Colel Chabad
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Colel Chabad () was founded in Lithuania in 1788 and is the oldest continuously operating
charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The institution runs a network of
soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center is a place where food is offered to Hunger, hungry and homeless people, usually for no price, cost, or sometimes at a below-market price (such as coin Donation, donations). Frequently located in Low i ...
s and
food bank A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...
s, dental and medical clinics,
daycare center Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...
s, widow and orphan support, and immigrant assistance programs. It also provides interest-free loans, camp scholarships, career training and job placement, subsidized weddings for the poor, and many other social-welfare projects. Colel Chabad was founded by the first Lubavitcher
Rebbe A Rebbe () or Admor () is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spirituality (Audio)''. UCTV, 20 Oct 2011. web. ...
, Rabbi
Schneur Zalman of Liadi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, (; September 4, 1745 – December 15, 1812 O.S. / 18 Elul 5505 – 24 Tevet 5573) commonly known as the Alter Rebbe or Baal Hatanya, was a rabbi and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism. H ...
, and was headed by each Lubavitcher Rebbe thereafter. It is also known as the charity of Rabbi Meir Ba'al HaNes. Its current director is Rabbi Sholom Duchman. In 2005, Colel Chabad ranked #117 among the top
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
registered charities by expenditures outside Canada, with $2,623,290 in expenditures.


Services

Colel Chabad presently operates 19 soup kitchens in Israel: 3 in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, 3 in
Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
, 4 in
Ashdod Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...
, 4 in Lod, and one each in
Ashkelon Ashkelon ( ; , ; ) or Ashqelon, is a coastal city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The modern city i ...
,
Beersheva Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the List of cities ...
,
Dimona Dimona (, ) is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south-east of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arabah, Arava valley in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel. In , its population was . The Shimon Pere ...
, Ramle, and Yerucham. These kitchens feed 3,000 poor and elderly people daily. One of the Jerusalem soup kitchens is located directly opposite the
Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...
. A Meals on Wheels program delivers 1,500 meals daily to the homebound, sick and elderly through five kitchens nationwide. The charity's food banks, constituting Israel's largest food-bank network, distribute crates of foodstuffs to 5,000 impoverished families monthly and 25,000 families before
Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
and Rosh Hashana. The charity also distributes 700 brown-bag lunches to poor children in Safed schools. In 2009, Colel Chabad opened its own chain of at-cost stores located in Beitar Illit,
Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...
, and Safed. An estimated 12,000–15,000 shoppers per month patronize the stores, realizing savings of 30–40% off groceries and cleaning supplies. Colel Chabad sponsors several medical centers serving the poor. These include the Grabski
Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
Center in Migdal HaEmek, the Grabski Pediatric Dental Clinic in Safed and the Konigsberg Pediatric Dental Clinic in Jerusalem, and two mobile pediatric dental clinics that travel to low-income, outlying communities which lack dental clinics of their own. Colel Chabad also pioneered the concept of hospital summer camps. Volunteers bring counselors, activities, carnivals, music, and arts and crafts directly to hospitalized children. Colel Chabad daycare centers are located in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beitar Illit,
Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( , "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were ...
, and Safed. These centers care for over 750 children ages 6 months to 5 years daily. Colel Chabad has a separate division catering to the needs of widows and orphans. It provides food, clothing and social services for nearly 300 widows and more than 620 children annually. It also arranges tutors for more than 800 children, regular physical testing of each child, and home visits by social workers. Each summer, Colel Chabad runs a two-week widows' therapeutic retreat while caring for participants' children in summer camps. Colel Chabad offers absorption services, job counseling, senior programs, a library and an evening
yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
for Russian immigrants in Jerusalem. Its Kolel Tifereth Zkainim is a network of cultural/educational "clubs" for Soviet immigrants in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Jerusalem and Lod. Colel Chabad also schedules Russian-language
Passover Seder The Passover Seder is a ritual feast at the beginning of the Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar (i.e., at the start of the 15th; a Hebrew d ...
s throughout Israel for new immigrants. In 1991, Colel Chabad began organizing mass bar mitzvahs for Russian immigrants to Israel who had not been able to keep Jewish traditions in their homeland. To date, the organization has performed over 17,000 bar and bat mitzvahs. The annual event for 1,000 Russian-immigrant boys and girls takes place at the
Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...
in the presence of government officials, Chief Rabbis and other dignitaries. Colel Chabad volunteers spend months preparing each child to participate in the special day, and each boy receives a pair of
tefillin Tefillin (Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ; Modern Israeli Hebrew, Modern Hebrew pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls o ...
while each girl receives a sterling-silver candlestick. The event concludes with an all-day trip to an amusement park. The various free-loan funds operated by Colel Chabad address the financial needs of widows and orphans, newlyweds, small-business owners, and '' shluchim'' to the Former Soviet Union who wish to purchase a home there. Since 1997, Colel Chabad has subsidized weddings for needy couples at the Chabad-managed Gutnick and Hadar wedding halls in the
Givat Shaul Givat Shaul (, lit. (''Saul's Hill''); ) is a neighborhood in West Jerusalem. The neighborhood is located at the western entrance to the city, east of the neighborhood of Har Nof and north of Kiryat Moshe. Givat Shaul stands 820 meters above sea ...
neighborhood of Jerusalem. The charity pays for 40% of weddings for poor couples and 50% for children of widows, accounting for a total of 440 subsidized weddings annually. The two halls are also lower-priced than wedding halls in the center of town for the general religious public.


Calendar

Colel Chabad prints a yearly calendar with a compilation of laws and Chabad customs pertaining to the various weeks of the year. It is available in booklet format (Hebrew and English) as well as in a Hebrew language wall format for synagogue use, and its online version is published in both Hebrew and English.


Donations

The charity receives donations from large and small donors alike. It distributes a ''pushka'' (charity box) which it encourages contributors to donate to every Friday before Shabbat candle-lighting. Large donors are honored at its annual dinner in New York. According to media reports, Colel Chabad was the main charity supported by Sholom Rubashkin, who donated millions of dollars from profits earned by his now-bankrupt company, Agriprocessors. Rubashkin was twice honored at the charity's annual dinner. One year after the
Simchat Torah Simchat Torah (; Ashkenazi: ), also spelled Simhat Torah, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Hebrew Bible ...
terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, Debbie and Michael Flacks have given a $5 million donation to erect a new center dedicated to promoting community service and acts of kindness. The 10-story
Flacks Chessed Tower
will be located in the heart of Jerusalem next to the Machaneh Yehudah open-air market.


References


External links


Colel Chabad Official website
{{Chabad Chabad organizations Jewish charities based in Israel Jews and Judaism in Ottoman Palestine Religious organizations established in 1788 Rubashkin family Shneur Zalman of Liadi 1788 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 18th-century establishments in Ottoman Syria Chabad in Israel