Chabad Center Expands Jewish Community Opportunities

The Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center for Jewish Tomorrow is bigger and better than ever at its new home in New Albany.

The Jewish center brings its unique mix of educational, social and religious programming to the village at its new location, 6220 East Dublin-Granville Road in New Albany. The center was located previously at 68 N. High St. in Columbus.

More than four times the size of the old location, the new facility, completed in February, is a major facelift for a community center that had outgrown its old home.

That means expanded opportunities for programming, said the center’s Co-Director Esther Kaltmann.

“Whole families can come in all at once and there will be something going on for everyone,” she said.

“It’s a nice meeting place and really brings a great energy to the community.”

In addition to prayer services, the center features a variety of educational programming, including daily Hebrew classes and lectures sponsored by the Jewish Business Network, which features Columbus entrepreneurs and business professionals.

The center hosts special functions, including wedding celebrations, bar mitzvahs and singles events.

Other amenities include a full kitchen, soon to host cooking classes, and a common space for the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

The design of the center’s unique synagogue draws inspiration from the Dome of the Rock, a Jewish holy site.

“There’s nothing like it in the world,” said the center’s Director Areyah Kaltmann.

And starting for the 2011-12 school year, the center will be home to a small preschool program with two classrooms available.

But educational outreach already is a reality at the Chabad Center with its novel Life Town program for children with learning and developmental disabilities.

The program invites 50 K-12 students each day to practice life skills in a “simulated village,” with miniature storefronts built right into the walls and carpeting that resembles roadways and a grassy village center.

The students practice personal finance with real money from a pretend bank and learn about budgeting, time management, social skills and wellness by visiting a tiny movie theater, library, pet store, doctor’s office and more.

“It’s very important that our kids, who are the most marginalized in society, have an opportunity to learn these skills in a safe environment,” Areyah Kaltmann said.

Individual teachers schedule visits to Life Town, which is entirely volunteer-driven, about six times during the course of the school year.

“The change you see in the kids from beginning to end is amazing,” volunteer Bonnie Rudner said.

The center also will be home to a Jewish summer camp where kids can have fun and learn about their heritage.

The new location will allow the center to expand and reach a new segment of the Central Ohio Jewish community, Areyah Kaltmann said.

“There is something going on every night of the week, right here in your backyard in New Albany,” Areyah Kaltmann said.

“We’ve waited a long time for this, and it’s finally happening.”

“It’s a nice meeting place and really brings a great energy to the community.”