Chabad
‘No Jew,left behind’: Rabbi Sholom Lipskar of Surfside, Florida, on his synagogue’s response
By Yonat Shimron — June 30, 2021
(RNS) — Since the collapse of the Champlain Towers South, The Shul, which Lipskar leads, has taken on a massive relief operation to help mostly Jewish families whose homes — and in many cases, lives — were turned to rubble.
A devastated Jewish community in Surfside, Florida, begins burying its dead
By Yonat Shimron — June 28, 2021
(RNS) — At least 50 of the total trapped in the collapse of the Champlain condo are likely Jewish, many of them Orthodox Jews who attended The Shul, a large Chabad congregation in Surfside.
This year, American Jews are taking Hanukkah outside
By Yonat Shimron — December 9, 2020
(RNS) — Many American Jews have previously shied from overtly public menorah displays out of a sense of vulnerability, if not an outright fear of persecution. Not this year.
President Trump is a religious leader
By Jeffrey Salkin — November 17, 2020
(RNS) — Trumpism, like other bad religions, denies science, identifies dark forces and denies reality.
Shofar lessons are becoming a pre-holiday necessity in the age of coronavirus
By Yonat Shimron — September 3, 2020
(RNS) — Jewish law requires that the shofar be heard in person. But with synagogues shuttered because of the coronavirus, many Jews are dusting off old ritual objects and taking online lessons so they can produce that clarion wail.
Survey: Half of American Jews have experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism
By Yonat Shimron — April 21, 2020
(RNS) — The survey, conducted in January before the coronavirus outbreak, found that nearly two-thirds of Jews (63%) reported that they feel less safe than they did a decade ago.
Amid rising anti-Semitism, Orthodox Jews weigh safety with being conspicuously Jewish
By Menachem Wecker — January 27, 2020
(RNS) — For Orthodox Jews, the current wave of anti-Semitic attacks raises questions about how to keep safe while remaining identifiably Jewish.
Steadfast in his calling, a Chabad rabbi remains committed to serving fellow Jews
By Yonat Shimron — January 27, 2020
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — As the world marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which this year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Rabbi Zalman Bluming puts forward a hopeful narrative about America.
‘Somebody out there wants to hurt us’: Arson in Boston, Chicago rattles local Jews
By Aysha Khan — May 21, 2019
BOSTON (RNS) — A rash of fires that police say were intentionally set at Jewish community centers around Boston and in Chicago last week has left Jewish groups feeling vulnerable.
Worshipper saved grandson in California synagogue attack
By The Associated Press — April 28, 2019
POWAY, Calif. (AP) — John T. Earnest, 19, surrendered to police after bursting into Chabad of Poway, north of San Diego, on Saturday (April 27) and opening fire with about 100 people inside, killing Lori Kaye, 60.
It is time to publicly protest anti-Semitism
By Jeffrey Salkin — April 28, 2019
(RNS) — In 1943, an all-star Hollywood lineup performed at Madison Square Garden to raise awareness about the plight of European Jewry. It is again time to gather our current A-list to decry the threat of anti-Semitism.
1 killed in shooting at California synagogue
By The Associated Press — April 27, 2019
POWAY, Calif. (AP) — The shooting came exactly six months since a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue killed 11 people in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.
Chabad outpost files $10 million lawsuit over order to demolish building
By Mark A. Kellner — December 21, 2018
(RNS) — A state judge has ordered a Chabad house in Maryland to be torn down in a zoning dispute. Chabad leaders filed a $10 million religious land use lawsuit in response — the fifth such action filed against Baltimore County officials.
In the wake of Pittsburgh, houses of worship ask how much security is enough
By Menachem Wecker — November 1, 2018
(RNS) — 'I’m tired of being afraid to go to synagogue,' one worshipper posted on Twitter this week.
Faith and friendship as a remedy to the opioid crisis
By Katelyn Beaty — August 30, 2018
(RNS) — With the help of addicts themselves, researchers are exploring the emotional, social and relational reasons why people become addicted—and how relationship with God and others can restore and heal.
