The Rome Jewish community assisted again this year in making the coming of age of Bar Mitzvah a truly special event for boys from immigrant and low-income families in Israel.

Coordinated by Rabbis Yitzchok Hazan, director of Chabad of Rome who spearheads the annual effort; Avrohom Hazan, director of Chabad of the Sha’arei Aliyah neighborhood in the central Israel city of Lod; and Eliezer Hazan of Neve Nof, the celebration brought the boys and their families to Jerusalem for a ceremony at the Western Wall. .

Each boy received a pair of prayer boxes known as tefillin and a prayer shawl known as a tallit donated by members of the Jewish community in Rome. The boys were called up for a public Torah reading, and the day concluded with a festive meal.

It was a busy Monday morning in Montreal, as the families of three Chabad emissaries celebrated the circumcisions of their respective sons within hours of each other.

The first to be circumcised on May 20 was Chaim Shneur Zalman Itkin, son of Rabbi Levi and Mushkie Itkin, co-directors of Chabad of Nuns Island, a small island community right outside of Montreal. The ceremony took place at Chabad of Old Port, a center that caters to locals and tourists alike amid the enchanting cobblestone streets and 19th-century homes that make up Montreal’s center.

The second celebration was held at Chabad Queen Mary, where Moshe Eliezer Fine was welcomed by family and friends. The Chabad center is directed by his grandparents, Rabbi Ronnie and Simcha Fine, and his parents, Rabbi Mendel and Shaina Fine.

Festivities for the third baby boy ensued at the newly rebuilt Jewish Russian Community Center, where Rabbi Chaim and Chanie Brand, co-directors of Chabad of Lasalle, celebrated the circumcision of Mordechai Zev.

In Jewish tradition, eight days after a baby boy is born, he is circumcised and given his Jewish name. The first two circumcisions were done by Rabbi Mendel Altein, a Montreal mohel (trained circumcisor) who has circumcised well over 1,000 babies during his two-decade career. The third circumcision was performed by mohel Rabbi Pesach Sperlin, also director of Chabad of Montreal West.

Since Judaism places importance on doing mitzvahs at the first possible opportunity, all three circumcisions occurred during the morning hours, at the start of the babies’ eighth day of life.

According to Rabbi Leibel Fine, who was at all three events, “it was really nice to see the community coming together for these occasions.” Fine, uncle of baby No. 2 and cousin of baby No. 3, said the fact that Monday was Victoria Day—a public holiday in Canada—meant that the crowds were even bigger than anticipated.

Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis from across New Jersey recently gathered in the state capital of Trenton to meet with state legislators and discuss their communities’ needs.

New Jersey Senate President Steven Sweeney hosted and chaired a kosher luncheon to allow the group to meet in a social setting and discuss mutual goals.

“These events are so important,” said Sen. Sweeney, addressing the Chabad rabbis, “as we the legislators are constantly making decisions that affect you and your communities. It is vital that we get your input when addressing these important issues.

A large map of the 48 Chabad-Lubavitch centers in the state was displayed, which then prompted many legislators to interact with the rabbis that serve in their districts.

“Having a strong relationship with our government allows us to fulfill our duty to our communities by acting as a bridge between the people and our leaders,” said Rabbi Avi Richler, co-director of Chabad of Gloucester County, who coordinated the event along with Sen. Sweeney’s staff.

Rabbi Moshe Herson, director of the Chabad-Lubavitch in New Jersey and dean of the Rabbinical College of America, noted in his invocation the tremendous growth of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in New Jersey, and how it has now come to represent more than half a million Jews.

A shloshim memorial evening marking the conclusion of the first 30 days since the sudden passing of Rabbi Lipa Dubrawsky will be held Tuesday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. PDT at the Schara Tzedeck Synagogue in Vancouver, Canada.

A beloved rabbi and the educational director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Vancouver, Dubrawsky touched the lives of many people through his classes, optimistic attitude and personal warmth.

Many friends, family members, fellow Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries and other rabbinic dignitaries are expected to attend the shloshim (Hebrew for "30") gathering, during which there is the recital of psalms, learning of Torah, and words of remembrance of the departed and comfort for the family.

Among the speakers will be Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inonyei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch, and author and lecturer Rabbi Yosef Y. Jacobson.

The memorial gathering will be broadcast through a live video stream.

Rabbi Schneur Schneerson, co-director Chabad of Newbury Park, Cal., said he was “thankful for the outpouring of support” after returning to the Chabad center there. The center was evacuated late Thursday due to massive brush fires that raged through Ventura County, burning more than 10,000 acres.

Rabbi Aryeh Lang, co-director of Chabad of Camarillo, said he received a flood of calls, text messages and emails as the fire was spreading, noting that many members of the community offered their homes to those who were displaced. He was on hand at the scene on Friday, delivering food and spiritual support to the some 1,000 firefighters who were battling the blaze.

The Chabad centers were not damaged by the fires, and the winds pushed the fire toward the ocean and away from the populated areas over the weekend. Some areas were still off limits Sunday due to poor air quality.

“It’s been heartwarming to see how we’re all part of this big community,” said Lang.

More than 30,000 investors, professionals and businesspeople from around the world are gathering in Omaha, Neb., for the annual shareholders meeting of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, Once again Chabad-Lubavitch of Nebraska is inviting Jewish attendees to Shabbat dinner, and is letting them know that they are there for all their needs.

“The Berkshire Weekend affords Jewish visitors a Shabbat to remember by Chabad,” says Chani Katzman of Chabad of Nebraska.

“While they rely on Warren Buffet for financial direction,” says Katzman, “we offer them the most warm, haimish, delectable dinner- infused with Yiddishkeit, intellectual stimulation, and inspiration.”

To register for Shabbat dinner, for a schedule of activities or to order food, visit the center's Web site by clicking here. ...

Muscovites braved the rain on Lag BaOmer to light a bonfire in memory of the sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who asked that the anniversary of his passing be marked with joyous celebration instead of mourning.

Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Berel Lazar, chief rabbi of Russia, kindled the bonfire organized by Chabad of Moscow.

The fire represents the soul and esoteric teachings Rabbi Shimon taught, which to this day infuse warmth in Judaism and Jewish practice.

Chabad-Lubavitch of Riverdale in the Bronx, N.Y., will be hosting a very special Lag B’Omer event next Sunday, April 28, when a new community Torah scroll will be completed and welcomed into its new home.

The celebrations will begin with the annual Lag B’Omer picnic at Seton Park between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m, Organizers promise fun-filled activities for the whole family that will include Frisbee entertainment, pony rides, kite-making and flying, as well as refreshments and cotton candy.

Between 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Chabad of Riverdale's scribe, Rabbi Faitel Lewin, will complete the new Torah scroll at Seton Park. Upon completion, the scroll will be dedicated in memory of Rabbi Lewin’s parents: Rabbi Tzvi Leib and Toyba Lewin.

At that time, donors will have the opportunity to write their letters with the scribe. “Purchasing a letter, verse, or portion of Chabad of Riverdale’s Torah scroll is an opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to the future of Bronx Jewry,” said Rabbi Levi Shemtov, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Riverdale.

The community will then parade with the completed Torah scroll through the streets of Riverdale (via Independence Avenue) toward the Chabad center on West 246th Street. Flags and mini Torahs will be distributed to children during the parade. Dancing, live music, hors d'oeuvres and children’s activities will follow outside the Chabad center.

In connection with a mix of Jewish celebrations in the Siberian city of Tomsk, its mayor, Nikolay Nikolaychuk, has pledged to have a historic synagogue returned to the community.

For the past eight years, Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Levi Kaminetsky, the city’s chief rabbi, has broadened the Jewish community’s programs and activities, necessitating the construction of a new community center to supplement the synagogue currently in use.

The community has also completed a new Torah scroll, which was brought into the synagogue with great fanfare and a parade through the city’s streets.

Concluding the week’s events was a meeting of a delegation from the community, headed by Rabbi Berel Lazar, chief rabbi of Russia, with Nikolaychuk. At the end of the meeting, the mayor informed the delegation that he was going to return the city’s historic “old synagogue” to the Jewish community.

The old synagogue was built 107 years ago by descendants of Jewish Cantonists — young children torn away from their homes to serve in the czarist army. Made of wood, it currently serves as an apartment building.

The mayor assured a place for residents to move to, thus speeding up the process.

Hundreds of Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries throughout Israel serve the spiritual and emotional needs of soldiers and officers in the Israel Defense Forces all year long. But few are as immersed in military life as the Chabad centers in Eilat, the center of Israel’s Southern Command and within range of military bases where more than 15,000 soldiers are stationed at any given time.

It was certainly the case on Israel’s Day of Remembrance, as Chabad Rabbi Shimon Eisenbach, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of the Shakhmon neighborhood in Eilat, and Rabbi Meir Klein, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Eilat, helped lead services and put on tefillin with hundreds of soldiers, family members and guests at a military cemetery nearby.

Eisenbach, a cantor, also led the “Kel Maale Rachamim (G-d Full of Mercy)” prayer at the military remembrance service.

“There are eight military bases within a two-hour radius, and we serve them all,” said Chana Klein, co-director of Chabad of Eilat. “In addition to weekly services, classes, holiday events and many other programs for soldiers stationed nearby, we also host many soldiers who visit Eilat during the year.”

“Art and Soul” was the theme of an evening program to untap a brand-new mikvah at Chabad-Lubavitch of Winnipeg, Canada.

Guests attending the event were encouraged to tour the women’s mikvah. The facility also includes a separate mikvah for men.

Artist Michoel Muchnik designed the new mikvah’s wall of honor, which includes two large white Jerusalem urns with greenery rising out of them, representing prosperity and growth, “the fruits of our labours,” Muchnik told the Canadian Jewish News. The names of donors who helped fund construction of the Chabad-Lubavitch center, which opened during Chanukah 2011, are on plaques attached to the painted urns.

“Mikvah is a very important part of raising a Jewish family,” Rabbi Avrohom Altein, executive director of Chabad in Winnipeg told the community. “That is why we wanted to make sure this mikvah is built with class and offers a warm atmosphere. We hope more people come and use it.”

Altein and his wife, Brocha serve as co-directors of the Chabad Learning Centre, a new complex where the mikvah is located. In a way, it has come full-circle; the couple organized the first Chabad mikvah in the north end of Winnipeg more than 35 years ago.

While that mikvah is still in use, the new one lies at the center of the bulk of the Jewish community – a factor that should boost accessibility and get more people through the doors.

Despite living at one of the southernmost inhabited parts of the world, hundreds of miles from the nearest Jewish community, life is never dull or lonely for Rabbi Boaz and Shifra Klein, co-directors of Chabad-Lubavitch Berlioche in the Andes Mountains of Argentina. Jewish backpackers and travelers from Israel are always on hand through the four seasons, looking for a taste of home away from home.

But the walkers stampede into Berlioche every Passover as hundreds of Israelis visiting the region--including those touring Antarctica and Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, and other parts of Patagonia--show up for Chabad’s communal Passover seder.

This year more than 700 guests attended, with tons of food, crates of wine, and thousands of matzahs arriving from Israel.

The guests don’t just come to eat. According to Klein, hundreds enjoy lending a hand in the preparations, peeling and chopping, and helping with cleaning and koshering led by the Kleins.

In addition to the seder itself, there were lots of other activities during Passover week, including classes, services, and this year, the “Bar Mitzvah” of a 25-year old backpacker who grew up on a kibbutz and attended his first seder ever, joined in the celebration by new friends from around the world.