A team of Chabad activists led by Rabbi Shimon Elharar has begun a new initiative to protect Israel from her enemies: encouraging Jews to use tefillin (phylacteries). Jews are responsible for each other, Rabbi Elharar explains, according to the verse, “The entire people of Israel are guarantors for each other.”
A mitzvah (good deed) performed by one Jew can provide spiritual protection not only for the one performing it, but for all Jews, Rabbi Elharar says. “In our current situation, we must help our soldiers on the front of mitzvot and good deeds.”
Tefillin in particular is known for providing Divine protection and casting fear on Israel's enemies, Rabbi Elharar's team reminds the men they encounter as they work the crowds in the shopping malls at the Dead Sea hotel strip. The rabbis quote a verse from Devarim (Deuteronomy): “And the people of the land shall see that G-d's name is upon you, and they shall fear you.”
Activists tell a story from the Yom Kippur War that illustrates this principle. Following the war, an Israeli soldier wrote to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the head of the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement, describing an incident involving Egyptian soldiers.
In the middle of the war, Israeli soldiers saw a group of Egyptian soldiers approaching their position. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the Egyptians dropped their weapons and began a hasty retreat. The IDF commander was so surprised that he chased the Egyptian soldiers to see what had happened. The Egyptian commander said he had seen the Israeli soldiers wearing their “secret weapon”--a black box centered in the middle of their foreheads.
The Egyptians had mistaken the soldiers' tefillin for a secret weapon, the soldier told the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Tefillin is the soldiers' secret weapon, the Rebbe replied.
Rabbi Elharar is calling on all Jewish men to put on tefillin in order to provide Divine protection for the IDF soldiers and all Jews, and to cause Israel's enemies to flee in fear. He adds that Jewish women, who traditionally do not use tefillin, should light Sabbath candles and perform other mitzvot (good deeds) on behalf of the IDF and the Jewish people
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Sunday, January 11, 2009
A 770 Miracle: Rocket Hit Courtyard of Empty Chabad School
IsraelNN.com
A Grad rocket exploded in the courtyard of a Chabad school in Be'er Sheva Sunday morning. "It was a revealed miracle that classes had not been renewed," Chabad principal Simcha Weitzman said.
The long-range missile hit around 7:30 a.m., when dozens of students usually are milling around in the educational facility in the 'Capital of the Negev.' "There usually are boys and girls arriving at school with their parents, or on buses at this hour," she added. "I have no doubt that the merits of the Rebbe protected us," the principal said, referring to the late Chabad-Lubavitch spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
Many schools in Be'er Sheva, particularly those with sheltered areas and whose students are preparing for matriculation exams, re-opened Sunday morning with the permission of the Home Front Command. Many others, including Chabad, remained closed.
By Sunday night, Hamas and allied terrorists had fired 24 rockets at southern Israel in the 16th day of the war. One long-range rocket hit an empty kindergarten in Ashdod, causing damage to the building.
Another school, located in Sderot, nearly sustained a direct hit from a Kassam rocket.
A Grad rocket exploded in the courtyard of a Chabad school in Be'er Sheva Sunday morning. "It was a revealed miracle that classes had not been renewed," Chabad principal Simcha Weitzman said.
The long-range missile hit around 7:30 a.m., when dozens of students usually are milling around in the educational facility in the 'Capital of the Negev.' "There usually are boys and girls arriving at school with their parents, or on buses at this hour," she added. "I have no doubt that the merits of the Rebbe protected us," the principal said, referring to the late Chabad-Lubavitch spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
Many schools in Be'er Sheva, particularly those with sheltered areas and whose students are preparing for matriculation exams, re-opened Sunday morning with the permission of the Home Front Command. Many others, including Chabad, remained closed.
By Sunday night, Hamas and allied terrorists had fired 24 rockets at southern Israel in the 16th day of the war. One long-range rocket hit an empty kindergarten in Ashdod, causing damage to the building.
Another school, located in Sderot, nearly sustained a direct hit from a Kassam rocket.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Finance Ministry May Fund Security for Chabad Houses
MK (UTJ) Rabbi Yaakov Litzman met with treasury official Ram Belinkov, who explained the Finance Ministry is looking into the possibility of funding security for Chabad houses around the world.
Apparently Litzman began seeking funding for Chabad houses around the world before the Mumbai terror attack and he is now pushing the request again, explaining the need to provide funding for the Chabad network. Litzman maintains good relations with a number of senior treasury officials, including Belinkov, who has indicated he is willing to seek a source of funding for the NIS 2 million needed to assist with security in Chabad houses.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Apparently Litzman began seeking funding for Chabad houses around the world before the Mumbai terror attack and he is now pushing the request again, explaining the need to provide funding for the Chabad network. Litzman maintains good relations with a number of senior treasury officials, including Belinkov, who has indicated he is willing to seek a source of funding for the NIS 2 million needed to assist with security in Chabad houses.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Lubavitcher Rebbe Pure Silver Medal
THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE
OFFICIAL MEDAL
First in the "Jewish Sages" Medal Series
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was one of the most important Jewish spiritual leaders in modern times. While he was the leader of the Lubavitcher (Chabad) Hasidic Movement, his influence was, and still is, felt far beyond the limits of "Lubavitch" alone.
The Rebbe was a child prodigy, devoting all his energy to the study of Torah. He later acquired a secular higher education at the University of Berlin and the Sorbonne in Paris.
In 1941, he managed to escape the horrors of the Holocaust and arrived in the United States with his wife. He then began intensive efforts towards rehabilitating the Jewish people and establishing Jewish educational organizations and institutions, both in the United States and throughout the world. In addition, the Rebbe strove to enhance Jewish awareness through his special "Mitzvah Tanks", promoting "Tephillin", "Ahavas Yisroel" (a love for the people of Israel) and "Moshiach" (Messiah). His immense work in the field of education gained such worldwide admiration, that the President of the United States designated the birthday of the Rebbe as National Education Day.
The medal face bears a portrait of the Rebbe. The reverse design, which will be common to all the medals in the "Jewish Sages" series, represents the wisdom and holiness that have emanated from the works of our Jewish Sages, throughout the generations.
Future medals in this series will feature Maimonides (the Rambam) and Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (the Hafetz Haim). We urge you to place a standing order for all the medals in the series, so as to be sure you will not miss any of them. In addition, you will benefit from special discounted medal prices and save on shipping costs of the next shipments. With a standing order for the bronze medals, together with the second medal issued, you will receive a special album to house all the medals in the series in their plastic protective cases. Subscribers to the silver and gold medals will receive a prestigious box for display of the medals. To place a Standing Order for the series, send an email message to medals@coins.co.il
Design: Medal Face – Tamar Tsohar, Common Reverse – Aharon Shevo
Medal Specifications:
Metal: Pure Silver Diameter: 39mm Weight: 31.1g Maximum Mintage: 770
The Israel Coins and Medals Corporation (ICMC)
The Corporation was established in 1958 by Prime Minister Ben Gurion and has remained under the full ownership of the Israel Government ever since, with the purpose of commemorating the history and achievements of the State of Israel, and paying tribute to those personalities who have paid an important role therein. ICMC distributes the Commemorative Coins and Circulation Coin Sets issued by the Bank of Israel and has the exclusive rights to issue the official medals of the State of Israel.
OFFICIAL MEDAL
First in the "Jewish Sages" Medal Series
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was one of the most important Jewish spiritual leaders in modern times. While he was the leader of the Lubavitcher (Chabad) Hasidic Movement, his influence was, and still is, felt far beyond the limits of "Lubavitch" alone.
The Rebbe was a child prodigy, devoting all his energy to the study of Torah. He later acquired a secular higher education at the University of Berlin and the Sorbonne in Paris.
In 1941, he managed to escape the horrors of the Holocaust and arrived in the United States with his wife. He then began intensive efforts towards rehabilitating the Jewish people and establishing Jewish educational organizations and institutions, both in the United States and throughout the world. In addition, the Rebbe strove to enhance Jewish awareness through his special "Mitzvah Tanks", promoting "Tephillin", "Ahavas Yisroel" (a love for the people of Israel) and "Moshiach" (Messiah). His immense work in the field of education gained such worldwide admiration, that the President of the United States designated the birthday of the Rebbe as National Education Day.
The medal face bears a portrait of the Rebbe. The reverse design, which will be common to all the medals in the "Jewish Sages" series, represents the wisdom and holiness that have emanated from the works of our Jewish Sages, throughout the generations.
Future medals in this series will feature Maimonides (the Rambam) and Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (the Hafetz Haim). We urge you to place a standing order for all the medals in the series, so as to be sure you will not miss any of them. In addition, you will benefit from special discounted medal prices and save on shipping costs of the next shipments. With a standing order for the bronze medals, together with the second medal issued, you will receive a special album to house all the medals in the series in their plastic protective cases. Subscribers to the silver and gold medals will receive a prestigious box for display of the medals. To place a Standing Order for the series, send an email message to medals@coins.co.il
Design: Medal Face – Tamar Tsohar, Common Reverse – Aharon Shevo
Medal Specifications:
Metal: Pure Silver Diameter: 39mm Weight: 31.1g Maximum Mintage: 770
The Israel Coins and Medals Corporation (ICMC)
The Corporation was established in 1958 by Prime Minister Ben Gurion and has remained under the full ownership of the Israel Government ever since, with the purpose of commemorating the history and achievements of the State of Israel, and paying tribute to those personalities who have paid an important role therein. ICMC distributes the Commemorative Coins and Circulation Coin Sets issued by the Bank of Israel and has the exclusive rights to issue the official medals of the State of Israel.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Woman slain in Chabad attack will not be recognized as terror victim
Norma Shvarzblat Rabinovich was murdered one day before making aliyah, but National Insurance Institute says her children not eligible for stipends. Livni: Mumbai terrorists targeted Jewish symbol
Yael Branovsky
Norma Shvarzblat Rabinovich, who was murdered in the terror attack on the Chabad Jewish Center in Mumbai just one day before making aliyah, will not be declared a victim of terrorism.
Earlier Sunday, the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies decided to recognize the Israeli victims of the Mumbai attack as terror victims.
The decision was later sanctioned by the Ministry of Interior and the Defense Ministry. Nevertheless, Shvarzblat Rabinovich, who was still a Mexican citizen at the time of her murder, was excluded form the decision.
While the Foreign Ministry officially named her among the Israeli victims of the murderous attack, the National Insurance Institute of Israel (NII) said it will not offer her family the stipends allotted in such cases. The NII said it was simply "following the letter of the law."
Shvarzblat Rabinovich's son and daughter, who already immigrated to Israel, will have to rely on the Jewish Agency's Fund for Victims of Terror for financial assistance.
Norma, 50, was traveling across India for the past two months. She was supposed to fly to Israel on Monday to celebrate her son's 18th birthday.
Minister Jacob Edery, who heads the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies, said the situation was "unfortunate" and pledged to do everything in his power to help the family, should they seek his assistance.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Sunday that the terror attack in Mumbai proved once more that "the radicals wish only to steal other people's rights instead of getting their own."
Livni, who met with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, added that the terrorists' goal was "to hurt those who represent the free world and this time they also targeted a Jewish symbol… the world must unite in order to face this threat."
Yael Branovsky
Norma Shvarzblat Rabinovich, who was murdered in the terror attack on the Chabad Jewish Center in Mumbai just one day before making aliyah, will not be declared a victim of terrorism.
Earlier Sunday, the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies decided to recognize the Israeli victims of the Mumbai attack as terror victims.
The decision was later sanctioned by the Ministry of Interior and the Defense Ministry. Nevertheless, Shvarzblat Rabinovich, who was still a Mexican citizen at the time of her murder, was excluded form the decision.
While the Foreign Ministry officially named her among the Israeli victims of the murderous attack, the National Insurance Institute of Israel (NII) said it will not offer her family the stipends allotted in such cases. The NII said it was simply "following the letter of the law."
Shvarzblat Rabinovich's son and daughter, who already immigrated to Israel, will have to rely on the Jewish Agency's Fund for Victims of Terror for financial assistance.
Norma, 50, was traveling across India for the past two months. She was supposed to fly to Israel on Monday to celebrate her son's 18th birthday.
Minister Jacob Edery, who heads the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies, said the situation was "unfortunate" and pledged to do everything in his power to help the family, should they seek his assistance.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Sunday that the terror attack in Mumbai proved once more that "the radicals wish only to steal other people's rights instead of getting their own."
Livni, who met with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, added that the terrorists' goal was "to hurt those who represent the free world and this time they also targeted a Jewish symbol… the world must unite in order to face this threat."
Chabad: Allow Indian nanny to immigrate to Israel
On Friday two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg was orphaned of both his parents, Chabad emissaries to Mumbai. Now both his family and the ultra-Orthodox organization are asking that his savior, Sandra Samuel, be allowed to come to Israel
Ynet
Chairman of 'Agudas Chasidei Chabad,' Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Aharonov, has called for Israel to allow the Indian caretaker who saved toddler Moshe Holtzberg from the besieged Chabad center in Mumbai to immigrate.
Sandra Samuel grabbed the toddler, who turned two on Saturday, as terrorists stormed the ultra-Orthodox center and escaped with him in her arms. Both of Moshe's parents, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, were murdered.
"I've spoken to the people in India, we've asked them to arrange the visa. The request has also come from the emissary's (Holtzberg) father and Rivka's mother. At this point she's the only one the boy is responding to," Aharonov told Ynet.
The Holtzberg family is keen to see the nanny, who is very close to the toddler, come back to Israel with him. Their only concern is the bureaucratic hurdle.
Chabad spokesman, Rabbi Menachem Brod: "Rabbi Aharonov spoke with the grandfather and grandmother, and they both feel the nanny should come with the child. But there is paperwork to arrange. We ask the government to work towards bringing her here.
Samuel is currently staying with Moshe at the home of Ehud Raz, the top security officer at the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai. The toddler's maternal grandparents are also with him, having rushed to India from Israel as news of the crisis emerged.
"In the evening his mother always puts him to sleep and now he doesn't understand what's going on," Samuel said. Regarding the attack on the Chabad center she said, "It was terrible, there were explosions everywhere, gunfire – they tried to shoot me.
Ynet
Chairman of 'Agudas Chasidei Chabad,' Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Aharonov, has called for Israel to allow the Indian caretaker who saved toddler Moshe Holtzberg from the besieged Chabad center in Mumbai to immigrate.
Sandra Samuel grabbed the toddler, who turned two on Saturday, as terrorists stormed the ultra-Orthodox center and escaped with him in her arms. Both of Moshe's parents, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, were murdered.
"I've spoken to the people in India, we've asked them to arrange the visa. The request has also come from the emissary's (Holtzberg) father and Rivka's mother. At this point she's the only one the boy is responding to," Aharonov told Ynet.
The Holtzberg family is keen to see the nanny, who is very close to the toddler, come back to Israel with him. Their only concern is the bureaucratic hurdle.
Chabad spokesman, Rabbi Menachem Brod: "Rabbi Aharonov spoke with the grandfather and grandmother, and they both feel the nanny should come with the child. But there is paperwork to arrange. We ask the government to work towards bringing her here.
Samuel is currently staying with Moshe at the home of Ehud Raz, the top security officer at the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai. The toddler's maternal grandparents are also with him, having rushed to India from Israel as news of the crisis emerged.
"In the evening his mother always puts him to sleep and now he doesn't understand what's going on," Samuel said. Regarding the attack on the Chabad center she said, "It was terrible, there were explosions everywhere, gunfire – they tried to shoot me.
Chabad hero nanny heading to Israel
Nov. 30, 2008
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST
Sandra, the nanny who rescued two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg from the Islamic terrorists that stormed the Chabad House in Mumbai, is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday and be granted entry by the Interior Ministry.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Sunday that her office was working to arrange Sandra's visit to Israel.
Army Radio that the Interior Ministry was considering bestowing Sandra the 'righteous gentile' title, which would allow her to remain in Israel for an extended period of time.
The toddler was reunited with his Israeli grandparents, Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg, on Friday.
Moshe's parents, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were killed in the Chabad House massacre together with at least four others.
Israeli media reported that some of the victims were found wrapped in prayer shawls, in accordance with Jewish burial tradition. The reports speculated that one of the hostages had wrapped the bodies before he was killed.
According to unconfirmed reports attributed to Indian security sources, most of the hostages were found bound and gagged by the commandos, and had been shot long before Indian forces landed on the roof from a helicopter on Thursday night.
Speaking from the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai, Foreign Ministry official Haim Hoshen told the Post on Saturday that there was no doubt the Chabad House was the target of a premeditated and planned assault.
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST
Sandra, the nanny who rescued two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg from the Islamic terrorists that stormed the Chabad House in Mumbai, is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday and be granted entry by the Interior Ministry.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Sunday that her office was working to arrange Sandra's visit to Israel.
Army Radio that the Interior Ministry was considering bestowing Sandra the 'righteous gentile' title, which would allow her to remain in Israel for an extended period of time.
The toddler was reunited with his Israeli grandparents, Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg, on Friday.
Moshe's parents, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were killed in the Chabad House massacre together with at least four others.
Israeli media reported that some of the victims were found wrapped in prayer shawls, in accordance with Jewish burial tradition. The reports speculated that one of the hostages had wrapped the bodies before he was killed.
According to unconfirmed reports attributed to Indian security sources, most of the hostages were found bound and gagged by the commandos, and had been shot long before Indian forces landed on the roof from a helicopter on Thursday night.
Speaking from the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai, Foreign Ministry official Haim Hoshen told the Post on Saturday that there was no doubt the Chabad House was the target of a premeditated and planned assault.
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The rabbi's army
Nissan Shtrauchler
Chabad summer camp includes money collection, love of God; 'the object is to send emissaries all over the world so that every Jew would have the option of receiving physical and spiritual aid,' coordinator says
They stand in a line, fall in a group of threes and are ordered to go to the parade ground, equipped with a discipline manual. Despite the similarities to any army recruitment center, these are not 18-year-old kids who are joining the IDF, these are children, aged 9 to 13 who were accepted to a unique program aimed at training the children as "house managers" for the countless Chabad houses located worldwide. The program is run by the Chabad organization itself.
For this purpose, Kfar Galim, a youth village located near the coastal town of Atlit was chosen. Some 150 children, who are planning to become emissaries of the Rabbi of Lubavitch, still get to go to the pool and field trips, but the bulk of the training is given in an entirely military-like discipline, which includes an intensive program where the children stay at the youth village for more than two weeks without returning home to mom and dad.
Among the activities the children attend are lectures on the various aspects of being a Chabad emissary, from helping the poor to holding Passover Seders for the hundreds of Israeli backpackers overseas who desire a little piece of home.
This course, the first of its kind, was designed and is run by Chabad's youth organization, headed by Rabbi Joseph Isaac Aharonov, and is aimed to instill the essence of emissary work for Chabad, and build up a renewing pool of potential future emissaries.
"This course is designed to continue the Rabbi of Lubavitch's way, to educate the next generation of Chabad leadership and to instill the love of Israel", said Rabbi Aharonov, "These children will be the representatives of Chabad everywhere". The results, he hopes, will be evident in a few years when these children get married, only then, if they wish and are able to meet the criteria required, can they become emissaries for Chabad.
'You have joined Hashem's army'
For most people, the encounter in Israel with a member of Chabad takes place when they offer tefillin to male passersby or offer a Shabbat lighting kit to the female members of the crowd. The more in-depth encounters however occur overseas, where many Chabad "bases" are located, filled with basic things a Jew requires – from kosher food to tefillin, to more complex things like diplomatic assistance and aid to the young Israeli backpackers who get into trouble far from home.
Usually the emissaries are the heads of small, close knit families – a father, a mother and a few children, who need help adjusting to their new environment, and gradually help their parents more and more when they are older.
"The objective is to send emissaries all over the world so that every Jew would have the option of receiving physical and spiritual aid," says Nahman Barod, a camp coordinator, affectionately nicknamed "the commander', who is in charge of a platoon of kids.
"To be an emissary for Chabad requires some sacrifice and adjustment to a certain reality. The fact that some of the children here arrive from emissary families, gives them an edge of sorts. While their parents need to adjust to the emissary life style, for them this life is routine".
Chabad believes that the more these children learn, the better their chances are of being successful in the field, or by paraphrasing an old army saying, "hard in training, easy in the battle for the soul". Using army terms is not new for the members of Chabad, even though no one will admit to it out loud, in contrast to other Orthodox sects in Judaism, their members serve in the IDF without social condemnation, and the emissaries' work sometimes completely interacts with the army.
The Chabad emissaries, among their different duties, visit different army bases before holidays and Shabbat and sometimes work together with "the army aunts" and give out food for soldiers on the road.
"I have friends in the army and I have talked to many soldiers in my life" says Barod, "we divided the 'troops' into three regiments, comprised of nine companies. Each 'soldier' received a folder with everything they need to know. We give the children a sense that we are fighting an enemy, the enemy being evil nature. Each 'soldier' must follow our rules; most of them are aimed at the children's safety: no hitting other children, no leaving the camp grounds, and attendance at camp functions are mandatory."
One such activity is the morning parade. But the day actually starts earlier, with a military style wake up at 7:15 am. The different companies march to the mikveh, and after a dip, say the Morning Prayer and head to the parade ground, where the children stand at attention in front of a picture of the Rabbi of Leubavits, who is referred to as the "chief of staff", salute, and then begin the hoisting of the flag, accompanied by the "soldiers" singing adherent hymns, and mention the 12 verses that the Rabbi of Leubavits decreed that every child should say during the day – six during the morning parade, and the other six during the evening parade.
"Summer camp is the best way to educate the children, because the activities yield an experience", says Barod. Among the different activities, the children play Monopoly, where instead of cities they buy countries in order to establish Chabad Houses. Children over the age of 13 however, are already learning to place tefillin on other people, raise money and organize massive holiday dinners and more.
The day's agenda is carefully planned, with base rules and course content handed out at the end of enlistment. "You have joined Hashem's army. The Jewish army is like any other army. It is built on discipline and values, and as the Rabbi said, you can rise through the ranks", states the notebook that each recruit receives.
Unlike the course that is offered through the Foreign Ministry, where only 30 people out of thousands are accepted every year, the children who get accepted to the Chabad emissary course got accepted the old fashioned way – their relation to current emissaries. Chabad's youth organization explains that the reason for this is that the children have the potential to be the best because they come from that particular environment - because they have already experienced the lifestyle.
The course is affectionately referred to as "Hashem's commandos", and the children know that they are soldiers in the Rabbi of Lubavitch's army, and while he is chief of staff, God still outranks him.
Besides being the children of emissaries, the other common thing these kids have is their devotion to "the rebbe", Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last leader of the movement. The admiration to "The Rebbe" is so huge, that the Chabad movement has been without a clear cut leader since Schneerson's death in 1994.
A small group of followers went ahead and declared Schneerson as the messiah, a move that divided Chabad. Chabad's youth organization rejected this belief and opted for the position that while the movement is without a leader, the last leader's customs should be upheld.
This attitude is carried out with displays of affection and admiration to the character of "The Rebbe" and his deeds and is expressed in the institute of the emissaries, who carry the voice of "The Rebbe" throughout the world.
Another sign of admiration is the custom to name children after "The Rebbe." Among the popular names are Schneer, Menachem or Mendy, short for Mendel. The children are taught from a young age to continue the Rebbe's teachings. They salute the Chabad flag at every summer camp, study the torah and parts of the Mishnah that "The Rebbe" loved, and of course continue the emissary work.
'We are the commandos'
A classic candidate for the course is Mendy Gorlik, who is only 12 and is already planning to open a Chabad house is one of the former soviet republics. "My father is an emissary in Moscow and so are a few of my relatives," he says.
Twelve-year-old Mendy Van Frach, whose father is the emissary to Holland, plans to become one as well when he grows up. "I really hope that in the future I will be an emissary in Israel." When asked about the difficulties regarding living abroad, away from friends and family, he smiles and says "I get asked a lot on whether or not I'm lonely, and I explain that I meet a lot of interesting people and I do a lot of good deeds with my father and I understand the importance of being a Chabad emissary.
"All of the other children are basically soldiers in Hashem's army, and every soldier, after he gets married and approved for the job will go wherever he is told. We keep getting told that we are the commandos, before I didn't know what that meant, but after I was told what it meant and understood it's meaning I feel good about myself," he said.
"When you bring a Jew closer to Judaism and he performs a mitzvah, you are a part of it and its fun" says Mendy from Beersheba. "Sometimes you don't know if you are going to be an emissary, so I came here and it renewed my interest in becoming an emissary, to be a part of bringing people together".
Mendy's future "service" is dependent on a dream that he and his parents share. "You never know what's going to happen" he says with a smile, "what if the Messiah arrives tomorrow?"
Back
1. I really enjoyed this article
Marty , USA (08.21.08)
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2. Chabad movement is the most beautiful thing I've ever found
They are great and very loving people.I love them.
Keren , Israel-SP (08.21.08)
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3. Maybe we ought to take a page from Chabads Education
Love G-D
Learning to love another Jew.
Helping another Jew find his/her Jewish spark.
Love of the Jewish Land Israel.
Love of Torah and Mitzvot.
This is all a tribute to the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Harry (08.21.08)
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4. Answer please
As an ex- Chabadnik, can someone , somewhere please clarify for me the following.
The Chabad ideology is to "demand" Mashiach now. (I assume that this implies the immediate beggining of the ingathering of Jews from the Diaspora into Eretz Yisrael.)
Now how come Chabad pours millions of dollars into foreign Lands, send hundreds, if not thousands of young people all over the world, contiue to to open more and more Chabad houses, and generally strengthen the Diaspora planning a long extended stay in exile.
Sheer hypocrisy!! Do they want a glorious return to Eretz Yisrael after 2000 years in exile, or an indefinite stay in exilic Lands?
Choni Davidowitz (08.21.08)
babchon@telkomsa.net
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5. To Keren #2
As individuals, they certainly are wonderful and beautiful people, but as a movement , I regret to inform you that they are staunchly anti- Zionist.- (even though they will not publically admit it)
Almost all Chabadniks living in Israel consider themselves still to be living in Golus.
If you don't believe me then just ask them.
As for Chabad in the Diaspora, there is no better example of the spies of the generation.
Choni Davidowitz (08.21.08)
babchon@telkomsa.net
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6. #5 Choni-They are right:in the actual Israel..
we are yet in the Galut.
Keren , Israel-SP (08.21.08)
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7. Great Article! Also, maybe they'll go to the army also.
Maybe, from their becoming used to military-like behavior, they'll become more likely to accept and understand the idea that it is the duty of every Israeli citizen to take part in defending the country, and realize that they should fulfill their obligation, and not miss the great oppurtunity to fulfil this mitzvah. (See Rambam's definition of the two types of Milchemet Mitzvah.)
Michael Berg , Toronto, Ontario (08.21.08)
Chabad summer camp includes money collection, love of God; 'the object is to send emissaries all over the world so that every Jew would have the option of receiving physical and spiritual aid,' coordinator says
They stand in a line, fall in a group of threes and are ordered to go to the parade ground, equipped with a discipline manual. Despite the similarities to any army recruitment center, these are not 18-year-old kids who are joining the IDF, these are children, aged 9 to 13 who were accepted to a unique program aimed at training the children as "house managers" for the countless Chabad houses located worldwide. The program is run by the Chabad organization itself.
For this purpose, Kfar Galim, a youth village located near the coastal town of Atlit was chosen. Some 150 children, who are planning to become emissaries of the Rabbi of Lubavitch, still get to go to the pool and field trips, but the bulk of the training is given in an entirely military-like discipline, which includes an intensive program where the children stay at the youth village for more than two weeks without returning home to mom and dad.
Among the activities the children attend are lectures on the various aspects of being a Chabad emissary, from helping the poor to holding Passover Seders for the hundreds of Israeli backpackers overseas who desire a little piece of home.
This course, the first of its kind, was designed and is run by Chabad's youth organization, headed by Rabbi Joseph Isaac Aharonov, and is aimed to instill the essence of emissary work for Chabad, and build up a renewing pool of potential future emissaries.
"This course is designed to continue the Rabbi of Lubavitch's way, to educate the next generation of Chabad leadership and to instill the love of Israel", said Rabbi Aharonov, "These children will be the representatives of Chabad everywhere". The results, he hopes, will be evident in a few years when these children get married, only then, if they wish and are able to meet the criteria required, can they become emissaries for Chabad.
'You have joined Hashem's army'
For most people, the encounter in Israel with a member of Chabad takes place when they offer tefillin to male passersby or offer a Shabbat lighting kit to the female members of the crowd. The more in-depth encounters however occur overseas, where many Chabad "bases" are located, filled with basic things a Jew requires – from kosher food to tefillin, to more complex things like diplomatic assistance and aid to the young Israeli backpackers who get into trouble far from home.
Usually the emissaries are the heads of small, close knit families – a father, a mother and a few children, who need help adjusting to their new environment, and gradually help their parents more and more when they are older.
"The objective is to send emissaries all over the world so that every Jew would have the option of receiving physical and spiritual aid," says Nahman Barod, a camp coordinator, affectionately nicknamed "the commander', who is in charge of a platoon of kids.
"To be an emissary for Chabad requires some sacrifice and adjustment to a certain reality. The fact that some of the children here arrive from emissary families, gives them an edge of sorts. While their parents need to adjust to the emissary life style, for them this life is routine".
Chabad believes that the more these children learn, the better their chances are of being successful in the field, or by paraphrasing an old army saying, "hard in training, easy in the battle for the soul". Using army terms is not new for the members of Chabad, even though no one will admit to it out loud, in contrast to other Orthodox sects in Judaism, their members serve in the IDF without social condemnation, and the emissaries' work sometimes completely interacts with the army.
The Chabad emissaries, among their different duties, visit different army bases before holidays and Shabbat and sometimes work together with "the army aunts" and give out food for soldiers on the road.
"I have friends in the army and I have talked to many soldiers in my life" says Barod, "we divided the 'troops' into three regiments, comprised of nine companies. Each 'soldier' received a folder with everything they need to know. We give the children a sense that we are fighting an enemy, the enemy being evil nature. Each 'soldier' must follow our rules; most of them are aimed at the children's safety: no hitting other children, no leaving the camp grounds, and attendance at camp functions are mandatory."
One such activity is the morning parade. But the day actually starts earlier, with a military style wake up at 7:15 am. The different companies march to the mikveh, and after a dip, say the Morning Prayer and head to the parade ground, where the children stand at attention in front of a picture of the Rabbi of Leubavits, who is referred to as the "chief of staff", salute, and then begin the hoisting of the flag, accompanied by the "soldiers" singing adherent hymns, and mention the 12 verses that the Rabbi of Leubavits decreed that every child should say during the day – six during the morning parade, and the other six during the evening parade.
"Summer camp is the best way to educate the children, because the activities yield an experience", says Barod. Among the different activities, the children play Monopoly, where instead of cities they buy countries in order to establish Chabad Houses. Children over the age of 13 however, are already learning to place tefillin on other people, raise money and organize massive holiday dinners and more.
The day's agenda is carefully planned, with base rules and course content handed out at the end of enlistment. "You have joined Hashem's army. The Jewish army is like any other army. It is built on discipline and values, and as the Rabbi said, you can rise through the ranks", states the notebook that each recruit receives.
Unlike the course that is offered through the Foreign Ministry, where only 30 people out of thousands are accepted every year, the children who get accepted to the Chabad emissary course got accepted the old fashioned way – their relation to current emissaries. Chabad's youth organization explains that the reason for this is that the children have the potential to be the best because they come from that particular environment - because they have already experienced the lifestyle.
The course is affectionately referred to as "Hashem's commandos", and the children know that they are soldiers in the Rabbi of Lubavitch's army, and while he is chief of staff, God still outranks him.
Besides being the children of emissaries, the other common thing these kids have is their devotion to "the rebbe", Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last leader of the movement. The admiration to "The Rebbe" is so huge, that the Chabad movement has been without a clear cut leader since Schneerson's death in 1994.
A small group of followers went ahead and declared Schneerson as the messiah, a move that divided Chabad. Chabad's youth organization rejected this belief and opted for the position that while the movement is without a leader, the last leader's customs should be upheld.
This attitude is carried out with displays of affection and admiration to the character of "The Rebbe" and his deeds and is expressed in the institute of the emissaries, who carry the voice of "The Rebbe" throughout the world.
Another sign of admiration is the custom to name children after "The Rebbe." Among the popular names are Schneer, Menachem or Mendy, short for Mendel. The children are taught from a young age to continue the Rebbe's teachings. They salute the Chabad flag at every summer camp, study the torah and parts of the Mishnah that "The Rebbe" loved, and of course continue the emissary work.
'We are the commandos'
A classic candidate for the course is Mendy Gorlik, who is only 12 and is already planning to open a Chabad house is one of the former soviet republics. "My father is an emissary in Moscow and so are a few of my relatives," he says.
Twelve-year-old Mendy Van Frach, whose father is the emissary to Holland, plans to become one as well when he grows up. "I really hope that in the future I will be an emissary in Israel." When asked about the difficulties regarding living abroad, away from friends and family, he smiles and says "I get asked a lot on whether or not I'm lonely, and I explain that I meet a lot of interesting people and I do a lot of good deeds with my father and I understand the importance of being a Chabad emissary.
"All of the other children are basically soldiers in Hashem's army, and every soldier, after he gets married and approved for the job will go wherever he is told. We keep getting told that we are the commandos, before I didn't know what that meant, but after I was told what it meant and understood it's meaning I feel good about myself," he said.
"When you bring a Jew closer to Judaism and he performs a mitzvah, you are a part of it and its fun" says Mendy from Beersheba. "Sometimes you don't know if you are going to be an emissary, so I came here and it renewed my interest in becoming an emissary, to be a part of bringing people together".
Mendy's future "service" is dependent on a dream that he and his parents share. "You never know what's going to happen" he says with a smile, "what if the Messiah arrives tomorrow?"
Back
1. I really enjoyed this article
Marty , USA (08.21.08)
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2. Chabad movement is the most beautiful thing I've ever found
They are great and very loving people.I love them.
Keren , Israel-SP (08.21.08)
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3. Maybe we ought to take a page from Chabads Education
Love G-D
Learning to love another Jew.
Helping another Jew find his/her Jewish spark.
Love of the Jewish Land Israel.
Love of Torah and Mitzvot.
This is all a tribute to the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Harry (08.21.08)
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4. Answer please
As an ex- Chabadnik, can someone , somewhere please clarify for me the following.
The Chabad ideology is to "demand" Mashiach now. (I assume that this implies the immediate beggining of the ingathering of Jews from the Diaspora into Eretz Yisrael.)
Now how come Chabad pours millions of dollars into foreign Lands, send hundreds, if not thousands of young people all over the world, contiue to to open more and more Chabad houses, and generally strengthen the Diaspora planning a long extended stay in exile.
Sheer hypocrisy!! Do they want a glorious return to Eretz Yisrael after 2000 years in exile, or an indefinite stay in exilic Lands?
Choni Davidowitz (08.21.08)
babchon@telkomsa.net
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5. To Keren #2
As individuals, they certainly are wonderful and beautiful people, but as a movement , I regret to inform you that they are staunchly anti- Zionist.- (even though they will not publically admit it)
Almost all Chabadniks living in Israel consider themselves still to be living in Golus.
If you don't believe me then just ask them.
As for Chabad in the Diaspora, there is no better example of the spies of the generation.
Choni Davidowitz (08.21.08)
babchon@telkomsa.net
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6. #5 Choni-They are right:in the actual Israel..
we are yet in the Galut.
Keren , Israel-SP (08.21.08)
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7. Great Article! Also, maybe they'll go to the army also.
Maybe, from their becoming used to military-like behavior, they'll become more likely to accept and understand the idea that it is the duty of every Israeli citizen to take part in defending the country, and realize that they should fulfill their obligation, and not miss the great oppurtunity to fulfil this mitzvah. (See Rambam's definition of the two types of Milchemet Mitzvah.)
Michael Berg , Toronto, Ontario (08.21.08)
Friday, May 23, 2008
A new home, a new life
Rabbi Mordechai Weiss, who made aliyah from Teaneck, is now a tour guide as well as a religious guide.
Ronda Israel, a New Jersey school administrator turned Israeli chocolate-maker, encourages anyone contemplating aliyah to think outside the box.
"If your heart is here, you will say, I can live here and be a productive Israeli. I can take the skills God gave me over a lifetime and do something with them that doesn't have to be the same thing I did before," Israel says.
While many new Israelis choose to commute or telecommute to their diaspora jobs, others make major career changes in order to earn a living in the Middle East.
Ronda Israel, a New Jersey school administrator turned Israeli chocolate-maker, encourages anyone contemplating aliyah to think outside the box.
"If your heart is here, you will say, I can live here and be a productive Israeli. I can take the skills God gave me over a lifetime and do something with them that doesn't have to be the same thing I did before," Israel says.
While many new Israelis choose to commute or telecommute to their diaspora jobs, others make major career changes in order to earn a living in the Middle East.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Birthright opens circle to include special needs
by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer
March 27, 2008
Avi Saunders 18, of Livingston and Eric Kaye, 20, of Parsippany just returned from their once-in-a-lifetime Taglit-Birthright Israel trip.
Just thinking about being at the Western Wall made Avi clap his hands and sigh in contentment. Eric recalled how happy he was when they landed in Israel and emerged into the warm weather.
Those were highlights of a trip their parents never thought their children would be able to take. Avi and Eric both have autism.
Hosting youngsters with special needs was a first-time experience for Mayanot, a trip provider for Taglit-Birthright Israel, a program that provides free or heavily subsidized Israel tours for young travelers to Israel.
“There’s no reason people should miss Birthright Israel just because they have a disability. Every young Jew should be able to go,” said Avi Weinstein, director of Mayanot’s Birthright programming.
“I first thought, ‘no way,’” said Avi’s mother, Lori, when she found out about the trip last August. “I’m not letting him go 6,000 miles away without me. I couldn’t do it; he couldn’t do it.”
But as she heard more about the trip, she said, she warmed to the idea. “What better place for him to spread his wings and become a little more independent?” she said.
Linda Kaye was excited about the trip from the beginning.
“On the day he left, I burst into tears of joy that he could have this opportunity,” she said.
The trip was far more complicated to arrange than regular trips, Weinstein acknowledged. It included a thorough interview process, conducted with the help of two doctors who would also accompany the group. The staff-to-participant ratio was kept low, and the trip was conducted at a slower-than-usual pace.
“Birthright is famous for fast-paced, lack of sleep, zipping through Israel. We slowed it down for this trip, but they’ll still get to see many of the same attractions,” he said, interviewed by phone from his office in New York before the end of the trip.
“We’ve always had people asking if we do trips for people with special needs,” said Weinstein. “But this year we had way more than the normal amount of people asking.”
Avi, the oldest of three siblings, attends the Children’s Institute in Verona, where he takes senior-level classes. With his family, he is a member of the Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center in Livingston. Eric attends ECLC, a special education school in Chatham for students ages six through 21. In addition to his classes, he receives vocational training there. He is the third of four siblings and with his family is a member of Temple Beth Am in Parsippany.
Avi and Eric, like about half of the trip’s 25 participants, participate in the Friendship Circle, a program for special-needs youngsters run by the Chabad-Lubavitch hasidic movement in communities throughout the country.
Friendship Circle made a concerted effort this year to work with Birthright Israel to organize such a trip, according to Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, executive director of the Friendship Circle of MetroWest NJ.
On this first go, Mayanot limited the trip to individuals with no physical disabilities and chose applicants who were very high-functioning.
“Most were independent in terms of eating and getting dressed,” Weinstein said.
They plan to continue the trips. “It’s been a beautiful, beautiful trip. There’s definitely a big motivation for us to do it again,” he said.
Avi and Eric, longtime friends, departed from JFK on March 12 and returned March 24 in the early morning hours.
Avi Saunders, far right, with friends on day five of their trip to Israel.
Later that same day, they gathered around the Saunders’ kitchen table, munching leftover hamantaschen, chocolates, and popcorn and reliving the high points of their visit to Israel.
Exhausted and jet-lagged from their overnight flight, the two friends were nonetheless exuberant about all they had seen. They talked about milking goats in Caesarea, taking cable cars to the top of Masada, swimming in the Dead Sea, seeing candles being made in Tzfat, and taking a boat cruise on the Kineret. They watched goat cheese being made, celebrated Purim, rode on camels, and slept in a Bedouin tent in the desert.
“We had to walk a long way to get to the bathroom!” said Avi.
“I liked looking at the buildings in Tel Aviv,” said Eric, who was also surprised at the farmland he saw in Caesarea. “I was expecting it to be more city-like,” he said.
Asked how he felt when the time came to board the plane and head back to the states, Eric said, “I was sad and happy at the same time.”
Upon seeing Avi return from Israel “so happy,” Lori said, “It just elevated me.”
NJJN Staff Writer
March 27, 2008
Avi Saunders 18, of Livingston and Eric Kaye, 20, of Parsippany just returned from their once-in-a-lifetime Taglit-Birthright Israel trip.
Just thinking about being at the Western Wall made Avi clap his hands and sigh in contentment. Eric recalled how happy he was when they landed in Israel and emerged into the warm weather.
Those were highlights of a trip their parents never thought their children would be able to take. Avi and Eric both have autism.
Hosting youngsters with special needs was a first-time experience for Mayanot, a trip provider for Taglit-Birthright Israel, a program that provides free or heavily subsidized Israel tours for young travelers to Israel.
“There’s no reason people should miss Birthright Israel just because they have a disability. Every young Jew should be able to go,” said Avi Weinstein, director of Mayanot’s Birthright programming.
“I first thought, ‘no way,’” said Avi’s mother, Lori, when she found out about the trip last August. “I’m not letting him go 6,000 miles away without me. I couldn’t do it; he couldn’t do it.”
But as she heard more about the trip, she said, she warmed to the idea. “What better place for him to spread his wings and become a little more independent?” she said.
Linda Kaye was excited about the trip from the beginning.
“On the day he left, I burst into tears of joy that he could have this opportunity,” she said.
The trip was far more complicated to arrange than regular trips, Weinstein acknowledged. It included a thorough interview process, conducted with the help of two doctors who would also accompany the group. The staff-to-participant ratio was kept low, and the trip was conducted at a slower-than-usual pace.
“Birthright is famous for fast-paced, lack of sleep, zipping through Israel. We slowed it down for this trip, but they’ll still get to see many of the same attractions,” he said, interviewed by phone from his office in New York before the end of the trip.
“We’ve always had people asking if we do trips for people with special needs,” said Weinstein. “But this year we had way more than the normal amount of people asking.”
Avi, the oldest of three siblings, attends the Children’s Institute in Verona, where he takes senior-level classes. With his family, he is a member of the Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center in Livingston. Eric attends ECLC, a special education school in Chatham for students ages six through 21. In addition to his classes, he receives vocational training there. He is the third of four siblings and with his family is a member of Temple Beth Am in Parsippany.
Avi and Eric, like about half of the trip’s 25 participants, participate in the Friendship Circle, a program for special-needs youngsters run by the Chabad-Lubavitch hasidic movement in communities throughout the country.
Friendship Circle made a concerted effort this year to work with Birthright Israel to organize such a trip, according to Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, executive director of the Friendship Circle of MetroWest NJ.
On this first go, Mayanot limited the trip to individuals with no physical disabilities and chose applicants who were very high-functioning.
“Most were independent in terms of eating and getting dressed,” Weinstein said.
They plan to continue the trips. “It’s been a beautiful, beautiful trip. There’s definitely a big motivation for us to do it again,” he said.
Avi and Eric, longtime friends, departed from JFK on March 12 and returned March 24 in the early morning hours.
Avi Saunders, far right, with friends on day five of their trip to Israel.
Later that same day, they gathered around the Saunders’ kitchen table, munching leftover hamantaschen, chocolates, and popcorn and reliving the high points of their visit to Israel.
Exhausted and jet-lagged from their overnight flight, the two friends were nonetheless exuberant about all they had seen. They talked about milking goats in Caesarea, taking cable cars to the top of Masada, swimming in the Dead Sea, seeing candles being made in Tzfat, and taking a boat cruise on the Kineret. They watched goat cheese being made, celebrated Purim, rode on camels, and slept in a Bedouin tent in the desert.
“We had to walk a long way to get to the bathroom!” said Avi.
“I liked looking at the buildings in Tel Aviv,” said Eric, who was also surprised at the farmland he saw in Caesarea. “I was expecting it to be more city-like,” he said.
Asked how he felt when the time came to board the plane and head back to the states, Eric said, “I was sad and happy at the same time.”
Upon seeing Avi return from Israel “so happy,” Lori said, “It just elevated me.”
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Walk a stride for relief
Chabad club members raise money to help Israel terrorism victims
By: Lindsey Howshaw
Posted: 11/20/07
The goal of yesterday's Israel Walk, sponsored by the Chabad Jewish Student Center, was simple but heartfelt: raise awareness for orphaned families in Israel. The first of what is slated to become an annual walk to honor families affected by terrorism yielded $2,000, as participants walked the UA Mall yesterday from 10 a.m. to noon. But the walk's
I feel very strongly about keeping Israel safe.-Steven Strauss,Chabad club leaderroots ran deeper than the event, as 30 members of Chabad were each paired with a family in Israel, for which he or she raised money. "Each student has their own story of what happened to the family they're sponsoring," said Rabbi Yossi Winner. Most of the family members are widows and orphans left after the head of the household was killed by a terrorist act, he said."I feel very strongly about keeping Israel safe," said Steven Strauss, a Chabad leader and a pre-business sophomore. Strauss sponsored a young boy and his mother who live in Mevo Dotan, a northern settlement of the West Bank. According to the e-mail Strauss received about his family, Yevgeni, the father, was murdered by terrorists, leaving wife Tanya to raise their son, Yigal. Chabad members receive little information about their families other than their names and living situation, Strauss said. Many of the families live in impoverished conditions, making direct communication difficult. "Here we are all the way in Tucson, Arizona, far away from Israel, more than 14 hours away by plane, and we're supporting these families," Winner said. Alex Hecht, a
When you see how many people in Israel have been impacted, it makes you feel good to be able to help people out. I have a good life, and the least I can do is raise money for a family in need.-Steven Strauss,Chabad club leadermember of Chabad and an undeclared freshman, also sympathized with the families' struggles. "It's a financial and emotional burden once a family member dies," Hecht said. Though the Chabad association has been around since only 2005, it has played a significant role in the lives of UA students, said co-director Naomi Winner. "Our motto really is that we're a home away from home," she said. Naomi and husband Yossi hold weekly Shabbat dinners at the Chabad house, 1025 N. Euclid Ave. They estimate that 80 to 100 students attend the Friday night events. "Besides having dinners or hosting parties, the students wanted to do something meaningful," Naomi Winner said, adding that this motivation led to the creation of the walk. In addition to the walk, yesterday's event also included music by a live DJ, falafel giveaways and a matzo-ball-soup-eating contest. Students could also shoot hoops at the basketball station or provide donations for surviving families. The first 50 attendees received free Chabad T-shirts and were able to watch the walk. "When you see how many people in Israel have been impacted, it makes you feel good to be able to help people out," Strauss said. "I have a good life, and the least I can do is raise money for a family in need."
© Copyright 2007 Arizona Daily Wildcat
I feel very strongly about keeping Israel safe.-Steven Strauss,Chabad club leaderroots ran deeper than the event, as 30 members of Chabad were each paired with a family in Israel, for which he or she raised money. "Each student has their own story of what happened to the family they're sponsoring," said Rabbi Yossi Winner. Most of the family members are widows and orphans left after the head of the household was killed by a terrorist act, he said."I feel very strongly about keeping Israel safe," said Steven Strauss, a Chabad leader and a pre-business sophomore. Strauss sponsored a young boy and his mother who live in Mevo Dotan, a northern settlement of the West Bank. According to the e-mail Strauss received about his family, Yevgeni, the father, was murdered by terrorists, leaving wife Tanya to raise their son, Yigal. Chabad members receive little information about their families other than their names and living situation, Strauss said. Many of the families live in impoverished conditions, making direct communication difficult. "Here we are all the way in Tucson, Arizona, far away from Israel, more than 14 hours away by plane, and we're supporting these families," Winner said. Alex Hecht, a
When you see how many people in Israel have been impacted, it makes you feel good to be able to help people out. I have a good life, and the least I can do is raise money for a family in need.-Steven Strauss,Chabad club leadermember of Chabad and an undeclared freshman, also sympathized with the families' struggles. "It's a financial and emotional burden once a family member dies," Hecht said. Though the Chabad association has been around since only 2005, it has played a significant role in the lives of UA students, said co-director Naomi Winner. "Our motto really is that we're a home away from home," she said. Naomi and husband Yossi hold weekly Shabbat dinners at the Chabad house, 1025 N. Euclid Ave. They estimate that 80 to 100 students attend the Friday night events. "Besides having dinners or hosting parties, the students wanted to do something meaningful," Naomi Winner said, adding that this motivation led to the creation of the walk. In addition to the walk, yesterday's event also included music by a live DJ, falafel giveaways and a matzo-ball-soup-eating contest. Students could also shoot hoops at the basketball station or provide donations for surviving families. The first 50 attendees received free Chabad T-shirts and were able to watch the walk. "When you see how many people in Israel have been impacted, it makes you feel good to be able to help people out," Strauss said. "I have a good life, and the least I can do is raise money for a family in need."
© Copyright 2007 Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Chabad Youth Organization director arrested
Police are probing allegations of embezzlement and money laundering at the NPO.
Noam Sharvit 14 Nov 07 20:04
Officers from Israel Police Central Region Fraud Unit and Israel Tax Authority investigators have arrested the director of Chabad Youth Organization in Israel, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Ahronov, the nonprofit organization's (NPO) accountant, and one of its authorized signatories, on suspicion of embezzlement amounting to tens of millions shekels and tax fraud running into hundreds of millions of shekels. The four men are suspected of theft, fraudulent receiving, and money laundering, in which leading businessmen are also thought to be involved.
Ahronov was arrested this morning on return from a fund raising campaign abroad, as detectives raided the NPO's offices in Kfar Chabad. At web posting, the four men were due to appear at the Ramla Magistrates Court for a remand hearing.
Noam Sharvit 14 Nov 07 20:04
Officers from Israel Police Central Region Fraud Unit and Israel Tax Authority investigators have arrested the director of Chabad Youth Organization in Israel, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Ahronov, the nonprofit organization's (NPO) accountant, and one of its authorized signatories, on suspicion of embezzlement amounting to tens of millions shekels and tax fraud running into hundreds of millions of shekels. The four men are suspected of theft, fraudulent receiving, and money laundering, in which leading businessmen are also thought to be involved.
Ahronov was arrested this morning on return from a fund raising campaign abroad, as detectives raided the NPO's offices in Kfar Chabad. At web posting, the four men were due to appear at the Ramla Magistrates Court for a remand hearing.
Chabad Youth Organization director arrested
Police are probing allegations of embezzlement and money laundering at the NPO.
Noam Sharvit 14 Nov 07 20:04
Officers from Israel Police Central Region Fraud Unit and Israel Tax Authority investigators have arrested the director of Chabad Youth Organization in Israel, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Ahronov, the nonprofit organization's (NPO) accountant, and one of its authorized signatories, on suspicion of embezzlement amounting to tens of millions shekels and tax fraud running into hundreds of millions of shekels. The four men are suspected of theft, fraudulent receiving, and money laundering, in which leading businessmen are also thought to be involved.
Ahronov was arrested this morning on return from a fund raising campaign abroad, as detectives raided the NPO's offices in Kfar Chabad. At web posting, the four men were due to appear at the Ramla Magistrates Court for a remand hearing.
Noam Sharvit 14 Nov 07 20:04
Officers from Israel Police Central Region Fraud Unit and Israel Tax Authority investigators have arrested the director of Chabad Youth Organization in Israel, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Ahronov, the nonprofit organization's (NPO) accountant, and one of its authorized signatories, on suspicion of embezzlement amounting to tens of millions shekels and tax fraud running into hundreds of millions of shekels. The four men are suspected of theft, fraudulent receiving, and money laundering, in which leading businessmen are also thought to be involved.
Ahronov was arrested this morning on return from a fund raising campaign abroad, as detectives raided the NPO's offices in Kfar Chabad. At web posting, the four men were due to appear at the Ramla Magistrates Court for a remand hearing.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
230 Years Since Chassidic Aliyah Push
by Ezra HaLevi
(IsraelNN.com)
Sunday marks 230 years since the first Chassidic Aliyah (immigration to Israel), when three leading rabbis and their students arrived in Israel on Elul 5, 5537 (1777).The group of settlers was led by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk and Rabbi Yisrael of Polotsk. The men, though leaders of Chassidism in Russia, rallied 300 of their students to make the perilous journey to the Land of Israel.All were disciples of Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezeritch. They were also joined by Chabad founder but he was instructed by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk to remain in Moholiev, on the Dneistre River, as they passed though the city, in order to remain behind to serve as the leader of the Chassidic community in White Russia and Lithuania. The group faced many perils on the way to the Holy Land. One of the boats they used sank, and with it 30 Jewish passengers died. They eventually reached the Land of Israel on the fifth of Elul.They established a Jewish community in Tzfat, but were harassed and attacked by the Ottoman Turks and Arabs, and were forced to resettle in Tiberias (T'veria).Rabbi Schneur Zalman retained close contact with the settlers and arranged for much-needed funds to be sent to them. They faced extreme difficulties as the students lacked trade skills and knowledge of the basics of state-building, but Rabbi Menachem Mendel refused to give up.In the spirit of the rabbis' penchant for using gematria(the numeration of the Hebrew letters of words for expounding upon their meaning and significance), Sunday's 230-year anniversary is equal to twice the word Aliyah - perhaps connecting their early Aliyah and that of today.
Reasons For the Move
Examining the reason for the rabbis’ move,Rabbi Eliezer Melamed writes:
“It is difficult to understand what exactly caused Reb Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk to make the move to the Holy Land. He was, at the time, at a peak: He was the most important of the Maggid’s students; he wielded great influence over his followers; they loved him and he loved them as well. So great was his authority that even the leading students of the Maggid, themselves fit to be great spiritual leaders, answered to him. Then, suddenly, he decided to take a group of followers and travel to the land of Israel with the intention of staying there for the rest of his life.“Some believe that the ongoing persecution at the hands of his opponents, the ‘Mitnagdim,’ caused him such hardship that he decided, in order to divorce himself from the quarreling, to move to the land of Israel. And, indeed, because he succeeded in disseminating Chassidism in areas bordering on Lithuania and even enjoyed a following inside Lithuania, Rabbi Menachem Mendel became the main target of the attacks of the Mitnagdim. Public denouncements and excommunications were issued specifically against him, and it was due to such persecution that he was forced to leave his home in Minsk. All the same, it is difficult to accept that as mighty a personage as he would be deterred by such things. What’s more, he was succeeding and his influence was forever expanding.“It would appear that, in truth, his thirst for closeness to God, and his great longing for the Holy Land - the land wherein God rests His Divine Presence - shook his inner being so strongly that no worldly enjoyment could compare to living in the land of Israel. In addition, by settling in the land of Israel, Reb Menachem Mendel wished to transcend all factional discrepancy, and map out a path for mending the whole Jewish people.”
Rabbi Menachem Mendel instructed his students to avoid arguments with the local Sephardic Jews already living in Tzfat. His son was arranged to marry the daughter of a local Sephardic family, a practice Rabbi Melamed says “was not at all accepted in those times” by Ashkenazic Jews.
Paved the Way
“As a result of his move to the land of Israel Reb Menachem Mendel forfeited his central position in the Chassidic arena,” Rabbi Melamed writes. “His younger students and friends became the leaders of the movement, and founders of dynasties, while his name was forgotten by many. Yet, it would appear that, thanks to Reb Menachem, the land of Israel became engraved in the consciousness of the Chassidic movement. Leading Chassidic sages, his students and his friends, were appointed with the task of collecting donations in order to support the Jewish settlers in Israel. As a result, they and their followers became attached in one way or another to the land of Israel.
(IsraelNN.com)
Sunday marks 230 years since the first Chassidic Aliyah (immigration to Israel), when three leading rabbis and their students arrived in Israel on Elul 5, 5537 (1777).The group of settlers was led by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk and Rabbi Yisrael of Polotsk. The men, though leaders of Chassidism in Russia, rallied 300 of their students to make the perilous journey to the Land of Israel.All were disciples of Rabbi Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezeritch. They were also joined by Chabad founder but he was instructed by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk to remain in Moholiev, on the Dneistre River, as they passed though the city, in order to remain behind to serve as the leader of the Chassidic community in White Russia and Lithuania. The group faced many perils on the way to the Holy Land. One of the boats they used sank, and with it 30 Jewish passengers died. They eventually reached the Land of Israel on the fifth of Elul.They established a Jewish community in Tzfat, but were harassed and attacked by the Ottoman Turks and Arabs, and were forced to resettle in Tiberias (T'veria).Rabbi Schneur Zalman retained close contact with the settlers and arranged for much-needed funds to be sent to them. They faced extreme difficulties as the students lacked trade skills and knowledge of the basics of state-building, but Rabbi Menachem Mendel refused to give up.In the spirit of the rabbis' penchant for using gematria(the numeration of the Hebrew letters of words for expounding upon their meaning and significance), Sunday's 230-year anniversary is equal to twice the word Aliyah - perhaps connecting their early Aliyah and that of today.
Reasons For the Move
Examining the reason for the rabbis’ move,Rabbi Eliezer Melamed writes:
“It is difficult to understand what exactly caused Reb Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk to make the move to the Holy Land. He was, at the time, at a peak: He was the most important of the Maggid’s students; he wielded great influence over his followers; they loved him and he loved them as well. So great was his authority that even the leading students of the Maggid, themselves fit to be great spiritual leaders, answered to him. Then, suddenly, he decided to take a group of followers and travel to the land of Israel with the intention of staying there for the rest of his life.“Some believe that the ongoing persecution at the hands of his opponents, the ‘Mitnagdim,’ caused him such hardship that he decided, in order to divorce himself from the quarreling, to move to the land of Israel. And, indeed, because he succeeded in disseminating Chassidism in areas bordering on Lithuania and even enjoyed a following inside Lithuania, Rabbi Menachem Mendel became the main target of the attacks of the Mitnagdim. Public denouncements and excommunications were issued specifically against him, and it was due to such persecution that he was forced to leave his home in Minsk. All the same, it is difficult to accept that as mighty a personage as he would be deterred by such things. What’s more, he was succeeding and his influence was forever expanding.“It would appear that, in truth, his thirst for closeness to God, and his great longing for the Holy Land - the land wherein God rests His Divine Presence - shook his inner being so strongly that no worldly enjoyment could compare to living in the land of Israel. In addition, by settling in the land of Israel, Reb Menachem Mendel wished to transcend all factional discrepancy, and map out a path for mending the whole Jewish people.”
Rabbi Menachem Mendel instructed his students to avoid arguments with the local Sephardic Jews already living in Tzfat. His son was arranged to marry the daughter of a local Sephardic family, a practice Rabbi Melamed says “was not at all accepted in those times” by Ashkenazic Jews.
Paved the Way
“As a result of his move to the land of Israel Reb Menachem Mendel forfeited his central position in the Chassidic arena,” Rabbi Melamed writes. “His younger students and friends became the leaders of the movement, and founders of dynasties, while his name was forgotten by many. Yet, it would appear that, thanks to Reb Menachem, the land of Israel became engraved in the consciousness of the Chassidic movement. Leading Chassidic sages, his students and his friends, were appointed with the task of collecting donations in order to support the Jewish settlers in Israel. As a result, they and their followers became attached in one way or another to the land of Israel.
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