Chabad of La Jolla Opens New Learning Center

Chabad of La Jolla Shores inaugurated its new adult Jewish learning center at 909 Prospect St. with a mezuzah placing ceremony.

A mezuzah is a scroll inscribed with Biblical passages placed on doorposts as a spiritual dedication.

The new learning center houses the “Sinai Circle,” home to an array of classes, lectures and seminars. The center will present authentic, traditional Judaism teachings and be open for regular services, community celebrations and ongoing events.

“The long-term dream is to have the center’s doors open seven days a week, every hour of the day, so that anyone can get enlightenment from the authentic sources of the Torah and the Kabbalah to fill their yearning for meaning, purpose or direction,” said Rabbi Baruch Ezagui of Chabad.

He said the new learning center is unrelated to a previous Chabad proposal to tear down an existing single-family home at 2466 Hidden Valley Road and replace it with a three-level facility to include an 11,666-square-foot rabbi’s residence on the upper level, a 96-seat religious sanctuary, and a small pre-school on the ground floor.

“That is on hold,” said Ezagui.

Chabad-Lubavitch is a movement within Orthodox Judaism, founded in the late 18th century, that embraces the Kabbalah, providing outreach and educational activities for Jews through community centers, synagogues, schools and camps.