CHESTER – Due to the coronavirus, synagogues, like all places of gathering, have temporarily closed their doors. But Chabad of Orange County at 1170 Route 17M, Suite 1 in Chester, does not see it as closing doors, but rather as opening new ones. “Hundreds of new synagogues have opened in Orange County,” said Rabbi Pesach […]
Sitting Shiva Alone: The Power of One
The last time I sat shiva in the most unfortunate and tragic circumstances, we were 14 mourners. As my mother neared a full century of life, I knew that the next time I would sit shiva, I would be the sole mourner. I am an only child. What I could NOT have foreseen was that […]
Clergy Connects With Congregations Despite Empty Pews
It’s almost unthinkable that a priest or minister would be alone in a church on Palm Sunday and Easter morning. But that’s what scores of clergy members across the area and thousands more around the United States are facing the next two Sundays, and who knows how many more Sundays after that. The health catastrophe […]
Siyum for Firstborns in the Age of Corona
Question There is an ancient custom for Jewish firstborns to fast on the day before Passover (read why here) until they participate in a siyum (the completion of a tractate of Talmud) or another mitzvah celebration. It is customary to arrange a siyum in the synagogue after morning prayers to allow the firstborns to eat […]
Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, 84, Talmudic Genius and Fiery Chassid
Famed worldwide as a giant of Torah learning whose prowess as a Talmudist was matched by the depth with which he studied and applied the teachings of Chabad, Rabbi Yisroel Friedman was not only filled with Torah knowledge, but also with love for the Torah and with unbounded dedication to G‑d, the giver of the […]
Worship around Gainesville amid coronavirus moves online
Alachua County churches, synagogues and mosques adapt in tumultuous times so followers can keep the faith as holidays approach. Father Lawrence Peck says he can’t remember a time at St. Patrick’s Church when Mass wasn’t celebrated. But last week, leaders at Gainesville’s oldest Catholic church locked the doors of the Northeast 16th Avenue house of […]
9 Common Myths and Misconceptions About Matzah
If there is one Jewish food that virtually every Jew knows about, it’s matzah, the flat bread eaten at the Passover Seders and for the duration of the eight-day holiday. But how well do you know this food, which has been with us since the dawn of our peoplehood? Here are some of our favorite […]
Mix-up leads to wrong corona funeral in New York
Moshe Grunwald lived a full and long life. A scion of the Pupa Chassidic dynasty, he survived Auschwitz and the Nazi death marches, rebuilding his family and his life in America. A longtime resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., he passed away this week as dozens were felled by the coronavirus. The family was told that the funeral […]
How To And How Not to Fight Anti-Semitic Violence In The US
Professor Leonard Weinberg is a Senior Fellow at CARR, Professor Emeritus at the University of Nevada, and recipient of both Fulbright and Guggenheim research awards. In recent years, there has been a surge in anti-Semitic violence in the United States. The most attention was focused on the murders at the Tree of Life Synagogue in […]
A PSA from Larry David: Stay inside, watch TV, don’t be an idiot
Don’t think I haven’t wondered how Larry David was faring in the current COVID-19 crisis. The answer, it turns out is pretty, pretty good all things considered. But, like many older people, he wants to keep it that way. Last night we received a much-needed update from the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star, who, like most […]