South Phoenix To Get New Chabad Center
A new Chabad center is coming to south Phoenix, a fast-growing region of the metropolitan area that previously had no synagogues. Rabbi Mendy Rimler and his wife, Sarah, will co-direct the Chabad Jewish Center of South Phoenix.
“The first in the area is always a big thing,” said Grant Galas, a local real estate agent who worked closely with Rimler on ideas for the center.
The rabbi plans to focus on social and educational programming at the Chabad House, including Jewish classes and youth events and activities in addition to Shabbat services, Shabbat dinners, counseling, visitation and kashering homes.
Rimler, the former assistant rabbi and outreach director at Rohr Chabad at ASU, grew up immersed in Chabad life in Melbourne, Australia, where his parents directed a Chabad House.
“I was saturated with the concept of looking out for the welfare of every Jew, wherever they are,” Rimler said. “I grew up with the conviction that every Jew deserves to have a sense of family, a sense that they have a community that loves and cares for them.”
In south Phoenix, many Jews have felt the need for that sense of connection. Without a synagogue nearby, Galas had to drive around half an hour to get to services in Tempe or Chandler. He hopes the new center will provide his family with a stronger sense of community in their area.
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