University, Holocaust Center and Chabad mark first anniversary of Synagogue shooting On October 27, 2018, the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh became the site of the worst mass killing of Jews in America. At the nearby University of Pittsburgh, the outpouring of support for the Jewish community on campus was instant and firm. The […]
Odessa’s Orphans
LIKE MY OWN CHILDREN The Ukrainian port city of Odessa has seen a Jewish Renaissance in recent decades. Its now robust infrastructure of Jewish schools and community centers, packed synagogues and kosher restaurants, is matched by a booming Israeli tourist industry. But the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 devastated local businesses and dried up most […]
Pittsburgh Students Cite Jewish Unity as Key to Coping Since Attack
Wide-ranging care and support from campus Chabad and college administration A year after the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history—the slaughter of 11 Jewish worshippers and injury of six more during Shabbat prayers at the Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh—college students talked about the uplifting influences provided by Chabad House on […]
Treasures From the Chabad Library
The library’s collection was started by the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), and expanded with each subsequent Lubavitcher Rebbe. Throughout this timespan, it survived the ravages of Jewish travails—sustaining considerable losses in fires, confiscations by hostile governments, and relocations within Eastern Europe as Jews fled from one place to another—until it […]
12 Hours in the Heart of the Hood
It was a Power Trip like no other. Members of 10 Atlanta Chabad centers met at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport for a six a.m. flight last Wednesday. The 83 travelers, ranging in age from four months to their mid-70s, took off into the sunrise for 12 hours of Soul travel. Destination: Crown Heights. First Stop: Queens and […]
Hot Meals and Warm Jewish Spirit Uplift Stranded Passengers in Barcelona
After technical delays forced a Norwegian airline traveling from Israel to New York to land in After technical delays forced a Norwegian airline traveling from Israel to New York to land in Barcelona, Spain, more than 100 passengers found themselves stranded with nothing to eat. The passengers, returning from the Sukkot holiday in the Holy […]
Dear G-d, An Open Letter From a Jew in Pittsburgh
On Shabbat morning, October 27, 2018, Pittsburgh’s peaceful Jewish enclave of Squirrel Hill was shattered by gunshots as a crazed anti-Semite attacked worshippers at the Tree of Life congregation, killing eleven and injuring six. Reeling from the pain, Pittsburghers struggled to make sense of the tragedy that had befallen their city, and people around the […]
Talmud Completion In A San Francisco Area Sukkah Transforms Grief To Joy
Professional opportunities in the high-tech and housing industries have made the burgeoning suburban San Francisco area a magnet for many young Jews from around the world, and as such, Inon Cohen, an Israeli in his 20s, has been attending programs and events at Chabad of Contra Costa, Calif., for a number of years. Raised in […]
‘Tishrei in the Moment’: JEM’s Interactive Social-Media Season With the Rebbe
WhatsApp and Instagram add a contemporary touch to a timeless experience JFK Airport, 1988. The noise and bustle of the crowded airport would be overwhelming for some. Not so for 18-year-old Sholom, for whom the chaos seems to beckon, inviting him into a new and enchanting journey. Hours of traveling and exhaustion don’t hold him […]
Meet Hallandale’s New CTeen Directors
Voices of Leadership Rachel Wilkes Goffstein has recently been hired as the Director of CTeen in Hallandale, Florida. She spoke with Mussi Sharfstein about her journey. What was your Jewish experience like growing up? I grew up in a conservative household, the kind where we’d eat kosher at home, but not out. My family started […]