The FREE Publishing House has launched JudaisminRussian.com

The FREE Publishing House has launched a Russian-language website dedicated to servicing the Russian Jewish immigrant community. The website contains information on a multitude of Jewish topics, including mitzvoth like Tefillin, Kashrut, Shabbas, Mikvah, Mezuzah, and circumcision. The site also contains information on holiday laws.

F.R.E.E. publishes stunning Russian Calendar

A Russian-English language Jewish calendar that vividly portrays hassidic life in America and Russia was published and distributed to some 32,000 Russian immigrants and their families to mark the Hebrew calendar year of 5764 (Tashsad). The calendars were produced by FREE.

Memorializing World Trade Center Victims

Thousands of Russian immigrants participated in a memorial gathering marking the 23rd of the Hebrew month Elul, the yarhrzeit of September 11th tragedy at the World Trade Center.
The crowd assembled at Brighton Beach Avenue’s permanent Menorah display to remember the 16 Russian Jews who were lost in the collapse of the Twin Towers.  

82-Year-Old Enters Abraham’s Covenant

FREE’s circumcision program recently set a record: 82-year-old Alexander Getzberg is the oldest person ever to be circumcised in the over 12,900 circumcisions performed to date. Because Judaism is a religion of action, under the best circumstances, the mitzvah of circumcision.

Avraham Fried at FREE’s Annual Chanukah Concert

FREE’s long-running annual Chanukah concert occurred on December 1, 2002 at the Millenium Theater, the largest indoor venue in the Russian section of Brighton Beach. The grand event attracted over 1,500 Russian Jews of all ages. As part of the Holiday Awareness Campaign, FREE utilizes concerts as a way to inform Russian Jews of Jewish holidays – in particular, Purim and Chanukah.

FREE Seminar Series on the Physical, Finacial, Spiritual

FREE recently concluded a series of seminars addressing varied topics including: business issues, medical ethics, swimming, and boxing. The seminars were hosted by noted lecturer and educator Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson. Rabbi Jacobson was joined each evening by a different professional, participants included

The Russian-Language Newspaper Now Features FREE’s “Jewish Heritage Page”

Novoye Russkoye Slovo, America’s largest Russian-language newspaper, recently completed its first year featuring FREE’s Jewish Heritage Page on the weekly Torah portion. The pages, which run every Monday, contain a brief outline of the weekly Torah portion with insightful commentaries and practical lessons. These Torah teachings are then further elucidated in Russian by FREE’s staff, directed by Yaakov Prokopetz…

Three Thousand Russian Immigrants Demonstrate Solidarity With Israel

Over three thousand demonstrators recently converged on Brighton Beach Avenue in Brooklyn to show support of Israel and her terror-beleaguered citizens. Rep. Anthony Weiner, Curtis Sliwa of WABC (770 AM), State. Sen. Carl Kruger, City Councilman Mike Nelson and Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz joined the marchers.

Chief Rabbi of Russia meets with New York’s Russian Jewish Community

Over 500 Russian Jews gathered at the FREE Center of Brighton Beach to meet with Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia. Rabbi Lazar updated the group on the current state of affairs for Jews in Russia and held an informative question and answer session which enabled participants to delve more deeply into issues of interest. Among the varied topics discussed was the newly formed World Congress of Russian Jewry.

Match Made in Heaven: New Home for Old Torah

The pavement still glistened from a morning rainstorm yesterday as a crowd jostled for space around a marriage canopy slowly making its way up Brighton Beach Avenue.
‘Mazel tov!” cried a group of women, some with tears in their eyes, as a Hasidic orchestra played a traditional wedding march, men danced on a long flatbed truck …