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Chabad-Lubavitch in the Media
Stories and reports that have appeared in the media during the past two weeks
| After Federal Lawsuit And Temporary Spaces, Valley Chabad Will Soon Have A Home Pascack Valley Daily Voice,Wednesday, May 13, 2026 |
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| On May 17, at 11 a.m., the Jewish center that serves residents in Saddle River and the Pascack Valley will hold a groundbreaking and cornerstone-setting ceremony for its brand-new 2,000-square-foot facility at 530 Chestnut Ridge Rd. Rabbi Dov Drizin says the move marks the beginning of a long-awaited new chapter for the Jewish outreach organization that has served residents in the area for more than 25 years. “It has been a real spiritual home, a place of learning and connection and a lighthouse for the community,” Drizin said in a call with Daily Voice Wednesday, May 13. | ||||
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| 'Only my best friend knows I’m Jewish': French teens speak out The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com,Wednesday, May 13, 2026 |
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| A private meeting between Jewish teenagers from across France and US Ambassador Charles Kushner exposed the daily reality facing young Jews in French public schools, where some said they hide their identity, remove visible Jewish symbols, and wait all week for the chance to reconnect with Jewish peers. Nine members of CTeen France, Chabad’s global Jewish teen network, visited Kushner and his wife, Seryl, on May 4 at the official US ambassador’s residence. The teenagers, ages 14 to 18, came from CTeen chapters around the country and spoke with the ambassador for two hours. | ||||
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| Mitzvot Are the Norm at Chabad of Owings Mills Baltimore Jewish Times,Tuesday, May 12, 2026 |
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| While all Chabad houses cater to a wide range of Jews, Chabad of Owings Mills does so to a degree even more than most. The nondescript office space at Crondall Corner Shops Shopping Center is situated near residential neighborhoods, but it is also adjacent to Stevenson University. So while it is not the Stevenson campus Chabad, similar to those at Towson University or University of Maryland, it often effectively feels that way. The result? A diverse group of attendees come to Chabad of Owings Mills from all walks of life. | ||||
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| IKEA designer leads renovation of historic mikvah in Gothenburg, Sweden Israel & Jewish News - JNS,Tuesday, May 12, 2026 |
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| Sweden’s Jewish community has unveiled a newly renovated mikvah in Gothenburg designed by Ikea designer Olga Popyrina, according to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Popyrina, who worked designing lighting fixtures and glassware for Ikea, collaborated on the project with Rabbi Alexander and Leah Namdar of Chabad Lubavitch Sweden. The mikvah will feature a sink housed for more than 40 years at Chabad World Headquarters in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., which the Namdars brought with them to the Scandinavian nation. | ||||
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| Valley Chabad to celebrate groundbreaking for new Woodcliff Lake home May 17 — Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press,Tuesday, May 12, 2026 |
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| WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Valley Chabad will hold a groundbreaking and cornerstone-setting ceremony Sunday, May 17 at 11 a.m., for its new community home at 530 Chestnut Ridge Road, marking what the organization describes as a joyful and historic milestone for Jewish life in the Pascack Valley and Saddle River communities. The approximately 20,000-square-foot facility will include a sanctuary, social hall, library, Hebrew school, preschool, and teen lounge. Construction is underway, with completion anticipated in early 2027. | ||||
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| Cheder Chabad of Monsey Celebrated Dedication of New 5-Acre Campus | Rockland Daily Rockland Daily,Monday, May 11, 2026 |
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| A large crowd gathered this past Sunday in Monsey as Cheder Chabad celebrated the dedication and naming of its new five-acre campus. Rabbonim, askanim, public officials, philanthropists, parents, and members of the community came together for the event, which carried a strong feeling of excitement and pride over the continued growth of the cheder. The new campus was officially named Beit Shvidler Cheder Chabad in recognition of the support of philanthropist Eugene Shvidler. A special sign unveiling was held during the ceremony. | ||||
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| Shavuot Celebration In Margate Features Ice Cream Bar, Ten Commandments Reading - Margate Talk Margate Talk,Monday, May 11, 2026 |
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| Chabad of Margate is inviting residents to a series of family-friendly celebrations and services for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot begins at sunset on Thursday, May 21, and concludes at nightfall on Saturday, May 23. The holiday marks the giving of the Torah and the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. A Shavuot community event will be held on Friday, May 22, at 5:30 p.m. at Chabad of Margate. The evening will include a public reading of the Ten Commandments from a Torah scroll, followed by an ice cream bar, dairy buffet, and holiday crafts for children. | ||||
| Friendship Circle Expands Mental Wellness Support for Teens Detroit Jewish News,Monday, May 11, 2026 |
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| Friendship Circle’s UMatter 2.0 pilot creates a safe spacefor teen girls to connect, reflect and support one another.A new version of Friendship Circle’s popular UMatter program is taking shape with a fresh focus on teen connection and emotional support. Mushka, a participant, joins the pilot UMatter 2.0 Teen Talks program for girls. Called UMatter 2.0, the initiative recently launched a pilot program designed specifically for teenage girls, using a peer-to-peer model that empowers participants to show up for one another in meaningful ways. | ||||
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| He Held the Door Shut Against Hurricane Melissa. Then He Opened It to Thousands. Direct Relief,Monday, May 11, 2026 |
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| Raskin is a third-generation emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Rabbi), Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The Rebbe, as he is widely known, served as the seventh head of the Chabad Lubavitch movement and was a generational leader of Jews around the world, many of whom engage with Chabad through emissary-run Chabad Houses and institutions, which today number about 6,000 globally and provide a range of religious and community services. | ||||
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| An unforgettable evening in Brazil: Five canopies were set up for young couples from Russia • Watch the documentary חרדים10,Monday, May 11, 2026 |
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| At the forefront of the activity with students and young people is the 'Yachad' organization, headed by the Chief Rabbi of Russia and Chabad emissary, Rabbi Berel Lazar, and managed by Rabbi Mendy Wilensky, who, along with the Energo youth movement for teenagers, oversee activities that connect young Jews to their identity, through Chabad emissaries. A special and moving moment occurred when the Lubavitcher Rebbe's letter to the bride and groom was read in three languages. | ||||
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| Flying Squirrels, Friendship Circle of Virginia celebrate Disability Inclusion Day at CarMax Park CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR,Sunday, May 10, 2026 |
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| The Richmond Flying Squirrels teamed up with the Friendship Circle of Virginia for the fifth annual Disability Inclusion Day on Sunday, the first at CarMax Park. "And so there's so many things that went into this design of this ballpark, from the ramps to the accessibility to make it truly inclusive. And when we say that everyone is invited, that's like we always say it's like an empty opportunity, but if you do it in a way that is real, then people will show up, and they are," Dr. Sarah Kranz-Ciment, founder and executive director of Friendship Circle of Virginia. | ||||
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| 'Eishet Chayil': Who is the biblical woman of valor? The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com,Sunday, May 10, 2026 |
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| Eishet Chayil: Woman of Valor – Heroines of Our History is a commentary on the 22 verses of Proverbs 31, based on midrash, the Talmud, classic rabbinic texts, and Chabad Hassidut. It is published by Kehot, the central publishing house of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. It’s a beautiful book, illustrated by Lia Baratz, featuring watercolor flowers, fruits, leaves, bows, and birds. Don’t let the price scare you. If you’re interested in learning more about women in Tanach, this book offers a wealth of information in a gorgeous package. | ||||
| Antisemitism in Germany, and the CDU's search for answers Deutsche Welle English,Sunday, May 10, 2026 |
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| The day after the vigil, a few kilometers away in western Berlin, the executive committee of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) convened, led by party leader Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on the campus of the Jewish Chabad movement. They were welcomed by Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, the capital's most prominent rabbi, who appeals to a focus on the good, for signs of hope, rather than on the darkness. And the rabbi has built a campus, an outstanding complex with classrooms and a multipurpose hall, a kindergarten and a café. | ||||
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| Link arms to support special needs community at Marlboro Walk4Friends Asbury Park Press,Saturday, May 9, 2026 |
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| ETFriendship Circle of Central Jersey will host its annual Walk4Friends on Sunday, May 17, in Marlboro. This year's theme is “'commYOUnity', "highlighting the role every individual plays in building a more inclusive world." Over the past year, Friendship Circle has served more than 120 participants with 250 teen volunteers, delivered 26 sessions of programming and expanded its offerings. “Walk4Friends is where our entire community shows up for one another,” said Muka Pewzner, operations director of Friendship Circle of Central Jersey, in a news release. | ||||
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| Five Jewish couples marry in Brazil before 900 Jews from former Soviet Union | The Jerusalem Post The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com,Thursday, May 7, 2026 |
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| YAHAD, which operates under the leadership of the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar, and is directed by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Wilansky, runs Jewish programming for students and young adults through Chabad emissaries across the region, the statement said. The couples, according to organizers, were introduced to Jewish life later in their youth through local Chabad emissaries in their home cities. They later joined Jewish study programs, seminars, Shabbatons, and trips organized by YAHAD, where they met other young Jews from outside their local communities. | ||||
| Gun and Prosthetics: War amputee puts on tefillin after losing both legs Israel National News,Thursday, May 7, 2026 |
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| The Instagram account "Soldiers Smiling" posted a photo of the Chabad emissary to the colleges, Rabbi Liraz Ze'ira, who was severely wounded in Syria, as he puts on tefillin for a man in the street. The special photograph was taken by photographer Menachem Gaysinsky, who captured the moment beside the Chabad house that Rabbi Ze'ira manages. Alongside the photo a post that moved many people online was published, which said, "Even after he lost both his legs to a landmne in southern Syria while serving as a corporal in the IDF, Rabbi Liraz Ze'ira refuses to surrender to darkness." | ||||
| New Mitzvah Tank to bring Jewish life to regional Australia J-Wire,Wednesday, May 6, 2026 |
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| An intimate Lag B’Omer gathering at Chabad Brisbane marked the formal opening of the newly renovated Queensland Mitzvah Tank and Mobile Library, a joint initiative of Chabad Brisbane and Chabad of RARA. The specially fitted motorhome will travel across rural and regional Queensland and Northern New South Wales, bringing Jewish support, learning and connection to communities often far from established Jewish centres. “We want every Jew, no matter where they live, to know they are not forgotten and remain part of the wider Jewish community,” said Rabbi Levi Jaffe, director of Chabad Brisbane. | ||||
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| Three Jewish women describe their fights against cancer San Diego Jewish World,Saturday, May 2, 2026 |
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| Resilience, community, and the power of prayer were the resounding themes at the Chabad of East County’s Jewish Women’s Circle event, “Three Women, Three Journeys, One Powerful Conversation,” held Tuesday, April 28. Speakers Olga Worm, Dr. Shayna Kaufmann, and Andrea Schneider each shared their deeply personal experiences with cancer—how it impacted their lives, and how it ultimately strengthened them. In a room of more than 30 women, their stories offered inspiration, honesty, and practical wisdom for navigating life’s most difficult challenges. | ||||
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