Category: News

New Jewish Community Centers Dedicated in Moscow

Two uplifting and emotional events, at two separate locations, were celebrated only a few days apart. The inauguration of two new Jewish Community Centers in Moscow, one in the Noviy-Veshki neighborhood by Rabbi Zalman Shimon Deren, and the other, in the Pokrovsky neighborhood by Rabbi Yechezkel Lazar. The Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, was […]

Russia’s Jewish Inmates Not Forgotten; Chanukah Shined in World’s Oldest Prison

Across vast Russia, hundreds of Jewish inmates were visited during the festival of Chanukah in the country’s various prisons * In Butirsky Prison, the world’s oldest active prison, inmates were surprised by a special visit by the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar On Thursday afternoon the Chief Prison Warden and the Prison Director […]

Moscow’s Chessed Center Sparks Joy: Chanukah Aid for Underprivileged Jewish Families

Thousands of underprivileged homes in Russia received extra help this Chanukah, thanks to an initiative by Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar and a major operation by Moscow’s Chessed Center. Moscow’s famed Chessed Center was a hive of activity these past few weeks, as a major Chanukah operation was being planned. Already several weeks before Chanukah, the […]

Chanukah Lights Burn Bright in Kharkiv

This is already the second Chanukah Ukraine has experienced since the crisis began… Yet, the Chanukah lights burned bright… * A week before Chanukah the message of light was already being spread on billboards throughout the streets of Kharkiv reminding everyone to light in their homes and that a little light dispels a lot of […]

History at Stalin’s “Jewish Autonomy” of Birobidzhan

When Joseph Stalin created the “autonomous Jewish region” near the China–Russia border, he did not even dream that one day,  the light of Chanukah would be spread across the region’s official institution. In the far east of Russia, near the border with China, electronic Chanukah menorahs were hung on the entrances of government buildings in the central […]

Russia’s Chief Rabbi Takes Whirlwind Trip to Spread Light

From Yekaterinburg to Siberia, and from Siberia to Belarus, Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar brought a message of encouragement and warmth to the local Jews on a whirlwind three-day trip. Amid the holiday of Chanukah, one of the busiest times of the year for any rabbi, Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar took a break. Its […]

Government Officials Celebrate Chanukah In Smolensk, Russia

The mayor, deputy mayor and representatives of the local and district government participated in lighting the first candle of Chanukah in the Jewish community center of Smolensk, Russia. The mayor, deputy mayor and representatives of the local and district government all participated in the ceremony of lighting the first candle of Chanukah which took place […]

At Minus 30 Degrees: Over 6,000 People Celebrate Chanukah in Yekaterinburg

Not an everyday occurrence: The Russian army band performing at a Chanukah celebration participated by 6,000 Jews, enduring temperatures of 30 degrees below zero, in a massive Chanukah celebration, probably the largest in the world. For 27 years straight, the Chief Rabbi and Chabad emissaries in Yekaterinburg, Rabbi Zelig Ashkenazi and his wife Mrs. Chana, […]

Ukraine: Public Chanukah Menorah in Kremenchuk Toppled, Suspects Arrested

A short while before the public lighting of the Chanukah Menorah in the city of Kremenchuk, the large Menorah was toppled down by unidentified individuals. The police swiftly launched an investigation and apprehended several young suspects. The city’s rabbi stated, “We will drive away the darkness with light; tomorrow we will hold a grand lighting.” […]