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From Cambodian Princess to Shabbat Queen

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 4:55:00 PM

From Cambodian Princess to Shabbat Queen

The story of Susie (Sarah Bracha) Koroghli, granddaughter of His Majesty King Sisowath Monivong

By Sasha Friedman Chabad.org, June 21, 2020 - 4:55 pm

Bat Mitzvah at home in Las Vegas, September 2018. (L to R) Matanel, Eliav, Shawn, Elizabeth, Elior, Susie, HRH Sisowath Neary Bong-Nga & Ray.

When the story broke that the daughter of a Cambodian princess was celebrating her bat mitzvah in Phnom Penh, the Jewish world wondered: Who is this Cambodian princess, and how did she become Jewish?

Here is the story of Susie (Sarah Bracha) Koroghli, granddaughter of His Majesty King Sisowath Monivong, who ruled Cambodia from 1927 until his death in 1941...

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Cambodian Princess Has a Bat Mitzvah

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 4:30:00 PM

Cambodian Princess Has a Bat Mitzvah

Elior Koroghli, a member of the Cambodian Royal Family and an Orthodox Jew, recently celebrated her Bat Mitzvah, the first of its kind in Cambodia.

By Dr. Yvette Alt Miller Aish.com, January 14, 2020

Many Jewish bat mitzvah girls feel as special as a princess. Elior Koroghli, a bat mitzvah girl from Las Vegas, actually is one.

She recently celebrated her bat mitzvah in Cambodia, where her great grandfather His Majesty King Monivong once reigned, and where the current monarch, His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, is her cousin. "It was such a wonderful time to bond with family," explains Elior's mother, Susan, in an exclusive Aish.com interview.

This was Elior’s second bat mitzvah celebration. The outgoing twelve year old celebrated earlier in her hometown of Las Vegas where she and her family are members of the Chabad Jewish community. The Koroghlis routinely host dozens of guests for Shabbat in their beautiful home. On Sukkot, their huge sukkah can hold up to 120 guests.

“The Koroghlis have people for Shabbat every week,” Rabbi Mendy Harlig, Rabbi of Chabad of Henderson in Las Vegas, explained. Sometimes his shul holds community celebrations in the Koroghli’s home.

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Cambodian Royal Family Celebrates Its First Bat Mitzvah

Thu, 9 Jan 2020 9:11:00 AM

Cambodian Royal Family Celebrates Its First Bat Mitzvah

The daughter of a princess who converted to Judaism comes of age

By Menachem Posner Chabad.org/News, January 9, 2020 - 9:11am

Elior's Family are mainstays of the Las Vegas Jewish Community (Photo: Kang Predi/Teh Ranie)

The giant menorah stood proudly overlooking the pool at the plush Raffles Hotel in the bustling heart of the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Facing the crowd of well-wishers stood the who’s who of the royal family, guests from around the world and an Israeli-born Chabad rabbi.

They were there to celebrate the belated bat mitzvah of Elior Koroghli of Las Vegas. her father, Ray (Rahamim), is a Persian Jew, and her mother Susie (Sarah Bracha) is the Washington, D.C. - born granddaughter of HM King Monivong, who ruled Cambodia until his death in 1941...

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Authorities stress security at local places of worship

Thu, 7 Nov 2019 6:26:00 PM

Authorities Stress Security at Local Places of Worship

By Orko Manna, November 7, 2019 - 5:26pm

Protecting those in prayer — that was the goal of a gathering Thursday involving religious leaders and police. Now, houses of worship here in the valley are stepping up security to keep their congregations safe.

Rabbi Mendy Harlig is serious about security. Following synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway, California, he’s not taking any chances in his house of worship.

“I think that anything that you can do is a good step to take,” said Rabbi Harlig. “It hits home, because we’re also in a small city, and if it can happen there, it can happen here.”

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Jewish leaders in Las Vegas reassure community after shooting

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 9:12:00 PM

Jewish Leaders in Las Vegas Reassure Community After Shooting

By Mike Shoro The Las Vegas Review-Journal, October 28, 2018 - 9:12 pm

A memorial of flowers and stars line the sidewalk outside the Tree of Life Synagogue Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in remembrance of 11 people killed when a shooter opened fire during services Saturday, Oct. 28, 2018 in Pittsburgh

Local Jewish leaders expressed sympathy Sunday, a day after a deadly shooting at a Pennsylvania synagogue, and said members of the Jewish community must stand strong and remain proud of their faith.

Rabbi Mendy Harlig, executive director of Henderson-based Chabad of Green Valley, said he was shocked and saddened to hear the news of the shooting inside of a house of worship.

“The Jewish people are strong,” Harlig said. “They have prevailed, and they will prevail.”

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Las Vegas service draws 1,700 to honor Pittsburgh shooting victims

Sun, 1 Jul 2018 3:23:00 PM

Las Vegas Service Draws 1,700 to Honor Pittsburgh Shooting Victims

By Katelyn Newberg Las Vegas Review-Journal, November 1, 2018 - 9:49 pm

Rabbi Mendy Harlig lights a candle during a vigil on Thursday, November 1, 2018, at Temple Beth Shalom in Las Vegas for the 11 people killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday (Photo: Benjamin Hager Las)

It was standing room only when the service started at the Temple Beth Sholom on Thursday night, the singing and clapping echoing through the synagogue.

“I do not want to talk about hate or violence or pain,” Rabbi Sanford Akselrad of Congregation Ner Tamid told the crowd. “I’m here simply to ask people of many faiths to come forward to light a candle of hope and share the name and stories of those who died.”

People came together at the Summerlin synagogue to honor the 11 people shot and killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday. The service, organized by Jewish Nevada, the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Nevada Board of Rabbis, included rabbis and Jewish congregations across the Las Vegas Valley, as well as leaders and members of other religions...

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Bar Mitzvah Gift: Vegas Show Headlined by Boy With Disabilities

Thu, 7 Jun 2018 4:20:00 PM

Bar Mitzvah Gift: Vegas Show Headlined by Boy With Disabilities

By Howard Blas Chabad.org/News, June 7, 2018 - 12:59 pm

Levi Harlig sang and drummed for three hours with entertainer Avraham Fried at a community-wide celebration at The Four Seasons Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. (Photo: Norina Kaye)

Sometimes what happens in Vegas just shouldn't stay in Vegas. Levi Harlig's extraordinary bar mitzvah is one of them.

Levi gave a flawless reading of Parshat Naso, the longest Torah portion of the year, and delivered a Chassidic discourse in Yiddish and Hebrew last Shabbat morning at Chabad of Green Valley/Henderson in Las Vegas. The following evening, the 13-year-old sang and drummed for three hours with entertainer Avraham Fried at a community-wide celebration at The Four Seasons Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

That would be an exciting experience for any bar mitzvah boy. But for members of the community who have known Levi since birth, the accomplishment was nearly miraculous...

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Grapevine: It's all in the timing

Tue, 5 Dec 2017 2:15:00 PM

Grapevine: It's all in the Timing

By Greer Fay Cashman The Jerusalem Post, December 5, 2017 - 23:28

SEVERAL YEARS ago, Prof. Robert Rockaway of Tel Aviv University wrote a best-selling book, But He Was Good to His Mother, which, in an interesting and humorous manner, tells the story of some of America’s leading Jewish gangsters. Among those mentioned in the book are Louis Lepke Buchalter, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, Arthur “Dutch” Schultz, Meyer “The Little Man” Lansky, Charlie “King” Solomon, Max “Boo Boo” Hoff and Abner “Longy” Zwillman. The book was so popular that it had to be reprinted several times.

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Bugsy Siegel’s daughter buried in Las Vegas cemetery

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 3:10:00 PM

Bugsy Siegel’s daughter buried in Las Vegas cemetery

By Mike Shoro Las Vegas Review-Journal, November 22, 2017 - 8:51 pm

Updated November 24, 2017 - 11:03 am

Millicent Rosen, who died on Nov. 17, 2017, at age 86, was Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel's eldest daughter. (Chabad.org)

Proud of her roots, Millicent Rosen spent her entire life defending the family name: Siegel.

Millicent Rosen, born Jan. 14, 1931, in New York City to Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and Esta Siegel (nee Krakower), died Nov. 17 in Las Vegas. She was 86.

Her father, a Jewish mobster some have credited with helping to build modern Las Vegas, was shot to death in Beverly Hills, California, on June 20, 1947. He was connected to fellow mobsters Meyer Lansky, Charles “Lucky” Luciano and the crime syndicate “Murder Inc.”

“She was just a very unique lady that had an even more unique history,” her daughter, Wendy Rosen, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday. “She was determined through her work with the Mob Museum to let the world know that Benjamin Siegel was a good man with a great vision.”

On Tuesday, Millicent Rosen was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery — a decision her two daughters, Wendy and Cindy Rosen, said was difficult to make...

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Bugsy Siegel’s daughter gets Las Vegas Jewish burial

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 3:38:00 PM

Bugsy Siegel's Daughter Gets Las Vegas Jewish Burial

Millicent Rosen spent her final years talking about the personal side of her father, the notorious Jewish mob boss

By David Sedley The Times of Israel, November 22, 2017 - 9:52 pm

Millicent Rosen, who passed away on November 17 at the age of 86, was mobster Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel's eldest daughter. (Courtesy Chabad.org)

The daughter of one of the most notorious Jewish American mobsters, who was the visionary responsible for creating modern Las Vegas, passed away Friday and was buried in the city her father built.

Millicent Rosen was the eldest daughter of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, and had spent the past years setting the record straight about the personal, intimate side of her father, who had headed notorious, Bugs and Meyer Mob, a precursor to Murder Inc.

She was buried in the city her father created, after Rabbi Mendy Harlig, director of Chabad of Green Valley in Henderson, Nevada, persuaded the family that as a Jew she should not be cremated and sent back to the family mausoleum in New York, and he personally raised the funds for a Jewish funeral.

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Bugsy Siegel’s Daughter Gets a Jewish Burial in Las Vegas

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 12:59:00 PM

Bugsy Siegel’s Daughter Gets a Jewish Burial in Las Vegas

By Dovid Margolin | November 22, 2017 10:41 AM

Rabbi Mendy Harlig with Cindy Rosen, center, and Wendy Rosen. granddaughters of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, the charming and notorious Jewish mob figure widely recognized as the visionary behind modern Las Vegas.

The rabbi thought nothing of the Flamingo Hotel as he passed it on his way to a Las Vegas area hospice. Despite the glitz and glimmer that draws people to the desert city—and the grimy edge that sometimes keeps them there for good—Las Vegas is a big place, home to real people with real (and regular) lives, and Rabbi Mendy Harlig was on his way last week to do what rabbis often do: meet with a Jewish woman breathing her last...

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50 Stories That Left Their Mark on Jewish Communities Worldwide

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 5:15:00 PM

50 Stories That Left Their Mark on Jewish Communities Worldwide

November 15, 2017 5:15 PM

Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Naftoli Schmukler, left, of Corpus Christi, Texas, embraces and comforts Ed Flower, a business owner whose store was destroyed in Port Aransas, Texas, on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. (Photo: Verónica G. Cárdenas/Chabad.org)

Every year seems to be an increasingly busy one for the nearly 5,000 Chabad-Lubavitch emissary families who serve Jewish communities around the world—from remote towns and college campuses to major metropolitan areas. Their work is to ignite the spark of G‑dliness within every Jew, bringing people of every age and background closer to their Jewish heritage, traditions, study and practice.

This week, thousands of rabbis will travel from every part of the globe to attend the annual International Conference for Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchim) in New York, which takes place from Nov. 15-20. They will learn, pray and meet with one another to discuss progress and challenges, and to converse about Jewish holidays, events, programs, classes and study opportunities they are developing for their respective communities.

They will also take a look back at the accomplishments and challenges of the past year. Here is just a smattering of highlights of their work reported by Chabad.org since last November...

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Courage Amid Chaos - 8 Portraits - Las Vegas Shooting.

Fri, 3 Nov 2017 3:33:00 PM

Courage Amid Chaos - 8 Portraits - Las Vegas Shooting

Posted by Anthony Mair of AMair Photo

"In the violence and terror of the Route 91 concert shooting, these Las Vegans saved lives, gave comfort and defined the spirit of selfless service"

8 portraits of mine taken for Desert Companion magazine. Without a doubt the most difficult task of my career so far.

What could I possibly say to these people who were going through so much and will be for some time. I left each portrait with a different feeling for everyone. Empathy, a feeling of courage, resilience and an overall pride for my city. They're all heroes and it was an experience I'll never forget meeting them, taking their portraits and hearing their stories.

Of course my pictures are half of the story, go to Desert Companions site at; https://knpr.org ...017-10/courage-amid-chaos

or pick up a copy locally in Las Vegas.

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Courage Amid Chaos

Wed, 1 Nov 2017 3:55:00 PM

Courage Amid Chaos

"Just our presence is comforting for them"

Nov 01, 2017 by Heidi Kyser, Kristy Totten, Andrew Kiraly, Carrie Kaufman, Chantal Corcoran and Portraits by Anthony Mair

Mendy Harlig — or “Rabbi Mendy” as the members of Chabad of Green Valley call him — was in the midst of his first good night’s sleep in months, he says, when the call came from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department...

Cards on the Table

Wed, 25 Oct 2017 4:03:00 PM

Cards on the Table

Detective Sergeant Riback is a Las Vegas police officer whose religious renaissance, personal struggles, and public service have made him a warrior for good in the battle of Light against Darkness

Rachel Ginsberg Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Detective Sergeant Steve Riback, aka the “Kosher Cop” fought the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for the right to wear a beard and yarmulke on duty (Photos: Tonya Harvey, Family archives)

Detective Sergeant Steve Riback of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department calls himself the “Kosher Cop,” and it’s not just due to his dietary restrictions or to the years-long court battle he waged against the department to accommodate his First Amendment religious rights to wear a beard and yarmulke on duty. In “Sin City” — the cash and casino capital of the world — being a high-profile Orthodox Jewish cop means giving a moral compass to this city of high-stakes gambling and all the vices that go with it...

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