The Chabad Lubavitch Centers Aim to Unite Area's Jewish Families

The Chabad Lubavitch Centers of Montgomery County aims to unite Jewish families in the area by creating a sense of community.

According to a recent story in Montgomery Media's Parents Express, the center has seen a strong success in its new Rydal location, which opened in September. Housed next door to the Abington Art Center, the Rydal location is just one of three centers operated by the organization.

The centers focus to offer "Mommy & Me programs, a Kosher Culinary Club, Hebrew School, holiday and Shabbat services" according to the article. 

“Our focus is on fostering positive Jewish experiences, introducing kids to holidays and traditions and serving people’s needs in the community,” Dini Gurevitz, co-director of the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center in Rydal, Pa., said to Parents Express. “We aim to get children involved in Jewish activities in a fun, educational and engaging way.”

A similar location opened in December 2012 in Fort Washington to serve the areas of Upper Dublin, Dresher and North Wales. According to the article, "the center [in Fort Washington] hosts Sunday Circle holiday and respite sessions for The Friendship Circle, a nonprofit, Chabad-based organization that serves families throughout Philadelphia and Montgomery County by providing social and recreational opportunities to kids with special needs."

A third center in Lafayette Hill is designed to serve areas of Plymouth Meeting, Valley Forge and Conshohocken according to the article.

“Our programs aim to promote the concept of teaching mitzvot – good deeds – through Jewish education and outreach programs that support the local community,” said Gurevitz on the Center's website. “Chabad is an acronym for three Hebrew words – Chochmah, Binah and Daas – wisdom, understanding and knowledge. That is what we hope to pass on to the participants in our programs. Lubavitch is the name of the town in Russia where the Chabad Rabbis lived and taught – and also means City of Love, which describes the philosophy of the Chabad movement – its love and concern for the material and spiritual welfare of every Jewish individual. No matter what your Jewish background or affiliation, you are always welcome to try one or all of our programs.”

For more information on the centers, call Gurevitz at 267-588-7830 or visit the organization's website. The full feature from Parents Express is available on its website.