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Thousands Celebrate Chanukah with Chabad Lubavitch

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 8:17:00 AM

Thousands of people up and down the country attended one of the many Chabad Lubavitch menorah lighting ceremonies and events that took place for Chanukah 5772.

Aside from the organised events, Chabad worked tirelessly in the lead up to Chanukah to ensure public menorah's were on display in places such as the Park Lane intersection in Central London, Brent Cross Shopping Centre and Heathrow Airport.

Chabad volunteers gave out thousands of free doughnuts, dreidels and menorah lighting kits all over the country:

In Central London over 2000 people came to Trafalgar Square for an event where Mayor of London Boris Johnson was the guest speaker.

Over 100 people gathered outside Gloucester Road underground station for an event organised by Rabbi Mendy Loewenthal at Chabad of South Kensington. Guest of honour, Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Councillor Julie Mills spoke about the importance of tolerance and unity.

In Islington, the Mayor of Islington Phil Kelly joined large crowds for the first ever public menorah lighting in Islington Green organised by Rabbi Mendy Korer.

In Southgate, Rabbi Zvi Kesselman coordinated ceremonies that took place each night (except Shabbat) with special guests including President of the United Synagogue, Stephen Pack and world renowned chazan Dov Speier.

In Shoreditch, Rabbi Mendel Cohen coordinated the distribution of Menorah Kits at the famous Spitalfields market.

In Essex, over 150 people came to Chabad of Buckhurst Hill's annual lighting ceremony on Queens Road. In previous years Rabbi Odom Brandman has coordinated creative Menorah projects which have seen a Whisky Menorah, a Can Menorah and a Recycled phones Menorah. This year the main feature was a Coin Menorah. Prior to Chanukah Chabad collected donations in spare change totalling £2,009.95 made up of 50,773 coins.

At London Heathrow, Rabbi Hershi Vogel met over 250 people each night at the ELAL Flight gate for a ceremony prior to boarding flights to Israel.

Due to term time being outside of when Chanukah occurred, Chabad on Campus organised a number of pre-Chanukah events for students around the country. On Liverpool Campus Rabbi Shmuli Brown organised a 'Mega Pre-Chanukah Bash' for students with latkes, doughnuts, competitions and prizes.

Other events took place in Chabad Centres and public locations in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, Ilford, Bournemouth, Sussex, Hertfordshire and all over London.

Chabad Lubavitch Lights up the Square

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 8:11:00 AM

Chabad Lubavitch UK marked the beginning of Chanukah 5772 by lighting the Trafalgar Square Menorah in front of a crowd of over 2000 people.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London was the special guest at the ceremony. He spoke about the symbolism of the menorah and the connection to the theme of freedom. After a countdown, he flicked the switch and the Shamash light came on, followed by the first candle. The crowd erupted into applause as the Shabbaton Choir led Haneirot Hallelu and Moaz Tzur.

A small army of Chabad students worked their way through the crowds distributing free menorah kits, chanukah guides, doughnuts and chanukah 'gelt'. Following the choir, entertainment was provided by the eclectic Neshama band as people danced and celebrated in the middle of the concourse.

Four years ago the Chabad menorah project in Traflagar Square was initiated by Rabbi Gershon Overlander of Chabad of Hendon in partnership with the London Jewish Forum. This year Chabad Lubavitch worked with a number of communal organisations - Jewish Leadership Council, London Jewish Forum, CST and Jewish News Media Group - so as to publicise the event and attract even larger crowds.

Aside from the Mayor, other speakers to address the crowd included Chabad UK's Rabbi Bentzi Sudak, CST Chairman Gerald Ronson, LJF Chairman Adrian Cohen and the Israeli Ambassador Daniel Taub.

Rabbi Bentzi Sudak said, "'The fact that so many people from different walks of life can come together and celebrate with pride in such a public central location is a tribute to the spirit of our community and the uniqueness of the great city which we are blessed to live in. The success of the event is a reflection of the work of all of the organisations and individuals involved.'

Chanukah in Trafalgar Square - Mayor to Light Chabad Menorah

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:19:00 AM

This Chanukah 5772, Chabad Lubavitch UK is proud to announce that Trafalgar Square will once again be home to our giant 25ft Menorah.

The project has brought together a number of prominent Jewish organisations including Chabad Lubavitch UK, Jewish Leadership Council, London Jewish Forum, Community Security Trust and the Jewish News Media Group.

The Menorah will be located at a focal point in Trafalgar Square and is visible from a long way off. It will be remain in place for the whole of Chanukah (Tuesday 20th December - Thursday 29th December).

On Tuesday 20th December there is a major communal event taking place in the Square. It will be attended by hundreds of people including the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

The event is open to everyone so bring your friends and family and join us to light the candles from 5.45pm. There will be entertainment, live music and doughnuts!

For more information please contact Chabad Lubavitch UK:

Tel: 020 078 7469
Email: city@chabad.org.uk

Senior Girls School to Receive State Aid

Wed, 7 Dec 2011 6:23:00 PM

The Lubavitch's Senior Girls School, located in the Borough of Hackney has been officially recognised as a Voluntary Aided School (VAS). It has sufficiently met the criteria required by the Local Educational Authority (LEA) in order to be recognised as a VAS.

With almost 120 children enrolled, the school has consistently achieved exemplary results and sits in the top quartile of schools in the Borough. The new status will mean that the LEA will cover a major part of the school's running costs. This will free up resources, enabling Chabad Lubavitch to put more funding into the schools and other Educational, Social Welfare and Outreach projects for the wider Jewish community.

The School joins as a confederate with Lubavitch Girls Primary School with became recognised for State Aid in 2004.

Rabbi Shmuel Lew, school principal said “this is a tribute to our dedicated and competent staff, so capably led by Mrs Helen Freeman and Mrs Golda Junik; and our precious pupils whom Ofsted rated as “Outstanding” in their moral and spiritual values.”

The school's new status is in large part thanks to the tireless work of Headmistress of the Girls Primary School Mrs Freda Sudak, and Senior School Headmistress Mrs Helen Freeman.

Mrs Freeman, who received her education on Hackney, first at Sir Thomas Abney then at Skinners, said “After receiving my education in Hackney myself, I am thrilled at the opportunity to give back to the borough”

The Lubavitch Junior Boys School, also located in the Borough of Hackney is currently going through the same process and hopes to attain the same status in early 2012.

Lord Sacks Raises the Roof at Chabad Annual Conference

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:26:00 AM

Thousands of rabbinical scholars, Jewish community leaders, educators and counselors from around the world filled the landmark Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on Sunday night for the gala banquet of the 28th annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries.

Joining tens of thousands more who watched the proceedings online, the crowd of emissaries and their lay leaders, representing thousands of locations in communities large and small, gave British Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks a standing ovation as he ascended a rotating stage to address the gathering. Lord Sacks delivered a powerful and inspirational talk as he addressed the Conference.

The banquet concluded a weekend of educational workshops, programmes and lectures which were aimed at developing different approaches and igniting discussions and comparisons between emissaries and the communities that they represent.

Lord Sacks spoke movingly about his own connection to Chabad which began when he met the Rebbe - Rabbi Menachem M Schneerson of righteous memory - over 40 years ago. He claimed to be humbled in the presence of the crowd and said that Chabad Shluchim are 'amongst the most important people in the Jewish world today'. He relayed the story of how he had planned to be an economist, a lawyer or an academic until the Rebbe advised him to become a Rabbi. He said, ‘42 years ago one of the great Jewish leaders of all time took an unknown student from thousands of miles away and lit a light in his soul that has burnt from that day to this, and he did this not just for him, but for tens of thousands of others, and we are his Shluchim’.

The Rebbe’s inspiring words led Lord Sacks down a path of immense Jewish growth: After finishing university, he took leadership positions as both a rabbi training other rabbis and in academia. As Chief Rabbi, he said, he has made it a priority to do what the Rebbe would have wanted him to do: “to build schools, to improve Anglo Jewish education, to reach out to make not followers, but leaders.”

Towards the end of his speech he returned to the theme of light and specifically of Chanukah. He said, ‘When we go out to Jews who are less committed than we are, our light is not diminished; the result is that we create more light in the world. Together let us light a flame in the hearts of other Jews, and together, let us light up the world’.

After the speech Lord Sacks joined the post-Banquet Farbrengen where he sang and danced with the Shluchim.

To view a recording of Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks’ address to the 28th annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries click here:

With thanks to Karen Schwartz for contributing to this article.

London Students Celebrate Green Sabbath

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:21:00 AM

Last Friday night, 30 students from London’s Imperial College and other universities’ international study abroad programmes celebrated an eco-friendly Sabbath with Chabad-Lubavitch of South Kensington.

Caroline Glassberg-Powell, a computing student at Imperial College, served as co-host and chef with math student Sam Gonshaw, preparing a kosher menu that consisted of a three-course vegan meal using only nationally-sourced, organic fruit and vegetables and non-disposable tablecloths.

Caroline said, “I wanted to hold this evening to raise awareness about where our food comes from and to get people thinking about their responsibilities towards the environment,”

The meal came as part of the Chabad House’s series of themed Sabbath dinners that follow Friday night prayer services.

“We are excited about this surge of Jewish life on campus,” commented Chabad of South Kensington director Rabbi Mendy Loewenthal, noting that Jewish students are excited to take programming into their own hands.

For more information please visit Chabad of South Kensington's website:
http://www.chabadofsouthkensington.org/

Chief Rabbi to Address Chabad Shluchim Conference in New York

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 5:43:00 AM

Over fifty delegates from the UK will be at Chabad-Lubavitch’s International Conference of Shluchim to be held this coming weekend in Brooklyn, New York. The conference, considered by many to be the largest rabbinical gathering in the world, will draw Jewish leaders from over 75 countries.

During the conference, the delegates will join colleagues for lectures and workshops in order to enhance their outreach.

The Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks will be the featured speaker at the celebratory banquet on Sunday night. 4,500 guests are expected at the dinner, making it the largest sit-down dinner in New York City.

The conference, which has taken place every year since 1988 provides Chabad’s emissaries with opportunities to discuss vital issues affecting their communities, study together and provide mutual support. The number of Chabad emissaries has grown every year since the late Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Chabad’s leader, began the initiative in 1951. Chabad today is the largest Jewish educational organization in the world with centers in 47 of the United States and 77 countries around the world.

As the conference is global in scope, sessions will be held in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, French, Italian and Spanish. There will be sessions on youth, education, collegiates, and community development. Rabbis from the former Soviet Union will focus on the unique challenges of building Jewish life anew in a region where communism was dominant for many years.

Over 600 people join Chabad at the new Sukkah in the City

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 8:21:00 PM

This Sukkot Chabad Lubavitch has been welcoming people to a new Sukkah in Central London. Occupying a prominent position in the heart of the city's business and legal district, the Sukkah is being talked about all over town. Over 600 people have stopped by to eat, to shake the lulav, to daven or to just see what all the fuss is about.

Large numbers gathered each day at the Sukkah including over 200 people on 2nd day Chol HaMoed for a buffet lunch sponsored by Deloitte. Mincha services attracted over 60 people each day and Chabad staff were on site throughout Chol HaMoed answering questions and explaining about Sukkot to the many people passing by.

The project was a partnership between Chabad Lubavitch and a number of firms based in the area including Deloitte, Bolt Partners, Mishcon De Reya, Taylor Wessing and Speechly Bircham and other anonymous donors.

There was immediate interest and huge support both from leading City firms and generous individuals. After planning and funding decisions were finalised the project received the green light and construction began in the week before Sukkot. The Sukkah has been located centrally in the pedestrianised part of New Street Square, EC4.

Rabbi Bentzi Sudak of Chabad Lubavitch UK said, "It has been an overwhelming success and has given many Jewish people the chance to experience Sukkot. It has been a pleasure to work together with local Jewish partners, all who have shared a passion and excitement for this fantastic project and we hope to repeat this in the same location every Sukkot.

Chabad to open 'Sukkah in the City' - A New Sukkah for London

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 5:43:00 PM

This Sukkot, Chabad Lubavitch will be welcoming people to a new public Sukkah in New Street Square, EC4.

Occupying a prominent position in the heart of Central London's business and legal district, the Sukkah is located in a pedestrianised area close to Fleet Street and Chancery Lane.

This is the first time a Sukkah has been constructed in public space in this part of the City. The project is a partnership between Chabad Lubavitch and a number of leading firms based in the area. It has also been supported by some generous individuals. Construction began in the week before Sukkot and has now been completed.

The Sukkah is located centrally in New Street Square, EC4. It will be open on the first day (13 Oct) of Sukkot from 2.30-4.30pm and throughout the intermediary days (17,18,19 Oct) of Sukkot from 8am-6pm.

Rabbi Bentzi Sudak of Chabad Lubavitch UK said, "We are looking forward to welcoming many hundreds of people into the Sukkah during this joyous festival. It has been a pleasure to work together with local Jewish partners, all who share a passion and excitement for this fantastic project".

For more information please contact:

Chabad Lubavitch UK
T: 020 7078 7469
E: city@chabad.org.uk

Thanks to Deloitte, Taylor Wessing, Bolt Partners, Mishcon De Reya, Speechly Bircham and other firms and individuals who helped make this project possible.

Over 75 people attend Chancery Lane 'Pre-Rosh Nosh'

Wed, 5 Oct 2011 7:31:00 AM

Last Tuesday lunchtime over 75 people joined Chabad of Chancery Lane for another 'Lunch in the City' event. Jewish professionals from the area including bankers, lawyers, accountants and journalists came together for a pre-Rosh Nosh, to enjoy a tasty kosher lunch and to meet other Jewish people working in the area.

The event was made possible thanks to kind sponsorship by a couple of individuals who work in the area who would like to remain anonymous.

Chabad in the City is Chabad UK's offices and Centre based in Chancery Lane. Kosher lunch options in the area are few and far between so it was no surprise that so many people turned up. The event was a huge success and will be repeated every other month.

Those in attendance represented over 20 different firms from the area in various disciplines including Law, Banking, Accountancy and Journalism. David Tennenbaum who works at Deloitte said, 'This is the second lunch event I've been too - it's a great opportunity to meet other Jewish people who literally work around the corner - i'll be coming again!'

Rabbi Bentzi Sudak - CEO of Chabad Lubavitch UK - welcomed people to the event and addressed the crowd with a short Dvar Torah touching on themes related to the Jewish New Year.

During the coming year, aside from lunch events, Chabad in the City will be offering various other services from the Chancery Lane Centre including CPD accredited courses for Lawyers, One-2-One Learning Sessions, Guest Speakers and more.

If you would like to be put onto a contact list for Chabad in the City or if you simply want more information please call/email:

T. 020 7078 7469
E. city@chabad.org.uk

Over 1200 Celebrate High Holidays with Chabad on Campus UK

Mon, 3 Oct 2011 12:33:00 PM

Many traditional Jewish students head home for Rosh Hashanah to spend this special holiday tucked away with family leaving the forgotten few wondering where to go and what to do for the High Holidays on campus.

“I had no idea where I could go for Rosh Hashanah” said Adam Applebaum from Edge Hill University. Edge Hill is a 30 minute train ride from Liverpool’s Universities Chabad on Campus which is directed by Rabbi Shmuli and Tzivia Brown. Adam told us that he contacted the Rabbi and after that, “Everything went far better than I could possibly have imagined. I went into the new year knowing that a wonderful Chabad campus rabbi and community is within reach who will be there to help solve any issues, however short notice or difficult they may be”.

Other Chabad Houses across the country saw record attendance with 100 at Cambridge Chabad’s Rosh Hashanah morning service, a total of 120 attending Nottingham’s meals, 70 at Bristol’s Chabad, 75 at Shoreditch and 150 who celebrated with Oxford Chabad over the course of the festival.

Chabad at Edinburgh University had to rent external space at a local Hotel in order to host the services and dinner for 60 on the first night.

History was made at Imperial College with the first ever High Holiday services held on campus at the Union Dining Hall with over 65 in attendance on the 1st night. Rabbi Eli Brackman, Chairman of Chabad on Campus UK said, "The soaring number of Jewish students attending Rosh Hashana at Chabad is a great success for the beginning of the school year, as well as is the huge number of sign ups at Chabad Society stalls at Fresher’s Fairs across the country". Chabad on Campus UK has fourteen branches on campuses across the UK.

Rabbi Brackman added, "Jewish students appreciate the open and welcoming atmosphere of Chabad Houses on campus providing a vibrant and warm Jewish home away from home for all Jewish students while at university. We look forward to a successful year ahead”.

On another front; students from Oxford, Leeds, Imperial College and more volunteered to join the Rabbis in visiting hospital patients and others who did not have the opportunity to celebrate.

“Thank you” wrote Marika Henriques, a holocaust survivor living close to Imperial College. “I actually cried at the sound of the Shofar in my living room”. An 87 year old at Leeds General Infirmary commented, "your visit and the blowing of the Shofar made it feel like it's Yom Tov even here".

In total over 1200 people celebrated with Chabad on Campus UK across the country.

For more information on Chabad on Campus UK please visit www.ChabadonCampus.org.uk

Learning about Eretz Yisroel - Stamford Hill Summer 2011 Day Camp

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 5:26:00 AM

Lubavitch Day Camp of Stamford Hill is famous for its theme based camp. In 2009 it was 39 Melachos and in 2010 it was Tishrei. This year, camp developed a special theme on Eretz Yisroel, which included the map, the holy cities and special Mitzvos.

This was achieved by designing an exclusive map which included everything that was covered at camp. The children earned stickers to embellish their maps, as they learned about each topic. In addition, each week there was a hands-on workshop exploring that week’s theme.

Can you find the Orei Miklat on a map? Teko’ah? Can you trace Avraham’s journeys? Bnei Yisroel’s route from Mitzraim? Where the Shevatim settled? In camp, the children re-traced the routes, borders, cities and natural terrain using camp’s exciting map, which integrates ancient cities and landmarks with modern countries. The abstract places that children learn about in the Chumash and Navi became more real as kids located them on their maps.

They learned about the special Mitzvos of the Holy Land, like Teruma and Maaser, and how to observe them even in England. The children smelled, tasted, planted and made models of the Shivas Haminim.

There was also a campaign to spread acts of goodness and kindness around the world using balloons. The boys earned coupons, which they traded for helium filled balloons which they launched into the sky. Each balloon had a message attached, asking the finder to add in acts of goodness and kindness. The balloons landed in London as well as far off in Belgium and Germany.

Kids in camp made friends with children from 20 other schools around London. Trips included canoeing, horeseriding, indoor adventure centres, museums, farms, parks, nature reserves, amusement parks and exclusive trips for Teen Camp, like jet-skiing and raft building. Professional activities included Healthy Lifestyles, Fitness, Ecoactive Recycling 3d map making, CST, Road and Fire Safety. Kids enjoyed crafts, modeling, painting, baking, campwide games, hunts, dancing, singing, carnivals, balloon races and swimming.

A big part of the camp’s success is due to the dedicated staff. At the end of camp, the children were interviewed about their experiences at camp. When the children spoke about what they enjoyed most about camp, many of them spoke about their amazing counselors.

Article written by Rabbi Shmuly and Chana Karasik

Chief Rabbi Opens Cambridge Mikvah

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 7:28:00 AM

Last Sunday, Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks officially opened Cambridge's first Mikvah. After almost 30 years of planning and discussions, construction began after Pesach and was completed shortly before the inaugaral ceremony.

The ceremony took place at the Rohr Chabad Centre where the Mikvah is located. Due to limited capacity at this venue a small number of invitees were in attendance. However, over 120 people gathered at the Shul afterwards for a reception to mark the event and to celebrate this exciting new addition to Cambridge's Jewish community.

The events were attended by a number of local representatives and dignitaries including the member of parliament for Cambridge Mr Julian Huppert. During the ceremony Lord Sacks spoke of the centrality of a Mikvah to a Jewish community and commended Rabbi and Rebbetsin Leigh for finally bringing the project to fruition.

The community has been discussing plans to install a Mikvah for many years; until now each effort was met with resistance or experienced practical problems which halted its progress. In 2006, Chabad of Cambridge purchased the Rohr Chabad House on Castle Street and from that point onwards Rabbi Reuven Leigh renewed the campaign to install a community Mikvah on the grounds of the new Chabad House. Since then the community has pulled together and united behind this project.

The committee responsible for the project felt strongly that it was important to use local contractors for the work. By working with local architects and construction teams it provided an opportunity for Jews and non-Jews to come together helping break down barriers in the community.

The project has been made possible thanks to funding secured in advance from a number of community donors. The Mikvah has been dedicated in memory of Mr Harry Landy by his wife Mrs Gertrude Landy. The Mikvah Room was dedicated in memory of Rabbi Leigh's sister-in-law Mrs Rochie Paley through generous donations from her family and friends.

After being involved in discussions for many years and overseeing the project from start to finish, Rabbi Leigh has big hopes for the Mikvah. He said, 'Aside from serving the needs of religious women who until now have had to travel to London for the nearest Mikvah, I hope that it will also encourage more Jewish women that have never performed this Mitzvah before to come and use it'.

For more information about the Mikvah and about Cambridge Chabad please visit: http://www.cuchabad.org

'The Inside Story' - Chabad Wimbledon unravels Stories from the Bible

Wed, 7 Sep 2011 6:45:00 AM

Chabad Wimbledon are proud to announce the beginning of a new series of talks and discussions as part of their excellent adult education programme.

'Bible Stories: The Inside Story' series begins on Wednesday 7th September and continues for 12 weeks until the end of the year (click on this weblink for exact dates of the sessions). Rabbi Nissan David Dubov will lead each session as he helps unravel the mysteries of the Bible in what is described as, 'An hour and a quarter of weekly wisdom, wit and humour'.

The first session is entitled 'Adam and Eve - why did they sin?'. Other biblical stories that will be discussed during the course include: The Binding of Isaac, Jonah and the Whale, The Tower of Babel, Jacob and Esau and many others.

If you've ever been puzzled or perplexed by the meanings of stories from the Bible then this course is perfect for you. Each class is self-contained so if you are unable to attend the whole series then you can just join sessions as and when you are able to. The sessions are good for both beginners and seasoned learners. All classes will take place at the Chabad Centre in Wimbledon.

For more information about this fascinating course please contact Rabbi Dubov on 020 8944 7770 or email rabbi@dubov.org

For a list of dates, times, and course details please Click Here:

Results Reach Record High at Chabad Lubavitch Schools

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:37:00 PM

Students at Chabad Lubavitch schools are celebrating another year of record 'A' Level results. Staff and pupils alike are delighted at this year's results which show a marked improvement on previous years.

The schools achieved a commendable 100% pass rate in 'A' Level subjects which included Maths, English, Religious Studies and Biblical Hebrew. Over 85% of students obtained an A or B result. This performance cements Chabad Lubavitch's place in the top quartile of Schools in the Borough of Hackney.

Rabbi Shmuel Lew, Headmaster of the Senior Girls School said, 'These results are a tribute to the sheer dedication of our senior teachers Mrs Freeman and Mrs Junik as well as to all our passionate and committed staff'.

The schools are eagerly anticipating another succesful year of GCSE results. These will be published in one weeks time.