself to the Rebbe, and they spoke at some length: about my father, his work, life in Boston, and how the situation had changed. I sat on the sideline, watching all of this, but then the Rebbe turned his attention to me and started a conversation.

He asked about what I was doing, what I was studying, my plans, my interests, and my friends — everything you could imagine. The Rebbe seemed to really want to know everything about me, and so I found it very easy to talk to him and to express myself in depth.

When we were finished, we walked out, and I remember my mother saying to me, “I can’t believe how you spoke to the Rebbe!”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You were so comfortable. It was easy for you to talk to him.”

“Well,” I replied, “He was just a wonderful person to talk to.” It really was a wonderful experience.

Mrs. Chana Sharfstein is an author, educator, and tour guide. She was interviewed three times in the years 2006, 2007, and 2014.

Hate Crimes Surge in NYC — With Over Half Targeting Jews

New York Post

Hate crimes in New York City soared over the last year, fueled by antisemitic attacks against Jewish people — even as the Big Apple boasted the safest summer on record, according to new crime statistics released by the NYPD.

The new data, released just weeks ahead of Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, revealed that overall hate crimes jumped by 15.8% over the last year — 425 in 2026 vs. 367 in 2025.

Anti-Jewish hate crimes specifically have jumped by 8% and accounted for more than half of the confirmed hate crimes within the first eight months of this year, despite Jewish New Yorkers only accounting for about 10% of the Big Apple’s population.

Who Is Feeding The Families of Crown Heights This Yom Tov?

Hundreds of families in Greater Crown Heights are relying on CSSY for their Rosh Hashanah meals and essential Yom Tov needs.

In keeping with the Rebbe’s request that every family be able to celebrate Yom Tov properly, we share the responsibility of ensuring that our friends and neighbors can celebrate with dignity and true Simchas Yom Tov.

Please help us meet every request for every family in Greater Crown Heights:

$360 provides Seudos Yom Tov for 1 family
$1,800 Tishrei seudos for 1 family
$10,000 Tishrei seudos for 10 families

Donate today:
www.CSSY.org/Tishrei
Cashapp: https://cash.app/$CSSYcashapp
Zelle: [email protected]
PayPal: paypal.me/cssy

May you and your family be blessed with a Ksiva V’Chasima Tova, a happy, healthy, and sweet new year.
Benjy

NY Residents Are Getting Electricity Bill Rebate Checks This Month

New York Post

New Yorkers are in line for some cold, hard cash.

Utility bills are skyrocketing due to the perfect cocktail — costly grid upgrades, growing demand from data center consumption and rising rates. But New Yorkers are finally set to catch a break in a meaningful way — a check.

The green comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul factored an extra $1 billion into the state budget for millions of folks struggling with electricity costs. The one-time payments were secured back in May and will come from the Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate (POWER) program.

Tribute: Rabbi Yehoshua Safrin, The Manhattan Komarna Rebbe

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin gives a tribute to Rabbi Yehoshua Safrin OBM, the Manhattan Komarna Rebbe.

Chabad at Rice breaks ground on Grinshtein Chabad Jewish Student Center

After a decade of growth, Chabad at Rice University broke ground on the new Grinshtein Chabad Jewish Student Center that will provide an expanded home for Jewish students and strengthen the university’s growing Jewish community.

The groundbreaking ceremony brought together Rice leaders, students, alumni, community members, donors and Chabad supporters to celebrate the milestone and look ahead to the next era of Jewish life at Rice.

For co-directors Rabbi Shmuli and Nechama Slonim, who have led Chabad at Rice since its founding, the ceremony marked the realization of a dream that began with modest gatherings and Shabbat dinners a decade ago.

“For so many years, this has been a dream, and today we have the privilege of watching that dream become a reality,” Shmuli Slonim said.

The new center, which will be located at 1915 University Blvd., comes as Chabad’s reach at Rice has grown significantly. Shmuli Slonim said the organization connected with about 70 students during its first year on campus. Today, it reaches more than 300 students, despite the limitations of its current space.

“Shabbat dinners fill up; holiday celebrations overflow; classes, programs and informal gatherings have to compete for space,” Shmuli Slonim said.

The new center will allow Chabad to move beyond asking how many students can fit into its current home and instead focus on how many more students it can reach.

“Our vision for the next decade is simple and bold: that every Jewish student should have a place to call their Jewish home,” Shmuli Shmuli said.

The 16,000-square-foot, three-story center will feature spaces designed for students to gather, study, celebrate and build community, including a student lounge, game room, study spaces and classroom dedicated to Jewish learning and education. The design includes a large commercial kosher kitchen space with a dining hall that will comfortably fit 150 guests. The wellness wing will include a student lounge, cafe, game room, Judaica library and classroom. The building will also have a hospitality suite for students who may need a short-term safe place off campus.

Benjamin Johnston Design has been hired as the center’s contractor. The company is known for mixing the classical arts with today’s technology, shaping environments that are as functional as they are timelessly stylish. Tellepsen, a family-owned construction company shaping Houston for more than a century, has been hired as the builder.

More than a building

Speakers emphasized, though, that the building itself is only the setting for a larger vision.

“A building, no matter how beautiful, is not the goal,” Shmuli Slonim said. “The building is the setting. The real story will be written by the students who walk through its doors.”

In a letter to event attendees, Rice President Reginald DesRoches shared the same thoughts.

“The new center represents an extraordinary next chapter in that story,” he said. “A building can be much more than walls with rooms. At its best, it can create the conditions for community to flourish. This center will provide a permanent home where students can gather around a table, celebrate holidays, study, learn, find friendship and seek guidance. It will be a place students can walk into knowing that they belong — whether they are deeply connected to Jewish tradition, exploring their heritage for the first time or simply interested in learning from others. That kind of space matters profoundly on a university campus.”

Continued growth

Kelly Fox, executive vice president for operations, finance and support, said the university is proud to partner with Chabad in supporting students and recognized the center as an important addition to the Rice community, especially as the university is experiencing growth.

“I’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand how important the role of a Chabad organization plays on campuses,” Fox said. “They provide a home for the Jewish students. They create opportunities for students to build meaningful relationships and find community. They provide a place to celebrate traditions, ask questions, learn and simply be themselves.”

Fox said the project also reflects Rice’s continued growth.

“Rice is growing, and Chabad at Rice is growing right alongside it,” she said. “As our student community grows, this Chabad house becomes even more important. As Rice becomes increasingly vibrant and diverse, the need for places that foster connection will become even more important. This new center will help ensure that students have a place to build community and feel connected during their time at Rice. This is a wonderful example of what can happen when our university and members of our community come together around a shared commitment to our students.”

Community support

The center’s story is rooted in a partnership between Chabad and Rice, as well as the generosity of donors who believed in the project before there was a building to see.

Shmuli Slonim recalled that when the property became available several years ago, the organization faced the challenge of raising the funds needed to purchase the site and begin its capital campaign. Paul and Susan Danziger made the campaign’s first gift, helping set the project in motion.

Paul Danziger said his decision to support the project came down to what he called the “three Ps”: the people behind Chabad at Rice, the past that made the organization’s work possible and the promise of its future.

“When you invest in a project, the project is important, but more important are the people you’re investing in,” Paul Danziger said. “We believe in Shmuli and Nechama and what they’re building at Rice.”

He said his family’s experience at universities with Chabad centers also shaped his decision to give. His four children attended different universities, each with a Chabad organization that provided them with a welcoming place to find community, food, friendship and support.

“We realized there was a building there already, there was a rabbi there, there was food there, and we hadn’t given money to any of those campuses,” Paul Danziger said. “Somebody in the past had done that, so our kids could benefit, and so what occurred to us is we should fund Chabad at Rice because somebody did it for us.”

Ultimately, he said, the new center represents an investment in generations of students yet to come.

“When you build a building, you’re not just donating for bricks in a building,” Paul Danziger said. “You’re donating for the promise that young people will have somewhere to go to develop friendships and professional relationships that will make these young people even more successful in the future.”

Shmuli Slonim expressed deep gratitude for the many donors and supporters whose generosity brought the project to this pivotal milestone. He noted that the support received so far has made it possible to begin turning the vision into reality, while inviting others who share that vision to help shape the next chapter of Jewish life at Rice. He recognized several key partners whose early belief made the project possible, including Gary Davis, whose sponsorship includes the Sol and Seema Davis Social Hall, and Victor and Deborah Grinshtein, whose extraordinary commitment made it possible to dedicate the building as the Grinshtein Chabad Jewish Student Center.

A house becomes a home

For Nechama Slonim, the center’s most important feature will not be its physical amenities but the sense of home it creates.

“Beyond every program, class, service or event that we offer, a crucial component to a vibrant Jewish life is the Jewish home, the family and the relationships at its center,” she said.

Nechama Slonim described the many ways Chabad has become a home for students — from weekly Shabbat dinners and holiday celebrations to late-night conversations, meals for students who are sick or lonely and moments when students simply need someone to turn to.

“A home is not only a place; it is an anchor to your identity, to your sense of belonging,” she said.

That philosophy will guide the new center, which she said will be “a home, a place of deep connection and identity for every single student.”

Looking to the future

The groundbreaking also celebrated the conclusion of Chabad at Rice’s first 10 years and a nod to its future. As part of the ceremony, alumni representing each of the organization’s graduating classes reflected on what Chabad has meant to them and how those experiences have continued to influence their lives after graduation.

The reflections underscored the lasting impact Chabad hopes to have on generations of students — helping them build friendships, deepen their understanding of Judaism and carry those connections into their lives beyond college.

As the organization enters its second decade, Shmuli Slonim said the goal is to build a community that reaches beyond the walls of the new center and continues through the lives of the students who pass through its doors.

“What happened within these walls travels far beyond them,” he said, envisioning students carrying “Jewish knowledge, values, friendships, confidence and faith” into their lives long after graduation.

Merkos Introduces Mikvah Package, A Milestone In Making Mivtzah Taharas Mishpacha More Achievable and Accessible

For Rabbi Mendy Ross of Duluth, Minnesota, the need for a mikvah is very real. The closest mikvah to his community is several hours away.

“When the closest mikvah is hours away, it’s very hard to teach taharas hamishpacha,” said Rabbi Ross. “In the summer, a woman driving home from the mikvah may not arrive until 1 a.m. In the winter, driving for hours in a snowstorm can be dangerous. Baruch Hashem, now that we have a suitable property, we need to figure out how to make it happen.”

For decades, the Rebbe urged communities to make establishing a mikvah a priority. In fact, one of the conditions the Rebbe set for establishing a Chabad House was that there be a mikvah, or a viable plan to build one.

“In many communities across the globe, the Shluchim are the sole Jewish infrastructure,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, executive director of Keren Hashluchim and Merkos 302. “Every Shliach understands that his community needs a mikvah, but building one is not necessarily his field. We are here to give them everything they need to make it happen.”

But getting from that goal to an actual mikvah can be complicated. It was a challenge Merkos 302 was hearing from Shluchim in communities around the world.

“You know you need a mikvah, but once you start getting into it, you realize how complicated the project actually is,” said Rabbi Levi Meijers, who has been working toward a mikvah for his own community in Tracy, CA. “There are architects, engineers, contractors, the halachic side, and so many decisions along the way. For a Shliach who has never built one before, it’s very difficult to know where to start and who to rely on.”

Working with experienced mikvah professionals, including Rabbi Gershon Grossbaum and Rabbi Pesach Sperlin, Merkos 302 began looking at how the process could be simplified and how costs could be reduced.

The result is the Merkos Mikvah Package, bringing together experienced professionals, turnkey plans, construction guidance and negotiated package rates into one coordinated process. By using the same experienced team and proven plans across multiple projects, the Package is designed to significantly reduce the cost of building a mikvah while making the process easier for the Shliach.

A major part of the Package is using the experience gained from previous mikvah projects instead of having every community begin from scratch.

“A mikvah is not a regular construction project,” said Rabbi Grossbaum. “There are many details that are specific to a mikvah. When you’ve done this many times, you know what to look out for, what works and which mistakes can become very expensive later.”

Ready-made plans can be adapted to each property and its local requirements, while architects, engineers and other professionals can work across multiple projects. By coordinating the work and negotiating package rates, the goal is to reduce both unnecessary costs and time without compromising on quality or halachic standards.

Another part of the Package is helping a community get a functioning mikvah in place sooner, even if one does not yet have the funds to complete the entire project.

“Sometimes the full project can become so large that it feels out of reach,” said Rabbi Sperlin. “One approach is to start with the bor. Get the mikvah built properly and operational so the community has a functioning mikvah. Then, as more funding becomes available, you can continue with the rest of the building, the finishes and the amenities.”

Throughout the process, mikvah experts and the appropriate halachic authorities are involved to make sure the mikvah is planned and built properly.

“The Shliach shouldn’t feel that he’s on his own trying to figure this out,” Rabbi Kotlarsky said. “There should be people he can call who understand mikvaos and understand the process.”

Merkos 302 has also developed a Mikvah Resource Library, available to any Shliach building a mikvah, with checklists, guides, videos, overviews and other practical resources covering different parts of the process.

For Rabbi Meijers, the goal remains the same as when he started.

“Having a mikvah here would make a tremendous difference for our community,” he said. “It’s something we’ve needed for a long time, and we’re looking forward to finally being able to make it a reality.”

The hope behind the Merkos Mikvah Package is to help many more communities do the same.

To learn more about the Merkos Mikvah Package, or to apply, visit Mikvah.Merkos302.com. 

For questions or dedication opportunities, contact [email protected]. 

‘Magical Mendy’ Celebrates His Bar Mitzvah in Melbourne

by Tzali Reicher – chabad.org

The leafy streets of Malvern, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, are not usually filled with singing or loud displays of celebration. But on a Sunday morning in early August, 600 people from across Melbourne’s diverse Jewish community changed that, dancing behind a boy in his walking frame, his father walking beside him under a canopy, carrying a newly completed Torah scroll. The crowds stretched for blocks.

This was, after all, Mendy Cooper’s bar mitzvah.

Mendy Cooper was born with Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that leaves him nonverbal, affects his balance and mobility, but is often paired with a disposition marked by near-constant smiling and laughter. For 13 years, his parents, Rabbi Reuvi and Menucha Cooper of Chabad-Lubavitch of Malvern, had wondered what this special day would hold for him. On August 2 they got their answer.

“As a mother, watching my son surrounded by his family, friends and the entire community around him, I was overcome by what a community can accomplish when we believe in a child and the power of his neshamah,” says Menucha Cooper.

Hundreds joined in the celebration, dancing through the streets of Malvern to the Chabad center, where they celebrated Mendy’s bar mitzvah and welcomed the new Torah.

The Diagnosis

Cooper and her husband had been married for eight years and already had three children by the time Mendy came around. The pregnancy was normal, and his birth was uneventful. The only indication of what was to come came from a throwaway comment during an ordinary two-month checkup, where the nurse noted that Mendy had a restlessness, a way of moving that didn’t quite match other babies his age.

“When he was six months old, our family flew to Israel to visit our relatives,” remembers Cooper, “and when Mendy was placed alongside a cousin close in age, the differences in their development were impossible to ignore. As soon as we landed back in Australia, we booked an appointment with the pediatrician to get to the bottom of what was going on.”

The next two months were tense and challenging. The first doctor they visited delicately told the Coopers that Mendy might be different from their other children and suggested they get him genetically tested. When he was seven months old, they finally got the diagnosis and a name for what they had been noticing: Angelman syndrome.

The doctor told them he had never seen such a case before and cautioned them not to look it up online. They did anyway. What they found terrified them.

Mendy holds his Torah, flanked by his parents, Rabbi Reuvi and Menucha Cooper.

Angelman syndrome is caused by the loss of a single gene, UBE3A, and it results in severe to profound intellectual disability, absent speech and impaired motor function, along with a variable behavioral profile that includes sleep disturbances, hyperactivity, and excessive smiling and laughing. Many children with the syndrome also develop epilepsy, alongside scoliosis and visual impairments.

It’s also rare. As of 2019, researchers estimated the total number of people living with Angelman syndrome in Australia at just 428. For a family hearing the diagnosis for the first time, it meant there was almost nowhere to turn for someone else who had lived it.

“Very early on, we discussed it and said we have a choice,” Cooper says. “Either we can live through the prism of Angelman and all the hardships that come with it, or see Mendy for the blessing that he is and give him every opportunity to be one of the children.”

They chose the second option and kept choosing it, through the countless tough days and nights that have come over the years, the daily battles to ensure that he is seen for the bright and proudly young Jewish man that he is.

“We had to set an example for others in the community on how to interact with him,” she says. “Not to treat him as a nebach, hidden and not included. We thank G‑d every day that we have the strength to look at Mendy as a gift from Above.”

Menucha and Mendy Cooper

None of it, Cooper adds, has been simple. Mendy lives with epilepsy and is fed through a feeding tube. He travels to school in a modified car; sits in a specially fitted chair and bed at home; and is accompanied throughout the day by a dedicated aide. Mendy’s many therapies, medications and appointments dictate the family’s calendar.

The hardest moments come when Mendy is in pain and, being non-verbal, has no way to explain what’s wrong. On one occasion, he managed to indicate through his eye-gaze device that his teeth were bothering him. The earliest dentist appointment was two weeks away. Cooper pushed, and an earlier slot opened up that very day, which showed the cause of his distress.

“It was a real breakthrough,” she says, “that he was able to tell us what was wrong, and that he knew we heard him.”

Mendy places the crown on the new Torah. The Coopers dedicated the crown to Mendy’s siblings.

A Neshamah From a Higher Place

The framework for choosing to give Mendy every opportunity to live like every other child, Cooper says, came from a teaching of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—who described children with disabilities as special souls entrusted with an unusually elevated mission.

“From the way the Rebbe spoke about people living with disabilities, we know Mendy’s neshamah comes from a very high place, much higher than ours,” she says. “I knew if I wanted people to understand who he was, I needed to show how people can and should interact with him. That’s why I go and speak, and share our story on social media (where she has more than 30,000 followers; her handle is @magicalmendy). My community work has certainly changed, but the way I look at it, I am the Rebbe’s shlucha to the special-needs community, to show a Jewish experience and perspective on how these special souls can live full Jewish lives.”

That conviction faced a real test when it came time for Mendy to start school.

Mendy had started at a school for children with disabilities, but his parents came to believe he needed a Jewish environment. Additionally, Mendy thrives on being in the center of the action, and the quiet of the non-verbal classroom wasn’t his style.

Rather than enroll him in a program built around his diagnosis, the Coopers worked with the staff at Yeshivah College—Chabad’s educational institution in Melbourne—to ensure Mendy could go to school alongside children from his own community.

“It’s hard to explain how a nonverbal boy in a wheelchair is clever and with it and loves being among his friends,” Cooper says. “He understands. He processes. He’s switched on.”

At the annual Yeshivah College Sports Day.

She gives effusive praise to the school, the staff, and in particular his classmates, for how much he is included and loves going to school every day. He studies alongside them in class, and they make sure he is able to participate in recess. At the school’s annual sports day, his friends run beside his wheelchair, and at their own bar mitzvahs, they pull him into the dancing. On Purim, gift bags of mishloach manot show up for him, the same as everyone else.

“Parents in his class have told me what Mendy being there has taught the children about kindness and empathy in a way that can’t be studied in a textbook,” Cooper says. “He really is one of the gang.”

Mendy with his Torah.

A Bar Mitzvah to Fit Mendy

For nearly a decade, Cooper had carried the hope to commission a Sefer Torah to dedicate at her son’s bar mitzvah.

“Mendy has taught the joy and beauty of Torah to so many,” she explains. “He embodies the meaning of simchat hachaim [the “joy for life”] and has had such a profound impact on so many in our community, and across the world, that this always seemed to be the best way to mark his special milestone. He may not be able to read his Torah portion like other children, but this is a way to show that the Torah is his also, as much as it belongs to any other Jewish person.”

The bottom line?

“We didn’t want to fit Mendy into a traditional bar mitzvah. We wanted the bar mitzvah to fit Mendy.”

More than 200 people bought into the Cooper’s vision, dedicating letters, chapters and full parshiyot of the scroll to participate in the special celebration. The Torah’s crown was dedicated by the Coopers in tribute to Mendy’s four siblings.

“The way they love and accept him for who he is is just amazing. They are just incredible cheerleaders for him and support for us,” says Cooper. “They are Mendy’s crowning glory, so we dedicated it to them.”

Mendy and his siblings.

On Sunday, Aug. 2, the day after he turned 13, Mendy walked beneath a chuppah using his walker while his father carried the newly finished Torah beside him and his mother walked at his side. Hundreds followed through the streets of Malvern, singing, toward the Chabad center where Mendy has touched countless lives.

There, the congregation’s other Torah scrolls were brought out to greet the new one, a custom typically reserved for such arrivals. As Rabbi Cooper placed the scroll into the ark, its new home, the packed crowd sang the solemn melody of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad-Lubavitch, as Mendy watched and listened with pride.

“In that moment, I was overcome with emotion, watching this special boy surrounded by his friends and family, and the community that came together to celebrate his moment,” reflects Cooper.

Later that evening, they had a bar mitzvah party for family and friends. Mendy’s grandfather read the Rebbe’s letter to bar mitzvah boys, while his brothers shared a Chassidic discourse tied to the celebration of a new Torah. Mendy himself, communicating through an eye-gaze device, delivered a speech on the enduring nature of Torah for the enraptured audience.

A video played for the crowd carried the teaching at the heart of the day: A Torah scroll is invalid if even a single letter is missing or improperly formed. Every letter matters. For a room full of people who had spent 13 years learning to see Mendy’s worth in full, the message did not need much explaining.

Guests who had never before attended a Siyum Sefer Torah told Cooper afterward that they couldn’t imagine a more fitting way to mark a bar mitzvah. Other parents of children with disabilities told her the day had given them hope, watching hundreds turn out for a boy like Mendy, in full support and celebration.

Weeks later, Cooper is still on a high.

“We dreamed of this day for 10 years, and it exceeded all our expectations,” she says. “Seeing how many people came together, from our community, from the broader Jewish community, from the special-needs community, in real joy and meaningful celebration, it felt holy—it felt like Moshiach times.”

Mendy looks on as his Torah joins the others in the Ark at Chabad of Malvern, as the crowd sang the solemn melody of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.

Video: Philanthropist Shares Personal Story To Convey Importance of Chinuch

As the new school year begins, a timely address from Mr. Eliyahu Kholodenko, Founder and CEO of Questrade, speaking at Kinus Hamechanchim about the extraordinary impact of mechanchim and the central role they play in carrying out the Rebbe’s vision for chinuch.

“Mr. Kholodenko’s visionary investment in Chinuch is transforming the face of education for our children,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, general chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch’s Chinuch Office, who introduced the keynote. “Today more than ever, our Mechanchim and Mechanchos need real support and infrastructure to reach and engage every single child on their level. We are truly grateful for his partnership in making this a reality.”

Drawing from his experience in business, Mr. Kholodenko described mechanchim as the people who turn vision into reality. In the corporate world, he said, strategy only matters when there are people willing to show up every day and execute it. In chinuch, the vision has already been given with clarity, and it is the mechanchim who bring that vision to life in the classroom each day.

He spoke with admiration about the daily dedication of teachers, the patience shown to a child who is struggling, the extra time given after dismissal, and the personal energy a mechanech pours into his students. 

“Real impact doesn’t come from speeches at a banquet,” he said. “It comes from the Mechanchim who show up day after day, week after week.”

Turning to the theme of the Kinus, Mr. Kholodenko emphasized that the true measure of chinuch goes far beyond knowledge, skills, or academic achievement. The ultimate goal is to raise פרומע, ערליכע, ווארעמע, חסידישע אידן, children grounded in Torah and Mitzvos, refined in character, filled with warmth for Yiddishkeit, and deeply connected to the Rebbe and their purpose.

Those qualities, he noted, cannot be measured on a spreadsheet or graded on a report card. They are transmitted through the mechanech himself. A child does not only hear what a teacher says, he watches how the teacher lives, feels the warmth in his voice, and absorbs the sincerity and ehrlichkeit he sees each day.

Mr. Kholodenko also shared from his own journey, growing up in a Soviet family where Yiddishkeit had been taken away, and later being reached by the Rebbe through his Shluchim. That personal experience, he explained, gave him a deep appreciation for the generational impact of Jewish education and what it means to build children who are confident, proud, warm, and ready to influence the world around them.

He concluded by describing support for Jewish education as one of the greatest investments a person can make, an investment not simply in institutions, but in generations. He thanked the mechanchim for their patience, dedication, and for seeing in every child the פרומע, ערליכע, ווארעמע, חסידישע איד that he can become.

His message was one of recognition and encouragement, the daily work taking place in classrooms is not only educating children, it is building the Jewish future.

Nachman Hakohen Temkin (Argentina) to Tali Lancewicki (Miami, Florida)

Yosef Madar (Crown Heights) to Sarah Edelkopf (Milan, Italy) L’Chaim: Thursday, Sept. 3rd, 8:00pm at The JCM

Menachem Mendel Banin (Venice, Italy) to Menucha Rochel Albukerk (Crown Heights)

Centuries-Old Chassidic Text Uplifts High Holiday Preparations

by Motti Wilhelm – chabad.org

In 1819, in the town of Kopust (Kopys), in present-day Belarus, a Chassidic work rolled off the printing press for the first time and quickly made waves throughout the Jewish world. More than two centuries later, it continues to inspire, uplift and transform the High Holiday experience of readers around the world.

The work, authored by the second Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Dovber Schneuri, was titled Derech Chaim u’Tochachos Musar Haskel, “The Path of Life and an Instructive Moral Rebuke.” Known simply as Derech Chaim, it is a treatise on repentance and prayer, illuminating these two forms of Divine service through the prism of Chassidic teachings, relatively new at the time.

The teachings of Rabbi Dovber, also known as the Mitteler Rebbe (“The Middle Rebbe”), are distinctive both in their style and in the form in which they were recorded and published. With the notable exception of Tanya—the seminal work of Chabad thought authored by the Mitteler Rebbe’s father and predecessor, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi—the vast majority of Chassidic teachings were delivered and transcribed as ma’amarim, or Chassidic discourses. These were generally self-contained, and even when several discourses formed a continuation, they often ranged across various subjects, incorporating themes from the weekly Torah portion or the Jewish holiday being observed.

The Mitteler Rebbe, by contrast, authored systematic treatises on Chassidic thought, each devoted to the methodical and extensive exploration of a particular subject. Among them are works on the unity of G‑d, repentance, holidays and other central themes.

Derech Chaim follows this model. It offers a systematic exploration of the gravity of sin and power of repentance, explaining the spiritual effect of sin on the individual and charting the path by which that damage can be repaired.

The fourth Chabad Rebbe—Rabbi Shmuel Schneerson, known as the Rebbe Maharash—once explained Derech Chaim’s unique value to his son and successor, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneerson, who would later become the fifth Rebbe:

To untangle the complexities of the soul’s garments of thought, speech and action, and to recognize one’s own strengths and shortcomings, one must study Grandfather’s Derech Chaim, carefully and deliberately. …

One can learn what they … are from many Chassidic discourses. But to understand how they … ought to be … and how those shortcomings can be corrected, for that one must study Derech Chaim.

Cornerstone of Teshuvah

Generations of Chassidim have regarded the work as a cornerstone of teshuvah and a guide to the process of genuinely returning to G‑d. It was studied especially during the Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holidays and is a time particularly devoted to reflection, spiritual accounting, and return.

Reflecting its steady demand, the work was printed five times in Czarist Russia between 1819 and 1863. It was printed again in 1943 in Shanghai , where thousands of Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Poland had found refuge during the Holocaust.

Not long after his arrival in the United States in 1941, the man who would become the Seventh Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—was appointed to head Kehot Publication Society, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement’s publishing arm which had been established by his father-in-law, the Sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, of righteous memory. In that capacity, the Rebbe arranged for another edition of Derech Chaim to be printed in Shanghai in 1947, followed by subsequent editions in the United States. He also enriched the work by adding notes and indexes of his own authorship.

Demand for the work has not waned in recent years. Kehot published a new edition in 2002 and another in 2022, each incorporating additional material, notes and indexes.

“Sales of Derech Chaim have gone up 35% overall since we published the new edition in 2022,” says Rabbi Mendel Laine, director of sales at Kehot. “Of course, we also see a spike in sales every year as the month of Elul approaches.”

The Kapust edition of Derech Chaim. WikiCommons

Growth for the Year

The tradition of study has also stayed strong. Each year, individuals and study groups turn to Derech Chaim and other classic Chassidic texts during Elul as part of their preparation for the High Holidays.

One such class is delivered annually by Rabbi Yechiel Krisch, a Chassidic scholar and lecturer in Monsey, N.Y. Held in one of the busiest synagogues in Monsey’s large Jewish community, it follows what he describes as a familiar pattern.

“The class takes place in a room where people are already sitting and studying,” he says. “We usually begin with about five people around the table. As the minutes pass, more and more people make their way over. By the time the class ends, there are often about 40 people sitting and standing around the table.”

He explains that Derech Chaim offers a perspective that can transform a person’s approach to the High Holidays and shape how their inspiration is carried into the rest of the year.

“If I had to summarize the entire book in a few short sentences, I would put it this way: Love of G‑d is very important, and awe of G‑d is crucial. But unless they are founded on kabbalat ol, accepting the yoke of Heaven and submitting oneself to Someone higher, everything else is only temporary,” Krisch explains.

“A day will come when you wake up and do not feel that love or awe. But if you are already committed, you will continue doing what is right on those days as well.”

Art by Zalman Kleinman | Courtesy Rosa Kleinman | Via Zev Markowitz / Chai Art Gallery

Krisch says that throughout his youth and much of his adult life, Elul and Tishrei presented the same challenge: They were inevitably followed by the next10 months of the year. A person may become deeply inspired during the High Holidays and the days leading up to them, only to slip back into familiar routines once the year settles into its ordinary rhythm.

“Derech Chaim offers the solution,” he says. “It shows how to ensure that the entire year remains shaped by the inspiration with which it began.”

Krisch acknowledges that, for many, the idea of submitting to a Higher Power can seem overwhelming or carry a great deal of baggage. But that, he stresses, is not how the concept is presented in Derech Chaim.

“This isn’t your grandmother or school principal shouting at you to sit down and listen. It is a detailed explanation of how to give your personal, deeply felt spiritual service the power to last. It enables the change you were inspired to make on Rosh Hashanah to endure long after the shofar has been packed away and the synagogue put back together following the joyous dancing of Simchat Torah.

“Rosh Hashanah guarantees a certain degree of reawakening. Yom Kippur guarantees a return. Sukkot brings with it profound joy. Derech Chaim helps ensure that their effects last longer than the holiday meals.”

With Elul drawing to a close, completing the entire Derech Chaim, or even its first section, would be a considerable undertaking. But Krisch still recommends getting a taste of the work.

“The Mitteler Rebbe wrote an introduction to Derech Chaim that is almost a treatise in its own right,” he says. “If you can, study at least the introduction before the High Holidays begin. It will change the way you experience them.”

To purchase Derech Chaim, click here.

Art by Zalman Kleinman | Courtesy Rosa Kleinman | Via Zev Markowitz / Chai Art Gallery

Justice Department Continues to Disrupt Hamas Terrorist Financing Schemes Through Seizures of Cryptocurrency and Internet Infrastructure

Today the Justice Department announced the disruption of an ongoing scheme by Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Hamas) –— a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization — to raise funds for terrorist operations and recruit supporters. As part of the Department’s efforts, over $560,000 in cryptocurrency donations destined for Hamas were seized and its fundraising and recruitment communication platforms and websites were disrupted. Hamas originally controlled the seized infrastructure and cryptocurrency addresses on behalf of its military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades. 

“These seizures deprive Hamas of resources it relies on to recruit and radicalize individuals online and finance barbaric attacks like the one on October 7, 2023,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “We will continue to tighten the vise on Hamas’s capacity for terror by infiltrating its online networks, confiscating its cryptocurrency, and shutting down its websites.”

As alleged in court documents, a group chat claiming association with Hamas on an encrypted communications platform directed supporters to a fundraising website and provided donors with a rotating set of cryptocurrency donation addresses. As described in the three unsealed cryptocurrency seizure warrants, on March 25, 2025, June 25, 2025, and Oct. 10, 2025, investigators used information from multiple human sources to identify, trace, and seize approximately $560,000 in cryptocurrency intended to support Hamas’ Al Qassam Brigades.

In conjunction with these seizures, the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office worked with human sources to identify and seize domains and servers the Al Qassam Brigades that controlled its main website, AlQassam.ps. The FBI’s capture of these domains and servers enabled it to intercept cryptocurrency donations intended for Hamas. Using related sources and methods, the FBI also obtained information regarding thousands of individuals who contacted Hamas online in an effort to donate or attempt to donate to the terrorist organization using cryptocurrency and other traditional means. Such information will be used in the FBI’s future counterterrorism efforts.

The FBI Albuquerque Field Office is investigating the case, in coordination with the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, Cyber Division, and New York Field Office.

Delegation of the Jewish Community of Dnipro Visits the Ohel of the Alter Rebbe in Hadiach in Honor of Chai Elul

In honor of the 18th of Elul – Chai Elul, the birthday of two great luminaries – the founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, and the founder of the Chabad movement, the Alter Rebbe, author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav – a delegation of esteemed members of the Jewish Community of Dnipro traveled to Hadiach to visit the ohel of the founder of the Chabad movement, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe. At the resting place of the First Lubavitcher Rebbe, the representatives from Dnipro prayed on behalf of the entire Jewish community of the city, and also took part in a farbrengen dedicated to this special date on the Jewish calendar.

Visiting the ohel of a tzaddik holds a special place in Jewish tradition. It is an opportunity to turn to the Almighty in prayer at a holy site connected to the soul of a great righteous figure, to ask for blessing, to strengthen oneself in the observance of Torah and mitzvos, and to make good decisions for the future. Such a pilgrimage takes on special significance on days directly connected to the life and spiritual legacy of the tzaddik. Therefore, the opportunity to greet Chai Elul at the ohel of the Alter Rebbe was a deeply moving spiritual event for the representatives of the Jewish Community of Dnipro.

At the ohel of the Alter Rebbe, the members of the delegation prayed for the well-being of the Jews of Dnipro, for their families and loved ones, for those in need of help and support, and for the entire Jewish Community of Dnipro. This prayer was infused with a special sense of unity, stemming from the awareness that the community representatives had come to Hadiach not only on their own behalf: standing at the resting place of the founder of Chabad on his birthday, they felt themselves emissaries of the great Jewish family of Dnipro, turning to the Almighty with prayers and requests on its behalf.

An important part of the trip was the farbrengen, during which they spoke about the Alter Rebbe, his great spiritual legacy, and the Chabad teachings he founded, through which the deepest ideas of Chassidus are revealed through understanding and contemplation, becoming part of a person’s daily life. Chassidic niggunim were sung, and the participants shared reflections on the significance of Chai Elul and the responsibility that the Alter Rebbe’s legacy places on every person: to constantly increase in Torah and Chassidic study, in the observance of mitzvos, in love for one’s fellow, and in spreading the light of Yiddishkeit.

“It was very important for us, on Chai Elul, to gather together and come to Hadiach, to the ohel of the Alter Rebbe, to spend this special day in prayer, in the study of Chassidus, and in a true Chassidic farbrengen,” said Rafael Sapozhnikov, a respected member of the Jewish Community of Dnipro. “We came here not only with our own personal requests and hopes, but first and foremost as representatives of our community, to pray on behalf of the Jews of Dnipro, to ask for blessing, goodness, and success for them, and to feel even more strongly that we are all part of our beloved united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”

From Cradle to Chuppah: Oholei Torah Welcomes Its Littlest Talmidim

From its inception, Oholei Torah has been guided by the mission of providing Chinuch Al Taharas HaKodesh in an environment rooted in Torah, Yiras Shamayim, and Chassidishe values. The Rebbe repeatedly emphasized the importance of beginning chinuch as early as possible, when children are especially impressionable and receptive to positive influences.

For many years, it has been the dream and vision of Oholei Torah to provide a fully immersive Chinuch Al Taharas HaKodesh experience from cradle to chuppah, throughout the entire year, winter and summer. Today, the Yeshiva took another significant step toward fulfilling that vision with the opening of its new two year old program.

One new class opened at each of Oholei Torah’s Preschool sites, welcoming the Yeshiva’s littlest talmidim as they took their first steps in a lifetime of Torah and Chassidishe chinuch. At this foundational stage, the values, habits, and experiences introduced to a child can help shape his lifelong connection to Torah and Yiddishkeit.

The thoughtfully designed classrooms feature furniture, materials, and play areas created especially for children of this age. Every detail provides a safe, comfortable, and engaging setting where the boys can explore, develop, and experience the warmth and joy of Yeshiva.

Preschool Director Morah Rishi Bendet, together with 407 Site Director Miss Mushky Sanowicz and 667 Site Director Mrs. Sara Kievman, invested a tremendous amount of thought, care, and hard work into preparing the new classrooms and creating a program tailored to this younger age group. Special appreciation is also extended to the Oholei Torah Operations Team for its dedicated work in transforming the spaces and ensuring that every detail was ready to welcome the talmidim.

Under the loving care of their warm and dedicated Morahs, the boys are being introduced to familiar routines, songs, play, and the foundations of Chassidishe chinuch in an environment filled with patience and affection.

The opening of these new classes reflects Oholei Torah’s commitment to accompanying each talmid from his earliest years and throughout his journey in Yeshiva. From cradle to chuppah, Oholei Torah remains dedicated to nurturing generations of talmidim with Torah, Yiras Shamayim, and Chassidishe values.

Photos by: Yossi Fajnland

Levi Friedman (Crown Heights) to Devorah Eckhaus (Crown Heights) L’Chaim: Tonight, Wednesday, 8:00pm at The JCM Second Floor

Four Decades Into Asia’s Jewish Renaissance, Shluchim Meet in Taipei to Build What Comes Next

On a forested hillside outside the city, dozens of rabbis walked the grounds of Taiwan’s new Jewish cemetery, one of the last pieces of Jewish infrastructure the island was missing.

Until this summer, a Jew who died in Taiwan usually had to be flown abroad for burial. The cemetery, about 40 minutes from Chabad Jewish Center of Taiwan, held its first burial on June 23. To consecrate the ground, the community needed a delegation of rabbis. This week it had dozens.

The scene captured the larger story unfolding in Taipei, where 75 Chabad emissaries from 15 countries converged for the regional Kinus Hashluchim

Forty years after the Rebbe sent Rabbi Mordechai Avtzon to Hong Kong as Chabad’s first emissary to Southeast Asia, one outpost has grown into a network of 60 centers.

“The renaissance of Jewish life in the region is nothing short of miraculous,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of International Kinus Hashluchim. “Just a few years back, many predicted the end of Jewish life in Southeast Asia, yet thanks to the Rebbe’s vision and to these selfless families who sacrifice daily to be there, we’ve witnessed a complete transformation of Jewish life in the region.”

        View this post on Instagram            A post shared by CrownHeights.info (@chinfo.official)

From the Himalayan towns of India to Seoul, Tokyo and Bangkok, those centers often serve as the local Jewish infrastructure. The emissary couples run schools, build mikvahs, host Shabbat dinners, CKids, CTeen and Chabad Young Professionals events, operate kosher restaurants and even certify food for the global kosher community. 

As the sole Jewish infrastructure, they are also the phone call when a traveler disappears, a family faces a medical crisis or a young person lands in trouble thousands of miles from home.

Those communities kept growing through Covid-19, which halted travel and business across much of Asia, and through the surge in Jewish engagement since Oct. 7.

Sessions in Taipei focused on how to utilize tools like AI to meet that infrastructure growth without losing the personal care at the heart of the work. Emissaries discussed security measures, Jewish education, supporting young people in crisis, kosher certification and contemporary halachic challenges that they face on a daily basis.

“The discussions, shared experience and new partnerships will help us strengthen Jewish life in Seoul, expand educational and community programs, improve support for Jewish residents and travelers, and prepare for the continued growth of our community,” said Rabbi Osher Litzman of Chabad Korea.

“Serving a Jewish community far from the world’s major Jewish centers can sometimes feel isolating,” Litzman said. “Standing together in Taipei with fellow Shluchim who face similar challenges was deeply moving. I will return to Korea with renewed strength and a profound reminder that even the most distant Jewish community is never alone.”

For rabbis who are often the only Jewish address for hundreds of miles, the room itself is a resource. A crisis one emissary faces alone in Phnom Penh has usually already been handled in Tokyo or Mumbai. The conference is where that knowledge and tools get shared, and where the infrastructure gets built.

Nowhere was that growth clearer than in Taiwan itself. Rabbi Shlomi and Racheli Tabib arrived in Taipei in 2011 with contacts of just 70 Jews in a country of 23 million. Today they estimate about 1,500 live across the island.

At the center of the community is the $16 million, 22,500-square-foot Jeffrey D. Schwartz Jewish Community Center, with a synagogue, kindergarten and classrooms, a kosher restaurant, a 300-seat ballroom, a Judaica museum and a mikvah capped by a gold-leaf ceiling.

“This is really a sign of a thriving Jewish community which we have here,” Rabbi Tabib said.

Mr. Israel Strulov, Israel’s Ambassador in Taiwan, told the emissaries that after decades working across Asia, he sees Chabad as a partner. Where Chabad is present, he said, Jews, including himself, already have a support system on the ground.

The highlight came from Jeffrey D. Schwartz, the Taiwan-based businessman whose own Jewish journey grew alongside Chabad’s presence in the region. After more than 50 years in Taiwan, Schwartz described how his relationship with Rabbi Tabib rekindled a connection to Judaism that had faded after his Bar Mitzvah.

That partnership led to the creation of the Chabad Taipei Jewish Center. Now Schwartz wants that to be a catalyst for what comes next across Asia. As he put it, “What’s next?”

The answer came quickly at the conference; Mr. Schwartz and Rabbi Kotlarsky announced the Jeffrey D. Schwartz Asia Fund through Keren Hashluchim, the International Shluchim Foundation. The fund will help seed new Chabad centers, bring new emissary couples to the region, build mikvahs and other Jewish infrastructure, and support communities facing urgent needs.

“The ideas, themes, and resolutions of the regional conferences have been accompanying me and helping me in my work for years,” said Rabbi Benzion Butman of Chabad Cambodia. “I am looking forward to bringing the light of this conference home, and further infusing energy into our community.”

In Taipei, the response to “What’s next?” was obvious as the gathering culminated with the iconic spontaneous Rabbi dance. The joy filled the room, and the emissaries went back to Seoul, Phnom Penh, Mumbai, and a dozen cities in between, carrying the energy and the vision to build the next chapter of Jewish life in Asia.

Photos: Credit: Kinus Office

Agudas Chassidei Chabad Calls for Greater Care in Using the Rebbe’s Image and Words in Advertising

by CrownHeights.info

As the month of Elul begins, Agudas Chassidei Chabad has issued a heartfelt call to the Chabad community concerning the use of photographs, recordings, videos and teachings of the Rebbe in advertisements, fundraising campaigns and other promotional materials.

The letter, addressed to “our brothers, Chassidim and Temimim, and their families,” emphasizes the importance that photographs of the Rebbe and the Nesi’im hold for Chassidim, particularly in the years since Gimmel Tammuz.

At the same time, the letter raises a serious concern: the Rebbe’s image and words should not be used merely as advertising material or as a device to attract attention to a campaign, organization, product or individual.

“In our generation, this [the Rebbe’s image] has taken on an even greater significance,” the letter notes, “because Chassidim have access to an abundance of photographs, recordings and other images of the Rebbe. Since Gimmel Tammuz, when “the sun was darkened at noon” and we were no longer able to see the Rebbe’s countenance, these images provide Chassidim with encouragement, inspiration and a tangible connection to the memories of the Rebbe.”

The letter quotes a particularly powerful response from the Rebbe himself. When a woman wrote about experiencing a weakening in her resolve, the Rebbe advised her to look at a photograph of the Frierdiker Rebbe and remember that even the Rebbe Rayatz had experienced such moments of weakness.

The photograph, the Rebbe explained, could provide her with strength.

It is precisely this type of use—one that strengthens hiskashrus and inspires a person in their service of Hashem—that Agudas Chassidei Chabad identifies as the proper purpose of these holy images.

The letter then turns to a growing phenomenon that Agudas Chassidei Chabad says warrants greater awareness and sensitivity: the use of photographs, recordings and Sichos Kodesh of the Rebbe in advertisements and promotional campaigns when their primary purpose is not to strengthen hiskashrus, but to make the advertisement more effective.

The concern, the letter makes clear, is not necessarily with the cause being promoted.

A campaign may be raising money for a Chabad institution. It may be publicizing a Mivtza. It may be encouraging people to undertake an important religious commitment. The underlying initiative may be entirely legitimate.

But that does not automatically make the use of the Rebbe’s image appropriate.

If the photograph or recording is being used primarily because it makes the advertisement more compelling, attracts greater attention, lends prestige to the campaign or helps promote the organizers, Agudas Chassidei Chabad cautions that the use itself may be inconsistent with the honor due to the Rebbe.

The letter similarly addresses advertisements publicizing various Mivtzoim and “promises” in the Rebbe’s name. Even where the content itself is important and true, the question must be asked whether the Rebbe’s image or words are actually being used to strengthen hiskashrus—or whether they have effectively become a marketing tool for the campaign.

One of the strongest points in the letter is its insistence that good intentions do not necessarily make such usage appropriate.

Agudas Chassidei Chabad specifically cautions that this applies even when the objective is a holy one.

The issue becomes even more apparent when there is no meaningful connection between the Rebbe’s photograph or recording and the subject being promoted—for example, when the image is used for a private invitation, personal advertisement, individual profile or simply as a graphic-design element.

In such circumstances, the letter asks Chassidim to consider whether the Rebbe’s image has been reduced, even unintentionally, to a piece of promotional artwork.

The letter also warns against the modern ability to digitally create or “improve” photographs of the Rebbe, noting that creating new images in this manner raises its own serious concerns.

Rather than issuing a list of rigid rules for every possible situation, Agudas Chassidei Chabad calls upon each individual to make an honest personal accounting.

The central question is simple:

Is it truly necessary to use a photograph of the Rebbe for this particular advertisement, campaign or publication?

And beyond necessity:

Is the photograph being used for the honor of the Rebbe and to strengthen hiskashrus, or is it being used because it makes the advertisement or campaign more effective?

The letter warns that if the latter is the case, then despite sincere and positive intentions, the result can ultimately be the opposite of honoring the Rebbe.

To illustrate their point, the letter includes several striking examples from the Rebbe and from Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov demonstrating that this concern is not a new one.

In one instance, the Rebbe was asked about producing a postage stamp bearing a photograph of the Alter Rebbe. The Rebbe responded that the proposal was unacceptable, noting that stamps pass through many hands and raising the inherent concern of placing the photograph on a stamp.

In another case, a photograph of the Frierdiker Rebbe had been incorporated into a certificate of appreciation alongside photographs of women who had assisted an institution.

The Rebbe reacted with extraordinary strength.

While acknowledging that the women could certainly receive certificates of distinction, the Rebbe questioned whether such recognition should be given by printing their photographs together with the photograph of the Frierdiker Rebbe.

The Rebbe called the matter deeply disturbing and instructed that the page be removed immediately.

Significantly, the Rebbe specifically referred to the role of “Publicity” in the matter, objecting to a situation in which, for the sake of publicity, proper sensitivities concerning the Rebbe’s image were disregarded.

The Rebbe went so far as to instruct that his name be removed from stationery, publications and brochures if those involved could not refrain from such conduct.

The examples also extend to fundraising.

In 5738 (1978), when the Levi Yitzchak Library, under the auspices of the Central Chabad Youth Organization in New York, prepared fundraising material, the Rebbe specifically objected to using the name of the “Levi Yitzchak Library” simply as a means of raising money.

Rabbi Hodakov likewise wrote in 5727 that it was not advisable to include photographs of great Torah leaders in fundraising materials and similar publications.

In another case, Rabbi Hodakov expressed astonishment upon seeing a donation receipt from a Chabad institution containing a photograph of the Rebbe.

Among his concerns was that someone receiving the receipt could mistakenly conclude that the Rebbe himself was requesting the donation.

These examples underscore the distinction at the heart of the new letter: the issue is not whether the institution or campaign itself is legitimate, but whether the Rebbe’s image or name is being employed as a promotional instrument.

The message from Agudas Chassidei Chabad is ultimately one of introspection.

As the month of Elul begins—a time traditionally associated with cheshbon hanefesh and preparation for the Yamim Noraim—the letter calls upon Chassidim to examine their own practices.

Before placing the Rebbe’s photograph on an advertisement, flyer, campaign, invitation or publication, the community is being asked to pause and consider whether it is genuinely necessary and whether it is truly being done for the Rebbe’s honor.

The call is not limited to those producing professional advertisements. It applies to institutions, organizations, campaign organizers, graphic designers and individuals alike.

In an era when photographs and recordings of the Rebbe can be incorporated into virtually any digital publication within seconds, the letter asks Chassidim to exercise an additional measure of thoughtfulness and restraint.

The letter concludes with the hope that these words, “which come from the heart,” will enter the hearts of those who read them, and that the merit of strengthening hiskashrus and safeguarding the honor of the Nasi of our generation will stand for the community.

May we merit very soon to see the “countenance of the King of Life,” with “those who dwell in the dust arising and singing,” with our Rebbe בראש, in the true and complete Geulah, speedily in our days.

As Rosh Hashanah Approaches, 30 Jews Among the Missing in Nepal Disaster

by Motti Wilhelm – chabad.org

At this time of year, Rabbi Chezky and Chani Lifshitz, co-directors of Chabad of Nepal, are usually preparing to welcome hundreds of Israeli backpackers for Rosh Hashanah meals and prayers.

The High Holidays typically fall during one of the Himalayan country’s two trekking seasons, the other coinciding with Passover. Each season brings large numbers of Israeli travelers to the country, with hundreds gathering at the Chabad center in Kathmandu for holiday meals and services.

This year was expected to be no different. Preparations were well underway when, in an instant, everything changed.

On the morning of August 26, a series of deadly flash floods along the Nepal-China border led to calamitous flooding in towns and cities up to 45 miles from where the incident occurred. Devastating footage shows thousands of people disappearing in the water. More than 1,000 people have been killed, while another 4,400 remain unaccounted for.

Among the missing are two Israelis, including a 60-year-old man, and some 30 Jewish visitors and local residents, says Chani Lifshitz.

The Lifshitzs have shifted from preparing holiday meals and services to coordinating search-and-rescue efforts. They are fielding calls from worried relatives around the world searching for missing Jewish travelers.

The precise cause of the disaster remains under investigation, but preliminary findings point to the collapse of a glacier, which triggered an avalanche and dammed a river near the Tibetan border. When the natural barrier gave way, it sent a devastating torrent of mud, boulders and water surging downstream.

The floodwaters swept away entire villages, destroyed dozens of suspension bridges, severed roads connecting Kathmandu with the northern border and badly damaged major regional hydropower projects. The widespread destruction of infrastructure has also severely disrupted communications. Rescue efforts have been severely hampered by the destruction of roads and bridges, leaving many areas accessible only by air.

Rabbi Chezki and Chani Lifshitz, co-directors of Chabad of NepalRabbi Chezki and Chani Lifshitz, co-directors of Chabad of Nepal

“We are in contact with the families, local communities and officials on the ground, trying to piece together every detail,” Chani Lifshitz shared with Chabad.org. “We are checking every report, every name, every location and every possible lead.”

The Lifshitzes bring decades of experience assisting Israeli tourists who have become stranded or injured in Nepal, including in the aftermath of previous natural disasters. At times, they have traveled across the country to take part in rescue efforts themselves.

As reports of the disaster emerged, they immediately began gathering information from the field, coordinating with officials and rescue teams, and relaying updates to families and the Israeli media.

As rescue teams struggle to reach communities cut off by the destruction, Chabad of Nepal has dispatched an aid team and begun organizing its own relief operation. Food, medicine and essential equipment are being assembled, along with professional assistance that can be deployed as soon as the affected areas become accessible.

“For several nights this week, my husband and I barely slept,” Chani Lifshitz said. “Chezky was on the phone with people around the world, while one thought would not leave me: how important it is to ensure that every Jew is brought to a proper Jewish burial, and how difficult that has become under these circumstances.”

Survivors examine the wreckage.

As the death toll continues to rise, Nepali authorities are burying dozens of victims each day in mass graves.

“In the situation we are facing, even something as basic and sacred as a Jewish burial is no longer simple,” she said. “The bodies being recovered after days beneath the mud are in the worst possible condition, making identification extremely difficult.

“Over the past few days, I have come to understand all over again how thin the line can be between a person with a name, a home and a family, and just another number in the aftermath of a disaster. We continue to do everything we can to ensure that every person has a name and every family receives an answer.

“And we continue to pray for the living, for the missing and for the families still waiting, Jews and non-Jews. We pray that even amid all this darkness, some good news will yet emerge.”

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

Lessons From the Other Side of a Stroke

by Mendy Lipsker

Earlier this year, my life changed in an instant when I suffered a stroke.

Baruch Hashem, I am making progress and continuing my comeback every day. Along the way, I’ve started looking at many things differently—not only recovery, but life, purpose, serving Hashem, and what a person is still capable of accomplishing when circumstances suddenly change.

We are also living in an incredible time. Technology is advancing faster than most of us ever imagined. AI, voice technology, accessibility tools, and the digital world are creating possibilities that simply did not exist a few years ago.

For someone recovering from a stroke, living with a brain injury, neurological challenge, or another disability, these tools can mean much more than convenience.

They can mean independence. Dignity. Productivity. Connection. And purpose. A physical limitation does not erase a lifetime of knowledge. It does not erase experience. It does not erase creativity, relationships, ambition, faith, or the desire to contribute.

Maybe we need to change the question. Instead of only asking: “What can this person no longer do?”

We should also be asking: “With the right tools, support, and technology, what can this person STILL accomplish?”

That question has become very personal to me. I’m not announcing an organization or launching a program. I’m beginning a conversation.

Over the coming weeks, I hope to share some of what I’ve learned from experiencing a stroke from the other side—not as an observer, but as the person going through it.

Some lessons are about recovery. Some are about dignity and independence. Some are about relationships and business. Some are about technology and the possibilities ahead.

And some of the deepest lessons are about faith and serving Hashem when things we once took for granted suddenly become difficult. One of those lessons has been humility. I have always valued being independent and being able to take care of things myself. After my stroke, there have been moments when my mind knows exactly what I want to do, but physically I need another person’s hand.

Learning to accept that physical help has not always been easy.

But I am beginning to understand that accepting a helping hand does not mean surrendering your independence. Sometimes it means recognizing where you are today while continuing to work toward where you want to be tomorrow.

There is humility in accepting help—and determination in working toward the day when you may no longer need it. I certainly don’t have all the answers. I’m still learning.

But perhaps sharing what I learn can help someone else—and perhaps I can learn from others walking their own difficult roads. Sometimes life changes the road.

That doesn’t mean the journey is over. Despite all odds, we move forward—with dignity, purpose, faith, humility, and determination. And with the tools available to us today, the possibilities may truly be limitless.

A Night of Gratitude, Growth, and Simcha: Chabad of South Broward Celebrates 46 Years

by A. Gordon

This past Monday night, on the evening of Chai Elul — the birthday of both the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe — more than 300 members and friends of the South Broward Jewish community gathered at Turnberry Aventura Jewish Center to celebrate the 45th Annual Dinner of Congregation Levi Yitzchok-Lubavitch/Chabad of South Broward Headquarters. 

By every measure, it was one of the largest and most spirited dinners in the organization’s history, opening with an hour of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before guests sat down to a seated dinner in a room glowing with warmth, unmistakable energy, and beautifully decorated by Thimble and Co.

Serving as Master of Ceremonies was Rabbi Mendel Goldman, who welcomed the crowd and made the surprising announcement that he looks forward to joining the team of Chabad of South Broward’s Shluchim in the near future. 

The evening carried real civic warmth as well, with Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper in attendance — a longtime, familiar friend to Chabad’s activities in the city — who was warmly welcomed by the room. The City is working very closely with Chabad in their Phase One Expansion that has recently begun.

The program opened on a note of unity, as Rabbi Mendy Levy led the room in the Rebbe’s Kapitel of Tehillim, with the community’s collective intentions directed toward those in need of blessings for children, shidduchim, parnassa, and health — for South Broward and for the safety and wellbeing of Jews everywhere, and especially in Eretz Yisroel. From there, guests rose for one of the dinner’s most powerful annual traditions: the reading of the Rebbe’s last signed letter. 

Read the letter here: https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default_cdo/aid/1919956/jewish/The-Last-Letter.htm

Delivered by Rabbi Mendy Tenenhaus, the letter — the very last one the Rebbe signed before his 1992 stroke — was written specifically for the Eleventh Annual Dinner of Congregation Levi Yitzchok – Lubavitch, and its blessing has echoed through this event ever since. The Rebbe blesses all those who attend and support the Annual dinner with tremendous Brachos. 

The evening’s keynote came from Rabbi Raphael Tenenhaus, Head Shliach of South Broward, who reflected on how dramatically the community has transformed — from a neighborhood once home primarily to Holocaust survivors and retirees into one of the youngest, fastest-growing Jewish communities in Florida. Speaking just days before Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Tenenhaus centered his remarks on the Rebbe’s teaching that every Jew, not only the “official” shluchim, carries the responsibility to reach out: if you know Aleph, teach Aleph. He spoke movingly about the “October 8th Jew” — the surge of Jewish identity and pride that has emerged since October 7th — and challenged every person in the room to leave with one commitment: to stop being a bystander and bring at least one more Jew along on the journey, with Simcha Poretz Geder, joy that breaks through every boundary, that will hasten the imminent revelation of Moshiach.

Rabbi Moshe Schwartz, marking nearly 40 years as Chabad of South Broward’s administrator, offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at the sheer scope of what happens under the organization’s roof: the South Broward Shtiebelach, with 5-6 hours of Shachris Minyanim, the Mens’ Mikvah that opens at 5am, the Elana Leah Women’s Mikvah, overseen by his dedicated Rebbetzin, a preschool, a huge Camp Gan Israel, Hebrew school, Bar and Bat Mitzvah clubs, CTeen and CTeen Junior, the Friendship Circle, the Kollel D’Rav Pinchas Hirschprung, the Chaya Aydel Seminary – and — quietly, year-round — direct assistance to families facing financial hardship, totaling more than $250,000 distributed this year alone.

The night’s Award Ceremony recognized five honorees whose lives exemplify the community’s values: Shabsi and Shayna Kabatchnik received the Dugma Chaya – Living Example Award for the quiet, everyday example of their Chassidishe home; Rabbi Simcha and Sima Bart received the Mivtza Torah Award for the daily shiurim he delivers to the Centers’ kollel; Rabbi Zelig and Perla Katzman received the Young Leadership Award for inspiring the community’s growing population of young couples; Yossi and Shira Levitan received the Oiseh Chesed Award, celebrated for their quiet generosity — and, memorably, for Yossi’s insistence that no South Broward simcha is complete without a keg of beer; and Shlomi and Leah Nash received the Ahavas Chinam Award for their humble, behind-the-scenes kindness to families and institutions alike.

And then came the moment the room had been waiting for all night: Zusha took the stage, and the transformation was instant. Chairs emptied as the entire room (of men) rose to dance, singing along to the band’s best-known hits. In honor of Chai Elul, the Alter Rebbe’s birthday, Zusha wove in beloved Lubavitcher niggunim, with the singing of Daled Bavos as a true highlight of the evening — followed by an encore of their hit “Don’t Leave Me On My Own” that brought the crowd right back to its feet.

As guests made their way out, they took home more than memories: a new Chabad of South Broward calendar and a copy of “I Am Not Alone”, Riva Pomerantz’s gripping true story of a woman who lived her Judaism openly under Communist rule — a book Rabbi Tenenhaus credited with inspiring this year’s very special entertainment choice — as keepsakes of the evening. But what truly lingered was something harder to package — a packed room of over 300 people, three generations of shluchim families, and a community that spent one night looking back on 46 years of growth while committing, together, to build the next chapter with even more simcha, unity, and purpose.

A special thank you to all the Shluchim in South Broward who participated, including the Lifshitzs, the Kudans, the Schwartz’s, the Lebovics’s, the numerous Tennenhaus’s, the Barash’s, the Andrusier’s, the Feiners, the Phillips’s, the Levy’s, the Wolf’s and many more.  

The Dinner was another masterpiece produced by Reb Dovid Weinbaum, and assisted by Rabbi Moshe Schwartz, Rabbi Mordy Feiner and Reb Ari Portnoy.  

Featured Co-Chairmen for the 45th Annual Dinner were “MVP for Life” Reb Efraim Kaufman, Reb Meir Cohen, Reb Mendel Kotlarsky and Reb Yossi Dechter. 

All Dinner Participants are eagerly anticipating the 46th Annual Dinner, to be held G-d willing in Yerusholayim, with Moshiach, NOW! 

24 Hours Left to Help Aleph Change the Story, One Family at a Time

The Best Bar Mitzvah Gift

When Sammy’s* father was incarcerated, his life was upended overnight. Friends stopped calling. Relatives pulled away. And Sammy’s mother was left to carry it all alone.

Aleph became their quiet anchor. We helped with groceries and provided financial support, advocated for Sammy’s father, and connected Sammy and his mother with our Angels—licensed social work interns who checked in weekly and gave them someone to lean on.

Then Sammy’s Bar Mitzvah approached. With it came a new set of worries. Who would come? How would they afford it? And the question Sammy wanted answered most: Would his father be there?

Aleph didn’t hesitate. We covered the photographer, caterer, and event planner, and our staff showed up in full force. And through relentless advocacy, Aleph secured the one gift that mattered most: a furlough for Sammy’s father to be in the room that day, watching his son become a man.

“Even as we’ve been going through such difficult times, everyone at Aleph has made us feel like we’re not alone, ” shared Sammy’s mom, the day after the Bar Mitzvah. “Your kindness, compassion, and care have been a real source of strength and comfort.” 

Sammy’s story is just one of countless stories that cross Aleph’s desk every day. Aleph sees the tears no one talks about, the missed milestones, the empty places at the table, and the phone calls that mean everything. Aleph stands beside an incarcerated individual when he needs advocacy and guidance in a complicated legal system. Aleph helps cover airfare so a child can finally run into the arms of a parent behind bars. Aleph makes sure a soldier stationed far from home has kosher food, tefillin, a rabbi to turn to, and a Jewish community that reaches across the miles.

It is practical support. It is human dignity. And, beneath it all, is a simple message: You are still one of us. You have not been forgotten. Whatever you need, we will do everything we can to be there.

We only have 24 hours left to bring our fundraising goal to the finish line. 

Together, we will stand beside them through every mile and every wall that separates them, until they are home.

Donate today: https://www.charidy.com/aleph?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=chinfo2

Yisroel and Miriam (née Haberman) Cohen from Remsen Village had a baby boy!

Chabad at USC Opens New Center With Campus’s First Kosher Restaurant

by Leibel Kahan – Lubavitch.com

Aproud Jew rather than a fearful one.”

That, student Noah Razak told some 400 people gathered on Severance Street Sunday night, is what Chabad at USC made of him. Razak, a senior and student co-president, was speaking at the grand opening of a new 12,000-square-foot home — a $10 million restoration twenty-six years in the making, in the middle of Fraternity Row.

The building was never supposed to be this. When Rabbi Dov and Runya Wagner first drew up plans some fifteen years ago, the idea was modest: raise a million dollars, add about a thousand square feet to the dining room. The project grew roughly tenfold. “We thought we were doing a little addition,” Runya Wagner told the crowd Sunday. “G-d had something much bigger in mind.”

Getting there took years of permits and historic-preservation review on a Victorian mansion that Chabad bought abandoned in 2003. “Anyone who’s done construction in Los Angeles knows what you would expect,” Runya said. The Wagners’ daughters, who spoke together, put it more simply: “A lot of construction. Like, a lot.”

The most consequential thing in the new building may be the kitchen. Chabad estimates some 2,000 Jewish undergraduates at USC and another 1,800 graduate students — and until this month, none of them could get a kosher dinner on campus. “There’s been a long history of trying to get better kosher availability on campus,” Rabbi Wagner said. “At some point we realized that if it wasn’t going to happen on campus itself, then we should do it.”

So Chabad built one — a commercial kitchen and a rooftop restaurant serving shawarma, schnitzel, wraps and burgers on weeknights, shaded by a canopy of twenty-foot bamboo poles sourced from the Amazon rainforest. The bamboo does double duty: come Sukkot, it serves as schach, the natural covering a sukkah requires. The Rooftop, as the new eatery was named, came together only days before classes began, with help from senior administrators. Any USC student on a campus meal plan can now use their meal swipes at Chabad.

The rest of the building leans hard into what was already there. The historic designation kept the front rooms at their original size and shape, so the entry is still a small dark vestibule of mahogany paneling and coffered ceilings. But there are Jewish fingerprints throughout — Jerusalem stone at the entrance and along a wall in the sanctuary, and custom chandeliers, some inscribed “Chabad — University of Southern California,” others with the Shema Yisrael prayer. Upstairs, there are apartments where students live year-round.

One of them is Ava Schwartz, the other student co-president, who has lived in the house for three years. She arrived at USC with Jewish values but no religious practice, she told the crowd, and is now fully observant. “I did not become a follower,” she said. “I was galvanized to become a leader.”

Sunday’s ceremony filled the lawn with about 400 alumni, parents, donors and students. USC President Beong-Soo Kim spoke, as did Board of Trustees Chair Suzanne Nora Johnson and Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni, who has been Chabad’s principal campus partner since 2008. The mezuzah on the front door was affixed by alumni Shelly and Dr. Moshe Bernard Baseri.

Then the ribbon came down, as nightfall brought in Chai Elul, the eighteenth of the Hebrew month and the birthday of both the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Chasidism, and the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad. Eighteen is the numerical value of chai, life. “Our prayer is not simply that this building will be filled,” Runya Wagner said. “Our prayer is that it will be alive.”

It already is. Two nights before the opening, 400 students turned up for Shabbat dinner and Chabad was seating people in the front hall again. “We’re bursting at the seams from this new space,” Rabbi Wagner said.

Noah Razak was thinking about that Friday night when he got up to speak. He had come to USC in part because of this house, promised to him as a construction site during Admitted Students Weekend, and now he was standing in front of it, finished. “After Shabbat dinner on Friday,” he said, “you might want to consider starting construction on an even bigger house.”

New App “Hachlata” Helps Turn Good Resolutions Into Lasting Habits

The hachlata is often the easy part. The real challenge comes afterward—when the inspiration of a farbrengen fades and everyday life gets busy again.

A new free app called Hachlata, created by Lavi Klein, was designed to help address exactly that challenge. The app allows users to take on a hachlata, choose a symbol to represent it, and check in each day as they continue keeping it. As the streak grows, the symbol progresses through different stages, providing a visual reminder of the progress being made.

The app includes seven areas in which users can take on a hachlata: learning, davening, halacha, minhagim, hiskashrus, community involvement and personal growth.

Built specifically with the Jewish calendar in mind, Hachlata pauses streaks for Shabbos and Yom Tov, allowing users to check in after Havdalah without losing their progress. The app also includes gentle reminders, streak protection and the ability to create a chabura with friends, allowing each person to maintain their own hachlata while encouraging one another.

Privacy is another central feature. Hachlata is private by default, contains no advertisements, and the developer says the app is designed without tracking. Users can also generate a Du”ch of their progress to send to the Rebbe’s Ohel.

The app is available now as a free download, with the developer encouraging Anash to use the weeks of Elul to begin building the hachlatos they hope to carry with them into the new year.

For more information, visit Hachlata.com or download Hachlata from the Google Play and Apple App Store.

This Ditmas Park Jewish Preschool Just Won New York’s Top Rating

by Tzali Reicher – chabad.org

Backpacks are lined up by the door and small chairs are being dusted off for a new year at Aleph Early Learning Center in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, N.Y. It’s the kind of back-to-school scene playing out at preschools across the country this week. But at Aleph, the first day of year two comes with an unusual credential in hand: New York City’s highest rating for early-childhood programs.

The city’s Department of Health gave Aleph its exceptional quality of care award after an assessment using the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale, a gold-standard framework for evaluating early learning environments.

“Programs like this can serve as an example for others,” said Mary Tuazon of the Department of Health’s Division of Quality Child Care, “particularly in their environment, communication and the quality of interactions.”

For Rabbi Yehuda and Chana Levin, directors of Chabad-Lubavitch of Ditmas Park, the award validates a vision they’ve been building toward for years: a school where families never have to choose between an uncompromising Jewish education and an excellent academic program.

“For us, curriculum is everything. We are on a mission to bring the best of what the world has to offer in general education, together with an uncompromising Jewish education – so our children never have to choose.” said Rabbi Levin.

And alongside that pursuit of excellence, comes a core value: unconditional acceptance.

“At Aleph, everyone is welcomed with genuine warmth. Every individual is embraced for who they are, and that love is felt the moment you walk through the door,” said Chana Levin.

Levin traces the school’s roots to a call from the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. During a public address in 1986, the Rebbe noted that even in Brooklyn, thousands of Jewish children were growing up without a Jewish education.

The genesis of what has become Aleph took its current shape after the Palestinian terror attack of Oct. 7, 2023. Community members gathered to discuss the appropriate response and the rise in antisemitism across the country, and concluded that the answer had to start with the youngest children.

“The answer was obvious: more Jewish education, more Jewish pride and expression,” Levin recalled. “We needed to produce children with that strong Jewish background, starting with our youngest community members. We wanted no confusion, no ambiguity in their Jewish identity, and to empower them to be strong, proud Jews, and the best place to start educating them is at the youngest stages.”

Rabbi Yehuda and Chana Levin accept the award. New York’s Department of Health gave Aleph its exceptional quality of care award after an assessment using the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale, a gold-standard framework for evaluating early learning environments.

A Tech Entrepreneur Bets on the School

Heading into year two, the school’s growth has been helped along by Nik and Lisa Koblov.

Nik Koblov is a software engineer who has built and led technology at a string of companies, among them some of the country’s fastest-growing startups. The Koblovs are sponsoring tuition for all of Aleph’s 3-year-olds, allowing the school to compete with New York City’s free pre-K program for that age group .

For the Koblovs, the grant is as strategic as it is philanthropic.

“Building startups, you come to understand that it doesn’t matter how much customer acquisition costs in the early stages. You just need to get people in the door, allowing word of mouth to spread, to build the flywheel, which leads to growth,” he explained. “Offering this grant to compete with the city felt like an existential decision, to offer our vision to every Jewish child in the area.”

Originally from the Soviet Union, the Koblovs lived primarily in Brooklyn before spending several years in the East Bay of California, where they were very involved in Chabad’s work building Jewish communal life there. After returning to Brooklyn, and their own experiences with different Jewish and public schools, they were inspired by the Levin’s passion and vision and got involved in helping Aleph get off the ground.

Lisa Koblov said she’d seen Jewish day schools that leaned heavily into either secular academics or Judaism, but rarely gave full weight to both. “We wanted to create a school that wasn’t yet available when we were looking for our children,” she said.

The Koblovs’ own children are already older, and their investment in Aleph underscores their belief in the necessity of a school like it.

“This is how we build strong Jews,” Koblov said. “The approach and success Chabad has had at the community level, we are doing at the educational level, and the early feedback is showing that it’s working.”

Their plans for Aleph are ambitious: They hope to grow from preschool to elementary school, building a vertical educational pipeline all the way to high school.

“Thank G‑d, we’re attracting families of all backgrounds,” he said. “It’s clear something’s working, and they’re thrilled to be part of our story.”

16 New Shluchim Bring Fresh Chayus to Oholei Torah Mesivta

Oholei Torah Mesivta welcomed a large group of 16 new Talmidei Hashluchim this past Thursday, on the auspicious day marking the Hisyasdus of Tomchei Temimim. Their arrival brings fresh energy and enthusiasm to the Mesivta, strengthening the atmosphere of learning and hiskashrus for talmidim across all three shiurim.

The Shluchim were greeted with lively music and spirited dancing in the spacious gym on the Mesivta campus. The warm welcome continued with a Bruchim Haba’im gathering in the Shiur Beis – Gimmel Zal, emceed by Mashpia Rabbi Yisroel Noach Lipskier. The incoming Shluchim addressed the talmidim, speaking about the significance of the day and the mission of a Tomim.

“This year, with tremendous siyata diShmaya, the Yeshiva is privileged to welcome its largest group of Shluchim yet, serving a record number of bochurim,” said Menahel Rabbi Moshe Silman. “Be’ezras Hashem, they will bring an incredible level of chayus, Chassidishkeit, and koch in learning Nigleh and Chassidus throughout the entire Yeshiva.”

Living alongside the bochurim, the Shluchim become an integral part of daily Mesivta life. Through learning together, sharing a conversation, and setting a personal example, they build meaningful connections with the talmidim and encourage growth in learning, davening, and Chassidishe hanhogo. They also lead Seder Sichos and organize special programs and initiatives throughout the year, bringing added chayus and inspiration to the Mesivta experience. 

Their presence is especially felt on Shabbos, when they enhance Shabbos seder, the seudos, and Seder Niggunim, filling the day with warmth, inspiration, and chayus. Through farbrengens, lively singing, and the personal connections they build with the bochurim, the Shluchim help create an uplifting Shabbos atmosphere that continues to inspire the bochurim throughout the week.

Together with an outstanding team of dedicated mechanchim, the addition of 16 Shluchim further strengthens the comprehensive Mesivta experience offered at Oholei Torah. The expansive campus features spacious zals and classrooms, a full gym, outdoor playing fields, an on site mikvah, and dormitory accommodations. This complete Yeshiva environment creates the immersive feeling of an out of town Mesivta, even for bochurim who live nearby, giving every talmid the space, support, and opportunities to grow both inside and outside the zal.

A tremendous Yasher Koach goes to the dedicated Hanhalah, led by Menahel Rabbi Moshe Silman, together with Shiur Aleph S’gan Menahel Rabbi Eli Oster and Shiur Beis-Gimmel S’gan Menahel Rabbi Zalman Laufer, as well as the devoted Mashpiim, Maggidei Shiur, Mashgichim, and entire Mesivta staff. Their tireless dedication and personal investment in every bochur create an environment where each talmid is encouraged and supported in his learning and chassidishkeit.

Historic Preparations Underway in Moscow Ahead of the High Holidays

As the month of Elul begins in the Russian capital, Jewish Moscow is preparing for the Yomim Tovim with a renewed sense of excitement and anticipation. This year’s preparations carry particular historical significance, as the community approaches the 100th anniversary of the historic Maamar “VeKiblu HaYehudim,” delivered by the Rebbe Rayatz, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, in Moscow on Purim Katan 5687 (1927).

The Maamar was delivered during one of the darkest periods of Soviet persecution and called for mesiras nefesh—self-sacrifice—for the education of Jewish children and the preservation of Torah and Yiddishkeit. The Rebbe Rayatz was subsequently arrested and sentenced to death, a decree that was ultimately overturned following international pressure.

A century later, the Jewish community in Moscow is marking the historic milestone through a renewed emphasis on Torah, education and the strengthening of Jewish life.

Ahead of Shabbos Selichos and the Yomim Tovim, extensive renovations have been completed at the Marina Roscha Central Synagogue, reflecting the continued growth of the Jewish community.

During the summer, significant work was carried out in the main sanctuary. A partition separating the two sections of the shul was removed, opening up the expanded space and allowing the community to accommodate the growing number of attendees.

The renovations also included a new lighting system, upgrades to the electrical and air-conditioning systems, and improvements to the building’s main entrance.

Plans are also underway to expand the synagogue’s main Sukkah in the plaza. Engineering assessments are currently being conducted to ensure that the Sukkah will be able to accommodate the large crowds expected during Sukkos.

Alongside the physical improvements, significant emphasis is being placed on spiritual preparation for the Yomim Tovim.

Under the guidance of Chief Rabbi of Russia Rabbi Berel Lazar, the centenary year of the Rebbe Rayatz’s mesiras nefesh Maamar is being marked with an increased focus on Torah study and Jewish education, in the spirit of “Kiyemu v’Kiblu.”

A special series of Halacha classes has recently been launched at the Central Synagogue, focusing on the laws and customs of the Yomim Tovim of Tishrei and helping community members prepare for the upcoming month.

A comprehensive Halachic guide has also been published for the month of Tishrei, covering the laws and customs from Shabbos Selichos through Shabbos Bereishis. The guide is being distributed among thousands of Jews throughout Moscow.

Another initiative is a special CD featuring selections from the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur davening.

Produced by Chief Cantor Rabbi Dovid Kytak, the recording features the Nusach and traditional melodies used for many years at the Central Synagogue.

The project is intended to help congregants become familiar with the melodies and Nusach before the long Yom Tov davenings. For many community members who did not receive a traditional Jewish education growing up, the recording provides an opportunity to arrive at shul better prepared and more connected to the tefillos.

Additional initiatives are being organized to bring the spirit of the High Holidays to tens of thousands of Jews throughout Moscow.

Preparations are also underway at the Shaarey Tzedek Jewish Kindness Center in the Marina Roscha neighborhood for the annual Kimcha D’Tishrei campaign.

The project will provide food staples and other assistance to those in need, including elderly community members and large families, ensuring that they too can celebrate the Yomim Tovim with dignity and joy.

The combination of expanded synagogue facilities, increased Torah learning, educational initiatives and assistance to those in need reflects the continued growth of Jewish life in Moscow.

Thousands of Jews are expected to gather at the Marina Roscha Central Synagogue throughout the month of Tishrei, where they will daven in the newly renovated sanctuary, participate in Torah classes and prepare for a good and sweet new year.

A century after the Rebbe Rayatz’s call for mesiras nefesh in Moscow, the flourishing Jewish community of the Russian capital continues to demonstrate the enduring strength of Torah and Yiddishkeit.

Photo: Mevaser Tov Moscow

INBOX: 451 Kingston Avenue – Crime HQ

by A Crown Heights Resident

There are some addresses that become more than just buildings. They become symbols of the problems a neighborhood can no longer afford to ignore.

451 Kingston Avenue has increasingly become one of those addresses.

It is owned by a Lubavitcher, and has over 160 apartment rentals yet over the years the building has been connected to a disturbing number of incidents, including an attempted kidnapping of a Jewish child, reports of shots fired, antisemitic threats against a Jewish resident, fires in the building, and reports of criminal activity on the premises.

For many residents, it has become a recurring theme: when something goes wrong in Crown Heights, somehow the trail seems to lead back to 451 Kingston Avenue. Whether it is a crime, a disturbance, or another troubling incident, this address has repeatedly come up in conversations about safety in the neighborhood.

But when serious incidents repeatedly involve the same address, our community has every right to demand answers.

Why does this keep happening? What is being done to address the problems? And why should residents have to wait for another tragedy before action is taken?

Crown Heights is a neighborhood of families, children, and hardworking residents who deserve to feel safe walking down their own streets.

Children and adults should not have to feel afraid walking down Kingston Avenue. As one resident put it, “Walking past that intersection is like the Rafah Crossing of Crown Heights.”

Enough is enough.

Our community deserves safety, accountability, and action—not excuses, silence, or another tragedy. Everybody should call on the property owner, city agencies, the NYPD, and the elected officials and our Rabbanim and Askonim to act now. Kingston Avenue belongs to the families who live here, and they deserve to walk it without fear.

We cannot wait for the next crime to ask why. The time to act is now.

Crown Heights Yeashivos Thank Camp For Saving Community Upwards of $1,000,000 in Camp Costs

The Yeshovos of Crown Heights and beyond penned a letter of thanks to a Chabad camp after they saved the community upwards of $1,000,000 in camp costs.

ב”ה

ח”י אלול תשפ”ו

Reflecting on another Incredible CGI Chayolei Summer

Dear Parents שיחיו,

Now that the campers have returned home and the Shnas Halimudim is off to a great start, Boruch Hashem, we are filled with tremendous gratitude and pride as we reflect on the incredible success of this past summer at CGI Chayolei.

Throughout the summer, the feedback from parents and children alike was overwhelmingly positive. Now that the campers have returned home, we continue to hear just how uplifting, exciting, and Chassidish the summer was.

Parents repeatedly shared how much they appreciated the presence of experienced, responsible Mechanchim on staff – professionals who could be called upon, who understood each situation, and who handled issues with wisdom and care. This made a real difference, and it was deeply felt by families throughout the summer.

We extend special recognition to Rabbi Pinchos Rapoport, Rabbi Zalman Sandhaus, Rabbi Avremel Silberberg, Rabbi Mendel Hendel, Rabbi Dovid Leib Morozov, Rabbi Zalman Goodfriend, Rabbi Sholom Bonnardel, Rabbi Mendel Spritzer, Rabbi Moshe Serbranski, and Rabbi Yanki Horowitz, whose dedication and leadership played a key role in making this summer such a success.

We also extend our appreciation to the Head Staff, who carried the responsibility of running the day-to-day program and worked tirelessly to create an exciting, organized, and meaningful summer for every camper. Their energy, commitment, and countless hours of work were felt throughout every part of camp.

Special thanks to Mendel Teichman, Zevi Barnett, Yosef Shemtov, Matti Brennan, Ari Silberberg, Avi Kurinsky, Avrohom Asher Kogan, Moshe Aron Geisinsky, Avrohom Konikov, Mendle Moully, Dovid Hagege, and Arale Raskin, each of whom gave so much of themselves to make this summer the very best it could be.

On a communal level, we are proud that this initiative brought not only tremendous Ruchniyus and Chassidishe inspiration, but also a significant material benefit. Together, we were able to save our Crown Heights community upwards of $1,000,000 in camp costs!

We thank CGI Chayolei for making this possible and are grateful that our joint endorsement helped ensure another successful summer for our Talmidim and families. As always, if parents would like to share feedback, we warmly welcome it.

May we continue giving the Rebbe much Nachas, and with Brochos for A Gut Gebenchte Yohr.

Oholei Torah
Rabbi Mendel Blau
Rabbi Yehoshua Lustig
Rabbi Eli Simpson
Rabbi Yossi Evers

Cheder Menachem Long Island
Rabbi Moishe Koncepolski

United Lubavitcher Yeshiva
Rabbi Yosef Simpson
Rabbi Yossi Langsam
Rabbi Yosef Aron
Rabbi Mendel Scharf

Cheder Chabad of Monsey
Rabbi Dovid Brawer
Rabbi Shaya Itkin

Tomchei Tmimim Ocean Parkway
Rabbi Menachem Lifshitz
Rabbi Yoni Sarue

CGI Chayolei End Of Summer Mosdos Thank You-3Download

Siyum Sefer Torah to Be Held Tuesday in Crown Heights

A special Bar Mitzvah Siyum Sefer Torah will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1st, in Crown Heights.

The celebration will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the writing of the final letters of the Sefer Torah at the Pape family home, 109 E. 46th Street.

At 4:45 p.m., participants will join a festive procession accompanying the Sefer Torah to Anshei Lubavitch, 578 Albany Avenue, where the celebration will continue with Hakafos at 5:15 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served.

The Siyum is being hosted by Chaim and Chaya Papie, who invite the community to join in celebrating this special occasion and the completion of the new Sefer Torah.