Philanthropists from across the globe examined the nature of Jewish charity this week, telling an audience of communal lay leaders gathered in New York that far from providing an excuse to diminish philanthropic endeavors, the Great Recession necessitates even greater levels of giving.

London’s oldest surviving Ashkenazi synagogue hasn’t held a Friday night service in so long that members can’t remember the last time someone sang the Sabbath hymn of “Lecha Dodi” in its ornate sanctuary.

As the sun set on the East River, approximately 4,500 Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries and their supporters from 76 countries across the globe awaited entry to Brooklyn, N.Y.’s massive Pier 12 complex.

A warehouse at Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Pier 12 erupted in dance Sunday night as approximately 4,500 people got on their feet, locked arms, and circled around the giant room to the rhythmic chords of traditional Chasidic melodies. (Photos: Marc Asnin)

What’s it like to photograph of thousands of rabbis with Brooklyn, N.Y., traffic whizzing behind you? Ask award-winning photographer Don Holloway, who has been immortalizing Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries at their annual conference for more than 20 years.

A warehouse at Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Pier 12 erupted in dance Sunday night as approximately 4,500 people got on their feet, locked arms, and circled around the giant room to the rhythmic chords of traditional Chasidic melodies.

Four-term Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman talked politics and spirituality in Oklahoma City, Okla., taking the dais at the Chabad Community Center for Jewish Life and Learning to celebrate 13 years of full-time Chabad-Lubavitch activities in the state.

What’s it like to photograph 4,000 rabbis with Brooklyn, N.Y., traffic whizzing behind you? Ask award-winning photographer Don Holloway, who has been immortalizing Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries at their annual conference for more than 20 years.

With an array of enticing pink cupcakes, desserts and decorations, Jewish women in Nottingham, England, came together last week for a “Think Pink” evening as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Imagine having to wait more than an hour for an ambulance to show up in a medical emergency, or being told that you can’t stay with your three-year-old child at the emergency room.