Thursday, September 28, 2023
Brighton rabbi trains for new role in the RAF
An Orthodox rabbi has become the first Jewish flight lieutenant chaplain to have undergone RAF officer training.
Rabbi Samuel de Beck Spitzer, who until recently led Hove Hebrew Congregation, was commissioned at a graduation ceremony, attended by Prince Edward at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
He will be attached to 600 squadron at RAF Northolt, providing support to personnel of all religions and none. He told the JC: "Scenarios could be anything from family issues to PTSD.
"Everybody turns to the chaplain at times of crisis." Calling it "a really historic moment in Jewish-British history", the 50-year-old rabbi undertook a ten-week bespoke training programme alongside other officer cadets, which he described as "rewarding, rich, but very hard to navigate at times".
He said after his graduation: "In his speech, Prince Edward said that no one would be able to grasp the difficulties each cadet had experienced at Cranwell during their training. Laymen usually think about the hard physical training, but the emotional and mental stress level is so high."
Rabbi de Beck Spitzer said that the greatest lessons he had learnt from [the training] was "to be true to oneself and to lead by example".
Asked what had attracted him to the role, he said: "A sense of service and gratitude to Great Britain in all that it has offered me in terms of education and living, as well as the opportunity to expand my exposure and service outside the realms of the Jewish community exclusively."
Rabbi de Beck Spitzer, who has French and Indian-Iraqi heritage, grew up in both the Sephardic and Chasidic communities of Stamford Hill and was an erstwhile student of the late Rabbi Schmelke Pinter, a leading figure in the Orthodox community.
Before becoming rabbi of the Hove Hebrew Congregation, also known as Holland Road Shul, he led the Lisbon Jewish community.
He said he hoped "to bring a different perspective to military chaplaincy".
The new role adds to his already eclectic CV since, as a professionally trained baritone, the rabbi has performed as a soloist with the Israeli Opera (formerly the New Israeli Opera) and the Israeli Philharmonic.
"I'm still singing from time to time and the RAF is interested in inviting me to sing with their music ensembles," he said.
Although the new position won't require him to fly planes, he does hold a private pilot's licence, though he hasn't used it for 25 years..
Rabbi de Beck Spitzer was joined at the ceremony by his mother, sister and son, 23, who had flown in from Israel. "My son was a soldier with the Golani Brigade [an elite IDF unit]. He was fascinated by all the pomp and circumstance. Unlike the RAF, when you are in Golani, you don't have time to polish your boots."
0 comments
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Jewish Levi jeans heir launches campaign for San Francisco mayor
A Jewish heir to the Levi Strauss jean empire has launched a campaign to become the next mayor of San Francisco.
Daniel Lurie, 46, is the son of a rabbi, whose mother is a billionaire who owns 16 per cent of the iconic denim manufacturer.
After her marriage to Lurie's father, Rabbi Brian Lurie, ended, she married Peter E. Haas - the great-grandnephew of Levi Strauss.
Her family has donated huge sums to educational charities in the Bay Area, much of it anonymously, the Jewish News of Northern California reported.
Lurie, who holds a master's degree in public policy, runs Tipping Point Community, a body that issues grants to combat poverty.
One programme, launched by the institution in 2017, will see $100 million donated in an attempt to cut chronic homelessness in half in San Francisco.
"When I say I'm going to do something, I get it done and I bring everyone along with me," Lurie declared in a campaign launch video posted online this week.
"My dad was a rabbi. He inspired me and my siblings with the work that he did... you need to take care of the community. That was installed in me by all four of my parents [and step-parents]."
Alluding to the widespread social breakdown that has afflicted San Francisco in recent years, he added: "I love this city but what we are seeing on the streets of San Francisco is not progressive."
0 comments
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Man injured in fall while building sukkah
A 36-year-old man fell from a ladder during the construction of a sukkah in Rehovot. He was taken to Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer in moderate condition with injuries to his upper body.
The person who fell and was injured has been named as Dudi Shmuel, a businessman and a close associate of the hasidic Rebbe of Kretshnif. The Kretshnif congregation has asked the public to pray for the victim, David Moshe ben Malka, to have a full and speedy recovery.
Last week, United Hatzalah responders provided medical treatment and evacuated a 43-year-old man to the hospital after he was moderately injured due to falling from a height while trimming a palm tree.
0 comments
Friday, September 22, 2023
This Hasidic music maker is making history
Moshe Reuven has 1.9 million Instagram followers, became the fourth Hasidic artist to sign with a major record label, and had a standout collaboration with Julian Marley.
Now an ordained rabbi, Reuven wasn't observant and didn't keep kosher as a teen. But a pivotal moment in high school dramatically changed the course of his life.
He'd attended several parties where drinking and smoking were common. He believes that as a prank or by accident, someone spiked his drink with a large amount of promethazine or codeine.
"I tasted my drink, and immediately knew something was wrong," Reuven said. "I couldn't move normally and laid down on the ground. I felt like I might pass away. I thought God was showing me something…some ultimatum that I had to live a meaningful life or else it would be wasted."
This incident ignited a quest for meaning and sowed the seeds of his curiosity in Judaism. "I started to question why I was here. There was an awakening," he said.
0 comments
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Record number of Chabad Hasidim visit 770
This year saw a record number of visitors on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) to the hasidic world headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York, with the arrival of thousands of Chabad-Lubavitch hasidim from Israel and around the world.
Rosh Hashanah also ended the Hakhel year, when all Chabad hasidim usually visit the Rebbe's beit midrash (study hall). Many who did not manage to visit the Rebbe's beit midrash during the year, took advantage of the last opportunity this year. The central study hall was packed to the brim, and a huge tent was built around it to accommodate the thousands of additional worshippers.
"It is not easy to find a seat in the beit midrash, and many did not leave their seats even for a moment, from before the start of the holiday until after the Musaf prayer," a source in Chabad said, adding. "One of the highlights of the holiday was blowing of the shofar, which, as is customary in Chabad, is done after singing the Grand Rabbis' melodies, that have been customary throughout the generations."
It was exciting to see groups of Chabad hasidim gathering in exemplary order and dispersing in a pre-organized plan all over New York, to give Jews around the city a chance to hear the shofar-blowing. Some people walked for two to three hours to remote areas where Jews live.
The Eshel Hospitality Group, which takes care of the visitors to the 770 all year round, was entrusted with the hosting of the thousands of visitors to the beit midrash, especially on the holidays, when the masses come to stay near the court of their rebbe.
The organization manages three huge kitchens that serve thousands of meals every day and provides thousands of beds, mattresses, and sleeping equipment for the thousands of hasidim.
Record numbers were registered this year by the Eshel Hospitality Group: Over 500,000 meals will be distributed during the month of Tishrei, 4,500 beds and mattresses will be supplied, 150 staff members will be on duty, 15,000 study booklets will be distributed, and hundreds of gatherings (hitva'aduyot) will be held.
Many more followers will be arriving at 770 before the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), but numbers will be even higher on Simchat Torah, when tens of thousands of Chabad hasidim from around the world come to visit 770.
0 comments
Monday, September 18, 2023
Hasidic Pilgrim Dies During Rosh Hashanah Celebrations in Ukrainian City of Uman
A Hasidic Jewish pilgrim was reported to have died in the Ukrainian city of Uman on Sunday night, as more than 35,000 worshippers celebrated the Rosh Hashanah holiday at the grave of a revered rabbi.
Israeli media outlets reported that the 55-year-old victim was named David Mirashvili, a resident of Netanya near Tel Aviv.
Zoya Vovk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian police, told local broadcaster Channel 24 that the police received a report of the death at 5.30 on Sunday afternoon. Vovk said that there was no evidence that the dead man had been the victim of violence. No further details were forthcoming.
Another Hasidic pilgrim who suffered a heart attack on Sunday was reported to be recovering in a hospital in the city of Odesa.
Despite the perilous security situation amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Hasidic pilgrims were undeterred from making the traditional Jewish New Year pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the revered founder of the Breslover Hasidim, in Uman, which lies in the south of the country in the Cherkasy region.
Both the Ukrainian authorities and the Israeli government had urged the pilgrims to exercise extra caution this year, calling on them to reconsider their plans to travel to the city via the neighboring country of Moldova.
While this year's pilgrimage passed largely without incident, seven Israelis were arrested by local law enforcement — four for narcotics offenses and another three who were involved in a fatal road accident in which an Israeli woman was killed.
In 1941, the Germans deported the entire Jewish community in Uman, murdering 17,000 Jews and destroying the local Jewish cemetery — including Rabbi Nachman's grave, which was eventually recovered and relocated. About 1 million Ukrainian Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.
0 comments
Friday, September 15, 2023
Zelensky meets rabbis, Jewish soldiers ahead of Rosh Hashanah
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with rabbis from across Ukraine and Jewish soldiers within the Ukrainian army on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year.
Zelensky thanked leaders of Ukraine's Jewish communities for their support during the full-scale Russian invasion.
"Only the victory of Ukraine can bring peace. Thank you for moving this peace closer together with all the people of Ukraine, with the military and civilians, with your work, prayers, and activities," Zelensky said at the meeting, cited by his office.
Chief rabbis of major Ukrainian cities spoke about their communities' contribution to humanitarian efforts and the country's reconstruction. Zelensky awarded the Jewish soldiers with the Order for Courage.
Meanwhile, thousands of Hasidic Jews continue to arrive in Uman, central Ukraine, for the annual pilgrimage at the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, a major Hasidic leader.
Only over Sept. 13, 8,726 pilgrims crossed the Ukrainian border, with a total of about 30,000 people expected to visit Uman for Rosh Hashanah, the Interior Ministry reported. This year, the holiday is celebrated on Sept. 15-17. Despite Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion, around 20,000 Hasidic pilgrims went to Uman in 2022.
Until recently, it was unclear if pilgrims from Israel would be allowed to come to Ukraine this year.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniichuk, said on Aug. 21 that Kyiv was considering suspending the visa-free travel regime in response to Israel increasingly deporting Ukrainians. Reports emerged over the summer that around 10% of Ukrainians were denied entry to Israel.
According to the Times of Israel, Interior and Health Minister Moshe Arbel dismissed claims of mistreatment of Ukrainian citizens, saying that the deportations relate to Ukrainians coming to Israel as tourists, not as refugees, when the Israeli government suspects they would remain in the country illegally.
In June, the Ukrainian embassy in Israel accused the country of "close cooperation" with Russia.
0 comments
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Over 20,000 Jews arrive in Ukraine for annual pilgrimage
Over 20,000 Jewish pilgrims have arrived in Uman, Ukraine, ahead of Rosh Hashanah, authorities said, despite warnings from Kyiv not to travel for the religious holiday due to the Russian invasion.
Thousands of Orthodox Jews come to Uman from Israel and other parts of the world every year to celebrate the holiday in the central Ukrainian city, one of the birthplaces of the Hasidic movement.
Celebrations were to take place amid tightened security due to the war.
"As of the morning of September 14, around 22,000 Hasidic pilgrims have already arrived in Uman, mostly from Israel, the United States and a number of European countries," Cherkasy region head Igor Taburets said.
"Around 1,000 law enforcement officers will ensure security during the celebrations. We prepared an additional 24 shelters. In particular, (we) installed concrete mobile shelters," he said.
Since Russia's fully fledged invasion of Ukraine last year, Kyiv has urged pilgrims not to travel to Uman, which has been targeted by lethal air strikes.
In April, a Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the city killed more than 20 civilians.
Uman has been a pilgrimage site for around 200 years.
It is the birthplace of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, one of the founders of the Jewish Hasidic movement.
"Currently, the situation in Uman is stable and under control. Our security and defence forces are working in enhanced mode," Taburets said.
He added that Israeli police officers were patrolling the pilgrimage neighbourhood, in addition to Ukrainian law enforcement officers.
0 comments
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Beloved Hasidic singer Dedi Graucher passes away
The Hasidic singer and businessman David 'Dedi' Graucher passed away this evening (Monday) following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 62-years-old.
Graucher's songs, such as 'Chevron' and 'Lecho Etain,' are very popular in Israel.
Over the years, Graucher collaborated with other prominent Hasidic singers, including Mordechai Ben David and Abraham Fried, with whom he held a concert in 1996 in Yarkon Park considered to be the largest outdoor concert in Israel's history.
His son Natan wrote: "Blessed is the True Judge, Oded David ben Tzipora. Father, I will miss you."
Haredi radio broadcaster Menachem Toker eulogized the legendary singer: "Dedi, my friend, a singer of rare talent, an amazing person, who was always helping everyone, who, even in the most difficult moments had a joke and a smile, the biggest heart I've ever seen in my life, I just can't believe it. Go make the angels happy up there, sing to them from your sacred songs."
Graucher was diagnosed with cancer about five years ago and has been hospitalized several times since then. He stopped performing following the diagnosis.
0 comments
Monday, September 11, 2023
Ukraine heightens security in Uman as thousands stream in for Rosh Hashanah
Ukraine has increased security in the city of Uman as Jewish pilgrims arrived there to mark a religious holiday, despite warnings by Israel and others not to travel to the war-torn country.
Thousands of Orthodox Jews come to Uman from Israel and elsewhere every year to celebrate the Rosh Hashanah holiday in the central Ukrainian city, one of the birthplaces of the Hasidic movement.
"A special regime of entry and exit and movement around the city has been introduced," said Igor Taburets, the head of the Cherkasy region, where Uman is located.
He said nine checkpoints have been set up around the city, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Kyiv, to control the flow of people.
"Despite warnings from diplomatic services and the regional administration, we have already had more than 3,000 pilgrims," Taburets said.
Kyiv has urged pilgrims not to travel to Uman since the Russian invasion last year.
The city has been targeted by Moscow. In April, a Russian strike on an apartment building killed more than 20 civilians.
0 comments
Friday, September 08, 2023
Hasidic village plans in Sullivan County cleared for vote
The Viznitz Hasidic community's plans to incorporate an almost 1.5-square-mile village in the Catskills has cleared its first hurdle and may be headed to a referendum.
The supervisors of two Sullivan County towns where the proposed village of Ateres is located announced Friday that the petition submitted in June met all legal requirements. They had held two hearings in August and weighed signature objections and other potential flaws that could have invalidated the petition.
Their review deemed it valid. In a joint press release, Thompson Supervisor Bill Rieber and Fallsburg Supervisor Kathy Rappaport said opponents raised "many well-articulated objections" that they couldn't consider under the state's archaic law for creating villages. "No qualitative or quantitative analysis is even allowed," they lamented.
"Therefore, many of these objections, while full of merit, are not actual reasons for challenge based on the antiquated Village Law," the supervisors wrote.
0 comments
Friday, September 01, 2023
Oldest Jewish temple in Egypt opened after restoration
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Thursday opened Ben Ezra Synagogue, the oldest Jewish temple in the country after undergoing restoration work, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement.
The ministry said the synagogue, named after Jewish scholar and philosopher Abraham Ben Ezra, dates back to the 12th century and was rebuilt in the 1890s, adding the restoration is part of a national project for rehabilitating Historic Cairo.
Once a hub for Jewish celebrations, gatherings, and prayers in Egypt, the temple has transformed into a tourist attraction after the majority of the Jewish community left in the 1950s.
The restoration work included meticulous architectural restoration work for the walls and the ceiling and maintenance of the lighting system, the statement added.
With a significant collection of books and documents reflecting the social life of Jewish communities in Egypt, the temple holds substantial importance in contemporary Jewish history.
0 comments
