First Chabad Shul Inaugurated in Bergen Beach, Brooklyn

In a modest yet impactful ceremony, the first Chabad House and shul in the Bergen Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, was opened by the Rebbe’s shluchim, Rabbi Menachem Mendel and Sterna Weisberg.

Rabbi Weisberg is the son-in-law of Rabbi Avraham Holzberg, the rabbi and shliach in the nearby Georgetown neighborhood, who has been a guiding presence for the young emissaries, especially given their outreach to local Russian-speaking residents, including those who have immigrated from former Soviet states.

Rabbi Weisberg spent most of his life in Moscow under the guidance of his father, Rabbi Mordechai Weisberg, the leader of the Jewish community in Moscow. He is now utilizing his language skills and understanding of the Russian mentality to connect with the many Russian speakers in his neighborhood.

Rabbi Shlomo Aharon Holzberg, a well-known magid shiur in Crown Heights, had the honor of affixing the mezuzah. The opening was attended by many local residents, including Rabbi Yirmiyahu Levi, the Sephardic rabbi of the nearby Mill Basin neighborhood, Rabbi Shalom Tenenbaum from Tzach, and Rabbi Avraham Holzberg, the rabbi and shliach to Georgetown. Also present was the neighborhood committee chairwoman, Ms. Su Ann, who warmly welcomed the young shluchim to the area.

Throughout yom tov, all tefilos and seudos were held at the new location, with dozens of local residents, some of whom celebrated Rosh Hashanah in shul for the first time.

A pleasant surprise for the Weisberg family came when, at the request of the neighborhood committee chair, the NYPD provided security for the shul throughout the tefilos, a result of the good relationship with the local authorities.

Photo by: Itzik Belinsky