The woman’s hesitancy was evident even to me listening in by phone from 4,500 miles away “Which language do you speak?” the woman begins “Any language,” responds Rabbi Moshe Fhima has taken a lead role in evacuating Jews from war-torn Ukraine The Jews in today’s Ukraine have Rabbi Fhima and living right next door to the world’s largest refugee crisis since World War II he has for 20 years been leading Yad Yisrael the Karlin-Stolin organization for reviving Jewish life in Belarus and Ukraine Since Vladimir Putin’s forces rolled into neighboring Ukraine he’s turned his Pinsk operation into a war room channeling vast sums across borders to spirit away individuals and fragments of communities in a vast operation across the war zone I am on the phone with Rabbi Fhima for about a half hour but our total talking time last no more than five minutes He carries on simultaneous conversations with other people He ends each one with “Tishlach li b’WhatsApp,” peppered with “sekunda “You’re in Dnipro?” he screams into one of his phones “I have a car coming from Kharkov and you need to give him $45,000 about a scheduled ambulance in Kyiv to evacuate a pregnant woman “So far,” Rabbi Fhima says in his firm but raspy tone “everyone who wanted to get out until now has gotten out — bli ayin hara.” Jews fleeing Ukraine can bring one suitcase each Ukraine is currently convulsed by the world’s largest refugee crisis in 80 years with 1.5 million of its citizens having fled in the week and a half since Russian president Vladimir Putin sent in his troops An additional three million are expected to escape by the time Russia completes its invasion The three countries involved in this conflict — Russia and Belarus — are the only former Soviet republics to have remained close allies after the Kremlin lowered the hammer-and-sickle flag in 1991 But Ukraine has drawn steadily closer to the west angering Putin and leading to the current conflagration even though it has served as a staging ground for Russian troops has become a destination of choice for Jews fleeing Ukraine since it has the strongest community resources in the region Stories and images of Jews fleeing Ukraine are heartbreaking they have to choose from among a lifetime of memories to save bumping against the realities of basic necessities such as clothes and food One man from Kyiv arrived in Monsey on Thursday with barely the shirt off his back Just two weeks before he had been a prosperous businessman with 80 workers in his employ he was just another refugee among many expected to pour into the United States in the days ahead “That’s the person in the best situation,” Rabbi Fhima says vehemently “because he got out very quickly and he’s already in America.” made up mostly of members of the Karlin-Stolin community who had fled Kyiv have helped more than a thousand people escape in the past week and when a call comes in from someone from that city the case is assigned to their representative Rabbi Fhima is the living portrait of an old-time askan — one hand holding a phone from which he takes frequent puffs in the other and his tie hanging loosely around his neck over a white shirt Rabbi Fhima estimates that he burns through $200,000 a day — “at a minimum.” He has been aided by a robust Jewish charity donation system with millions of dollars raised to help save Ukraine’s estimated 45,000 Jews “The Jewish-Syrian community in America has taken responsibility for the rescue operation,” says Rabbi Fhima who has made several Zoom pitches describing events from the ground “and the Shema Yisrael organization has also helped with the expenses and the United Jewish Appeal has promised us help Cars to bus depots; the buses taking refugees to Lviv and the border; logistical expenses of food and board “The miracle is that while you can’t get dollars from the banks and that’s how we carry out these transactions,” Rabbi Fhima recounts by an urgent message that $100,000 is needed instantly we’re able to transfer the entire sum without delay to Kyiv and from there to the people working at the crossings It’s the only financial system still functioning.” he had a group of refugees stranded near the border with no cash but he was a stranger — why should he trust us?” he said “We transferred crypto directly to his wallet the money is going toward the rescue operation itself the real difficulty begins after they’ve crossed the border “We’re talking about people who escaped over unpaved roads and weren’t allowed to bring anything with them,” Rabbi Fhima says “They left all their belongings on the bus in Ukraine and came here with nothing but the clothes on their backs We have to take care of their basic necessities.” He received one call from a family stuck in Kharkiv which has seen entire neighborhoods leveled by Russian shelling They pleaded with him to extricate them to safety “We hire car drivers to take them to a bus collection site in Kharkiv,” he says “This is the big expense — how much it costs depends on the mood of the driver People from other cities go directly to the border.” founded by the Karlin-Stoliner Rebbe a couple of years before Communism collapsed and headed by Rabbi Shmuel Dishon and Rabbi Yaakov Shteierman has emerged as a key angel of rescue during the current crisis Buses collect Jews across the breadth of the country and transport them either to Lviv or across the Belarus border to Pinsk the group evacuated its main mosdos in Kyiv ten days before the war transferring whatever they could to Mezhibuzh whose Karlin neighborhood was the historical center of the kehillah until World War II Karliner chassidim familiar with Pinsk have been assisting Rabbi Fhima in the operation “we’ve been working nonstop since last Sunday to extract Jews from Ukraine If someone calls today and asks to be evacuated But normally he has to wait until the next morning.” Moldova is a preferred crossing point is simply because border controls are easier to navigate there “The moment they reach the Moldovan side of the border we take them temporarily to the capital Kishinev where Rabbi Zalmanov of Chabad takes them in and the next day we can start talking about the future,” Rabbi Fhima explains “We send along with every bus a representative of ours and then we take stock of their needs and where they want to continue two more buses carrying 100 people set out and there’s another bus leaving in an hour.” and each member of his team is similarly equipped But the skies over Belarus are overcast with rumors that the government in Minsk may join Russia’s battle “I don’t want to think about it,” says Rabbi Fhima just before hanging up Yaacov LipszycA Few Minutes with… Itamar Ben-Gvir  “When we release terrorists Avi Blum, ESQCloak and Affidavit    Ronen Bar's titanic battle with Bibi after the latter fired him will continue to echo through Israeli society Rafael HoffmanThe Art of the Deal Meets the Persian Bazaar  At the US-Iran nuclear talks Binyamin RoseWhy America Needs an Independent IsraelIsraelis have shown remarkable resilience throughout the seven-front war Binyamin RoseTrump’s First 100 DaysHow is all of Trump’s disruption — both the positive and the negative — unfolding in the Middle East Avi Blum, ESQTrump Says “Don’t”     Saying “no” to Trump isn’t an option Aleksander Narbut-Luczynski ordered death of Jews who met to discuss aid shipment Five and a half decades after the Rebbe created a revolution in the Jewish world by launching Mivtza Tefillin it has become so mainstream that the Pinsk-Karlin Rebbe personally helped a Yid don tefillin on a flight mivtzoim is now part and parcel of the Jewish scene Perhaps the best proof of this was a scene that unfolded on a flight on Wednesday from Poland to Eretz Yisroel along with a group of his chassidim and chassidim of other groups They were returning from a visit to Lizhensk where they had traveled to daven at the kever of Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk on his yahrzeit the Pinsk-Karlin Rebbe was made aware that there was a Yid on the flight who had not yet donned tefillin and was willing to do so removed one of the two yarmulkas he was wearing and put it on the Yid The video quickly went viral both in Chabad circles and others when the Rebbe first launched mivtza tefillin it was seen as such a novelty that some mocked or spoke against it Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" we have been saying for many years that Belarus needs structural economic reforms to accelerate economic growth But today our message is quite different: Belarus urgently needs structural economic reforms to avoid economic instability especially given that Belarus has made significant strides in reducing poverty it is impressive how the share of people unable to spend more than $5.50 per day (in 2011 PPP) reduced dramatically from 38.3% in 2003 to 0.4% in 2014 the problem is that this progress was largely achieved with borrowed money Belarus has been spending more than it earns and borrowing to cover the gap is not as easy now as it once was Which parts of the Belarusian economy have been spending more than they earn The state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector is a big part of the answer The overall cost of state support to public enterprises amounted to 9.5% of GDP in 2015 the average Belarusian payed 10 kopecks from each ruble earned to support state-owned enterprises.  It’s encouraging to see that Government has reduced support for state-owned enterprises since 2015 the loan liabilities of state-owned enterprises whenever an enterprise continues losing money some kind of loan or subsidy or unpaid debt has to cover the difference.  Low heating tariffs have also been another reason for public borrowing Households pay only about one-fifth of the operating cost of heating Low tariffs obviously benefit ordinary people but they have added to Belarus’ borrowing and mean that investment is underfunded The size of Belarus’ debt challenge is public knowledge unless the country gets compensation from Russia for the “tax maneuver” Belarus needs to identify a way to borrow $1.5 billion in 2021 Public debt would rise from 55% of GDP to 70% over the period 2019-23.  It is therefore likely that Belarus’ economy will adjust dramatically in 2020-22 in order to close the gap between spending and earnings This adjustment will either be planned and structured the share of households with consumption below the Minimum Consumption Budget rose from 19% to 35% This proves how important it is – especially for everyday Belarusians – that the forthcoming economic adjustment is planned and structured Belarus’ state-owned enterprise sector needs a comprehensive restructuring Sorting the enterprises into these categories should be done by independent experts in order to get objective assessments of which businesses are viable or not But there are ways to support citizens who are impacted Belarus should continue simplifying the regulatory environment for micro-enterprises and the self-employed the Guaranteed Minimum Income program (GASP) would cost only 0.1% of GDP (95 times less than the amount of funds that Belarusians spent to support state-owned enterprises in 2015) An unemployment assistance program is also necessary Belarus’ Government will need to raise its revenues and reduce its expenditures to narrow the country’s financial gap we recommend eliminating tax exemptions and reducing subsidies on district heating while increasing the Housing and Utility Subsidy program so that heating bills are bearable for families.  Because the current public subsidies system allows richer households to receive more heating subsidies than poorer ones the improved Housing and Utility Subsidy program should target the least well-off families and not just those who own the most square-meters of property Belarus is gradually creating a better environment for private business and the IT sector world-class education and renovated infrastructure all ensured by a dynamic private sector through taxes paid by companies These goals can be realized in the years ahead by addressing today the country’s structural economic challenges and pursuing the necessary reforms Thank you for choosing to be part of the Eurasian Perspectives community The latest blog posts and blog-related announcements will be delivered directly to your email inbox jewish celebrities the “son of Eddie and Jennie from Minsk and Pinsk in Belorussia,” was known for his chutzpah He was never shy about letting people know he was Jewish despite having changed his name early in his career as a disc jockey because a producer said it was too “ethnic” — code for Jewish (He got King from an ad for a wholesale liquor store in Miami.) King’s relationship with Judaism — and the way it intersected with his experience of fatherhood — is complex King grew up Orthodox but was an avowed atheist His last wife (King was married seven times Yet in so many ways, King was a loving Jewish dad. And, like so many Jewish dads, he was supportive and present. He was always happy to bring his kids to work, and despite what would be appear to be a recipe for a chaotic family life, King managed to keep what is by all appearances a healthy, loving, and constant relationship with his five children (two of whom tragically passed away in 2020) While his father died when he was 9, King’s approach to parenting was probably influenced by his own Jewish mother: “She was the classic Jewish mother,” he wrote in 2005 ‘Perhaps they made a mistake in his checking account.'” He also spoke passionately about his own kids. “Children are a joy. Aw, the best,” he said in a 2011 interview. “Your life will never be the same The minute they’re born — never the same.” “I don’t have any of my ex-wives who dislike me,” he continued “I have two children from a previous marriage two children from this marriage [King divorced Shawn in 2019] A photo on Cannon’s Instagram certainly tells that story: It’s a picture of all five kids flanking King’s sides and beaming “Dad’s side of the family came out for Father’s Day weekend When Andy, King’s adoptive son from his marriage to Alene Akins, died in July of 2020 Cannon wrote on Instagram that his brother had “always been such a strong influence in being so lovingly optimistic He embodied what it is to live life to the fullest and cherish every moment.” Less than a month later, after King’s only daughter, Chaia, passed away from cancer, Shawn King fondly recalled this sweet memory: “Chaia loved the taste of Pepto Bismol and when she came to town she and our boys would clink their spoons and have a sip right before bedtime.” But it wasn’t just members of King’s family that saw the family as loving and supportive — King’s longtime’s listeners recalled how he loved to mention his children in his broadcast. Just recently, he thanked his son Chance for giving him the will to live after he suffered a devastating stroke many on Twitter recalled chance meetings with King when he was with his daughter recounting how he beamed with pride whenever they were together And while he didn’t raise his children with Jewish traditions, it is very meaningful that he gave his only daughter a very Jewish name: Chaia he talked about how he would’ve kept his Jewish name if he had started his career today It’s clear that there were things in King’s Jewish upbringing that he deeply valued — in fact, he did consider himself culturally Jewish. He loved Yiddish and “the Jewish sense of humor The shtick of the Jewish comedian burns in me.” “I don’t believe in organized religion or religion, I can’t make that leap of faith,” is how Larry explained his atheism in a 2014 interview “I lost my faith but not getting answers to questions… I lost my faith right around my bar mitzvah I started asking the rabbi questions — because they encouraged me to ask questions.” King made a career out of asking questions He also gave to Jewish causes throughout his life; he participated in Chabad Telethons; and he was never shy about having conversations about Judaism In 2015, Tracee Ellis Ross and King talked about her “Jewish self,” including how she adopts a Jewish New York accent when she’s around her Jewish dad. Together, the two praised Jewish and Yiddish humor Schwartz asked him to make up a Jewish superhero on the spot “Sky Bloomberg,” King responded with the hero’s name “‘Hallo there,'” that’s his big expression,” he added with a Yiddish accent “Larry Zeiger is still in there — he is Larry King on the outside,” he told the Los Angeles Jewish Journal in 2003 Header image via Jeffrey Markowitz/Sygma via Getty Images Lior Zaltzman is the deputy managing editor of Kveller By submitting I agree to the privacy policy. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker It was a surreal scene on that Friday night in 1999 The trademark golden-striped caftan illuminated the gray corridors of the Manhattan medical center as the sun was about to set — an incongruous setting for the scion of a holy dynasty his prayers with the same lofty fervor that burned within when he was in his father’s holy court in Jerusalem Rav Aryeh Rosenfeld shlita (who would take over the reins of the chassidus two years later a hospital room in New York or a holy beis medrash in Jerusalem were both places where G-dliness could be revealed — even as his son secular hallways didn’t preclude the Rebbe from burning with the holy fire of Shabbos in typical Karliner style “V’yiheyu rachamecha misgollelim al am kodshecha the future Rebbe’s voice rose with the niggunim of Shabbos competing with the beeping of the medical equipment As he sang the words composed by his ancestor Rebbe Aharon HaGadol of Karlin while that ancient prayer rose above the skyscrapers and soared higher than anything the city could offer sterile hospital was a peek into the richness and noble character of the future Pinsk-Karliner Rebbe Painful challenges were nothing new to him — the Rebbe was just nine years old when his mother passed away suddenly one Shabbos afternoon — but throughout his life He would never alter his temperament of faith and calm nor change his levush — even in Sloan-Kettering Rav Aryeh would accompany his son throughout his medical travails although young in years when he finally succumbed to his illness “I didn’t know how great my son was,” the Rebbe said during the shivah “until I saw him while he was ill — a period that was wondrous and dreadful at the same time.” The Rebbe related during the shivah how during treatment Rav Yehoshua Heschel needed to undergo a risky operation but the doctors who examined him prior to the surgery determined that his tense emotional state precluded them from beginning the surgery — if the patient wasn’t calm “I opened the sefer Tanya,” the Rebbe related “and learned with my son Epistle 11 in Iggeres Hakodesh the letter ‘L’haskilcha Binah.’ This is a fundamental selection that explains the basics of emunah and accepting suffering with absolute love.” [“L’haskilcha Binah” explains how everything Hashem does is good even when it might not seem like it to us humans and we think we have the right to feel bad or mad or sad it doesn’t make sense to feel bad (which isn’t the same thing as legitimately feeling pain) because everything that Hashem does is good although that good cannot always be grasped We don’t see it because Hashem hides His Face in the world He created where we don’t automatically feel His Presence even though He is constantly holding us up and doing only good for us — Hashem never does anything but good.] “… He is the source of life and good and pleasure…” the Rebbe and his son learned through their tears “… It is only because it cannot be grasped therefore it seems to the person that it is bad for him or that he is suffering but in truth there is no bad that descends from Above That is the main objective of the emunah for which a person is created,” “Now you can do the surgery,” he told them But what they didn’t know was that this wasn’t some type of meditative trick — it was a way of life for the Rebbe the principles of which he’s been imparting to his kehillah for the last 17 years The Yerushalmi chassidus of Pinsk-Karlin follows the path of the early Yerushalmi chassidim they’re knows as “di alter Karliners” even though the chassidus has plenty of young families as well Pinsk-Karlin is really a perpetuation of the Karliner community that’s been extant in Jerusalem for more than 150 years While the Karliner rebbes dwelled in White Russia they had large communities in both Jerusalem and Teveria But the chassidus in Eretz Yisrael faced a crisis with the petirah of Rebbe Yochanan Perlow zy”a on 21 Kislev 5716 (1955) who lived in America after the war where he became the Karlin-Stoliner Rebbe was the youngest son of Rebbe Yisrael (known as the Yanuka of Stolin or the “Frankfurter,” because he’s buried in Frankfurt) the kehillah in Eretz Yisrael was divided: Some became adherents of Rebbe Yochanan’s grandson Rebbe Baruch Meir Yaakov Shochet — the current Karlin-Stoliner Rebbe who today lives in Givat Zeev — but many of the elders of the community refused to accept the current Rebbe who was just a year old at the time and wouldn’t take on the mantle of leadership for close to two decades decided to turn to Rebbe Moshe Mordechai Biderman of Lelov to lead them The Lelov-Karlin connection goes back to the mid-1800s established the Karliner shul in the Old City was an ardent chassid of Rebbe Avraham Elimelech of Karlin when someone identified himself as a Karliner chassid he would be asked if he was from the “younger” or the “elders.” After the passing of Rebbe Moshe Mordechai in Teves 5747 (1987) the elders of Karlin initially accepted the leadership of his son Rebbe Shimon Nosson Nuta Biderman of Lelov Rebbe Shimale bore the title of Lelov-Karlin Rebbe for a short while until he decided it was time for the Karliner chaburah to appoint a rebbe of their own (he continued to serve as Lelover Rebbe of Bnei Brak) The chassidim then appointed Rav Aharon HaKohein Rosenfeld veteran mechanech and author of Orchos Aharon To distinguish themselves from the Karlin-Stoliner chassidim The respected elder chassid accepted his new role but with one condition: “A rebbe must work seven days a week and be available but since I am a melamed in the Erlauer cheder I feel it isn’t proper to abandon my talmidim in the middle of year,” he told them but during the week I will remain a melamed until the end of the year.” a descendant of Rav Aharon HaGadol of Karlin was a master at reading the hearts of the generation serve to this day as a guide for mechanchim Rebbe Aharon led Pinsk-Karlin for ten years until his passing on 28 Nissan 5761 (2001) In his will he wrote that with regard to leadership “the elders and leaders of the community should convene and appoint someone to lead them,” and in accordance with this tzavaah who has transformed the Pinsk-Karlin kehillah into a vibrant he sits at the head of the table surrounded by rows and rows of young chassidim who sing songs of yearning with typical Karliner fervor but the way he sits at the tish is a bit different than what’s commonly accepted no huge fish or elegant silver vessels at the table He could be sitting at a Shabbos meal with his family The Rebbe feels at home wherever he happens to be blending into a regular minyan on Friday night at the Kosel — where he walks without attendants or escorts — or while walking through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem where he engages in conversation with many types of Jews some of whom have no clue that they’re speaking to the rebbe of a respected chassidic community he joins the Geulah foot traffic when he walks along from his home on Abramsky Street to his beis medrash in Beis Yisrael he finds shuls in remote corners where he can be undisturbed and he can often be spotted walking from one beis medrash to another around Meah Shearim and Beis Yisrael This “regularness” isn’t about breaking his middos or getting used to a life of humility in spite of his lofty status It’s just the nature ingrained in his soul — he’s never considered himself to be anything above the norm founder of the Migdal Ohr institutions and rav of Migdal HaEmek grew up in Meah Shearim under the umbrella of Rebbe Moshe Mordechai of Lelov and the elder Pinsk-Karliners was among the prominent chassidim and served as rosh yeshivah.) Rav Grossman says he remembers how every Shabbos after the tish ended Rebbe Moshe Mordechai would dance and sing with the chassidim to the tune of “Me’ein Olam Haba yom Shabbos menuchah,” and he always noticed that the Rebbe carefully chose whose hands to grasp He was afraid to take the hand of any who had not immersed in a mikveh that day or whose thoughts were not sufficiently pure It was a sign of the great appreciation that this elder rebbe accorded the future rebbe of Pinsk-Karlin “The Rebbe was a talmid of my father,” Rav Grossman relates That’s why he’s so attractive to the younger generation — he’s able to bridge the gap between young chassidim and alte Karliners.” The Grossman family was actually at the juncture between Lelov and Karlin back in the mid-1800’s Rebbe Dovid Tzvi Shlomo of Lelov (Rebbe Dovid’l) who led the Lelover chassidus in Eretz Yisrael became a chassid of the Beis Aharon of Karlin (the grandson of Rebbe Aharon HaGadol) when he was a young man and organized groups of chassidim from Jerusalem to travel back to Europe to bask in his presence One of the avreichim that Rebbe Dovid sent to Karlin was Rav Grossman’s great-grandfather (Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman for whom the rav of Migdal HaEmek is named) Rav Grossman originally joined the Perushim community when he reached Jerusalem but Rebbe Dovid’l pulled him to the chassidus and sent him to the Beis Aharon of Karlin Karlin’s trademark is the energy they put into tefillah (stand outside any Karliner shul and hear how they scream the davening) and the early chassidim referred to the Beis Aharon as “The Siddur of the World.” “My father would tell me about a friend of his zeide a Yid from Eretz Yisrael who would travel abroad on business,” Rav Grossman says “In the middle of a regular week for Shacharis he happened upon the beis medrash of the Beis Aharon Rav Grossman relates that a year before the Holocaust broke out Rebbe Avraham Elimelech of Karlin made his fourth trip to Eretz Yisrael When the chassidim who welcomed him at the port began to dance — Rav Grossman’s own father included — the Rebbe exclaimed “How can Yidden in Eretz Yisrael dance when black clouds are gathering over the Jewish nation?” the Rebbe was restless,” Rav Grossman says “He gathered the community for a fast day of tefillah at the Kosel and at the end he said mir hoben gornisht gepoilt — we have accomplished nothing.’ “Then the Rebbe went to the tziyun of Rabi Meir Baal Haness in Teveria and he davened and pleaded from the depths of his heart mir hoben gornisht gepoilt.’ From there he traveled to Tzfas and on the descent to the tziyun of the Ari HaKadosh in the old cemetery the Rebbe quoted from Midrash Eichah about the churban of the Bais Hamikdash Yerushalmi Dayan Rav Fishel Burstein was present — he was a resident of Yerushalayim but not a Karliner chassid — and he said to the Rebbe ‘It says al tiftach peh lasatan.’ And the Rebbe replied it is all written in the letter of the Baal Shem Tov.’ Rav Fishel asked to see the letter where he closed himself alone in the tziyun and davened and conducted yichudim In the end he opened the door and said again the Rebbe insisted on traveling home to Karlin The chassidim exerted tremendous pressure to try and change his decision the chassidim threw themselves under the tires of the car but the Rebbe insisted on leaving and not abandoning his flock trapped in Europe and his gold watch and gave them to Rav Aharon Haltovsky ‘At least the evil ones will get less out of me.’ “Rav Avraham Elimelch arrived in Karlin just as the war broke out,” Rav Grossman continues we still have a continuation of the holy traditions.” While the Pinsk-Karliner Rebbe draws on the sefer Beis Aharon the fundamental sefer of Karliner chassidus he’s proficient in the gamut of chassidic seforim and isn’t ashamed to take young men as his chavrusas if they can help him in his ongoing acquisition of chassidic teachings the Rebbe has learned b’chavrusa with various mekubalim one of the sages of Shaar Hashamayim and an elder chassid of Rebbe Aharon of Belz zy”a (as a young avreich the Rebbe received permission from his own rebbe He would also travel to the court of Rebbe Mottel of Vizhnitz-Monsey zy”a until Rebbe Mottel’s passing last year where he would spend Shabbos like any other chassid with whom he acts like any regular avreich preparing them a cup of coffee and chatting like a friend he leaves all the rebbishe hanhagos outside the door he eschews the standard trappings of a rebbe — he’ll often pick up the phone and dial the number of scholarly chassidim in order to work through a complex sugya in Gemara or Kabbalistic works After being appointed to lead the chassidus he set up chavrusas with Chabad mashpiim Rav Chaim Shalom Deutsch and Rav Zalman Gopin to whose home in Kfar Chabad he would travel to once a week of delving into chassidic works of all kinds which generally sticks to the particular Torah of the rebbes of the chassidus In Karlin they generally don’t veer too far from the writings of their rebbes and distance themselves from learning Kabbalah One of the Pinsk-Karliner Rebbe’s goals is to simplify for his chassidim the study of sefer Beis Aharon and make it accessible for everyone The Rebbe acts in accordance with the directives of his predecessors in another area as well — he distances himself from public involvement The Karliner Rebbes always ran from politics like from fire but instead of taking this policy to the level of isolation and estrangement the Pinsk-Karliner Rebbe makes sure to embrace everyone — because he has no political interests at all He will never instruct his chassidim to vote in elections and his institutions don’t take government money but every MK who seeks advice will find the same welcoming open door as for the most ardent chassidim The Rebbe believes in being connected to everyone it’s no wonder the Rebbe speaks often on the subject of simchah and fosters a sense of joy in avodas Hashem among his chassidim But along with that even temperament and joyous disposition — even in the wake of his own personal tragedies — the Rebbe always seems to have an eye out for the family struck by calamity or heartache And he keeps track of the personal situations of all those people who’ve come before to share their troubles Despite the many tzaros that the Rebbe is exposed to he always emphasizes simchah as the most important element in avodas Hashem Not a day passes that he doesn’t find the opportunity to say to someone he doesn’t have complaints about those around him everything around him is grim and he blames others for what’s happening to him.” Concurrent to the simchah the Rebbe exudes he also insists on the observance of every nuance of halachah with no games or excuses — and as such he canceled the practice of holding tishen in the beis medrash because according to the straightforward halachah Pinsk-Karlin has another standout feature — absolutely no talking during any part of the davening Even during a Mi Shebeirach that a baal simchah makes during Krias HaTorah That doesn’t mean the Rebbe and his chassidim don’t daven like true Karliners “If you want to see if someone is connected to spirituality observe how he looks when he’s davening,” the Rebbe once said dozens of bnei aliyah from among the chassidim daven Shacharis with the Rebbe The tefillah lasts at least an hour and a half The Rebbe recently told his chassidim that “In our day the level of the generation has become better and there are a lot of people who know how to learn but people who know how to daven the right way Being that tefillah plays such a central role in life of the Rebbe and the chassidim the Rebbe has instituted an early-night policy Even when there’s a simchah in the Rebbe’s own family the Rebbe insists that bentshing be at 10:30 so that the crowd can get up early the next day well-rested invests extensive efforts in teaching the younger generation to daven with fervor — a “flahm fier” (a flame of fire) as he says Once a delegation came and asked the Rebbe “How is it that you teach your children to scream when davening?” The Rebbe replied “We teach our children to serve Hashem with fire in their hearts the Rebbe instructs that the fire of the heart has to come from inside “My father never told me how to daven and never told me to scream when I daven but from the time I was a child I saw how my father invested all his energies when he was standing before Hashem Yisrael YoskowitzNo Regrets  “Anti-Semitism hasn’t disappeared Today it hides under the guise of ‘criticism of Israel,’ but it’s the same old poison” Yitzchok LandaLimited LiabilityShe can’t undo the insurance mess but Shuli Berger makes sure the system works for you Tzivia MethStill in the Story   Rabbi Marcus Lehmann's pen instilled Jewish confidence in his generation and beyond  Mishpacha StaffHalf the Battle For Rav Meir Mazuz every struggle was about the sanctity of the Jewish nation Binyamin RoseReady, Willing, and Able   Israel's US ambassador Yechiel Leiter relives his knock on history's door  Yaacov LipszycDevils’ AdvocatesA guide to the web of evil that spirited away Nazis to sanctuary in South America “DO NOT PHOTOGRAPH,” is misleading for a coffee-table book that has little text and where every page is splashed to the margins with large those few words — screaming out in capital letters on the cover — say it all As a British photojournalist working in the Israeli chassidic community was his most common reaction: “Macht nisht kein bilder….” We may forgive him for coming away with the impression that he was trespassing on a world with little tolerance for snooping outsiders Joshua recalls how in one of his earlier forays into a chassidic shul and two distinct aspects of chassidic life “I got into a discussion with this pleasant guy who seemed genuinely encouraging After pumping me for information he grew very excited over what I planned to do ‘What do you mean… we’ve been discussing this for Joshua had just experienced the huge disconnect between people wanting to act hospitably (at the best of times) and actually allowing him to document their lives “I’d walk into places and some of the locals would grow unnecessarily hostile They’d start using their hands or yelling at me without knowing my name or why I was there a man planted himself on the table in front of me to shout: ‘This isn’t a tourist site…!’ On another occasion someone threw juice at me and damaged my camera.” Other photographers may have slunk away nursing their bruised egos and casting aspirations aside it was Pinsk-Karlin that Joshua was drawn to over the eight years it took him to complete his project Haruni formed a relationship with the previous Pinsk-Karlin Rebbe Though he doesn’t claim to be a chassid today Haruni says what he observed in the various courts made an impression “I suppose you’re communicating with the past somehow,” he ponders “You’re reaching in and drawing people back 300 years there’s an image in the book of a chassid dancing… Three hundred years ago they were dancing that same dance.” Joshua — a Modern Orthodox Jew of British-Iranian origin — had never intended to work with chassidim at all His draw to photography started in his post-IDF days when he traveled abroad and shared his stills with friends and family he enrolled at the London College of Printing one of the United Kingdom’s leading photography schools Joshua embarked on a number of global projects as an independent freelancer reporting on areas of interest for the British media he joined the first team of Westerners returning to Northern Laos 20 years after the Vietnam War until Joshua returned to Israel in 1999 and set up home with his wife Joshua’s interest was then piqued by the growing trend of Israelis — secular and traditional — who were visiting kabbalists for healing Why would people do this in a modern society I was also aware that Kabbalah was not meant to be studied publicly everyone was going for brachot and asking for kamayot Joshua turned to a longtime friend of his family Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Grossman from Migdal HaEmek Rabbi Grossman introduced him to one of his brothers who was happy to guide him around Israel I went with him on a tour of well-known Moroccan kabbalists and other mystics.” The resulting photography exhibit was entitled “The Healing Power of Kabbalah.” Joshua also found himself traipsing along with Rabbi Grossman’s brother to a Rebbe’s tish he was angling for a very different kind of shot “I found the chassidic environment visually stimulating,” he said Given the intense resistance that he met when he tried to zoom in on a shot the scope of Joshua’s portfolio is astonishing rituals and portraits are all heartily documented Joshua’s impressive collection may have never made it beyond a slim file of shots stolen on the sly were it not for the unusual involvement of the Rebbe from Pinsk-Karlin the gabbai contacted me to say that the Rebbe will be lighting Chanukah candles in his apartment in Bnei Brak By then I’d met the gabbai on several occasions He was one of a handful who tried to help me.” someone else had just objected to Joshua taking photographs at a different location appearing that evening in the Rebbe’s lounge with his knitted kippah “Twenty or thirty hard-core chassidim were there crowding around the Rebbe,” Joshua recalls and as I pointed my lens at the Rebbe’s face I was feeling the heat.” After a few quick snaps a bunch of chassidim tried to jump in along with the Rebbe “I had to limit the passengers to as many as the back seat could carry the Rebbe began talking and asked me to explain why I was taking these pictures.” Joshua gave a general description of his work and then proceeded to share two anecdotes with the Rebbe a series of his chassidic and kabbalistic photos were being put on display in a traveling exhibition throughout the United States Joshua’s wife received an exuberant call from a childhood acquaintance who had been a neighbor in Belgium “He said that seeing these photos made him realize that he had lost out on something special by being raised completely secular “My wife is an artist who makes mosaics,” explains Joshua “She studied in Paris under a certain teacher whom we later met with on a trip to London The teacher was planning his wedding at the time and he was so taken by them that he purchased a few this teacher contacted us again and said that after seeing these depictions of authentic Jewish life he and his fianc?e had decided to get married in a religious wedding ceremony.” The Rebbe was visibly touched by these stories and said he had never thought that photos could have such a powerful impact they had pulled up outside the bar mitzvah After waiting outside the hall for the Rebbe yet modest and unassuming,” says Joshua of the Rebbe (He later remarried.) It was during that time that his remarkable strength of character was revealed “He assumed his responsibilities very seriously They say that on Friday afternoon he would clean and wash the floors and still arrive in shul half an hour earlier than everyone else,” Haruni says When asked why he didn’t assign the chores to his kids he’d answer ‘Isn’t it enough that they’ve lost their mother Joshua’s voice and his measured words tellingly express his admiration and profound respect for the chassidic leader Even though the chassidic way of life was not something Joshua wished to adopt his relationship with the Rebbe was something he would deeply cherish “There’s a photo in the book of the new Rebbe lighting the bonfire on Lag B’omer,” recalls Joshua “That was the first time I went back after the Rebbe’s passing in 2001 and it suddenly hit me: ‘He’s no longer here.’ ” Joshua shakes his head “A couple of days after our first encounter,” Haruni relates “I got a message from the Rebbe’s shamash that I should come and shoot a tish in the shul I climbed the parenches [bleachers surrounding the tish table] with my bulky camera bag swinging on my hip and got in people’s way Objections were hurled at me from above and below To say the chassidim weren’t happy with my being there would be putting mildly I see the Rebbe stop in mid-sentence and he glances up in my direction He then resumed his conversation down at his table.” Instantly a palpable frisson of acceptance enveloped Joshua from all over one chassid asked whether I’d like some help with the camera bag and another moved aside to make way for me.” The Rebbe’s hand had spoken It is this unwavering loyalty and dedication to the Rebbe that Joshua strove to convey with this photograph revealing a snapshot of the Rebbe on the inside Joshua has an insider’s view of the Pinsk-Karlin chassidus and its families he still maintains contact with chassidim of the current rebbe “I’ve made quite a few friendships,” admits Joshua with a smile “Just this week I was invited to two separate weddings from within the community But this would never have happened without the Rebbe opening the door for me.” “The interesting thing about this book,” remarks Joshua “is that ten different people will come away with ten different images that stay with them.” I revisit the book and I see what he means The photographs are varied and rich and I struggle to pick out a favorite (though “Purim Tish” would be a strong candidate) if only for the fact that there’s so much going on — you could study it for hours It also reminds him of one of the lighter moments that he enjoyed in the company of the Pinsk-Karlin chassidus “One Purim tish I turned up in their customary spodik and a bekeshe It took them a few seconds but then they all did a double take Word traveled around the parenches and everyone began talking and staring… I walked up to the Rebbe (the new one) and he almost fell off his chair he gave me a l’chayim and my entrance became the talk of the court.” “that someone browsing through this book appreciates it for what it is and yet it is vibrant and still very much alive.” Every photograph has its own story to tell with layers upon layers of interpretation and meaning and he is aware that this will be mostly subjective Like this image of a father facing his son as they both hold the hens destined for kapparos Joshua aimed to portray a feeling that spans generations There’s the father who only shows up partially in the frame and is seen from the back holding the chicken close to his side without much fanfare as he struggles to maintain control over his precious cargo It is the strength of tradition that binds the two in the distance spanning the two men’s fingertips Joshua felt a story was lurking in the vacuum The way it hangs beseechingly between the Rebbe’s gabbai and the chassid there’s this symbolism of he who needs help When asked what he was looking for in his journalistic wanderings through the cobblestoned alleyways of Meah Shearim “I can’t say that I was looking for anything in particular but I was very conscious of the fact that whatever I was doing had to be genuine Many photographers take photos of chassidim that make them look ridiculous but I was trying to convey through the visual medium how the layers of their lives mesh together I can’t always control how people react to my work but all I wanted to do was create an honest report.” he now understands why some chassidim are reluctant to be photographed certain chassidim believe that taking photos of people is prohibited But the others — understandably — are not interested in turning into open books for every passing tourist to browse through taking cynical images of chassidim and turning them into caricatures of themselves It’s no wonder that they have learned to be very wary.” Joshua gives us a glimpse of the fascination he has for photography in general “When people are singing and dancing at a tish and a gabbai sticks his hand into a tray of fish and fills his hand with it… some people would go ‘eew’ and comment on how unhygienic that is It’s about an attachment to a belief system Certain things are desirable and aspirational it makes complete sense.” The act of eating and the act of eating is an atonement of sorts But first you must take a good look at that hand full of fish to even know to ask the right questions….” As I leaf again through the thick shiny pages of the book there’s a sense of reaching through the cobwebs to draw upon the strength and vitality of a bygone era There’s a sense that though these are but inanimate stills Gedalia GuttentagFront-Row Seat to History As Israel’s ambassador Ron Dermer is about to leave his Washington posting after seven years he recaps the challenges and triumphs of a transformative term Yisroel BesserThe Road through Real LifeRav Reuven Feinstein has tapped the clarity born of loss to write a new chapter about the bonds of marriage and true faith  Eytan KobreTeachers’ Aid“There were very wealthy laymen and seasoned businessmen there and they rose to the occasion,” he says “The only challenges they raised have been how to do it Yeruchem Yitzchak LandesmanBorn to LeadHow does a young man assume the leadership of a dying chassidus at the age of 18 and transform into an empire of Torah Gershon BurstynThe Rebbe’s Man in WashingtonChabad shaliach Rabbi Levi Shemtov straddles a bipartisan tightrope in a polarized capital Approximately two weeks after undergoing an operation the Pinsk-Karlin Rebbe was readmitted to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem The hasidic leader was hospitalized due to an infection which developed on his head at the site of the operation which he underwent prior to the Passover holiday Hundreds of hasidim who arrived to celebrate the last day of Passover in their rebbe's presence prayed for his complete recovery The Pinsk-Karlin community explained that after the visit the rebbe asked those hasidim who visited him to bring joy to the other patients in the hospital The public is also asked to pray for the recovery of Rabbi Aryeh Leib Share to WhatsApp Copy Link Print Send by e-mail Share to Classroom Add to Favorites var tag = document.createElement('script'); tag.src = "https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api"; var firstScriptTag = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; firstScriptTag.parentNode.insertBefore(tag slider=jQuery(".royalSlider").royalSlider({ // autoplay options go gere enabled: false,//true adina imageScaleMode: 'fit-if-smaller' slider = jQuery(".royalSlider").data('royalSlider'); const fullscreenButton = jQuery(".rsFullscreenBtn"); // ???? const fullscreenIcon = fullscreenButton.find(".rsFullscreenIcn"); // ???? customNavWrapper.append(prevArrow).append(customCounter).append(nextArrow); // jQuery(".royalSlider").append($customNavWrapper); jQuery(".rsGCaption").before(customNavWrapper); const currentSlide = slider.currSlideId + 1; // ???? const totalSlides = 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Valery and Dalia holding family pictures This is yet another incredible and unexpected story of a family reunited as a result of documentation found in Yad Vashem's Archives Pages of Testimony are an excellent tool in filling in the missing pieces of family histories and uniting a family that was dispersed because of the Holocaust recently began looking for information about the father he never knew including a half-sister living here in Israel never spoke about who his father was or that he left her when she was pregnant When Valery was born his mother named him Valery Volfovich Simonov - a combination of her name and his father's name Around a year and a half ago Valery discovered from Svetlana Valery proceeded to reach out to Yad Vashem and requested information about his father Rita Margolin a researcher in Yad Vashem's Reference and Information Services Department searched for Wolf's name in the Yad Vashem archival documents from Pinsk With the help of Pages of Testimony and other documentation Rita was able to find out what had happened to Wolf Sternik during the war and later discovered from Svetlana's friend Rima that Wolf had remarried and had a daughter Neither Dalia nor Valery knew about the other He fled with his family from Warsaw to Pinsk in 1939 and later in 1941 were murdered in Pinsk; his mother and sister were murdered in Western Ukraine Wolf returned to Pinsk in 1945 with Olga Simonov and her two children who was pregnant at the time stayed in Pinsk where Valery was born in 1946 Dalia and her mother moved to Israel in 1957 leaving Wolf behind in Poland where he lived until his death in 1993 Upon discovering that Valery has a half-sister Rita contacted Dalia immediately to tell her the exciting news The next day Dalia visited Yad Vashem and Rita showed her all the documentation she had uncovered about Dalia's father Dalia also had numerous documents left to her by her father After receiving additional information from Dalia Rita found in the Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names Pages of Testimony filled out by Wolf Sternik in 1980 Rita also found relevant documents about other family members Dalia saw an unmisktable familial resemblance and realized that they were relatives Both siblings even had the same photo of their father that they had both saved over the years Dalia travelled to Pinsk to meet Valery for the first time in person she invited him to come visit her in Israel During their emotional meeting at Yad Vashem an overjoyed Valery exclaimed that he was "so excited to be here with Dalia and still can't believe that something like this could happen." The Yad Vashem website had recently undergone a major upgrade The page you are looking for has apparently been moved We are therefore redirecting you to what we hope will be a useful landing page For any questions/clarifications/problems, please contact: webmaster@yadvashem.org.il The Rabbi of Pinsk-Karlin Hassidim will undergo surgery on his head tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem but it was evident that his medical condition was fine the Rabbi became weaker and had difficulty walking his doctors decided to hospitalize him at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital It later became clear that he needed to undergo head surgery Prayers will be held tomorrow for the recovery of the Rabbi throughout the Hassidic community Experts from the Institute referred to information disclosed by Ukrainian military observer Konstantin Mashovets on Sunday the Belarusian military has established a substantial military grouping in the territories of two regions airborne Assault Battalion of the 38th Airborne Assault Brigade near Uzhovo and to the south of Pinsk in the Brest region; two units of the 5th Special Forces Brigade near Ivanovo in the Brest region and Pribolovichi in the Gomel region; paratrooper Assault Battalion of the 103rd Separate Airborne Brigade near Lelchitsky district tactical group of the 51st Artillery Brigade to the south of the city of Gomel; rocket artillery battery of the 336th Rocket Artillery Brigade near Zyabrivka in the Gomel region Mashovets noted that the military grouping comprises 1,840 servicemen around 68-70 armored personnel carriers (BTR) The role of Belarus in Russia's war against Ukraine Belarusian journalists found possible evidence that mercenaries from the disbanded Russian PMC Wagner could have joined the newly formed special unit Tornado of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Belarus initiated a sudden inspection of the anti-aircraft warfare Minsk regularly continues joint military exercises with the Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia Notices are posted by 10 am Monday through Saturday Adjust Text Size: A+ A- As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 05, 2007 Share your memories and/or express your condolences below. Fields marked with a * are required. All others are optional. Unfortunately with the need to moderate tributes for inappropriate content, your comments may take up to 48 hours to appear. Thank you for your understanding. ©2025 Winnipeg Free Press. All Rights Reserved. security guard mistakes latter as pitch invader and pushes her away Tanishq Sharma Author follow us on whatsappfollow us on telegramfollow us on Instagram The club football has been paused in the most parts of the world as the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2022 is approaching in few days a rare incident was recorded from Belarusian First League where FC Smorgon's Vladislav Shubovich proposed her girlfriend after scoring a penalty against FC Volna Pinsk the proposal was interrupted by the security personnel who mistook Shubovich's girlfriend as a pitch invader and pushed her away from the field Smorgon forward Matvey Dukso scored the opener against Volna Pinsk on Saturday in the 49th minute while Vladislav Shubovich scored a late winner with a penalty and ran towards his girlfriend As t he 22-year-old defender's partner entered the field he got down on one knee and presented a ring towards his girlfriend the security guard obstructed and shoved her back expecting her to be an ordinary pitch invader Shubovich immediately pushed the steward back while his teammates gathered around the security guard as things got out of hand The referee quickly intervened and separated the players from the guard while the steward understood his mistake and moved aside who were relegated to the First League after finishing at the 15th spot in the Belarusian Premier League last season defeated Volna Pinsk 2-0 at the Stadyen Junatstva in their final league game With the victory in their final First League game Smorgon confirmed their promotion to the Belarusian Premier League for the next season.  IPL 2025: Match 57, KKR vs CSK Match Prediction - Who will win today's IPL Match? IPL 2025: When and where to watch Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings in India? Watch: AB de Villiers slams journalists for criticising Virat Kohli over low strike-rate in IPL Haven’t seen him smiling: Adam Gilchrist shows concern for LSG skipper Rishabh Pant Dushanbe motorists have not supported the Car-free Day initiative.  No one of Tajik cities has joined this action so far.  But we could take lessons from Belarus.  Several cities in Belarus celebrated the Car-free Day on September 22.  Motorists in the Belarusian cities of Pinsk Mogilev and Polotsk could use public transport free of charge on Friday 31 cities in Belarus joined this action this year.  Last year there were only nineteen Belarusian cities celebrating the Car-free Day.    encourages motorists to give up their cars for a day.  Organized events are held in some cities and countries.  According to The Washington Post the event “promotes improvement of mass transit and the development of communities where jobs are closer to home and where shopping is within walking distance.”  Studies showed that for short trips in cities one can reach more quickly using a bicycle rather than using a car give motorists and commuterists an idea of their locality with fewer cars While projects along these lines had taken place from time to time on an ad hoc basis starting with the 1973 oil crisis it was only in October 1994 that a structured call for such projects was issued in a keynote speech by Eric Britton at the International Accessible Cities Conference held in Toledo (Spain) Within two years the first Days were organized in Reykjavík (Iceland) Bath (United Kingdom) and La Rochelle (France) and the informal World Car Free Days Consortium was organized in 1995 to support Car-Free Days worldwide.  The first national campaign was inaugurated in Britain by the Environmental Transport Association in 1997 the French followed suit in 1998 as In Town and was established as a Europe-wide initiative by the European Commission in 2000.  In the same year the Commission enlarged the program to a full European Mobility Week which now is the major focus of the Commission with the Car-Free Day part of a greater new mobility whole.  Also in 2000 car free days went global with a World Car-free Day program launched by Carbusters and in the same year the Earth Car Free Day collaborative program of the Earth Day Network and the World Car Free Days collaborative How сan water conservation and profit go hand in hand in Tajikistan Border-related issues between Afghanistan and Tajikistan reportedly being handled based on international principles How do fines in Tajikistan relate to citizens' actual incomes and new partnerships: Innovation Forum held in Dushanbe A Startup from Tajikistan ranked in the Top three at the Central Asian Startup Cup Somon Air in partnership with Antares LLC (fly.tj) launches direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh By president’s order Tajik war veterans will receive 50,000 somonis each on the occasion of Victory Day The parents of journalist Rukhshona Hakimova ask President to help secure their daughter's release Dushanbe and Tehran vow to boost economic cooperation Iranian official proposes to launch an air route connecting Dushanbe and Shiraz When thinking of places to spend midwinter vacation is generally not the first destination that comes to mind my family and I typically try to escape to warmer climates to spend time with an organization called Yad Yisroel Belarus had a thriving population of over one million Jews Between the devastating effects of the Holocaust and a brutal Communist regime Belarusian Jewry experienced a dramatic physical and spiritual decline Yad Yisroel was founded with the purpose of rebuilding and reviving the scattered and broken Belarusian Jewish community they provide aid to people of all stages and walks of life throughout Belarus One major component of their work is running boarding schools for Jewish boys and girls and educating them to have a strong religious background spending most of our time with the girls there I tried to picture what our interactions with these girls would be like Although some of them spoke a bit of Hebrew and English we arrived at the girls school late Thursday night and the three Russian words we had learned so far—da nyet and spasiba—we managed to communicate By the time the sky was darkening for Shabbos we had already started to get to know them I was completely blown away by the amount of mesiras nefesh (personal sacrifice) these girls showed simply by keeping things like shabbos I always thought it was difficult in America to be a religious Jew because of all the outside influences of secular culture But meeting these girls made me realize how much I take for granted in my life there are no kosher food stores or restaurants There are no Jewish schools besides their own I was honored and inspired to be sitting at the shabbos table and singing zemiros with these incredible girls The sacrifices they make in order to keep Judaism are more than anything I had ever experienced in my life we would run activities and programs with them the girls were very careful not to waste anything One night we gave out hot cocoa in hot cups the girls carefully washed the hot cups and brought them up to their rooms to use again we had the opportunity to spend time with other parts of the Jewish community bringing toys and candy for the younger boys there We also spent time with elderly women in the Jewish community singing them songs and bringing them each a loaf of bread Seeing where they lived really allowed us to understand the devastating effects of Communism Many of the elderly women had wedding pictures of themselves from only a few years ago The Pinsk girls explained to us that these women had not been allowed to have a proper Jewish wedding ceremony under the Communist regime Yad Yisroel helped them have a real Jewish wedding for the first time we had the opportunity to meet several of the families who comprise the small Jewish community in Pinsk including Rabbi Moshe and Rebbetzin Rikki Fhima the amazingly devoted heads of Yad Yisroel in Pinsk I viewed the Fhimas as a modern-day Avraham and Sarah welcoming people to a life of Judaism with their warmth and sincerity Although Pinsk is not an easy place to be a religious Jew the Fhimas and a number of other families choose to live there for the purpose of reviving and sustaining Judaism in Belarus When we were fortunate enough to be invited to the home of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Fhima we saw a room near the entrance with walls filled from floor to ceiling with wedding pictures of graduates from the school It was an incredible sight to behold: hundreds of couples smiling at the camera as they stood proudly under a chuppah We spent one day visiting various holy Jewish sites and kvarim (burial sites) the Chofetz Chaim’s yeshiva in Radin and the Volozhiner Yeshiva as well as the kvarim of Rav Yerucham Levovitz It was very moving to daven at these places and it reminded me how this country had once been a thriving Jewish center of Torah learning It was sad to see how it had all been wiped out but heartening at the same time to know that it was slowly being rekindled we became very close with the girls in the school It was amazing to see how two groups of people could have so much in common after growing up on different sides of the world and were excited to find out that several will be coming to America next year to attend college in New York giving them candy and saying Shema with them at night I became very close with a few of the younger girls I knew it would be very difficult to part with them but it turned out to be harder than I had imagined we needed to leave at midnight of the second Saturday night that we were there we gave each other our contact information and sat together until it was time for us to leave and from both our school and their school there were very few girls who were not crying I went upstairs to say goodbye to the little girls whispered that she did not want me to leave because I couldn’t tell her that we would see each other again; it was likely we wouldn’t trying not to let her see I was crying too Traveling to Pinsk was not the most conventional way to spend my winter break But I can honestly say that these 10 days were the greatest and most meaningful days of my life My friends and I are very much in touch with these girls exchanging frequent messages and pictures with them and as these communications stretch from America to Europe the bond between a group of students in New York and a small school of girls in Pinsk continues to grow Yad Yisroel is a non-profit organization dedicated to the revival of Jewish life in the former Soviet Union as well as to assisting former Soviet Jewry wherever they may be  Rachel Retter is a former summer intern at the Jewish Link and a senior at Manhattan High School for Girls Drew Pinsk on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Montell Jordan on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Tyler Florence on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Kate Gosselin on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Jamie Lynn Spears on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Mel B on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Nastia Liukin on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Anthony Scaramucci on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Kenya Moore on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Mike Piazza on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Gus Kenworthy on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Danny Amendola on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Dwight Howard on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Hannah Brown on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test  Carli Lloyd on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test Meet the celebrities participating and keep up to date with who is still in the competition The series follows 16 celebrities as they try their best to survive grueling training at the hands of an "elite team of ex-special forces operatives." Despite several of the cast members being world-class athletes and seemingly used to training for their respective sports it appears that none of the celebrities are quite ready to embrace the journey that lies ahead of them There is no voting out or last place finishes in Special Forces: World's Toughest Test participants leave the show only when they have decided they've had enough So just who was bold enough to participate in the inaugural season of the series And who is still toughing it out with the training operatives Take a look and meet the Special Forces: World's Toughest Test cast and see who has left the show.  Drew Pinsk is an internist and addiction medicine specialist as well as starring in Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew and Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House Pinsk served as the host of the syndicated radio talk show Loveline from 1984 to 2016.  reviews and unmissable series to watch and more Tyler Florence is a renowned chef and restauranteur who has furthered his reach into TV He’s hosted Food 911 and How to Boil Water and co-hosted the popular Food Network series Worst Cooks in America He can also be spotted in The Great Food Truck Race.  Kate Gosselin rose to prominence by putting her family life on display in Jon and Kate Plus 8 which featured her now ex-husband and their sextuplets and twins She's also been spotted in Dancing with the Stars and Celebrity Wife Swap Jamie Lynn Spears is the younger sister of pop legend Britney Spears, but she's managed to make a name for herself. She spent years as the star of Nickelodeon's Zoey 101, has recorded her own music and is currently featured as Noreen in the Netflix hit series Sweet Magnolias plus she's taken her talents to Broadway starring as Roxie Hart in Chicago Five-time Olympic medalist Liukin won the gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics as the women's All-Around gymnastics champion She later was spotted as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars season 20.  Beverley Mitchell is an actress who grew up before TV watchers' eyes on 7th Heaven as Lucy She's also been seen portraying Kaitlin O'Malley in The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Laura Hunter in Saw II.  but after fearing for her safety due to medical reasons.  Despite spending the bulk of his career in the finance industry working for Goldman Sachs and starting Oscar Capital Management and SkyBridge Capital Scaramucci is most widely known for working in President Trump's administration even though he only served as Trump’s White House Director of Communications for 10 days.  The infamous Peach herself has been a staple on The Real Housewives of Atlanta since 2012 While Kenya Moore has collected many fans with her quick wit displayed in the Bravo series she first rose to stardom winning 1993's Miss USA title she's guest-starred on a number of popular shows including Girlfriends and The Parkers and has been seen in films like Deliver Us from Eva and Waiting to Exhale Mike Piazza is a former catcher in the MLB His professional career spanned from 1992 to 2007 and in that time he became a 12-time All-Star National League Rookie of the Year and played for teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016 having placed second in the Men's slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics He also has a career as a Youtuber and actor recently spotted as Chet in American Horror Story: 1984 The two-time Super Bowl winner entered the NFL in 2008 after being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys Danny Amendola has played for other teams like the Philadelphia Eagles the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions.  An NBA champion and eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard has made quite the career in professional basketball He's formerly been a teammate to Lebron James and Kobe Bryant and has adorned jerseys for the Orlando Magic the Philadelphia 76ers and the Lakers just to name a few He currently plays for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League.  Carli Lloyd is a two-time World Cup and Olympic gold-winning soccer player for the US Women's National Team When she didn't compete on the international stage she played professional soccer in the US on teams like the Western New York Flash the Houston Dash and the NJ/NY Gotham FC.  Special Forces: World's Toughest Test airs live on Wednesdays on Fox with episodes becoming available to stream the next day on Hulu.  Terrell SmithSocial Links NavigationTerrell Smith has a diverse writing background having penned material for a wide array of clients including the federal government and Bravo television personalities he’s writing under his pseudonym Tavion Scott creating scripts for his audio drama podcasts Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film Some of his favorite shows include Abbot Elementary And a fun fact is he's completely dialed into Bravo Universe and The Young and the Restless (thanks to his grandmother) Is there going to be a This City Is Ours season 2 Malpractice season 2 episode 2 recap: Who is James's secret girlfriend Malpractice season 2 episode 3 recap: A new patient at Willow Ward spells huge trouble for James - but who is it?