Israel has been at war for almost two years, battling enemies on all sides. And with G‑d's help, they have been successful at holding many at bay. The pain is everywhere, but so are the miracles. With faith, unity, and resolve, we will emerge from this challenge stronger, more united, and unbroken.
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Israel at War
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Featured
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Do a Mitzvah for Israel Our extended Jewish family is under fire. Rockets are raining down on Israeli cities and towns, and our troops are face-to-face with ruthless killers in Gaza. Is there anything we can do?
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When Jews Rise Like Lions The same Torah that commands us not to murder, underscores the vital importance of protecting the lives of the innocent, and guides us how and when to fight wars.
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In Shelters Across Israel, Faith Overcomes Fear as Iran’s Missiles Fall Millions in shelters, singing, praying
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Israeli Chabad Rabbi: We Are Faithful, Not Fearful! Those providing essential services are doing so as an act of bravery and are delighted to know that they are not forgotten or taken for granted.
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Israel Doubles Down on Mitzvot as Iran Attacks Shortly after Shabbat began, Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel
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Psalms for Times of Distress "...if we only knew the power of verses of Psalms and their effect in the spiritual realms, we would recite them constantly." – The Tzemach Tzedek
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7 Things You Can Do for Israel Now Help by taking an action from this list, and by sharing it with family, friends and colleagues
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Now Is the Time to Put Up a Mezuzah! In moments like this, all eyes are towards Israel. We pray for our brothers and sisters, for their safety and for peace in the entire region.
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Uplift! Messages of Direction and Hope Draw strength by coming together for an uplifting evening filled with hope, unity, and support.
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Names of the Hostages in Gaza for Prayer A list of names compiled from various published sources
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It Is Time to Declare the Truth About the Jews and Israel The Torah grants Israel to the Jews and obligates them to protect her people
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Israel at War: The Latest News & Coverage Follow our coverage of the war here
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Light for Israel Global Campaign to Light Shabbat Candles in Support of Israel
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An Enormous Hug: Witnessing Miracles, Recognizing Kindness We are living through extraordinary times.
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Voices From Israel
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Are We Crazy? Why Israelis Continue to Dance As we danced with the Torah, making our way through the streets to our little shul on Henrietta Szold Street, I thought about this tiny country of ours that seems to dance on the edge of reason.
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How Will Israel Win? When I looked down, I saw an image that said everything, no words needed: my gun, next to my tallit bag.
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Living Between Sirens: A Snapshot of Our Lives Here I am, trying to hold on to normalcy, in between sirens.
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Gaza Hostage: “How I Found G-d in a Terror Tunnel” In a lengthy interview, Sasha Troufanov openly discusses how he discovered G-d in Gaza.
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Sammy Harari: A Humble Hero Who Lived with Joy and Integrity Sammy loved every Jew and he loved the Land of Israel.
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The Anonymous Man's Last Act Before He Was Killed You won’t find much written about him anywhere. That’s who he was. A great man who walked among us, until, in one moment, he sanctified G-d’s name.
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My Husband Gave His Life in Gaza for the Jewish People An interview with Hadas Lowenstern, wife of fallen soldier Elisha
Elisha had been on his way to rescue soldiers wounded in battle when an anti-tank missile fired by Hamas killed him. In addition to his wife, Elisha leaves behind 6 children—the youngest is 11 months and the oldest is 12, preparing for his bar mitzvah later in the year.
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If I Don’t Know Hebrew, Why Am I in the IDF? My commander asked this excellent question when I didn't understand him at the shooting range. I'm glad I have a good answer.
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The World of the Mother of a Hamas Hostage Bring Hersh and All Our Hostages Home!
The Goldberg-Polins’ peace-loving son Hersh was last seen seriously wounded, being violently shoved into a Hamas pick-up truck near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel, with his dominant, left arm reduced to a bloody stump.
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A Nation of First Responders The acts of kindness and generosity taking place at every moment, and the feeling of Jewish unity worldwide, is unparalleled.
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If You Only Knew How We Treat the Bodies Rabbi Pinny Marton explains how he helped bring the bodies of those murdered in Israel to rest, with dignity, love and respect.
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My Husband Got Leave For Our Wedding: 400 People Showed Up With Yisrael away at his base, I prepared for what I knew would be a small wedding. We did not need invitations, meals or even fancy clothes.
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Hamas Killed Ariel's Family. This Is What He Asked For Ariel's bar mitzvah is this week, and he is inspired by his Holocaust survivor grandfather.
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The View From the Lebanese Border Living on the border with Lebanon for more than 30 years, Brocha Leah Sasonkin approaches the war with faith, optimism, and a willingness to lend a hand
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Caring for the Bodies of 1,400 Brothers and Sisters We are like Noah after the flood, surrounded by devastation but ready to rebuild, confident in G-d’s assurance of a brighter future.
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I Am an IDF Fighter and My Faith Will Carry Me Through G-d has handed us a mission, and with your support, we will do what we need to.
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"I Am Captain of My Home Front" Following Major Ezzy Morgenstern’s report from the front lines, we contacted his wife, Michal Morgenstern, who is home with the couple’s eight children, director of a not-for-profit, and a force of goodness in a world gone mad.
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The Cookies That Helped Save Rachel Edri From Hamas Terrorists “If they’re hungry, they’ll be more angry,” she told herself.
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Civilian War Diary: Chaos, Kids, and Claustrophobia On Wednesday, I want to take the kids to the park. My 9-year-old nephew won’t hear of it. “It’s still too dangerous,” he tells me. He invites a friend over and we all play Rummikub again.
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We Grabbed the Kids and Flew to Israel Rabbi Mendel and Dini Polichenco of Chabad in California came to Israel with their family to visit army bases and provide support.
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And the Rain Came Down in Israel He makes the wind blow, He brings the rain down.
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From the Gas Chambers to Gaza, Shema Was on Our Lips As stories emerge from the October 7th massacre, many survivors recall those moments when they held onto Shema Yisrael as tightly as they held onto their weapons. And in many cases, it was the only weapon they had.
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I Left the Israel March With an Empty Backpack and a Full Heart There was a sense of an innate connection. We were bound and connected by 3,300 years of history and a Divine mission to bring light to the world.
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Yagil’s Tefillin Waited While He Was a Hostage In Gaza While he was held by terrorists in Gaza, his mother refused to cancel the tefillin ordered for his bar mitzvah.
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How Our Children's Home in Ukraine Was Uprooted Again by War in Israel Kids who escaped Zhytomyr for Ashkelon relocated to Kfar Chabad
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The Night My Son Danced He doesn’t know it, but he was the little hero our shul needed that night.
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The Bombs Were Flying and We Were Doing Yom Kippur In addition to changing our location this year, I found my kavanah—intention—different, too.
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A Chaplain’s Gaza Notebook Morale is high. Our troops are motivated to root out evil and are not afraid to do what it takes to secure the safety of their country.
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Guidance From the Rebbe
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I Desperately Needed to Know What the Rebbe Said The Rebbe quoted a famous Jewish idea that G-d is our “shadow,” reflecting our behavior. When we act joyously, He mirrors that joy back to us. Despite everything, we need—we must!—be filled with positive energy!
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The Innate Beauty of Every Jew and the Holy Land Messages From the Rebbe (5750, 5751)
We have been reminded how interconnected and infinitely valuable we all are.
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A Post-Hakhel Message From the Yom Kippur War "The togetherness of our people in the spirit of Hakhel will stand our people in good stead, as it did in the past."
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A Message From the Rebbe Just Days Before the Yom Kippur War The Mitzvah of Hakhel reminds us that wherever Jews are, and however dispersed they may be, each one remains an integral part of the people.
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When the Past Becomes Present Messages of The Rebbe from the Yom Kippur War
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How to Be Happy on Purim During Difficult Times On Purim of 1973, the Rebbe spoke about the Jews behind the Iron Curtain. His words read as though they were spoken today.
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Inspiration
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The Hostages Are Back. Now What? The hostages are home. But the story is not over.
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His Last Act of Kindness Before He Was Murdered Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Pash, of one of the victims of today’s terror attack in Jerusalem.
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What I Told 1,200 Jewish Students Last Shabbat Be Abraham. Take ownership. Shatter the narrative. Don’t let hatred define you.
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Things That Make Me So Proud to Be a Jew Right Now From the smallest gestures to the most glorious and huge undertakings, I see my brothers and sisters all over the world stepping up to the plate.
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The Jewish Soul Is Awake and Roaring Why has atrocity caused this spiritual awakening? Why does suffering create such an expression of unity?
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How Can You Dance in the Face of Tragedy? This is how we have survived. This is how Jews have illuminated the world over many millennia. With simchah, with utter confidence in G‑d, and a solid belief in our amazing people.
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Why Are Israeli Soldiers Snapping up Tzitzit? Is it just about showing Jewish pride, or is there more to it?
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You Are Not Powerless. You Never Are. Winning the war against the Jewish soul
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Eight Chassidic Melodies For Right Now Discover the resonance of eight Chassidic melodies reflecting our emotions and hopes for brighter days.
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Maintaining Happiness During Disaster How happiness is a conduit for resilience.
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LIVE From the Kotel: Prayer Event for Israel Airs Live from Jerusalem at 9 a.m. Pacific Time / 12 p.m. Eastern Time / 7 p.m. Jerusalem Time
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When G-d Begs Forgiveness What are we to make of unthinkable horror? And what is G-d’s response? How can he allow this to happen? An insight from the moon.
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How to Overcome Anxiety During This Challenging Time I’ve been collecting spiritual tools, as well as tips from world-renowned therapists, to help manage anxiety during this precarious time.
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Faith as the Forest Burns When I look for G-d, He is everywhere.
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It’s Idol Smashing Season Since the Simchat Torah massacre, I see many people having second thoughts about things they used to hold in high regard—idols of sorts.
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How Did Academia Fail So Badly? Lurking beneath a scholar’s cloak on our best college campuses, the same raw hatred that Hitler’s professors rationalized persists. This time, sane academics must speak up and take action.
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Fragmented Thoughts of a Broken Heart It seems like for the Jewish people, it's October 7th all over again.
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How Could G-d Let Them Kill Shiri, Kfir and Ariel?! These pure and innocent souls have a reserved place in heaven, closest to G-d. And they continue to cry there.
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Dear Yarden Bibas Our hearts are broken; we cry together with you
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Thanksgiving and Prayers Join us in praying that the returnees quickly recover from the physical and emotional trauma they have suffered.
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Every Jew Feels Omer's Death as Personal Mourning Omer Neutra, Who Fell on 10/7
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5 Ways to Fight Darkness With Light How many times over the past 13 months have we asked: “How much more?” How much more do we have to cry?
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Guy Shabtay, a Jewish Hero in Indiana and Southern Lebanon Though Guy’s life was tragically cut short, his legacy continues to live on in the countless people he touched.
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Points of Light in a Year of Darkness I've always known that the Jewish people are one spiritual, interconnected body, but my travels over the past year—in Israel and along “the Hummus Trail,” the Eastern routes that many young Israelis travel after they complete their military service—have shown me just how real, how strong, and how unbreakable our connection is.
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This Hostage Said This Prayer Every Day “G‑d is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?. . . My adversaries and my enemies against me? They stumbled and fell!”
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13 Heroes of October 7th and the Aftermath The worst of times brings out the best of our people.
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Lessons From the Light of Ori Danino I picture myself borrowing from the light of Ori, from the light of his mother, to shine it on the parts of myself that are limited and self-absorbed.
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When a Young Hero Dies There are long lives with little meaning. And there are short lives that never cease to shine.
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This Is What It’s Like to Be a Jew at UCLA Amidst hostility on campus, a Jewish student finds solace and strength at Chabad.
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Mothering Jewish Students in the Shadow of the Hateful Encampments Chabad at the University of Chicago stands strong in challenging times.
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Why We Are All Crying “I haven’t been able to sleep for the last two nights.”
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How Should We Commemorate a Simchat Torah Massacre? The Jewish anniversary of 10/7 is Simchat Torah. Do we cry or do we dance?
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16 Million Jews Waiting for Marching Orders Let’s Not Forfeit a Historic Opportunity
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Don't Leave Us Now A letter to Rachel Goldberg-Polin
Rachel Goldberg-Polin has spoken with strength and hope many times since October 7th. On Monday, she spoke again—this time, at the burial of her son Hersh, who was finally brought home in the worst possible way.
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