A video tribute to the Chabad rabbi and wife murdered in Mumbai

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Part 1 ---

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeRAxIPKzuY

Part 2 ---

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHYZG1adgac


In the past year alone, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement has opened around the world 90 (ninety) new Chabad Houses, each staffed by a shaliach (emissary) couple (plural -- "shluchim," "shlichus" -- "emissary work"). There are some Jewish organizations that do not open that many new centers in 100 years. For Jews the Lubavitchers share their heritage and care for their physical needs. For non-Jews they also help. Judaism is one of the few religions that says non-members can also go to Heaven. The Lubavtichers teach that this must be so since G-d gave commandments even before Abraham. Thus all mankind can go to Heaven.

At the time of Hurricane Katrina, while other groups were setting up conference calls and telling where to send money, Chabad was in the stadium handing out food and drink to the masses who had become refugees, regardless of their racial, religious or ethnic background. One Chabad rabbi in New Orleans refused to get out in order to help people trapped in the city, who stayed in the upper floor of his Chabad House while the lower floor flooded. After the hurricane he adopted one of the victims, who had been orphaned by the hurricane.

After the tsunami in Asia, Chabad played an important rescue role in places like Thailand, assisting regardless of religion.

During wildfires in southern California Chabad supplied thousands of gallons of water to helicopters dousing flames and supplied a place to eat, shower and rest to firefighters in the middle of the inferno, rather than flee their Chabad center there.

In India Chabad plays an important role in drug treatment and fighting poverty.

Today Chabad is the largest Jewish organization in the world. Among Jewish organizations they have entire countries to themselves because they sacrifice to be in places others won't go -- where there is little or no clean water for drinking and washing and where poverty and danger are endemic.

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1. Thanks for the rec.

...

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2. Here's another video tribute -- by the head of the Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Center

-- Rabbi Marvin Hier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHeB81BbuYU

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3. Good times -- video from a Chabad House in India.

Here's another video from Chabad in India, from one of the other Chabad Houses, a bit south of Mumbai, showing the sorts of things they do. Like, hang out, dance, sing, put on Tefillin, celebrate Chanukah (coming up again soon), hang out, dance, sing, observe a brit milah (circumcision ceremony), hang out, dance, sing, celebrate Purim (when it is obligatory to get drunk, no joking), hang out, dance, sing, and also, did I mention? Hang out, dance, sing. The rabbi in the video is the guy on the motorcycle and also handing out Chanukah donuts.

The reason they hand out donuts is that donuts are made with oil, and the miracle of Chanukah was that the olive oil lamps of the temple menorah candelabra miraculously continued to burn, signifying that the other extraordinary events, the victory over the Greek oppressors, was also by the hand of G-d. Oil has two contradistinctive properties. On one hand, it has a tendency to spread out, touch, cling and coat everything. Oil on a salad will tend to cling while water may splash off. Oil can even be absorbed into some rocks that will not absorb water easily. This signifies the idea of spreading out and being involved with the world to improve it. But oil also has another property, it remains separate from water and will rise above it. Hence, it signifies remaining true to your beliefs and not corrupting or compromising them even while being involved with the world.

The reason Hassidim are always making merry and celebrating, as you can see in the video, is from the statement in the Bible, Nehemiah 8:10, "Rejoicing with G-d, that is your strength."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1xx8hZeols