Dynamic Educator a Big Part of Chabad’s Success

“How does she do it?” That’s the question most people ask about Dinie Mangel, wife of Chabad Rabbi Mendy Mangel, mother of eight, educator, administrator, manager of the Chabad’s mikvah and—well, human dynamo.

“I’m lucky—I don’t need a lot of sleep,” confides Dinie, who is known to the Jewish community, and especially the Chabad community, as the woman who does it all, graciously and well.

Dinie Mangel arrived in South Jersey in 1994, knowing a handful of people, and dedicated to the same principles and mission as her husband: “We wanted to spread awareness of Yiddishkeit and educate the Jewish community in a meaningful way. It was as simple—and as complicated—as that! There’s always more to do.”

There certainly would be with eight children who range in age from 19 down to two—but that’s only part of the story of Dinie Mangel, who always remembers what her grandmother told her: “With each child, your heart grows bigger.”

Raised with five siblings in Morristown, NJ by her Russian-born father, a prominent educator in the Chabad community, and an American-born mother who was a passionate teacher, Dinie never wanted any other kind of life than the one she is living. “My parents were beautiful examples of the kind of life I wanted with my husband, and the kind of work we would do.”

Dinie Mangel can tell you that the Chabad’s first “synagogue” was a donated space at a Voorhees storefront with about 20 worshippers. Fifteen of them are still with Chabad Lubavitch of Camden and Burlington Counties.

Over the years, Dinie and Mendy Mangel have seen the creation of a complex on Kresson Road, complete with a freestanding synagogue, a Hebrew school, a summer camp, and a large array of programs, seminars and celebrations.

Also on the site is Mikvah Mei Shifra, the first mikvah on the east side of Cherry Hill.

“Yes, we’ve grown,” acknowledges Dinie, “but we also feel that our mission will never be complete because there’s always more to do. We never rest on our laurels.”

Never mind that those laurels, in her case, include developing a strong cultural-intellectual program for women in the community, along with hosting weekly Shabbat dinners at her home where there are seldom less than 20 at the table.

Mangel, however, did get an opportunity to pause from her normal rigorous routine for a bit of celebrating. Chabad recently marked its 18th (Chai) year with a gala celebration at which Dinie and Rabbi Mangel were honored. There was also a surprise 40th birthday this year for Dinie, which she described in one word: “Fantastic!”

This summer, they will be leading a trip to Israel—a rare spell away from their own children, but hardly a true vacation.

“My true inspiration is the Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson) and the notion that no Jew can be left behind. I celebrate my life, I love my work, and I feel fortunate that my family is in a community where people have let us know that we belong.” .