Entries about chabad

We are home. The Jewish people have returned to our ancient homeland after a two thousand year exile. We have learned a tragic lesson from our bitter history. It is only when we are a free and safe people in Eretz (the land of) Israel that can we can truly enjoy and celebrate our faith. The journey became thousands of years ago in the Sinai Desert.

For forty years, as our ancestors traversed the Sinai Desert, following the Exodus from Egypt, we were sheltered by a cover of miraculous "clouds of glory" shielding us from the dangers and discomforts of the desert. We remember G-d's kindness and reaffirmation of our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah--a hut of temporary construction. It has a roof covering of branches and can be located anywhere that we choose. For the seven days and nights of the holiday we eat all our meals in the sukkah and otherwise regard it as our home. Some celebrants choose to sleep in the temporary dwelling.

Sukkot is also called The Time of Our Joy. There is a special joy that pervades the festival which includes a nightly Water-Drawing Celebrations, reminiscent of the evening-to-dawn festivities held in the Holy Temple Jerusalem housed our most revered sites three thousand years before the rebirth of the Jewish homeland in 1948. People fill the synagogues and streets with song, music and dance until the wee hours of the morning.

I celebrated Sukkot this year at the main Orthodox Synagogue in my community. The Sukkah was built by our local Chabad community, but visitors came from all streams of Judaism. There were also a few visiting European Christians who stopped by to share in our joy. We ate Hummus and Pita, Burekas, Falafel, and drank a bit of Vodka. There was a lot of singing, dancing and kids running about. Our group of roughly fifty celebrants included old friends and a few new ones. My favorite visitors were the Rabbi Levey’s six children aged one to eleven years old.

This is my seventh year in Haifa. As an Oleh Chadash or new immigrant to Haifa, many challenges exist to succeeding in building a new life. There is the need to learn a new language, understand a different culture, make new friends and find employment. However, the joys of celebrating my faith in this wonderful city have make it all worthwhile.

The sun began to set, and the Neilah or closing Yom Kippur service drew to a close. Rabbi Levi Tzeitlin's voice grew stronger and more eloquent with each sentence that he spoke. This was due in part to the inherent emotions inspired by our prayers during the Jewish Day of Atonement. There was also a palpable sense of excitement aroused by looking at the throng of more than forty congregants from several streams of Judaism and many personal backgrounds. We joined together to celebrate the most solemn religious event of the Jewish year. Yom Kippur is the last of the ten days of penitence that begin with Rosh HaShanna or The Jewish New Year.

We were holding our first annual "Open Shul," a makeshift, yet comfortable, Bet Knesset or Synagogue. The public was welcome to attend a free prayer service In the Dan Panorama Center. It is an upscale hotel and shopping mail located in the Mercaz or center neighborhood of Haifa. The services were appreciated by all those who attended. We had received permission to proceed just a week before Yom Kippur. Our Rabbi Levy, with the help of his valued assistant Zecharya Gonsher, scrambled around Haifa to secure an Aron Kodesh, Torah, prayer books, and everything else that we needed including refreshments to break the fast. Fasting is expected during this solemn holiday. We try to atone for the sins of the past year and commit to do better for the coming one.

I believe that due to the open atmosphere, and vibrant personalities of both staff members, that we received positive feedback and many thanks from those who attended. Chabad which is a large Hasidic movement is known for its hospitality, expertise, optimism and emphasis on Jewish spiritual growth.

In addition, Gonsher, who heads the "English Speakers of Chabad Panorama" branch, was able to give instructions and inspirational words to the number of Anglos or English speakers who attended. In an area lacking English language spiritual programs many of those attending expressed gratitude for this thoughtful act.

The successful program plans upcoming services which include a number of Shabbatot, upcoming holiday celebrations (including a Sukkot gathering), and other educational events throughout the year. The goal is to serve the vibrant and exciting English speaking population in The Carmel Center. I live in the community and enjoy the convenience of walking to activities. Many of my friends new and old share the same point of view.

"When the country shuts down and everyone goes to vacation on Chag Sukkot, an exhausted Rabbi Levi and I could easily convince ourselves to do the same...." says Gonsher, "However, after seeing the appreciation and satisfaction of our make-shift congregants, well, it gives us the inspiration and strength to push forward and have another event in the Sukkah. We look forward to expanding our services and programs exponentially, and hope you all can be in touch. Chag Sameach!"

For needs, assistance, and anything Jewish, please feel free to contact the Chabad Panorama, Panorama Center, Sderot HaNasi 109, Carmel Center, Haifa. Rabbi Levi Tzeitlin (chabadp2@gmail.com), 077-411-2770, and for English Speakers, Zecharya Gonsher (ChabadPanorama@gmail.com), 058-5454-770. On Facebook: English Speakers Chabad Panorama.

I am sitting at The Dan Panorama Mall in Haifa writing this post at my favorite cafe. The upscale mall houses high-end clothing and jewelry stores. There are several restaurants, a beauty salon, and a pharmacy. The community Chabad center is located here as well. It is my spiritual home and favorite place to buy religious artifacts and home décor. The Rabbi is named Levi. He is about thirty, razor thin, with dark hair, and smiles consistently. He has six children ranging from in age from six months to seven years. My favorite is his six month year old daughter Devorah which means "bee" in English. She already beams her father’s smile. I visit the store almost daily in the hope that the kids will be there. Levi was born and raised in Tzfat the holy city where the Kabalah developed. His parents were "Chabadniks" long before Levi was born.

In the course of our two year friendship Levi and I have discussed the need for, and to develop, English language courses in our community on various topics of Judaism. Chabad is recognized throughout the world for the superb quality of its spiritual teachings. I chose to study at a Chabad center in Pittsburgh for a year before immigrating to Israel. My classes included Talmud, Tanach - Bible Studies, and tutoring in Hebrew. They have my deepest appreciation for their support.

So what actually is Chabad-Lubavitch?
Chabad-Lubavitch is a major movement within mainstream Jewish tradition with its roots in the Chassidic movement of the 18th century. In Czarist and Communist Russia, the leaders of Chabad led the struggle for the survival of Torah Judaism, often facing imprisonment and relentless persecution for their activities. After the Holocaust, under the direction of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchaak Schneerson and his successor, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, Chabad became a worldwide movement, caring for the spiritual and material needs of all Jews, wherever they could be found. Their goal is to teach and promote spiritual growth without judging or changing their "students".

Today, over 3,000 Chabad centers are located in more than 65 countries, with a new center opening on the average every ten days. In South Africa, South America, Russia, Australia, the UK, and many parts of the USA, and of course Israel. Chabad has become a dynamic and dominant force within the Jewish community.

Levi and I are now acting on our dream of establishing a study center for English speaking immigrants and visitors in Haifa.
We visited the Chabad center in Tzfat to meet their leader there Ayal. He has decades of experience in planning and administering programs for English speaking individuals. He speaks the tongue of Shakespeare wonderfully but sounds a bit British. He actually was born and raised in Israel. He is housed at The Tzfat Kabablah center in the old part of the city. He helped us to plan and organize our agenda. We recently added a new team leader Zecharya Gonsher, born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, made aliyah at age 28 where he meet his Israeli wife through the help of a Chabad shadchanit (matchmaker). He earned his MSW in family clinical therapy in St Louis, MO, where he connected to Chabad, and has cherished this ever since. Currently, Zecharya helps the Chabad House in establishing programs for the English speaking Haifa area community. He lives in Kiryat Ata with his wife, Liat, and newborn twins.

Ayal and Levy have a list of English speakers from Haifa and the surrounding communities who have inquired about starting classes in our community. Judaism is a knowledge based faith. I can not imagine a greater bruchah or blessing than offering the opportunity to learn with others.

The Reform Jewish Movement has some classes in our community. My very close friend Rabbi Edgar Nof hosts a Pirke Avot group one day a week for example. However, there are those Jews who are more oriented to other streams of Judaism or find the convenience of transportation to the Mercaz or center a big asset. We are planning to have an open house in the fall to build a garin - a seed or core group of those interested in supporting this program.

Here is the contact information again

Zecharya Gonsher, 0585-454-770