Young man memorialized seven years after being killed in Gaza war Tucked away on the shores of the Rio Grande near the southernmost tip of the U.S.-Mexico border, McAllen, Texas, has had a Jewish presence for more than 100 years with a small but active Jewish population. But a mikvah, the cornerstone of Jewish family […]

Friendship Circle of Brooklyn just concluded a week-long fundraising campaign which was, remarkably, conducted entirely by children. Some thirty five groups of children signed up to raise funds by running their very own pop-up lemonade stands. Friendship Circle provided the eye-catching materials, including branded cups, tablecloths, banners, t-shirts, and a recipe. The children took it […]

“Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem . . . The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” Zechariah 8:4 The slow summer months are quiet on the Jewish calendar, uninterrupted by holidays. There are, however, two days of fasting — the […]

The beautiful and important custom of checking tefillin and mezuzahs in Elul In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to get caught up in minutiae and marvel at how time passes much too quickly. But one of the beautiful things of the month of Elul is to consciously use time for reflection, introspection […]

When a professor aboard a maritime training vessel in the Atlantic needed kosher food, Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff of Chabad at Texas A&M University sprung into action. In keeping with his kosher diet, Chief Engineer Milton Korn of the USTS Kennedy had been eating only canned tuna and sardines as the vessel prepared to dock in […]

“Like Living In The Middle Of Nowhere” Chabad Of San Miguel De Allende – Part 1/4 It isn’t the Mexico of your mind’s eye. No sandy beaches, no spring break revelers. You don’t even need Spanish to get around here. San Miguel de Allende, a landlocked town three and a half hours north of Mexico […]

“Look up and count.”  So begins the history of our people, as related in the Torah—with a tally. Before issuing the famous Covenant of the Parts, G-d tells the first Jew, Abraham:“Please look heavenward and count the stars. Can you count them?” (Genesis 15:5) Of course, there are too many stars to count, but that is […]

Director of Chabad of Hanover cited for work with her late husband, Rabbi Binyamin Wolff It was on a bright summer morning when Shterna Wolff, director of Chabad of Hanover, was approached by an influential German magazine about the possibility of being featured as its “Person of the Week.” At first, she thought it was […]

Sandra Paul seeks to share her profound life-changing experience with others Sandra Bram’s first encounter with Chabad was typical of many college students. On a breezy California afternoon in the fall of 2009, clad in jeans and a T-shirt, she first met Rabbi Chaim Shaul Brook on the campus of California State University of Northridge. […]

The Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers selected Bassie Shemtov to be the third Disability Pride Month Game Changers honoree for her dedication to ensuring that individuals with disabilities receive the support and friendship they deserve.  Shemtov launched the first Friendship Circle in the country back in 1994, and created the Ferber Kaufman Lifetown facility […]