NEW YORK — Purim is traditionally one of the most joyous Jewish holidays, but some celebrations in Israel and hard-hit parts of the United States are being scaled back or canceled due to the coronavirus threat. One of the biggest jolts has come in the city of New Rochelle, a few miles north of New […]
Israeli Spyware Firm NSO Seeks Court Sanctions Against Facebook
Israel’s NSO Group is asking a California judge to sanction Facebook Inc for allegedly failing to abide by international law with regards to its lawsuit against the spyware maker. Facebook’s WhatsApp sued NSO in October after finding evidence that the hacking firm had abused a flaw in the popular chat program to remotely hijack hundreds […]
Tenafly Chabad Middle School Has Tzizit Workshop
The Tenafly Chabad seventh and eighth graders welcomed Rabbi Grossbaum and his tzitzit workshop. The hands-on workshop brought to life what students have been learning in Chumash over the past few weeks. Rabbi Grossbaum taught them about the different types of tzitzit and how to tie their own strings to the corner of a garment. […]
Ki Tisa: Picking Up the Pieces
his week’s parsha tells the story of the Golden Calf, the worst national sin in the history of the Jewish people. Frankly, if I were the editor of the Bible I’d have left that part out. How humiliating to the Jews! Just weeks after the greatest revelation of all time, when they saw and heard […]
Who Voted For Whom? Intriguing & Surprising Facts About Israel’s Latest Elections
The unofficial final results are in and the dust has settled. Likud was victorious in winning more seats than Blue and White but the right-wing bloc still lacks the majority necessary to form a stable government. The left-wing bloc lost seats and has no clear path toward forming a government. In essence nothing has changed […]
Coronavirus Couldn’t Stop This Pre-Purim Joy
On Wednesday, with a little help from technology, a coronavirus-related setback was averted for a group of seniors and children. The lower elementary classes of Maimonides Jewish Day School in Portland, run by Chabad of Oregon, planned to visit the residents of Cedar Sinai Park, a senior living and care center. As part of the […]
Unique Torah scroll completed in Cobb
EAST COBB — A unique Torah scroll handwritten by a specially trained scribe at various holy sites in Israel is officially complete and home among Cobb’s Jewish population. More than 200 people packed the Chabad of Cobb on Lower Roswell Road on Sunday morning to see the historic Torah scroll finished by Rabbi Moshe Klein, […]
Purim in Nazi Hell
Tired, starved, and downtrodden, we Jewish prisoners plodded into the barracks where we spent a few miserable hours on hard bunks before another day of backbreaking labor. We were too exhausted to think, but when our minds wandered back to times long gone, we could not help but wonder if it had all been a […]
Eleven Purim Traditions for You and Your Family
There are four mitzvahs that every Jew must do on Purim, as outlined in the Book of Esther: Listen to the Megillah being read on the eve of Purim, and then again the following day. On Purim day be sure to give charity to at least two poor people. Give a gift of at least […]
Costumes or coronavirus? Synagogues cancel Purim celebrations as masks take on new meaning.
NEW YORK — Slipping on a black tricorn hat, 7-year-old Daphne Greene grinned at her mom while they eyed costumes on Thursday at the West Side Judaica & Bookstore on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Daphne told her mom she should buy the penguin outfit hanging from the ceiling. Described by some as the “Jewish Halloween,” […]