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Chabad-Lubavitch in the Media
Stories and reports that have appeared in the media during the past two weeks
| Chabad at Rice breaks ground on Grinshtein Chabad Jewish Student Center Rice University News,Thursday, September 3, 2026 |
| After a decade of growth, Chabad at Rice University broke ground on the new Grinshtein Chabad Jewish Student Center that will provide an expanded home for Jewish students and strengthen the university’s growing Jewish community. The groundbreaking ceremony brought together Rice leaders, students, alumni, community members, donors and Chabad supporters to celebrate the milestone and look ahead to the next era of Jewish life at Rice. |
| 250-year-old Torah that survived Holocaust gets new chapter in Ventnor Press of Atlantic City,Tuesday, September 1, 2026 |
| VENTNOR — It survived Nazi persecution, crossed continents with a family fleeing for safety and eventually returned to the German town it once called home. A scene from the celebration, restoration and documentary premiere honoring the 250-year-old Torah that survived the Holocaust and has now been restored, at Chabad at the Shore - Chai Center, in Ventnor, Sunday, August 30, 2026. |
| USC Chabad unveils renovated house Daily Trojan,Tuesday, September 1, 2026 |
| Sunday marked the grand opening of the USC Chabad House, with speeches from campus and organization leaders. The site now includes a rooftop kosher restaurant, a larger dining room and student housing. “Reaching a milestone doesn’t mean that the work is over. It means now you have a greater responsibility,” Rabbi Dov Wagner, co-director of USC Chabad, said in remarks during the opening. “For years, our goal was simple: build Chabad at USC a home. And now we have one. … Now comes the real question: What are we going to do with it?” |
| Chabad of Sonoma Valley Grand Opening The Jewish Press,Monday, August 31, 2026 |
| The Sonoma Jewish community marked a huge milestone with the opening of our new location! In just two years, Chabad of Sonoma Valley has grown into a vibrant and growing Jewish community, bringing people from all different backgrounds together. Our new space will serve as the central office and home base from which we operate and coordinate our many programs, events, and community initiatives throughout Sonoma Valley. We’re excited for this new chapter and look forward to welcoming even more people through our doors! |
| HAPPENING TODAY: Howard County Chabad Celebrates 40 years WBFF - Fox45 BALTIMORE ,Sunday, August 30, 2026 |
| In 1986, a 23-year-old rabbi and his 18-year-old wife arrived in Howard County with a mission: bring traditional Jewish life to a largely unaffiliated community. Today – Chabad of Howard County marks 40 years, celebrating a mission that’s grown into five centers serving Jews of every background and the community as a whole. Co-Director of Chabad Ellicott City Rabbi Yanky Baron joined Fox45 to reflect on the milestone. |
| Chabad students bake for Hawk Fire first responders, evacuees University of Nevada, Reno,Friday, August 28, 2026 |
| On Sunday afternoon, students gathered at Chabad at the University with a simple goal: bring a little sweetness and support to people facing an incredibly difficult time. Together, the students baked and packaged approximately 500 fresh cookies for people affected by the fire and those working to protect the community. Within hours, Chabad was transformed into a makeshift bakery. Students mixed dough, baked hundreds of cookies, packaged them individually and prepared them to be distributed throughout the community. |
| Chabad of Toluca Lake Invites Community to Outdoor High Holiday Celebrations myBurbank,Thursday, August 27, 2026 |
| Chabad of Toluca Lake will welcome families and individuals from across the community for a series of outdoor High Holiday services and events celebrating Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this September. The services will be held in the outdoor courtyard at Villa Blanca, located at 10623 Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake. Designed to be warm, welcoming and accessible, the gatherings are open to everyone, regardless of background, affiliation or level of religious observance. Membership is not required, and High Holiday services are free to attend, although donations are appreciated. |
| Chabad of Ulster County to dedicate playroom in memory of slain Israeli hostages Daily Freeman,Thursday, August 27, 2026 |
| Chabad of Ulster County. 254 Lucas Ave., will hold a special dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 30, for its newly completed Ariel & Kfir Playroom, named in memory of Ariel and Kfir Bibas and their mother, Shiri. The dedication and ribbon cutting will follow a service at 8 a.m. Refreshments will follow. Ariel Bibas, age 4, and his baby brother Kfir, 9 months old, became among the most recognizable symbols of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel and hostage crisis. |
| Lake Forest Rabbi Donates Kidney To Stranger After Year-Long Journey To Match Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, IL Patch,Thursday, August 27, 2026 |
| A Lake Forest rabbi is recovering well after donating a kidney to a stranger nearly two months ago, saying the decision followed a long period of thought and a match process that began about a year earlier. Rabbi Moshe Spalter of Chabad of Lake Forest told Patch he had considered kidney donation for some time before ultimately moving forward. The donation comes as Spalter continues to build the congregation he helped establish, Chabad of Lake Forest, about three and a half years ago. He said the community is still expanding as it works to reach more residents. |
| Carmel hosts Indiana Jewish festival featuring arts, music and food Indianapolis News | WISH-TV,Wednesday, August 26, 2026 |
| The Indiana Jewish Festival returns for its second year on Sunday. It will be at the Carmel City Hall Lawn from 12 pm to 2:30 pm. "We were so humbled with the response last year. We kind of took a shot in the dark, not knowing how people would react. We had around 1,000 people come out. It might have been one of the largest Jewish events of the year and we're hoping to grow from there," said Rabbi David Grossbaum on WISH-TV's Daybreak Wednesday morning. |
| Chabad of Petaluma celebrates 10 year anniversary at Flying Cloud Ranch Petaluma Argus-Courier,Wednesday, August 26, 2026 |
| Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma celebrated its 10 year anniversary last Sunday night, Aug. 23, with a gala party at Petaluma’s Flying Cloud Ranch. With attendees all glammed up in formal evening attire, and live klezmer music adding to the festive atmosphere, the highlights of the evening included a gratitude ceremony, special guests, and a presentation of awards to a number of local honorees. Those honorees included Steve and Cydney Levenson, presented with the Lamplighter Award, Brent Blaustein, receiving the Visionary Award, and the family of Jonathan and Beverley Cohen. |
| Kitchen of Kindness invites community for food giving Florida Weekly,Tuesday, August 25, 2026 |
| Kitchen of Kindness grows out of years of care already shared throughout the community, including weekly challah deliveries, Shabbat and holiday meals, Thanksgiving packages, hospital visits and quiet acts of kindness offered at just the right time. With this new initiative, Chabad Naples is creating a regular opportunity for people to volunteer, connect, build friendships, and take part in hands-on kindness. “This is about more than meals,” said Rabbi Fishel Zaklos of Chabad Naples. “It is about community. It is about people coming together, side by side, to do something good." |
| Bar Lavi Hebrew School opens at Chabad of Northampton WWLP 22 Northampton,Tuesday, August 25, 2026 |
| Chabad of Northampton is launching the Bar Lavi Hebrew School, a new educational program in Northampton, with classes scheduled to begin Sunday. The school serves families throughout the Pioneer Valley region. Classes will take place on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. throughout the school year and enrollment does not require prior synagogue membership or previous Jewish education. Rabbi Shmuel Kravitsky serves as co-director of Chabad of Northampton, which operates the school. He spoke about the goals for the new educational initiative. |
| UNR students respond to Hawk Fire, bake 500 cookies for evacuees & first responders This is Reno,Tuesday, August 25, 2026 |
| On Sunday afternoon, students gathered at Chabad at UNR with a simple goal: bring a little sweetness and support to people facing an incredibly difficult time. Together, the students baked and packaged approximately 500 fresh cookies for people affected by the fire and those working to protect the community. Within hours, Chabad was transformed into a makeshift bakery. Students mixed dough, baked hundreds of cookies, packaged them individually, and prepared them to be distributed throughout the community. |
| Chabad of Montecito’s Hachnasat Sefer Torah Celebration Montecito Journal,Tuesday, August 25, 2026 |
| On Sunday, August 9, Rabbi Chaim Loschak, executive director of Chabad of Montecito, led his community in a welcome celebration for their newly received Torah. The event, formally titled Hachnasat Sefer Torah, was held at the home of one of the family members of Chabad of Montecito. The new Torah was dedicated to Chabad of Montecito. Prior to welcoming the generous gift from the Ruimy Family, Rabbi Chaim had borrowed a Torah for services. |
| Nearly 200 western NC women unite for mega challah bake ahead of Rosh Hashana WLOS,Sunday, August 23, 2026 |
| Nearly 200 women from across western North Carolina gathered Sunday at the Country Club of Asheville for a community-wide mega challah bake. The event, hosted by the Asheville Jewish Women’s Circle, gave attendees of all skill levels a chance to learn how to make challah — the traditional Jewish bread — ahead of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which begins in September. Organizers said the gathering also celebrated 20 years of the Jewish Women’s Circle. “It is our largest women’s event,” said Chana Susskind, director of women and children’s programs for Chabad Asheville. |
| Chabad Jewish Center in Palm Coast purchases permanent home VINnews,Sunday, August 23, 2026 |
| he Chabad Jewish Center of Palm Coast has purchased a permanent home at 1 Yacht Club Drive after a decade of building Jewish life in the Florida community. Palm Coast, in Flagler County on Florida’s northeast coast, has about 100,000 residents. The local Jewish community is relatively small but has grown over the past decade, with Chabad serving Jewish residents in Palm Coast and surrounding communities. Rabbi Levi and Tzivie Ezagui, who lead Chabad of Palm Coast, announced the purchase and said the new center is expected to open in early 2027. |
| Wilmington Jewish Community Center breaks ground off Market Street https://www.wect.com,Sunday, August 23, 2026 |
| The Chabad of Wilmington held the groundbreaking for the area’s only Jewish Community Center, known as the JCC. Organizers say the new space has been in the works for years. Rabbi Moshe Lieblich said the facility is meant to serve the Jewish community and the region. “It will be a place of teaching the Jewish community but also a place of light, a heavenly for the region at large,” Lieblich said. |
| Former Hamas hostage Judith Raanan shares story of faith and resilience KVIA,Sunday, August 23, 2026 |
| Judith Ranaan will be sharing her story at Chabad Lubavitch of El Paso Sunday evening. “This meaningful evening offers the El Paso community a rare opportunity to hear directly from someone whose life was forever changed by the events of October 7,” said Rabbi Levi Greenberg, assistant rabbi at Chabad. “Her personal testimony provides a deeply human perspective on courage, perseverance, and the enduring power of faith in the face of unimaginable adversity.” |
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