The Aleph Institute is the central point of contact
for Jewish and non-Jewish military and prison Chaplains to fulfill the
needs of Jewish soldiers and inmates. With increased deployment
and Aleph's ability to get more packages into prison facilities, the
number of products and packages on the shipping roster are on the
rise.
Special thanks to Shmaya Hackner, Avi Lesches, Dovy Lesches,
Yossi Lichy, Mendel Sossonko and Mendel Turner for all their hard work
packing thousands of boxes of Passover items for Jewish soldiers and
inmates.
Thank you to all Aleph's volunteers for all your efforts
year-round! |
Thousands of Jewish
soldiers and inmates enjoyed Terra Kettle Chips in their Purim
packages, generously donated by the
Hain Celestial Group
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MILITARY RETREAT &
TRAINING CONFERENCE
February 8-10, 2008
Military Chaplains and Jewish soldiers attended The Aleph
Institute's first Military Shabbaton Retreat and Training Conference.
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PURIM IN IRAQ
The Megillah (the scroll of the Book of
Esther) is read for Jewish troops in Iraq
Jewish troops celebrate Purim together with a buffet
in one of the former palaces
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HAMANTASH
DELIGHTS!
"Thank you for the Shalach Manos [Purim
package]! I recieved it yesterday....I was so excited with it, I love
hamantash! Here's my address to send the Passover package. Thanks
again!"
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PASSOVER SEDERS AT MILITARY BASES
WORLDWIDE
"Dear Aleph,
I'll be conducting the communal Seder this year in
Hope Mills, NC. I'm slated to return Stateside the morning
before the 1st Seder, and my wife will try and have everything ready
for that evening. We will need:
- 5 Bottles of Grape Juice
- 5 Pounds of Shmura Matzah
- Packets of Soup Bouillon Mix
- Gefilte Fish
- Horseradish if possible
We're expecting approximately 20 service members and their
spouses. Many of the attendees will also be returning to the
States that day. As always, we so much appreciate all you do to
help us, and wish you a Chag Kasher V'Sameach!
Dov Magy, Jewish Lay Leader
FOB Salerno & Camp
Clark |
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FAMILY SUPPORT
The Aleph Institute is the largest national Jewish
support organization for inmates and their families. Devoted to
helping families whose loved ones are in prison, The Aleph Institute's
family division provides assistance in all areas of financial,
emotional, and spiritual need. Since 1981, Aleph's support
networks and financial assistance programs have helped thousands of
shattered families perservere through extraordinary crisis.
For more information, please call
305.864.5553 |
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G-D WITH THE OPPRESSED
Visit the prisoners and bring
them some happiness. Even if
they are guilty, even if, in your eyes, they deserve whatever misery they
have.
BRING THEM JOY.
G-d is always with the
oppressed.
Even if the oppressor is
righteous and the oppressed is wicked, our sages tell us, G-d is with
the oppressed.
A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe
- words and condensation by Tzvi
Freeman |
The Aleph Institute's programs are only possible
because of the extraordinary generosity of our friends and
partners. On behalf of all the Jewish soldiers and inmates in
our care, we thank you.
The Aleph Institute is a national not-for-profit 501(c)(3) ,
publicly supported charitable institution founded by Rabbi Sholom D.
Lipskar in 1981, under the direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi
Menachem M. Schneerson, May His Merit Shield
Us. | |
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 LARGEST PASSOVER SHIPMENT
EVER!
The Aleph Institute has completed our biggest Passover shipment
ever! Tons (literally) of matzah and shmurah (handmade) matzah,
grape juice, fully equipped Seder plates and kosher for
Passover meals were packed up last week and shipped to more than 1,000
Jewish soldiers all over the world, and to 4,000 Jewish inmates in
U.S. prisons.
Military Chaplains worldwide turn to The Aleph Institute for
everything that Jewish soldiers need, and Passover is their biggest
concern. Thanks to your generosity, we came through for our
deployed Jewish brothers and sisters like never before!
Likewise, as more and more prison facilities agree to allow Jewish
inmates to receive packages, people who are alone and cut off from
their families and communities will have the chance to experience
spiritual freedom even while they are physically confined.
Purim was celebrated at numerous military bases and in hundreds
of prisons. Please enjoy this edition of our e-news.
With blessings for a kosher and joyous Passover.
Rabbi Aaron Lipskar
Executive Director |
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PURIM CELEBRATED
IN U.S. PRISONS
 Prison facilities nationwide opened their doors to
groups of Rabbis who went inside to read the Megillah (the scroll of
the book of Esther) for Jewish inmates.
Rabbis visited Jewish inmates in 2 Alabama
prisons, 6 California prisons, 1 prison in
Connecticut, 34 Florida prisons, 2
in Georgia, 1 in Massachusetts, 3 in
Maryland, 1 in New Jersey and in all
27 Pennsylvania facilities.
Purim packages were sent to every Jewish inmate in every U.S.
prison, and were received with great enthusiasm:
"I am writing to send you an unbelieveable Thank
YOU! To everyone at The Aleph Institute! I can not believe
it, I actually ate Hamantaschen on Purim! In prison!! You
are amazing."
[Inmate in Beaumont, TX, Name withheld for privacy]
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GREETINGS FROM
SOUTH OF BAGHDAD
 Thouands of Purim packages were shipped to Jewish
and non-Jewish Chaplains and individual soldiers to distribute
worldwide.
In an email from Baghdad, a Jewish soldier wrote that he
"and my four other brother Jews are the
only ones on this small forward operating base and we are most amazed
that anything Jewish made it through the distribution service. The
Army chaplains do a fine job, but there being only 5 of us out of
12,000 puts us at a disadvantage. Our closest Rabbi makes it out once
a quarter, if that... you should really know how much your
packages mean to us. Anything Jewish that recalls a memory of better
times, is a blessing."
[Name & location withheld for security]
Packages were shipped to military installations in Afghanistan, Antartica, Bahrain, Balkins,
Bosnia, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Guam, Haiti, Hawaii, Hungary,
Incirlik, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Krygystan,
Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey,
The United Kingdom, to
domestic military
installations and to ships at sea.
"I am a US Sailor deployed aboard
the USS XXXXX. I have been in the Navy for 7 months, and this is
my first deployment as well as my first Purim, for although I was
raised Jewish, my family didn't practice regularly. There
isn't a lot for the few Jews on this ship to do for Purim, so I was
very surprised and grateful to receive a package- it made my first
Purim very special! Thank you!"
[Name & location withheld for security]
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YESHIVA-IN-PRISON
CHANGES LIVES
 46 inmates in 3 Florida prisons participated in
The Adel Bas Avraham Learning-to-Live Yeshiva in
Prison program last week.
Groups of ten Rabbis per prison go inside for three days of
intense learning with the inmates in a program that incorporates:
Biblical Narratives on Ethics and Morality s Code of Jewish law s The Importance of Upholding the
Laws of the Land s Responsibility to
Family, Friends and Society s Prayers
s Kosher Dietary
Laws s Jewish Living s Faith and Reason
s Repentance and
Rehabilitation
Inmates are shown how a Torah scroll and Tefillin are
made.
"In one of Aleph's publications, I read
about the Yeshiva-in-Prison program that
Aleph had offered in the BOP. I thought that it would be
great to have three days of real learning and fellowship with the
Rabbis, but without actually experiencing it I could not know what a
life-changing and beautiful experience it could be.
"The first day we davened (prayed)
as a group. It was the first time I had davened with a minyan (quorum
of 10 men).
"Little did I know that the next
day would prove to be the greatest experience of my 48 years on this
earth.
"I am a Jewish man and I have been
incarcerated for 26 years--
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PRISON LETTERS BECOME A FEDERAL CASE
The common connection that family members share when a family
member is incarcerated is at the heart of The Aleph Institute's vital
support groups. "I don't have to
explain anything, or hide the truth, or feel
embarrassed," wrote a mother whose son is in prison,
"it's a place where I am completely
understood and supported. Thank you for giving us this safe
space and time."
During a recent support group meeting, a wife told the group
about some letters that she and her husband had written to each
other that literally became a federal case. Little did they know that their letters made them
terrorist suspects!
"My husband has been incarcerated
for just over two years, with a little longer than two years left to
serve. In an effort to maintain some intimacy as well as to our
stimulate our minds, we began to use Hebrish in our letter
writing.
"Hebrish is an English
transliteration using Hebrew characters and vowels. Adapting
English words into Hebrish contained the built-in challenge of
modifying the English sounds to fit within the confines of the Hebrew
alphabet, which lacked many of those sounds --"
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Rabbis help inmates observe Purim
By Chris Togneri
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Rabbi Ephraim Rosenblum on Friday read aloud from the
Book of Esther, not in temple but to three inmates at the Allegheny
County Jail.
To celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim, the Aleph
Institute, a Florida-based nonprofit, visited Jewish inmates across
the country with a message that, though incarcerated, they are not
forgotten.
"We feel that everyone has the right to learn where
they come from and connect with God," said Leah Sherman, director of
special projects for Aleph. "It keeps them connected to their heritage
so they can learn more about their role--"
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Article published Apr 2, 2008
Corrections to pay $25,000 to settle suit by Jewish
inmate
By DAVE GRAM The Associated Press
MONTPELIER - The state Corrections Department has
agreed to pay $25,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a Jewish former
inmate who said he was denied traditional food including matzoh at
Passover and was blocked from observing the holidays of his
faith.
The Aleph Institute arranged for attorney Aaron
Hauptmann to take on the case pro bono --
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CHILDREN PACK
MATZAH TO SEND TO JEWISH SOLDIERS
Operation: Message in a Matzah
Hundreds of children gathered at the Jewish Children's Museum in
Brooklyn, NY, to crack and mill wheat, knead the dough, roll it out
and bake the flat circles in an oven to make matzah for Jewish
soldiers around the world.
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FIRST EVER JEWISH
CHAPLAIN IN GA MILITARY HISTORY
 The Aleph Institute is proud to announce the
commission of Rabbi Zalman Lipskier,
Director of Chabad at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, as the first
Jewish Chaplain in Georgia's Military history.
Chaplain Lipskier will serve in the Georgia State Defense
Force in support of the Army, Air and National Guard.
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