Today the 10th of Shevat , Jan. 17 in Jewish History

Today the 10th of Shevat is the Yahrtzeit of the of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950).

Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn was born in Lyubavichi, Russia. At the age of 15 he was appointed as his father's personal secretary . In 1897 when he was seventeen years old he married his distant cousin, Nehama Dina Schneersohn.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn campaigned for the rights of Jews by appearing before the Czarist authorities in St. Petersburg and Moscow. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 he sought relief for Jewish conscripts in the Russian army by sending them kosher food and supplies in the Russia Far East. With the rising of anti-Semitism and pogroms against the Jewish people, he travelled with other prominent religious rabbis to seek help from Western European governments. During the period of 1902 and 1911 he was arrested 4 times by the Czarist police due to his activism for the Jewish people. He was always released.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok became the sixth Rebbe of Lubavitch upon the passing of his father, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, in 1920.

In 1939, during the bombardments on the City of Warsaw and its capitulation to Nazi Germany, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak refused to leave Warsaw and remained to give the full support for his organizations under Chabad Hasidism to assist as many Jews as possible to flee the invading armies. With the intercession of the United States Department of State in Washington, DC and with the lobbying of many Jewish leaders on behalf of the Rebbe he was finally granted diplomatic immunity and given safe passage to go via Berlin to Riga, and then on to New York City.

On March 19, 1940 Rabbi Schneersohn arrived to America. Upon his arrival two of his chassidim approched him, and told him not to start all the activities that he did in Russia, because America is different. Instead of being disappointed, they advised him not to even try. Schneersohn wrote, "Out of my eyes came boiling tears". The following day he started the Yeshiva.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak passed away on the 10th of Shevat in 1950 and was buried in the Borough of Queens in New York City. His younger son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), succeeded him as Lubavitcher Rebbe, while the older son-in-law, Rabbi Shemaryahu Gurary led the Chabad Yeshiva network Tomchei Temimim. Rabbi Schneersohn had no sons.

Kosher Corner

Kosher Vitamins more than ever before is becoming very popular. Many reasons are given for this fact. Some say that it is due to the fact that the Kosher consumer population is growing and therefor the demand is becoming bigger. Other say that it is also due to the fact that more people are becoming aware today about Kosher Food Consumption laws.

A interesting thing to note is that many times Non-Jews will come in to a Kosher Vitamin Store to request Kosher vitamins. The reason for this occurrence is because it is found that consumers believe that Kosher products are purer and healthier. Since vitamins is all about being healthy and consuming pure products, it is seen the most in the Kosher Vitamins and Kosher heath food industry.

Judaica Corner

Now that we are getting closer to Passover, people are starting to search for that perfect Passover Matzah Covers. Upon going in to Judaica stores the consumer will notice that there are two types of Matzah Covers, round and square. The reason for having two styles stems from the fact that there are two types of matzos, round matzos and square matzos. Round matzos are those that are hand made and the square matzos are those that are made by machine. Customs among Jewish people vary from those that will only eat machine matzos to those that will eat only hand made Matzos. Of course there are those that will consume which ever their grocery provides.

So you will first want to know what your "Going-to-get-the-gift-person" consumes, before going out of your way to purchase them a Matzah cover gift. No one wants to spend money on a Passover gift only to find out that it does not meet that person's needs. As always being informed is a good thing!

Today the 9th of Shevat , Jan. 16 in Jewish History

Today the 9th of Shevat is the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Eliezer Silver, leader of American Orthodox Jewry, 1968.

Rabbi Eliezer Silver was born in the city of Kovno, Lithuania. He was a descendant of King David from his mother's side and had centuries old rabbinic ancestry.

He studied with the Rogatchover Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Rosen, in Dvinsk, and received Semicha from Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski in 1906. Rabbi Eliezer Silver immigrated to the United States with his wife in 1907 settled in New York City, to escape the anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia. Rabbi Silver's occupation in his early years was being garment salesman and later on sold insurance.

However, Rabbi Silver soon accepted a Rabbinical position in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. he was part of a delegation of rabbis In 1912, that convinced President William Howard Taft to void a treaty with Russia because of Russia's persecution of Jews.
In 1914, as World War I broke out, Rabbi Silver was traveling abroad to visit his parents and got caught up in Russia . He stayed Stranded for 3 years by Russia's refusal to recognize an American passport issued to a Jew, he unexpectedly returned home in 1917 as his family assumed he had died.

In 1925 he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. Some time around 1931, he accepted an invitation to become Rabbi in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained until his passing.

Rabbi Silver was very active in the Agudath HaRabbonim, and in 1929 was elected its president . He was also a founder, organiser and president of Agudath Israel of America.

Kosher Corner

Kosher Cranberry Juice? Kosher Cherry Juice? Kosher Pomegranate Juice? Why not drink them all?! That's exactly what the famous Maxi Health Kosher Vitamin manufacturer did. Maxi Health Research released a Kosher Drink named CranCherry Supreme. The drink contains all three juices that are beneficial to ones health. This is what Maxi Health Research is saying about this CranCherry Drink. "Healthy Nutritious Juice Concentrate For Overall Health. Supports a Healthy Urinary Tract, Kidney, Bladder & Prostate. CranCherry Supreme is a wonderful & powerful combination of organically grown Cranberries, Black Cherries and Pomegranate to support and maintain overall health especially for the bladder, kidney and prostate."

Judaica Corner

As mentioned in a earlier post, although there are many Tallit brands out there, not all tallit brands are for all people. Today I would like to introduce the Rikmat Elimelech Tallit . The Rikmat Elimelech Tallit is a fine collection featuring Contemporary colors for the modern and traditional Jewish population. These Tallitot you won't find in a Ultra Orthodox community. This Tallit brand is considered a very fine and elegant Tallit, being made with Raw Silk and other expensive materials and fabrics.

Today the 8th of Shevat , Jan. 15 in Jewish History

On this date the 8th of Shevat, 1960, Jonas E. Salk finalized a proposal to build the Salk Institute for Biological Studies near San Diego. Salk (1914-1995) had achieved fame as the physician who discovered the first polio vaccine while working at the University of Pittsburgh. Since its founding, Salk's Institute has focused on molecular biology and genetics, and has trained more than 2,000 scientists including numerous Nobel Laureates.

Today the 7th of Shevat , Jan. 14 in Jewish History

On this day, the 7th of Shevat, in 1930, the fifth Aliya movement to Israel started.

The 1930s were mainly the era of the fifth aliya, which grew after Hitler's rise to power in early 1933 and continued until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. From an annual average aliya of 3,500 between 1926-1932, the rate escalated to 37,000 in 1933; 45,000 in 1934; and 66,500 in 1935. The entire aliya numbered approximately one quarter of a million people, partly illegal immigration, the Ma'apilim, who arrived without "certificatim", i.e. British immigration papers.

On the eve of the Second World War, the Yishuv's population numbered 475,000 and constituted over one third of the population in Israel.

Kosher Corner

We all remember the days when our mother's tried stuffing some Fresh Fish oil into our mouths, and we still remember that foul smell and taste that we had to endure in order for us to consume some Kosher Fish oil. With the release of Kosher Fish oil for Children By Maxi Health Research, this episodes are gone for good. Maxi Health has introduced a special Kosher Fish oil for Children called Omega Yums. According to Maxi Health, The fish oil is encapsulated in a kosher, vegetarian soft gel, which can also be chewed or punctured, suitable for children. The oil is easy to digest and has no aftertaste.

Today the 6th of Shevat , Jan. 13 in Jewish History

On this day, the 6th of Shevat, following a massacre of Jews in 1393, at Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain, an edict was issued guaranteeing the Jews protection. In just a few short years the protective decree was forgotten and in 1413 persecution of the Jews began again. By 1435, the Jewish community had been completely destroyed, with many Jews forcibly converted to Christianity. These forced converts retained Jewish practice in private, but they publicly boiled pork lard in large pots, as a way to appear non-Jewish.

A number of well-known rabbis and scholars from Catalonia and Provence dwelt on the island of Majorca. Among them were: Shem-Tov Falcon, who instituted there a number of ritual observances; Aaron ha-Kohen, who wrote his ritual code, "Orchot Chaim," at Majorca; Joseph Caspi, a well-known writer; Isaac ben Nathan, diligent translator from the Arabic; and the physicians Moses Rimos and Eleazar Ardot, the latter of whom was born on Majorca, as was also Simon ben Tsemach Duran.

Kosher Corner

People many times feel that in order to get really healthy Kosher Food, there is a need to compromise on the Kosher Standards. Now more than ever before this is not true, many Kosher and Healthy foods are available today, from cereals, honey, pasta and much more. Browse around online or in brick and mortar Health Food Stores and you will be surprised on how many Kosher Food products are available.

Judaica corner

More than any other Judaica product, when purchasing a Tallit one will find many different styles meeting many different budgets. We will go about and discover some of the many different Tallit options on the Judaica market.

We will start first with the more expensive Tallit brands and proceed down to the more cheaper Tallit brands. The Talitot by Yair Emanuel is known to be the most exquisite Tallit in the Tallit industry. Originating from Israel, this Yair Emanuel Tallit features cotton brands, silk brands and wool. People purchasing this Yair Emanuel Tallit are more from the Modern Orthodox Jewish people. The Ultra Orthodox Jewish people will purchase one of the more traditional Tallitot.

On the more traditional Tallit styles, we will inform our readers in tomorrows addition.