On Dec. 8, the Lubavitch Center hosted a Chanukah party for the community and about a hundred people showed up. Everyone enjoyed pizza, latkes, French fries, falafel and salads. The kids had a lot of fun playing a "stuffed menorah" guessing game, Chanukah bingo, and "Make-a-menorah-from-whatever-is-in-a-bag" game. As part of the Smile On Seniors program, we recruited some volunteers to Brighton Gardens, Green Hill, Care One, and Canterbury Village where we celebrated Chanukah with the seniors. They were overjoyed playing Chanukah bingo, eating donuts, and singing along to the menorah lighting…

I had been looking forward to the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries that began this past Wednesday in Brooklyn, N.Y., with intense anticipation. Having been focused the previous week on relief efforts and community rebuilding following Hurricane Sandy, I was thrilled to have the several days of workshops, classes and lectures more than ever. I was just one of thousands of emissaries who came to New York from points all across the globe. It gave me a chance to recharge my batteries. It’s something I look forward to all year, something that gives me a spiritual boost and a…

  At the Lubavitch Center we had an amazing High Holiday season starting with a renovation that opened up space in the Shul. We were able to comfortably sit close to 180 people for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Sukkos was fantastic, the first two days of holiday we enjoyed a Sukkah Hop around town, and on Saturday night, Oct. 6, we took a bus to Crown Heights where we danced in the streets to live music celebrating the festival of our joy. Simchas Torah was great. We enjoyed a delicious dinner buffet and we danced around the bima with the Torahs late into the night. As we close out the holiday…

Shabbos Shoftim Friday, Aug. 24 6 Elul Mincha 7 p.m.–reg. Candlelighting 7:23 p.m.  Shabbos, August 25 7 Elul Chassidus with Rabbi Herson: 8:30 a.m. Morning Services: 9:30 a.m. Children’s Program: Parsha, Prayer, Play time and Snack: 10:30 a.m. Rabbi’s sermon: 11:25 a.m. – Shul Kiddush  Parsha class after Kiddush Rabbi Herson’s class: 6:15 p.m. Mincha 7:15 p.m.  - Pirke Avos Chapter 6 Shabbos ends: 8:23 p.m. Kiddush Levana and evening Services.  Daily Services, Shachris: Sun.: 8:30 a.m. Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.  -------------- Message from the Rabbi Dear Friends,  I have a friend who will not buy …

As July ended and August began, in came the Jewish month of Av in which they say, “When Av enters we decrease in joy.” However, we can’t help but note the many exciting events that took place.  Our dear friends, Mikey and Yana Frohlinger, will be making Aliyah to the Holy Land of Israel. To bid them farewell, the Lubavitch Center Shul hosted a major Kiddush in their honor. It was sponsored by many different people, all who have been touched by this caring family at some point in their lives. Over 150 people showed up and enjoyed a hot luncheon, which included delicious, meaty cholent with …

This past month at the Lubavitch Center Shul has been jam-packed with programs, classes, softball games, and much more!  We recently completed our six-week Jewish Learning Institute course titled, “The Art of Marriage.” All of the participants gained a wealth of knowledge in addition to practical tips to enhance their relationships. Last Shabbos we hosted the girl counselors from Camp Gan Israel Morristown. Shabbos afternoon all the local campers enjoyed a special Shabbos party with the camp staff, including snacks, stories,and lots of singing.  Smile On Seniors took place this past Tuesday …

In this week’s Torah portion, Shelach, it discusses how Moses sent 12 spies to the land of Canaan. If Moses were to send out spies to report what’s been going on here at the Lubavitch Center Shul, there would be only good news to report! Our Annual Dinner honoring Robert and Rochelle Rush, Chaia Sagorsky, and Menucha Libson, and celebrating the life of Dr. Richard B. Kaplan, was a huge success.  Everybody enjoyed the delicious food and the music by Bnai Jazz. In his show, featured mentalist Maurice Sabloff, enthralled the crowd’s mind. It was a great evening! This past Monday evening we held …

Yesterday, we celebrated Lag BaOmer.  What Is Lag BaOmer?Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the Omer count, is a festive day on the Jewish calendar. It is celebrated with outings (during which the children traditionally play with bows and arrows), bonfires, and other joyous events. Many visit the resting place (in Meron, northern Israel) of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the anniversary of whose passing is on this day.  Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who lived in the second century of the common era, was the first to publicly teach the mystical dimension of the Torah known as the …

The Lubavitch Center of Essex County invites everyone to join in a Community Passover Seder on Friday, April 6 at 7 p.m. The Seder will feature rich discussions about Passover, excellent food, and joyous singing. Chabad Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, and his wife Altie, will facilitate the inter-generational program.The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated this year from sundown on Friday evening, April 6 until after nightfall on Saturday, April 14th. Passover commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and will be celebrated with festive Seder dinners. Other holiday observances include …

JLI GraduationThe Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will conclude the winter course Money Matters: Jewish Business Ethics; on Monday night, Feb. 27. Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz will conduct the final lesson of the six-week course from 7:30-9 p.m. at Lubavitch Center Shul, 395 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange. "The recent failures in the financial industry have drastically changed the way we think about business," Kasowitz said. “At JLI, we deeply believe that business should be a force for good, and that's why we're presenting students with timeless Talmudic insights into real-world ethical …

  International Jewish Shabbat EventOne Shabbat, One World, a global project being organized by the international Chabad-Lubavitch movement, will take place over the weekend of Feb. 3-4. The massive initiative will unite Jewish participants worldwide in the observance of the Jewish Sabbath, with women and girls lighting the traditional Shabbat candles.  Men, women and children alike will mark their participation by attending Chabad synagogues and enjoying the time-honored Friday night dinners, complete with classic Jewish cuisine like challah and gefilte fish. The event will utilize the …

Hanukkah PartySunday, Dec. 25, 11 a.m.Brunch: Bagels & Donuts, Music, Games, Art Project, Entertainer, Balloons. At Lubavitch Center Shul Aj The Clown/Magician11 a.m. Balloon Tricks.11:30 a.m. Show begins. AJ knows kids. He knows what they like and he knows how to make them smile. Children delight in AJ’s colorful antics & silly sayings while adults are pleased to discover that AJ has the quick, polished wit of a stand-up comic! A skilled professional with many years of experience, AJ is a charismatic performer whose kid-friendly shows are always fun for grown-ups, too! Public Menorah …

Dear Friends, This past Friday night, Nov. 11, we celebrated a delightful Shabbat dinner with a wonderful speaker, Cantor Lenny Mandel, who was amusing and engaging in song. He shared memories of riding through the South on his motorcycle, his hilarious jokes and his magnificent singing!  Monday’s JLI’S ‘Fascinating Facts’ CourseMonday nights we have a large group of people attending our Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) course entitled, “Fascinating Facts,” an interesting six-week course that explains many of the mysteries and myths within Judaism.  You are welcome to join at any point — even …

The Lubavitch Center is proud to present guest speaker Dr. Gill Heart PhD for a discussion on stress management techniques used by elite, Special Forces in the Israeli Defense Forces on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.  Heart’s seminar, which will held at the Lubavitch Center Shul at 395 Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, will focus on stress management, more specifically, the application and implementation of mind in control techniques using Special Forces IDF methodologies to improve our response every day stressful events.  During his IDF service, Heart learned to successfully maintain and maximize …

A CelebrationThis Shabbos, we celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Eli Chosak. Mazal Tov to his parents Seth and Chana Chosak and his brother, Sam. Eli will read from the Torah at 10:30 a.m., the services begin at 9:30 a.m. All are invited to Kiddush following services in honor of the Bar Mitzvah. Mind In Control SeminarYou are on a special mission behind enemy lines. The enemy is chasing you. As you quietly make your way across a rocky embankment in the dark, you hear the tell-tale sounds of enemy soldiers as they approach your position. Your heart is pounding. Exhausted, famished and dehydrated, …

Community Shabbat Dinner on Aug. 12Israeli advocate and activist Sael Abecassis, a lifelong resident of Sderot Israel, will share his personal story of what it was like growing up in this western Negev community.  As a representative of the Sderot Media Center, Abecassis has provided lectures and tours for government officials, diplomats, foreign journalists and students from around the world.Abecassis’s love for Israel is actively demonstrated in all of his pursuits - serving as a sergeant major in the Israel Defense Forces, working as an emissary in the Central New Jersey Federation for a …

The community is invited to participate as the Lubavitch Center of Essex County hosts a community Seder on Monday evening, April 18. The Seder will feature rich discussion about Passover, excellent food, and joyous singing. Chabad Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz of the Lubavitch Center of Essex County, and his wife Altie, will facilitate the inter-generational program. The Seder will be held at 8 p.m. at the Lubavitch Center Shul, 395 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ 07052. Cost of the Seder is $50 per adult and $25 per child. Reservations must be made in advance by contacting the Lubavitch center …

Editor’s Note: This week’s edition of the Shul Spiel takes the form of a letter from Lubavitch Center Director Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz to the West Orange Community.   Dear Friends,   As I sit down to write my second entry for the Shul Spiel I wonder, what do you think of this new column? Let’s hear your comments at rabbimkas@gmail.com or sign up and use the Patch comment stream seen on the right side of this page. I write to you with only days remaining until our annual Melave Malka Dinner Saturday night. I’m sure you were excited by the beautiful invitation and the wonderful people being …

Life at the Lubavitch Center of Essex County has never been busier as activities and programs have picked up and continue to grow during the cold winter months. The Lubavitch Center provides social, educational, and religious opportunities, satisfying hearts and minds of all who pass through our doors, inspiring Jewish identity and uniting the Jewish community through Torah study, creative programming and the Chabad spirit. On Saturday night, Feb. 26, please join us for our annual fundraising Melave Malkah festive dinner honoring Ida and Robert Dick, founding members of our shul. Ida has …