An Uncommon Jewish Practice Finds a Home in SJ

A small sign on Kresson Road in Cherry Hill announces the Chabad Lubavitch of Camden and Burlington counties. Those whizzing by in cars probably have no idea of its purpose, or how it is impacting many Jewish residents in SJ.

A branch of Hasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism that originated in Russia over 250 years ago, Chabad Lubavitch is an intellectual approach to Judaism that also incorporates teachings of the Kabbalah, mystical Judaism. The word “Chabad” is an acronym of three Hebrew words that mean wisdom, comprehension and knowledge. “Lubavitch” is the name of the town where the movement originated and translates to mean “city of brotherly love.”

Rabbi Mendel (Mendy) Mangel and his wife arrived in Cherry Hill in 1994 to establish a Chabad presence in SJ. When they first arrived, they knew no one. Through the local organized Jewish community, word-of-mouth and their own initiative, they came to know a few Jewish families, and then more and more.

“Our first synagogue was a donated space at a Voorhees storefront,” says Rabbi Mangel. “We had about 20 worshippers back then. Fifteen of them are still with us.”

Today, Cherry Hill Chabad has a free-standing synagogue, a Hebrew school, a summer camp and a large array of programs, seminars and celebrations. For this year’s High Holy Days services, the Cherry Hill Chabad synagogue hosted over 500 worshippers. All were welcomed at no cost, and in shifts, so everyone could be accommodated.

The worshippers gathered to partake in a movement that reaches out to all Jews, providing an option that helps them practice their faith, no matter their present level of affiliation or observance, Rabbi Mangel says.

Mangel, 42, often wears the traditional garb of an observant Jewish man – white shirt, black trousers and a yarmulke (skullcap) – but there is little reserved about his manner.

“You don’t choose to do this work unless you have a very deep commitment – and we do,” says the rabbi, noting that both he and his wife were born and reared in Chasidic communities in New York, and were completely comfortable with its ways. Parents of eight children, the couple both came of age in large families. Both knew the secular world but were not part of it, and they also knew their destiny would be in outreach work for the Chabad movement.

They were joined here in 2007 by Rabbi Yitzchok Kahan, the current director of a satellite Chabad in Medford.

Both Rabbi Mangel and Rabbi Kahan are world travelers who studied in far-flung places as young men before settling in SJ. Rabbi Mangel brings an especially broad cultural background to his work, having lived in Australia, Tokyo, Russia and Scandinavia.

But both Chabad leaders cling to traditional Orthodox lifestyles in their own families. And each acknowledges that their wives, Dinie Mangel and Baily Kahan, are in many ways the backbone and lifeblood of the family.

In a flexible version of an arranged marriage, the women were introduced to their husbands through their communities, but were not bound to marry the suitors unless they so chose. Chabad rabbi’s wives typically run households with multiple children and entertain often, welcoming both newcomers and frequent

Chabad visitors into their homes. Both work alongside their husbands, offering women’s seminars and workshops. “We’re definitely in this together and always will be,” says Dinie Mangel.

Because they are observant, the women’s heads are always covered by wigs – which are fine enough to be virtually undetectable – and their dress is modest. There is no TV permitted in their households, nor are movies a part of their lives.

But, Rabbi Mengel says, they have no such expectations of others.

“We are not out to convert Jews to orthodoxy or to force any ideas on people,” notes Rabbi Kahan. “Our real goal is to involve as many Jews as we can in coming to know and understand their own religion more deeply.”

Unlike many traditional synagogues, Chabads charge nothing for membership, relying on donations of supporters to finance the organization and its programs. “We get no outside money, and everything we get stays right here,” explains Rabbi Mangel.

The latest milestone for the Chabad movement in SJ is a new mikvah, opened in June at the Cherry Hill Chabad campus. The mikvah is basically a “pool” of water drawn from a natural source like rainwater, constructed and maintained in compliance with the laws of the Jewish Torah, which says that married women should use its spiritually cleansing waters after their menstrual cycles each month.

The traditions and teachings of Chabad have become a much-needed presence in the lives of many SJ residents – even for those who weren’t looking for a new religion.

Dick Weissman, a busy executive in a local printing company, didn’t realize that he was, “missing something I couldn’t even name,” until a friend brought him to a Chabad celebration of Succoth, the fall festival of the harvest.

He slowly began to try other Chabad experiences, and found himself looking forward to Saturday services and Rabbi Mangel’s sermons. Now he attends as many classes and seminars as he can.
“This hasn’t changed my life dramatically – I’m not suddenly kosher or dropping everything else in my life to study Torah,” says Weissman, who lives in Moorestown. “But I’ve stopped seeking something I couldn’t quite label, because with Chabad, I’ve found it.”