Hundreds Attend Dedication of New Chabad Center

For 12 years, Rabbi Yosef and Dalia Kulek worked day and night to bring Jewish students at Hartford University closer to their roots. This week, after years of legal uncertainty and unexpected help from heaven, they have finally cut the ribbon on a beautiful edifice which they – and the students they so dedicatedly serve – will now call home.

Since February 1977, when Rabbi and Mrs. Yosef Gopin first established a presence in the Hartford area, Chabad has maintained a commitment to the students at University of Hartford and a continued presence on campus.

Following the arrival of Rabbi Yosef and Dalia Kulek in 2000, Chabad’s campus activities flourished and began to expand. In 2003, Rabbi Yosef Kulek formed an official student group, Chabad Chevra, recognized by the Student Government Association.

By 2007, thanks to their success with the students, Rabbi Yosef and Dalia Kulek realized that this required a fulltime commitment. The George & Pamela Rohr Family Foundation helped make this a reality, with a seed grant to establish a fulltime presence. This eventually led to the necessity of establishing a permanent and central location near the University of Hartford, from which to service the needs of the Jewish students. President Harrison helped Chabad identify a location and, with the help of leading families in the community, the Chase and Lazowski families and a significant grant from the Rohr Foundation, a building was purchased at an ideal location, at 100 Bloomfield Avenue.

This Bloomfield Avenue property was owned and used for church purposes and religious activity for over fifty years. After Chabad bought the property, neighbors and city officials tried to stop Chabad’s activities and forced Chabad to go to court. The judge who reviewed the documentation and history of this property, especially testimony of church leaders on their prior use, ruled unequivocally in Chabad’s favor.

During the legal process, Chabad used the building hesitantly and in a limited fashion. After the judge’s decision, Chabad was able to expand and increase their activities without hesitation. Chabad’s recognition and identity on campus and in the community was cemented. Rabbi Yossi & Dalia Kulek offer classes and Shabbos services, holidays, Pesach meals for tens of students, which have culminated this semester with the marquee program, the Sinai Scholar Society.

On Sunday, April 29 Chabad honored and thanked the families who helped make the Rohr Chabad House a reality, the attorneys Coleman Levy and Jeffrey Mirman of Levy & Droney, PC who litigated on behalf of Chabad, and the prior owners whose testimony was key in the court ruling. Chabad also celebrated the graduation of the first twenty Hartford students from the Sinai Scholars Society.

Over two hundred and fifty enthusiastic students, alumni, proud parents, rabbis, university officials and many community members came to celebrate with Chabad and the Kulek family the new home away from home.

The crowd was addressed by Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Chairman of Chabad on Campus and Vice Chairman of the central Chabad organization for Jewish education, Rabbi Joseph Gopin, director of Chabad of Greater Hartford, Rabbi Yossi Kulek, director of Chabad at University of Hartford, students and parents.

At the end of the program, the audience was addressed by the president of the university. President Walter Harrison thanked Chabad and stated how Rabbi Yossi and Dalia Kulek are part and parcel of the university and woven into the fabric of the community.

Rabbi Kulek talked about the impact of the Sinai Scholar Society, its impact on the students and how they are the torch bearers and the future. Students and parents got up one after another to talk about how Chabad house is a home away from home, a safe haven and oasis for Torah and mitzvoth. They credited Chabad, Sinai Scholars and Rabbi Yossi and Dalia Kulek for changing their lives.

Rabbi Gopin thanked George Rohr for helping buy the building, for providing seed money to start Chabad Hartford, Chabad at UCONN and a down payment for a home at UCONN which is in the making. He also thanked Mr. Rohr for more recently providing seed money for Chabad at Wesleyan. This is the fourth Chabad house in the immediate Hartford area.

The lay leaders of the Hartford community were pleasantly surprised to hear from one and all how effective Rabbi Yossi and Dalia Kulek have been at the University of Hartford. This event was an eye opener to many community leaders. They also heard from Rabbi Kotlarsky about the hundreds of campus Chabad Houses around the world. They were told to take this home and multiply it by hundreds and to imagine how many thousands of students are being affected by Chabad on Campus.

This event has invigorated and inspired supporters and students to get more involved and to participate in Chabad programs througout the area. Of course, the energy at this dedication gave courage and reinvigorated the shluchim to expand and increase their activities all over Greater Hartford.