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Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience (lubavitch.com) Three milestones of Jewish revival in Bulgaria were feted in grand style by dignitaries the Chief Rabbi of Israel and hundreds of well wishers at the Rohr Chabad Jewish Community Center in Sofia this week dating back to the reign of Roman Emperor Caligula now possesses the seeds for a renaissance.  “We are working and growing to bring Jewish life closer to Jewish people here,” Rabbi Yossi Salamon Chabad’s representative in Bulgaria with his wife Tamar Salamon since 2000 delivered yet more good news at the event when he announced that a second Chabad couple Rabbi Yossi and Racheli Halperin will be moving from Israel to Bulgaria to expand Chabad activities in the country The new Jewish infrastructure complements the amenities already available at the Rohr Chabad Jewish Community Center: a kindergarten Jewish library and kosher butcher and grocer With ongoing support of philanthropist Lev Leviev Rabbi Salamon is looking to expand the 25-student kindergarten into an elementary school.  Community members toured the sparkling Built with support of the Bistritsky and Raitport families the mikvah is expected to make the observance of mitzvah more accessible Impressed by the outpouring of enthusiasm at the gala dinner held at the Princess Sofia Hotel later in the evening to herald the Jewish community’s achievements Mayor Boyko Borisov pledged greater support and cooperation on the municipal level president of Sofia’s Jewish community Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar reflected on the changes Chabad has brought to Bulgaria in seven years “Without the emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe I cannot imagine what the world would look like today,” the Chief Rabbi said Change has been gradual for the estimated 9000 Jews of Sofia every small step is a big one to us,” said Rabbi Salamon and the 550 mezuzahs that now adorn the front doors of Bulgaria Jews as the first signs of change “People used to be ashamed or scared to show they were Jewish Now they proclaim it on their doors.” Also reemerging is Bulgarian Jewish pride in their considerable Sephardic heritage A major wave of Spanish Jews fled to Bulgaria at the height of the Inquisition Middle aged Jews still speak and sing in Ladino Participating in Chabad activities is not contradiction for Sephardic Jews “Chabad was shaped by many different languages traditions and people from all over the world and we are all one nation,” said Rabbi Salamon. As a result services at the synagogue in the Jewish Community Center incorporate tunes familiar to the Bulgarian Jewish community Traditional Sephardic foods are served at Chabad functions Those special piquant dishes are to be prepared in Chabad’s new restaurant kitchen The commercial facilities will also be used to cater Shabbat meals in distant cities Chabad regularly hosts Shabbat programs in Plovdiv There are plans to ship vacuum packed kosher meals from the restaurant to Bulgaria’s many resorts on the Black Sea that have received attention from Chabad mostly Israeli (a two-hour flight away) visit the Black Sea each summer Chabad’s summer outpost at the Zlatni Pyasatsi – Golden Sands Resort “We are bringing a lot of Jewish light and life to the area,” said Rabbi Salamon With the new Chabad representatives on the way the future is bright for the Jews of Bulgaria Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" HOT: » What kind of news would you like to see more of? Bulgarian police have detained nine pimps and a bus full of prostitutes in the Black Sea city of Varna Sunday Police have staged a large-scale anti-prostitution operation Saturday overnight and Sunday according to information by the Bulgarian National Radio and Darik Radio Cars and property of the alleged pimps have been searched and a total of 22 prostitutes have been detained The operation was also carried out in the major Black Sea resort of Zlatni Pyasatsi (Golden Sands) north of Varna Detained women are still being interrogated We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria According to Bulgaria's Military Intelligence Service report for 2023 Russia remains the dominant destabilizing force in global security the director of the Plovdiv Customs Office was arrested earlier today for allegedly facilitating a new smuggling route for cigarettes opened fire with a gas pistol near a kindergarten in Sofia's Lyulin district Bulgarian Interior Minister Daniel Mitov has described the case of the man who died in police custody in Kazanlak as “a disgrace” to the Ministry of Interior A wind farm project proposed in Bulgaria’s Varna region has sparked public outcry Bulgaria Air has launched a new seasonal direct route between Varna An 18-year-old girl who had been reported missing in Haskovo has been found dead A 33-year-old man from the village of Semchinovo has been taken into custody by the police for physically assaulting a 10-year-old child A 12-year-old boy from Lukovit has been hospitalized with two broken arms and head injuries after reportedly being assaulted and thrown from a bridge The Sofia Police has launched a targeted operation against drivers of electric scooters and electric motorbikes who engage in reckless behavior in the city's central areas Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase