Chabad is Opening New Doors

ACWORTH, GA — Michelle Gilbert of Kennesaw drives her son Mitchell to Sandy Springs every morning so he can attend the Jewish-based The Epstein School.

When her family goes to worship, they drive to Chabad of Cobb on the other end of the county. With three children all under the age of 8, Mrs. Gilbert stopped going to her women’s group because the commute from Chabad got her home too late in the evenings.

The Gilbert family experience is common for the growing Jewish community in west Cobb. There isn’t a Jewish center for the nearly 9,000 Jews living in the area, according to the Jewish Federation.

“I made a huge commitment to make a Jewish home, and I meet a lot of Jewish families here, but we are all spread out,” said Mrs. Gilbert, 39.

“Everyone goes to east Cobb for synagogue or Hebrew school, and it would be so nice to have something close,” said Mrs. Gilbert, 39.

That all changed seven weeks ago, when Rabbi Zalman Charytan, his wife Nechami and their 2-year-old and five-month-old children moved to Acworth from New York. The couple’s mission: To establish the Chabad Jewish Center of Acworth, as part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

“We are here for every kind of Jew. Chabad means wisdom, knowledge and understanding … Lubavitch is a Russian city where the movement was headquartered for a century, and it means ‘the city of love,’” said Charytan, 28.

There are 3,000 Chabad locations worldwide, one of which is in east Cobb. The Jewish Federation study said that the Jewish community here is growing as fast as the metro area itself, at a rate of about 10 percent a year. For the first time, the northwest suburbs were included in the study.

The statistical number of 9,000 Jews, along with several requests for a Chabad in west Cobb, prompted the movement to expand. Atlanta now has the 11th largest Jewish community in the United States.

The Chabad philosophy welcomes everyone with a Jewish soul, in an open, non-judgmental environment, said Charytan.

“The movement just wants to teach Judaism. We are looking to fill the needs of the community, which makes Chabad really unique,” he said. Chabad rabbis and their families are schooled in and live Jewish Orthodox lives, but that is not expected of Chabad congregants.

They’ve started a Mommy and Me class, as well as Kids in the Kitchen class, because childhood education opportunities were the first things the community needed, said Mrs. Charytan, who has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood development. They also offer Shabbat morning services and adult education classes.

Currently, they are operating out of people’s homes, but the goal is to build a permanent location. Chabad of east Cobb started the same way, with only 75 families. Now, they are moving into a 19,000 square foot building. Chabad does not get nor receive any money for the international organization, and is dependent on local funds.

“Every dollar given goes back to the local community. Really, we grow as the community grows,” said Mrs. Charytan, 23.

And the couple will be patient. Part of Chabad’s philosophy is to plant young couples in a location for life, to help ensure the center’s sustainability and life in the community, said Charytan.

Both grew up in the Chabad movement, and Mrs. Charytan is a third generation Chabad member.

“We’ve been to Chabad centers around the world, meeting so many different Jews in remote locations and bringing Judaism to them,” said Charytan.

“We want to strengthen the Jewish identity and make accessibility for all walks of Jewish life a reality.”