Chabad (of S.I.) to celebrate opening of new building

Chabad Lubavitch of Staten Island on Thursday will celebrate the grand opening of its new Willowbrook building that houses both a synagogue and yeshiva.

The building, a single family home that has been extensively renovated to accommodate Chabad’s needs, was purchased for $667,500 in December 2004.

It now houses morning and Shabbos services and is the home of Yeshiva Mesivta Menachem, a residential high school program for 30 boys that had been renting space for classes in a nearby synagogue. Chabad continues to rent two neighborhood homes as dormitories for the students, who come from as far away as Israel and Canada.

The Harold Avenue building is next door to Chabad’s existing Bradley Avenue edifice, where the Torah Tots Academy educates 100 pre-school children and where Rabbi Moshe Katzman, director of Chabad, has his office.

One class from the popular Torah Tots program has settled in the basement of the new building, and another is located in a trailer located between the two buildings.

Plans call for the eventual expansion of the Bradley Avenue building and the addition of a covered walkway or some other structure to join the two buildings.

“Architects are playing with it now,” Rabbi Katzman said. “Fund-raising never ends.”

Five families will be honored at Thursday’s celebration for major contributions that made the expansion possible. The festivities will begin at 7 p.m. in the new building, at 289 Harold Ave.

The honorees include Avi and Irit Matuszewicz and Arie and Hana Matuszewicz, owners of M&M Control Wiring and Electrical; Moshe and Rachel Guttman of Deck Master; Ronnie and Elana Abramove and Boaz and Felice Sussman of Evan Auto.

Tickets are $100 per person or $180 per couple. For information or reservations, call (718) 370-8953.