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Chabad-Lubavitch in the Media
Stories and reports that have appeared in the media during the past two weeks
| Rockville Chabad Begins 5787 in New Building Washington Jewish Week,Tuesday, September 22, 2026 |
| Many more than the expected 130 attendees showed up for Chabad Israeli Center of Rockville’s first services in its new building, and the rabbi’s sermon was met with thunderous applause. But it almost didn’t happen, between delays in building completion, a long after-hours meeting with city officials and a fire safety inspection hours before Rosh Hashanah services. Chabad Israeli Center of Rockville operated on Rollins Avenue for the past 22 years before announcing in fall 2025 that it would expand into an Israeli community center. |
| Giant 5,000-Square-Foot Sukkah Coming to Central Jersey for SukkahFest Shore News Network,Tuesday, September 22, 2026 |
| “Sukkot is the holiday of unity,” said Rabbi Boruch Chazanow, director of Chabad of Ocean and Western Monmouth Counties. “That’s exactly what this event is. People of all ages and backgrounds, in one sukkah, sharing in joy while celebrating the holiday and its traditions.” The event is being organized by Chabad of Ocean and Western Monmouth Counties together with Chabad centers in Manalapan, Freehold, Holmdel, Lakewood and Toms River. Friendship Circle, Camp Gan Israel and Chabad Hebrew School are also participating. |
| Meet Rabbi Levi Schectman: The Man Who Opens His Door to All, at Chabad Wesleyan Wesleyan Argus,Friday, September 18, 2026 |
| Though Rabbi Levi Schectman only has four children of his own, he often adopts anywhere from 15 to 175 into his home on certain evenings. On Friday, Sept. 11, at Chabad’s Rosh Hashanah dinner, Schectman and his wife Chanie hosted 70 hungry students over the two nights of the holiday. At any and all Chabad events, Schectman exemplifies his commitment to building relationships. Whether Schectman has only met a student once, or it is his 50th time seeing them at Chabad, he is able to individually recall each student’s name and background. |
| Chabad of the Meadowlands Dedicates Two New Torahs Following Fire - The Jewish Link The Jewish Link,Thursday, September 17, 2026 |
| On Sunday, Sept. 6 a very special ceremony took place at the grounds of Rutherford’s Congregation Beth El—Chabad of the Meadowlands. Two Torahs were dedicated to replace seven that had been destroyed in a fire last year. The shul’s Rabbi Yitzchok Lerman described the event as one of “celebration and closure.” The fire had occurred on Friday morning, August 8, 2025 at 2:45 a.m. The shul occupied the bottom level of a Rutherford, New Jersey mansion, while Rabbi Lerman, his wife Bina and their six children resided on the second level. |
| Waverley Shul and Chabad of Savoy team up SA Jewish Report,Thursday, September 17, 2026 |
| Waverley Shul and Chabad of Savoy have taken the first step towards a potential merger, signing a Memorandum of Understanding that could see the two Johannesburg Jewish communities join forces. Though the details are still being worked out, the proposed merger could lead to the creation of a community campus. Rabbi Gabi Bookatz, the rabbi of Waverley Shul, explained that this began as an idea many years ago, but, given the changes in the Johannesburg Jewish community, this was the time for the two shuls to join forces. |
| More than 500 attend Rosh Hashanah at Chabad of Tallahassee, FSU Talahassee Democrat,Wednesday, September 16, 2026 |
| More than 500 students and community members attended Rosh Hashanah services, holiday meals and celebrations hosted by Chabad of Tallahassee and Florida State University, according to organizers, reflecting what leaders say is growing participation in the local Jewish community. The attendance pushed the organization to capacity, requiring additional tables, chairs and seating space. "There is no better problem for a Jewish community to have than needing more tables, more chairs, and more space because more people want to be part of it," said Rabbi Schneur Z. Oirechman. |
| New Rabbi and Chabad Emissary to Serve Historic Jewish Community of Gomel Federation of the Jewish Communities of the CIS,Tuesday, September 15, 2026 |
| Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kot, together with his wife Rachel and their family, is moving to Gomel, Belarus, where they will serve as Chabad emissaries, and Rabbi Kot will assume the role of the Jewish community’s chief rabbi. Rabbi Kot is the son of the Chief Rabbi of Estonia, Shmuel Kot, continuing a family tradition of dedicated Jewish communal service. Chief Rabbi of Russia Rabbi Berel Lazar welcomed the Kot family’s move and reflected on Gomel’s rich Chassidic heritage. |
| Chabad Jewish Center of San Marco and Greater Downtown Sefer Torah Dedication Jewish Press,Tuesday, September 15, 2026 |
| Chabad of San Marco - Jacksonville marked a historic milestone with the joyous dedication of its very first Torah scroll! The final letters were written in the heart of town before the Torah was carried through the streets under a canopy, welcomed by our community with music and dancing, to its new home. A moment we'll cherish for years to come! |
| Religious billboards in NJ aim to save the souls of commuters Press of Atlantic City,Monday, September 14, 2026 |
| Drivers on Route 4 are currently getting an uplifting greeting thanks to a newly unveiled Rosh Hashanah billboard that is spreading holiday cheer for the Jewish new year. The sign, sponsored by the Chabad of Hackensack and Lamar Advertising, features a pair of smiling children at a festive table wishing passerby a Shana Tova, Hebrew for good year. Rabbi Mendy Kaminker of the Chabad of Hackensack said the goal of the sign was to promote Jewish pride at a time when there's too much negativity and hatred in the world. |
| In Taiwan, a new cemetery marks rebirth of Jewish life Times of Israel,Monday, September 14, 2026 |
| On a warm day in Taiwan last week, dozens of bearded rabbis walked slowly in a circle around the grounds of a new cemetery on a forested hillside outside Taipei. Until recently, a Jew who died in the island country would have to be flown abroad to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. The consecration ritual, conducted by a group of Chabad emissaries, set the stage for local Jewish burial in a country that has seen a surge in Jewish life in recent years. |
