Jews of Kenya Celebrate High Holidays in New Center

by Tzali Reicher – chabad.org

Chabad-Lubavitch of Kenya marked the opening of its new center in Nairobi earlier this month, drawing diplomats, senior Kenyan officials and close to 100 members of the local Jewish community ahead of Rosh Hashanah.

The launch capped off a year-and-a-half search by Rabbi Levi and Chaya Mushka Notik, who had been running Chabad of Kenya out of a house in a residential Nairobi neighborhood for nearly three years.

“When we moved here, we thought starting in a smaller house would be enough, but within six months, we knew we needed something bigger,” Rabbi Notik tells Chabad.org. “We were bursting at the seams during every holiday season, and the power and water was often overwhelmed.”

The Notiks looked at hundreds of properties for their burgeoning center and nearly even settled on one.

“We thought we found the perfect place but could not work out a contract with the owner. We were disappointed, but we realized everything happens with hashgacha pratis [“Divine Providence”] and it was for the best,” Notik says. “Then something new came up that we had not previously seen on any of our searches.”

The house is located on Nairobi’s diplomat row, close to the American Embassy, a few hundred meters from the U.N. office and minutes from the Israeli Embassy. The new location is also strategically located in terms of security.

By Rosh Hashanah, the benefits of the larger space were already clear. Eighty people came for the first day of the Jewish New Year, and close to 100 came the next day to hear the shofar, among them 35 Jewish children who were excited to spend the holiday with peers their own age.

The Notiks feel themselves witness to the blessing and promise of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.

“The Rebbe would tell his emissaries to find a bigger place, and it will fill up,” Notik says. “We’re seeing that come true.”

A Shofar From Saudi Arabia

Among those who came for the holidays was a Jewish family that had moved to Nairobi from an Arabic country a few months earlier. The mother, a school principal, had once driven two hours across through the desert to reach Israel, then two hours back into the Arabic country with the shofar so that she could teach her children about their faith. She didn’t know how to blow it herself, so for years, it was something she could only show them.

Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Notik visited the family’s home, put up mezuzahs and blew shofar for the children, the first time any of them had heard one in real life.

“They were so moved,” Notik says. “They also came to the Chabad center for the Rosh Hashanah meals and services, and were so excited to see a vibrant, active and proud Jewish community they could join.”

The momentum from Rosh Hashanah has carried forward. Families are already asking about the next event, Notik reports, whether it’s a Torah class, a ladies’ night or a Shabbat meal. With the start of the school year, Chabad of Kenya is also launching a Hebrew school, which already has 15 children signed up.

For Yom Kippur, several families will be staying with the Notiks for the holiday, while those unable to reach the synagogue were sent home with a machzor and a tallit so they could observe the day on their own.

“The response has been incredible, and our next goal is a permanent property with room for a mikvah, alongside a shul and dedicated space for Jewish education,” Notik says. “It’s a big goal, but we’ve seen that anything is possible.”