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Chabad Lubavitch received a thumbs up from Ofsted and Pikuach – the inspection authority for Jewish schools - after a hugely successful inspection of their schools’ facilities.

Following an inspection by Pikuach in early December, Pikuach gave a mixture of outstanding and good grades to the Lubavitch Girls Primary School and the Lubavitch Early Learning Years (Chabad nursery). The report stated that “The quality of Jewish education at Lubavitch Ruth Lunzer Girls Primary school is good overall and in the Early Years Foundation Stage, it is outstanding. The school provides a warm, welcoming and supportive environment that is enjoyed by all staff, pupils and parents.”  
 

The Pikuach noted that the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make outstanding progress due to the high quality of provision that ensures pupils learn well both socially and academically, in a safe and secure learning environment. Pikuach also highlights the high standard of teaching practices which ensure that pupils rate of learning and progress are at least good and in many cases outstanding and as a result, the standards attained by pupils in Year 6 are outstanding. 
 

A report by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted), gave The Early Years foundation (Chabad nursery) an overall grade two rating, ranking all aspects of the nursery as “good”.

Ofsted highlighted the quality and standards of the nursery by saying: “The home-from-home, inclusive environment is organised to allow children free movement around the house. Children develop warm and secure relationships with the childminder who supports the children well and takes care of their individual needs.” 

The report also highlighted the nursery as a calming and welcoming place for parents to send their children, leaving parents with knowledge and comfort that their children are in capable hands, “Children make good progress especially in personal social and emotional development. The room is calm and welcoming and children behave very well. They are relaxed and happy and are able to establish learning attitudes which will be valuable to them throughout their education.” 
 

The fantastic reports were greeted with great enthusiasm and demonstrate that Chabad Lubavitch education is continuing to set high standards despite the difficulties of the new frame work set by Ofsted this year. Chief Executive of Chabad Lubavitch UK, Rabbi Bentzi Sudak commented on this achievement: “I am delighted by these wonderful reports and it really shows the strides that we are taking in making sure that children who go through schooling at Lubavitch is of the highest quality.”  
 

Rabbi Sudak continued: “It is increasingly important that we continue to maintain this high standard of education and learning and by the time we have another inspection we will see only outstanding reports! I would like to thank all staff and teachers for their continuous hard work and effort in what is certainly going to be a highly successful year ahead.”

Prince Michael of Kent, a cousin of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, toured the heavily damaged site of Chabad-Lubavitch of Mumbai, India, in a gesture of solidarity and in support of the rebuilding effort following the Nov. 26, 2008 terrorist attack there and at tourist centers throughout the city.

At the end of his Wednesday afternoon visit, he presented Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz, director of the Chabad Mumbai Relief Fund, with a formal pledge of $100,000 on behalf of the DVK Foundation, a United Kingdom charity he serves as patron.

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Over 60 people attended a seminar organised by the Chabad of Hendon on ‘marriage matters and intimacy’, to help educate young couples about the foundations for a healthy relationship.

Guest speaker at the seminar was Shimona Tzukernik - founder and director of Omek, a special learning centre for women in New York – who flew in especially to speak at the seminar.

She spoke to the young couples about the Jewish view of intimacy and relationships as well as explaining how the practice of the mikve and taharat mishpacha (family purity) can be an amazing enhancement to intimacy within marriage.
 
"The seminar brilliantly explained the deeper spiritual dimensions driving attraction between men and women and why we are compelled to find a partner,” said Caroline Cohen, director of singles events at Chabad of Hendon.

For more information about Chabad Lubavitch new ‘Divine Match’ dating programme or for more information about how the Mikve can make your marriage more exciting please email Chabad House at www.chabadlive.com
 

This February, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will launch its winter course, Portraits in Leadership: Timeless Tales for Inspired Living. 

Portraits in Leadership is a study of the inspiring life story of six figures whose courage and determination helped Judaism weather its darkest hours. In the face of the first-century Roman assault on Jerusalem, the fundamental institutions of the Jewish people were utterly destroyed. But with wisdom and verve, these leaders took the radical steps that managed to preserve the essence of Judaism to this very day.

“Students are constantly looking for tools to deal with day-to-day challenges,” says local JLI instructor, Rabbi Bentzi Sudak who will be teaching the course in the City at Deloitte.

“What better way to find guidance than from the wise example of others who encountered hardships and used them as the impetus for growth and change.”

Lessons will examine a range of classic Jewish sources, drawing extensively from the stories of the Talmud and modern commentaries that point out their personal significance to our lives.

Portraits in Leadership, like all JLI’s courses, is designed for people at all levels of Jewish knowledge. Participants without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning can attend and enjoy this course. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not to be a member of any particular synagogue or denomination.

The couse will be taught at various locations across London as well as in Leeds in early February and potential students are welcome to call (020) 7078 7469 for more information, or email [email protected].

This month Chabad Lubavitch will set a unique new record by reaching 100,000 hours of learning by telephone.

Over the past eight years Tel-Torah has been giving people the chance to learn by phone at a time and place convenient to them and this January will mark 100,000th hour of Torah learning.

Tel-Torah, project of Chabad Lubavitch of Edgware, has made the treasures of studying Torah, Chassidut and Daf Hayomi (Talmud) more accessible than ever before. Participants simply dial a telephone number and a world of Jewish knowledge opens at the cost of a local call.

Available in both English and Yiddish, participants are able to choose from nine different topics as well as a daily Daf Hayomi Shiur as well as a ‘pick a Daf’ and ‘pick a mishna’ which let the user choose any page and the class is played to them.  The subject matter varies from profound Chassidic insights to heart-warming stories and the weekly Torah portion.

To celebrate this achievement Chabad Lubavitch have installed a new upgraded computer system which will offer something to suit everyone’s needs, from adults to children and from beginners to advanced learners. Participants can now choose from nineteen different categories including a Jewish date converter, Children's super phone which includes stories, mystery minute plus songs, daily mishnah readings, weekly parshah and daily shiurim.

Chief Executive of Chabad Lubavitch UK, Rabbi Bentzi Sudak commented on this achievement: “This is a wonderful achievement for Chabad Lubavitch UK and just goes to show the importance of self learning. I am deeply grateful to the Lubavitch of Edgware for all their efforts in making this possible.”

Rabbi Sudak continued: “There are thousands of Jews around the world who are not able to get to a synagogue or a Jewish learning group once a week; judging from our call stats Tel – Torah is in use at all hours of the day or night, six days a week. Tel – Torah makes learning the Torah accessible to anyone anywhere and means that you are always connected to Jewish learning in a fun and easy way!”

The new Tel Torah number is 020 33 18 77 00

CLICK HERE for more information.