The Chai Center/Chabad of Coral Springs, Fla., co-directed by Rabbi Hershy and Chanie Bronstein, just celebrated the grand opening of its new facility.

How One Floridian’s Fall Led to the Rise of a New Jewish Center

Several hundred people, including a U.S. congressman and local city council members, braved a sultry summer rain in South Florida earlier this month to attend a ribbon-cutting for the Chai Center/Chabad of Coral Springs.

They were helping commemorate the grand opening of a new facility that greatly expands Chabad’s space and suits the needs of a growing congregation, says Rabbi Hershy Bronstein.

He and his wife, Chanie, have led this Chabad center in the city for the past decade, starting with small prayer gatherings in their apartment. Then they moved into a 1,300-square-foot storefront property. Now they can call a centrally located, 9,500-square-foot building home.

But this particular place might not have come into play had it not been for an unusual incident.

Before its latest incarnation, the building was home to a restaurant that had fallen into foreclosure. For the better part of two years, Bronstein was considering the site for Chabad’s expansion, but wasn’t getting anywhere with the bank that controlled the property.

In November 2013, he and his wife were heading to their storefront center when they saw an older gentleman near the foreclosed building fall down flat on his face. The rabbi rushed over to help, splashing some water on him from a bottle the couple had in their car.

The man, Harold White, said he didn’t need an ambulance. Then Bronstein learned that he was the one who represented the bank in the foreclosure process.

Bronstein asked him to come to his office, where he showed him renderings of Chabad’s hopes for the building. When White asked the rabbi how much he could possibly pay for it, Bronstein cited a rather modest figure. No matter. By the next morning, he had a contract.

It’s not so surprising, then, that some of the biggest applause at the Aug. 13 ribbon-cutting was reserved for White.

‘Look to the Future’

The multimillion-dollar center’s features include classrooms for a preschool, which is new for the center, a Hebrew school, a commercial kosher kitchen that can be used for catering, an expansive synagogue sanctuary space, a social hall and an outdoor playground.

The center grew along with the community in the past decade, says Bronstein, adding: “We are maturing together.”

Chabad draws a lot of young professionals and Jewish families who have steadily moved into the area, according to Bronstein. He describes that area as a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood with few commercial properties—a factor that limited their options when considering a new site. The Chai Center is actually located right near their former storefront home.

Allen Kopelman, who helps the rabbi with services and sits on the building committee, says it’s great to be in the Chai Center after using a small space for so many years. And they no longer will have to rent out space for the High Holidays.

“It’s very exciting to have the building so people can have bar mitzvahs and other life-cycle events there, and not have to go to a different place,” says Kopelman. “Everyone should enjoy the new building.”

He also praised the work of the Bronsteins, calling them dedicated, hard workers who helped turn the dream of a new facility into a reality. For their part, the Bronsteins offered appreciation for the ongoing support of Rabbi MosheKotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

As proud as the Bronsteins are about the Chai Center, the rabbi calls it “only the beginning.”

“You take satisfaction,” he acknowledges, “but you look to the future and you keep on working. And that’s just what we’re going to do.”

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