The public menorah has become a ubiquitous symbol at shopping malls, parks and public spaces the world over. But arguments over holiday displays and the religious nature of their symbols have been waged in town halls, on city boards and have even reached the Supreme Court. From our archives, Lubavitch.com presents two articles that look […]

A chance encounter months before leads to a late-night mitzvah Looming above the Hawaiian island of Maui at 10,023 feet is Haleakalā, a dormant volcano surrounded by lush rainforest and Mars-like red landscapes. Rabbi Mendy Krasnjansky was winding his way up the mountain with two visiting rabbinical students before Rosh Hashanah 2020. The students, who […]

With morphing sizes, shapes, materials and vehicles, they’ve become a familiar sight at Chanukah the world over You know them when you see them, and when you see them, you know it’s Chanukah. The car menorah is a uniquely American innovation—a marketing gimmick created by young yeshivah students in the early 1970s as a way […]

Rabbi Shmuly and Freidy Hecht provide material and spiritual sustenance to all Nestled among breathtaking scenery along the west coast of Canada, the picturesque town of Hope, British Columbia, was hammered with record rainfall earlier this month, flooding the entire town and overwhelming its wastewater system. To make matters worse, all roads linking the town […]

Jewish pride will be on full display, from hardwood to ice The roar of the crowd fades, the bleachers fall quiet. As the Columbus Blue Jackets prepare to face off the visiting team mid-game a bearded rabbi comes into view, climbing a ladder. It’s Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann, and he’s about to light the menorah at […]

Sophisticated Brooklynite who nurtured children, welcomed guests and cared for others Razel Wolvovsky was many things to many people. To the hundreds of children she taught over her decades as a preschool teacher, she was the loving, imaginative morah who made Judaism come alive at the most formative stage of their lives. To others, and […]

A source of wisdom and guidance for fellow Chabad emissaries around the world Rabbi Shimon Raichik, a noted Torah scholar and rabbinic leader, led Congregation Levi Yitzchok of Los Angeles, a prominent Chabad-Lubavitch community in California. Widely known for his expertise on Jewish law and his passionate Chassidic persona, he would frequently receive calls from […]

A scaled-back version of an annual Shabbat retreat to Brooklyn leaves a deep impression on four hundred college students. The streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn came alive over Shabbat, November 13, as some four hundred college students from over forty college campuses across the country convened for a weekend of inspiration.  The unpredictability surrounding the […]

For many, the eight-day holiday is a springboard for personal growth in Judaism Kim Barlow lives in Malanda, Queensland, a town of 1,985 people in remote northern Australia. Born to a Jewish mother and Indigenous father, she never felt that she completely fit in either world. When she traveled to nearby Cairns during Chanukah of […]