U.S. Ambassador to Israel Joins Chabad in Packing Staples for the Needy
Every day, dozens of local and visiting volunteers head to the Colel Chabad warehouse in Jerusalem to pack food staples to be distributed to thousands of needy families all over Israel. This month, the division of Colel Chabad known as Pantry Packers was joined by U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, his wife, Tammy, and the embassy staff.
Mussi Sharfstein | Tuesday, December 18
Today in Jewish History: Asarah (10) B’Tevet
On the 10th of Tevet in the Hebrew year 3336 (425 BCE), the army of Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar surrounded Jerusalem’s stone walls and laid siege on the city. This was the beginning of the end of the first Beit Hamikdash; on the 17th of Tammuz, 3338, the city walls were breached, and three weeks later, on 9 Av of that year, the Temple was destroyed and the Jews were sent into exile.
Staff Writer | Monday, December 17
Tackling the Text in Braille, JLI Teaches Torah to the Blind
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Rabbi Rivkin called up the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), the course creators, known for their cutting-edge content and inclusive environment, and asked if they had any textbooks in Braille. They did. Already ten years earlier, Rabbi Mendel Bluming of Chabad of Potomac, Maryland, had helped arrange a partnership between JLI and the Jewish Braille Institute (JBI) to translate the standard JLI textbooks into Braille.
Mussi Sharfstein | Monday, December 17
Latkes and Lights at the Oregon Zoo
Rachel is a program manager at the Union for Reform Judaism. She works to build inclusivity daily and is responsible for bringing diversity and equity to the Portland area. “It’s important for our children to have their faith and culture represented in public events,” she says, noting that the breakfast was part of Zoolights, a program that runs from November to January, outside of the zoo’s regular opening times, and allows members and visitors to view its more than 1.5 million speciality lights.
Ashira Weiss | Friday, December 14
Today in Chabad History: 5 Tevet
On the 5th of Tevet (Hei Teves) in 1987, the extensive library of the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, was declared as belonging to Agudas Chasidei Chabad Lubavitch. The U.S. Federal court issued this ruling after a lengthy, highly-publicized trial. The anniversary of this event is marked annually, by purchasing new sefarim (Jewish books) and studying them.
Staff Writer | Thursday, December 13

The Case for Religious Freedom: the Struggle to Expand a NJ Synagogue
Rabbi Dov Drizin never imagined that his Chabad House would become the centerpiece of a federal lawsuit. Arriving in suburban Pascack Valley, New Jersey, he and his wife, Hindy, found “an incredibly welcoming and gracious community” that was very receptive.
Tzipora Reitman | Sunday, November 25
Jewish Life Thaws in Remote Arkhangelsk
Government archives show that Arkhangelsk, some 750 miles north of Moscow and more than three degrees higher than Anchorage, Alaska, was once home to two synagogues. Last month, the city’s small Jewish community inaugurated a new synagogue and community center.
Staff Writer | Tuesday, November 20
TanyaClass.com Celebrates Completion of Fourteen-Year Series
What started as a class of ten people studying the Tanya at Chabad of the Upper East Side in Manhattan became a global network of thousands, from every walk of life, studying the foundational text of Chabad online. This week, fourteen years later, TanyaClass.com will celebrate the completion of the entire five-volume work at a grand farbrengen on November 27.
Mussi Sharfstein | Monday, November 26
Mumbai: On Tenth Anniversary, Nariman House Becomes Nariman Lighthouse
In the decade since Islamic terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba left 166 people in Mumbai dead, including Chabad representatives Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg, the city has seen little growth. The Nariman Chabad House, however, has undergone changes.
Staff Writer | Saturday, November 24
How To Help Victims of California's Most Destructive Fire
“The Zwiebels provided us with food and some gelt just to tide us over,” said Randy, who likes to pepper his sentences with Yiddish phrases. “The moral support they have given us,” he adds, “has been tremendous.” The Chabad house has been turned into a refuge for displaced families. “We are appealing to your readers,” Rabbi Zwiebel told Lubavitch.com, “to help us help people who have suffered such terrible losses.”
Tzipora Reitman | Monday, November 19

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