Purim is a joyful Jewish holiday (this year on Thursday, March 20) celebrating the end of frosty winter as well as the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia thanks to the bravery and intelligence of beautiful Queen Esther. The celebration is always marked by high spirits and plenty of refreshments and fun. And […]
What’s Happening Week of March 8
Easter flower fundraiser The Bethel Park Historical Society is holding an Easter flower fundraiser to support the ongoing restoration of the Schoolhouse Arts and History Center. Hyacinths, daffodils, hydrangeas and tulips are among the flowers being offered in six- and eight-inch pots. Prices range from $7 to $18. Orders must be placed by March 23, […]
Global Jewish Business Community Rallies For Chabad Of China
If you are a Jewish person on business in China, chances are you’ve been serviced by one of the country’s thirteen chabad houses. Today, in the wake of the coronavirus, hundreds of these business people, and many others, are paying it forward with awe inspiring support. And you can too. Five days into its campaign, […]
Chabad hosts ‘Purim in the Circus’
Purim festivities at Chabad of St. Augustine will take “center ring” this year when participants enjoy kosher circus favorites while masquerading in their favorite ringleader costume. “Purim in the Circus” is Chabad’s creative twist to this year’s community celebration of Purim, the holiday commemorating the Jewish people’s salvation in Persia of old. The festivities will […]
Chabad executive director becomes certified Holocaust educator
Chabad executive director and Rabbi Moshe Leib Gray became a certified Holocaust educator for college campuses earlier this year. His certification followed his participation alongside other Chabad rabbis in an intensive week-long seminar at Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial for the Holocaust. According to Gray, this was the first time Yad Vashem organized a program […]
The Day My Best Friend Called Me a ‘Dirty Jew’
was born in another world, in a country that is no longer on the map. In a way, I am still a Soviet child transitioning into the world of mysterious Hebrew texts, holy Torah scrolls, the chanting of prayers and the cycles of the Jewish year. This week, when I walked into the synagogue on […]
Preaching with Conviction
Since 1954, I have served as the Rebbe’s emissary in Boston, and this is where I met Rabbi Yosef Ber Soloveitchik from whose lips I heard the story I am about to relate. Rabbi Soloveitchik – who for many years headed RIETS, the rabbinic school of Yeshiva University – had studied at the University of […]
Staging the Power Play
As the King and Haman arrive at the second feast, a foul mood pervades. The wine flows, alcohol providing temporary respite and relief, as the queen sips gingerly to maintain careful control as she sets the stage for the climatic power play that’ll trigger Haman’s final downfall! Weaving historical dates, fascinating parallels, and commemorative observances, […]
As Global Health Crisis Worsens, Chabad of China Asks for Help
As the coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues its worrisome spread around the globe with more than 80 affected countries and territories, China, where the virus originated in late December, has been deeply impacted with more than 80,000 infected and almost 3,000 deaths. Normally home to about 10,000 Jews, China has seen its Jewish population—a largely transient […]
Putting together the Purim packages at the Chabad of Hewlett
At least a baker’s dozen of children, who are part of the Chabad of Hewlett’s after-school program for fourth- and fifth-graders Jewish Kids Club of Hewlett, packed Purim packages that will be sent to Israel Defense Forces soldiers and children who live at the Mishpacha Jewish Orphanage in Odessa, a port city in the southern […]