In the 1970s and ‘80s, many segments of American Jewry led protests and rallies under the banner, “Let My People Go,” agitating to bring Russian Jews out of the former Soviet Union. Where do these Russian transplants and their children and grandchildren figure today in the American Jewish community?

As the first anniversary of last year’s tragic Parkland, Florida shooting arrives, memorial services and events are being held across Parkland and the Coral Springs area. “The mood has again become increasingly somber,” says Rabbi Mendy Gutnick of Chabad of Parkland.

Awareness about mental illness and addiction has grown in the Jewish community, but there is yet stigma associated with these issues. Jeff’s Place, a cafe and coworking space that hosts support groups and twelve-step meetings after hours, newly opened by Chabad Intown in Atlanta, hopes to change that.

Tapping into the current public focus on women’s empowerment, Boca Beach Chabad in Florida launched a new platform where women’s life journeys, stories, and lessons are celebrated, shared, and given over to the next generation. The Women of Valor project includes a website for publishing these stories, events to highlight individual women’s achievements, and, the crown jewel, a Women of Valor Tribute coffee-table book for the preservation of these stories.

This weekend hundreds of communities around the world will celebrate a global Shabbat of disability-inclusion and mental-health awareness. Dubbed ‘ShabbaTTogether,’ it is set for the second weekend of February, the designated Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, or JDAIM for short.

Designed by the emissaries, the mikvah is uniquely Korean. Its roof is reminiscent of the curved, tiled designs that feature prominently in royal Korean architecture, and the waved aluminium panels on the left side of the building are a nod to the modern, high-tech vibe currently sweeping the country. The mikvah pool features intricate mosaic tiles placed along the walls that were artfully formed in the shape of a single droplet of water, encouraging one to contemplate the sanctity and rebirth associated with the waters of the mikvah.

Memorial services were held this week at the Star of David Cemetery in North Lauderdale, Florida and at Chabad of Parkland for some of the Jewish victims of the Parkland school shooting.

A convoy of one hundred cars rolls solemnly through Akron’s Jewish community. People of every affiliation are coming to pay their last respects to the man “who built this community.” Over the course of thirty years, Rabbi Mendy Sasonkin managed to bridge the centuries-old gaps dividing Akron’s diverse Jewish population, promoting the culture of warmth and unity that has come to define the city’s Jewish community. How will the center hold without him?

The goods and clothing donation exchange is marking thirteen years of humanitarian aid in the tri-state area. They match donors to recipients for almost any household item imaginable. Directed by Rabbi Mordechai Hecht, Chabad emissary and rabbi at Anshe Sholom Chabad JCC, the organization aims to provide the material needs of the Jewish community.

For many of Belgium’s 30,000 Jews, 2019 brings with it some uncomfortable restrictions. A law proposed in June 2017, now implemented after a unanimous vote, has outlawed ritual Kosher slaughter in their country.