Updates

They tried to make our Chanukah this year go dark, and they failed.
בימים ההם, בזמן הזה, Bayamim haheim, bi'zman hazeh.
The story of Chanukah is not only history. It is happening again, in our time.

As the first lights were ready to be kindled, the difficult news from Bondi, Sydney reached us, touching hearts here in Houston and across Jewish communities around the world. And yet, what followed was nothing short of inspiring. Jews everywhere chose light. Instead of retreating, they stepped forward in greater numbers, with renewed resolve and brighter flames. Across Houston and across the globe, Chanukah lights did not flicker. They grew.

Here in Houston, we saw that light grow night after night. From the massive crowds at Sunday’s BMX Chanukah celebration, to the beautiful Menorah of Monday’s Lone Star Galleria menorah lighting, to Tuesday’s Nurturing Mommy and Me, and then Wednesday for the seniors at Brookdale Galleria and that night’s YJP Chanukah dinner, class, and social dedicated in honor of the recovery of Yehuda Leib ben Manya and all those affected by the Bondi attack. The week continued with the Heights menorah lighting on Thursday, each gathering another declaration that Jewish light is alive, proud, and unstoppable.

In the midst of the terror at Bondi, Leibel himself embodied that light. As chaos unfolded, he ran toward danger to help others, using his own clothing to try to stop the bleeding of a wounded police officer. In those moments, he was not thinking of himself, only of another human being in need. Leibel was gravely injured while acting with courage, selflessness, and compassion. His heroism has inspired people far beyond our community, reminding us that even in the darkest moments, one act of goodness can illuminate an entire world.

One moment from this week captured that message in the most moving way. Because Leibel cannot light a menorah with fire inside his hospital room, an incredible nurse went far beyond what anyone expected. He arranged for all the machines to be temporarily disconnected and made mobile so Leibel could be brought outside to light a real menorah for the first time this Chanukah. As they spoke, the nurse shared something extraordinary of his own. He is Jewish, from America, and had not lit a menorah since he was a young child with his grandparents. He had also never had a bar mitzvah. One mitzvah led to another, and right there outside the hospital, a menorah was lit and a beautiful bar mitzvah took place with the putting on of Tefillin for the first time. Light giving birth to more light.

This Shabbos carries another rare and uplifting moment. We read from three Torahs! Parshas Mikeitz, Chanukah, and Rosh Chodesh. It feels like a mini Simchas Torah. Not with hakafos, but with three Torahs. When Torah and mitzvos are embraced with joy, their light spreads far beyond the moment. Join us this Shabbos as we gather around three Torahs. Three Torahs are mandatory. Kulehs? Those are optional! :)

Houston Chronicle published Rabbi Chaim's op-ed that reflects on this moment and the decision to continue celebrating Chanukah with pride and purpose:

• Houston Chronicle
• NBC Houston Channel 2
• CBS Houston Channel 11
• FOX Houston Channel 26

For those who wish to help the family with mounting medical expenses, please visit lightsforleibel.com. To support all of the victims and their families, visit supportsydney.org. In a powerful expression of shared goodness and kindness that reaches beyond borders, the NSW Government has also launched a meaningful initiative inviting acts of light and compassion at nsw.gov.au/onemitzvah!

May Hashem bring comfort to all the families who have lost loved ones, a complete and speedy healing to all those who are ill or injured, and strength and protection to our entire people.

May the light of Chanukah continue to grow, pushing away every darkness.

Good Shabbos, Good Chodesh, and a happy Chanukah.

Rabbi Chaim and Chanie

THE COHEN CORNER
Pressure doesn’t break what’s built to endure.

Pharaoh is shaken by a repeated dream of cows and stalks of grain swallowing others, and Yosef explains that the repetition itself is a call to act. Gather resources, prepare, and make disciplined choices today that will shape the future. We too, are given moments that ask us to pay attention through quiet awareness, and Chanukah reminds us that those small actions can create lasting light. When the Maccabees acted with what they had, one day’s worth of oil burned for eight. Pressure did not weaken them, it revealed their strength, and Jewish life continues to endure through homes, habits, and simple, consistent choices.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, hy"d, recently launched Project Noah, introducing the Seven Noahide Laws to public school students across Sydney. Through synagogue visits, challah baking, and interactive workshops, students explore universal values such as respect, truth, justice, and responsibility. The program equips young people with the tools to make ethical choices, strengthen community, and develop a deeper sense of moral awareness. We can draw inspiration from this urgent work and help empower people of all faiths and backgrounds to recognize that G-d created us all in His image and to live with accountability. By modeling ethical behavior in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities, we contribute to a world guided by justice, compassion, and shared responsibility, paving its path towards the arrival of Moshiach now!

Have a marvelous Shabbos!

Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka & Mendel Cohen

UPCOMING CLASSES:

• Shabbos, Dec. 20, 9:00 am - Likkutei Torah - Kabbala of the Parsha - Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's Masterworks on the weekly Parsha.
• 8 Sundays, Dec. 21-Feb. 1, 11 am - Hebrew Scouts: Level Up Your Hebrew! Dive into an exciting 12-week adventure with Chabad of Uptown and YJP Houston! Strengthen your Hebrew reading, explore roots and word patterns, and boost your skills in a fun, friendly setting with Rabbi Yosef Cohen and team. www.chabaduptown.org/hebrew
• Wed., Dec. 24, 8 pm - YJP & Community Chinese Dinner & (Mahjong and other) Game Night & Social (RSVP to the Cohens)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Dec. 14-22 - Celebrate Chanukah! - Check out the full calendar of our six Chanukah events and celebrate all eight nights in Uptown style! www.chabaduptown.org/light
• Fri. Dec. 19, 5 pm - Chanukah Shabbat Dinner - Uptown style, where spirits run high! Candle lighting at 5:08 pm, Shabbat services 6 pm followed by dinner. RSVP: www.chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner
• Sat. Night, Dec. 20, 9:00 pm - YJP Houston & Moishe Pod Chanukah Donut Factory Party - Fry & decorate your own donut, latke grazing board, hot chocolate bar, the Dreidel wheel, themed drinks and music, and sufganiyot. www.yjphouston.org/fry
• Mon.-Wed., Dec. 22-31 - CYP Israel Encounter Volunteer Trip - Meaningful, memorable and amazing volunteering trip to Israel this summer, eligible ages 18-50 — and the price is insane - as low at $599! www.yjphouston.org/israeltrip
• Fri., Jan. 2, 6 pm - First Fridays 2026 Edition - Kick off the new calenday year right with other Young Jewish Professionals, ages 21 to 39! www.yjphouston.org/2026shabbat
• Thurs.-Sun., Jan. 16-18 - CYP Encounter Crown Heights Shabbaton - Join us as we head to NYC for the Encounter Crown Heights Shabbaton set to take place over MLK Weekend! A weekend like no other, a chance to connect with hundreds of Jewish young professionals from around the world and experience an unforgettable weekend in Crown Heights. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! www.yjphouston.org/nyc

SHABBOS CHANUKAH, ROSH CODESH TEVES, PARSHAS MIKEITZ

FRIDAY, CHANUKAH NIGHT 6, DECEMBER 19, KISLEV 29
5:00 pm 6th Chanukah Candle Lighting
5:08 pm Shabbos Candle Lighting & Mincha
6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat
RSVP for Chanukah Shabbat Dinner www.chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner

SHABBOS, ROSH CHODESH TEVES, DECEMBER 20, KISLEV 30
9:00 am Chassidus
10:00 am Services
Followed by Shabbos Kiddush & Farbrengen
5:05 pm Mincha
Torah Study
6:05 pm Maariv, 7th Candle Menorah Lighting, Havdalla and Shabbos ends
Living Torah
At home: Havdalla first, then 7th candle Menorah Lighting
9:00 pm YJP Houston Chanukah Donut Factory www.yjphouston.org/fry

SUNDAY, ROSH CHODESH TEVES II, DECEMBER 21, TEVES 1
8:00 am Shacharis
Followed by monthly Rosh Chodesh Breakfast sponsored by Avi Mesilaty & Family for the complete & speedy recovery of his granddaughter, Dalia bat Mai Naama, tichye.
5:27 pm Earliest time to Light 8th Candle Menorah, to burn until at least 6:24 pm

CHANUKAH DAY 8 MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, TEVES 2
6:45 am Shacharis
Chanukah Hallel & Torah Reading

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, TEVES 5
8:00 am Shacharis 

One of the most powerful moments of this past week came quietly, between notes.

At our 19 Kislev musical farbrengen, members of the Houston Symphony, Sergei Galperin on violin and Sasha Potiomkin on clarinet, filled the room with stirring niggunim on the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus. Midway through the evening, Sergei shared that playing at a Chassidic gathering carried deep personal meaning for him. He is a great nephew of the legendary chossid and askan Reb Mordechai Dubin (📹 Watch).

Reb Mordechai Dubin was a towering Jewish leader in inter war Latvia, a statesman and communal powerbroker who used his access and influence to help Jews wherever they were in need. He was instrumental in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s liberation and was known for commanding respect without demanding it, always acting with courage, dignity, and responsibility. Yet his own story ended in tragedy. His family was destroyed by the Nazis, and years later he himself died destitute and alone in Soviet captivity, a victim of the same Communist regime he spent his life resisting.

That tension between greatness and struggle is a recurring Jewish story. It is the kind of story that defines both this week’s Parsha and the festival of Chanukah. Vayeshev means settled, yet nothing about the story that follows is settled at all. Chanukah teaches the same truth. Light most often emerges in moments of darkness, transition, and upheaval, when one flame refuses to be extinguished.

We saw that light again as Chanukah reached the airwaves. FOX 26 welcomed us once again for two joyful segments with Melissa Wilson, sharing the tastes and traditions of the holiday, classic latkes, donuts, chocolate gelt, and our family’s Texas size giant Chanukah latke (📹 Watch). We returned in full spirit as the Dancing Dreidel, spinning, teaching how to play dreidel (📹 Watch), and sharing the meaning behind the symbols and joy of Chanukah.

As we move deeper into Chanukah, we look forward to celebrating that light together with you at any and all of our six Chanukah events with Chabad of Uptown, and especially the jaw dropping BMX bike show this Sunday. Full details are at www.chabaduptown.org/light

Good Shabbos!

Rabbi Chaim and Chanie

THE COHEN CORNER
What we choose to reveal shapes the world. What we choose to guard shapes the soul.

What once remained hidden now lives on servers and screens, easily discovered and instantly shared. The Torah presents a parallel theme in the birth of Peretz and Zerach. One hand emerges, marked with a crimson thread, then withdraws as the second child bursts forth. Peretz becomes the ancestor of King David and Moshiach, who is described as the one who breaks through boundaries. The breakdown of familiar norms in the era before Moshiach is not only collapse but also momentum. It is the world straining toward greater truth, openness, and the revelation of G-dly knowledge.

This idea offers a practical message for everyday life. For some, breaking through may mean moving past the comfort of solitude and cultivating real friendships by hosting a simple Shabbos meal. For others, it may mean breaking through the nonstop noise of modern life by protecting small pockets of presence with their children, where attention is given freely and phones stay out of reach. It may mean breaking through resignation by reaching out to younger relatives and sharing life wisdom with purpose. Every person, at every stage, has at least one boundary they can push through. When we take even a small step past our usual limits in mitzvos, kindness, study or reconciliation, we mirror the breakthrough of Peretz himself and open a pathway for G-d to remove the final barriers of exile and reveal a world filled with clarity and redemption.

Have a magnificent Shabbos!

Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka & Mendel Cohen

UPCOMING CLASSES:

• Shabbos, Dec. 13, 9:30 am - Likkutei Torah - Kabbala of the Parsha - Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's Masterworks on the weekly Parsha.
• 9 Sundays, Dec. 8-Feb. 1, 11 am - Hebrew Scouts: Level Up Your Hebrew! Dive into an exciting 12-week adventure with Chabad of Uptown and YJP Houston! Strengthen your Hebrew reading, explore roots and word patterns, and boost your skills in a fun, friendly setting with Rabbi Yosef Cohen and team. www.chabaduptown.org/hebrew
• Wed., Dec. 17, 8 pm - Chanukah YJP Dinner, Class & Social - Chanukah Edition of the weekly dinner, class & social

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Dec. 14-22 - Celebrate Chanukah! - Check out the full calendar of our six Chanukah events and celebrate all eight nights in Uptown style! www.chabaduptown.org/light
• Sun. Dec. 14, 4 pm - BMX Chanukah and Annual Post Oak Menorah Lighting in cooperation with the Uptown Houston District. Giant menorah lighting, BMX Bike Show, Car Menorah Parade Drive-By, Fresh Donuts, Latkes, Gelt and Drinks, Festive Music. RSVP required, free admission. www.chabaduptown.org/bmx
• Mon., Dec. 15, 6 pm - Lone Star Menorah at Galleria Mallchabadoutreach.org/5307897
• Tues., Dec. 16, 10:30 am - Chanukah Mommy & Me - Join a nurturing and engaging Chanukah program designed for mothers and babies (newborn to 2 years) to learn, play, and connect in a warm Jewish environment. www.chabaduptown.org/mommy
• Thurs. Dec. 18, 4:30-6:00 pm - Heights Chanukah Celebration! Join us for a lively Chanukah gathering featuring a festive Menorah Lighting, music, and delicious treats. A warm, joyful celebration that adults will enjoy and kids will love... come share the light together! RSVP at www.chabaduptown.org/heights
• Fri. Dec. 19, 5 pm - Chanukah Shabbat Dinner - Uptown style, where spirits run high! Candle lighting at 5:08 pm, Shabbat services 6 pm followed by dinner. RSVP: www.chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner
• Sat. Night, Dec. 20, 9:00 pm - YJP Houston & Moishe Pod Chanukah Donut Factory Party - Fry & decorate your own donut, latke grazing board, hot chocolate bar, the Dreidel wheel, themed drinks and music, and sufganiyot. www.yjphouston.org/fry
• Mon.-Wed., Dec. 22-31 - CYP Israel Encounter Volunteer Trip - Meaningful, memorable and amazing volunteering trip to Israel this summer, eligible ages 18-50 — and the price is insane - as low at $599! www.yjphouston.org/israeltrip
• Thurs.-Sun., Jan. 16-18 - CYP Encounter Crown Heights Shabbaton - Join us as we head to NYC for the Encounter Crown Heights Shabbaton set to take place over MLK Weekend! A weekend like no other, a chance to connect with hundreds of Jewish young professionals from around the world and experience an unforgettable weekend in Crown Heights. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! www.yjphouston.org/nyc

Mazel tov to Yair and Marielle Levy on the birth of a baby boy, and to the grandparents Drs. Jose and Viviane Cohen! 

SHABBOS MEVARCHIM TEVES PARSHAS VAYISHLACH

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, KISLEV 22
5:06 pm Shabbos Candle Lighting & Mincha
6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat
RSVP for Shabbat Dinner www.chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner

SHABBOS, DECEMBER 13, KISLEV 23
8:00 am Shabbos Mevarchim Tehillim
9:30 am Chassidus
10:00 am Services
Followed by Shabbos Kiddush sponsored in David, Dvora Leah Cohen & Kids in honor of Marielle & Yair's son, the Levy Family marking the Yartzeit of Regina bas Ruchama, a"h & the Lishansky Family marking the first yartzeit of Yuri ben Solomon, a"h
5:00 pm Mincha
Torah Study
6:03 pm Maariv, Havdalla and Shabbos ends
Living Torah

EREV CHANUKAH, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, KISLEV 24
8:00 am Shacharis
4:00 pm BMX Chanukah www.chabaduptown.org/bmx
5:24 pm Earliest time to Light Menorah, to burn until at least 6:21 pm

CHANUKAH MONDAY-FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15-19, KISLEV 25-29
6:45 am Shacharis
Chanukah Hallel & Torah Reading
5:26 pm Earliest time to Light Menorah, to burn until at least 6:23 pm