Newton Chabad Prepares for Move to New Home

Say “Chabad,” and many people likely picture men in dark suits, black hats and long beards. But Beth Menachem Chabad (BMC) in Newton isn’t your father’s Chabad. On any given Saturday, the men arrive ready to pray, dressed in everyday clothing: jeans, corduroys, trousers or suits.

BMC’s new home at the corner of Dedham Street and Rachel Road in Newton Centre is nearly ready to open. In its final stages of construction, the building stands just three-tenths of a mile from its predecessor. But the new site is not simply an update, it’s a fully redesigned, state-of-the-art facility. At about 8,500 usable square feet, versus 1,000 square feet at the current site, the new BMC has capacity seating for about 200 people.

“The existing Chabad was good for a start, but it’s a one-room house of worship,” said Fred Chanowski, chairman of BMC’s building committee. “The new Chabad is a full-service Jewish community building with a great deal of opportunity to fulfill the desire for spirituality.”

Beth Menachem, currently located next to Countryside School in Newton Highlands, opened in 2000 with Rabbi Chaim Prus as its spiritual leader. His wife, Nechama Prus, teaches Torah classes and Hebrew reading; she is also the program coordinator for BMC. The Chabad serves a diverse Jewish congregation of families including Americans, Australians, Bulgarians, British, Iraqis, Israelis, Italians, Russians and South Africans.

“Rabbi Prus and his wife are Hassidic but they don’t push that on people at all. They are non-judgmental and they understand their congregation,” said Binyamin Levin of Selwyn Road in Newton Highlands. “The services are Orthodox, but they welcome Jews from many different denominations, from very observant, to more secular Jews, to people who have a strong sense of tradition and want to come to hear the singing.”

Although Levin grew up in Newton, he lived in Worcester for the past 10 years; meeting and reconnecting with people in the area was as important to him as being within walking distance to an Orthodox synagogue.

“There’s no question that the Chabad fills a need for the south side of Newton,” said Levin. “Having a big, beautiful center like the one that’s opening soon is going to be great for the neighborhood.”

Membership at BMC is not required. There are suggested dues, but they’re not a requirement; congregants are welcome to make whatever donation they choose. According to Rabbi Prus, funding for construction of the new BMC came from substantial donations within the congregation and from the community at large. A mortgage for the purchase of the property still remains, as well as a loan for a portion of the construction.

“Chabad Centers worldwide provide a place for a meaningful Jewish experience in a warm, welcoming and non-judgmental setting,” said Rabbi Prus. “It’s this entry point that’s allowed thousands of people to proceed along the path of education and personal growth and to become proud and active members of the Jewish community.”

The 4,000 Chabad Centers around the globe are part of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, which was led by the late Lubavitch Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. It was Rabbi Schneerson who sent Rabbi and Mrs. Prus to the Boston area in 1975.

Although the congregation includes Jews who span the orthodoxy spectrum, once inside, services at BMC are definitely Orthodox. Orthodox Judaism requires men and women to sit separately during worship. But unlike in the current Chabad, where women sit upstairs and men downstairs, the new synagogue will have a six-and-a-half foot high movable partition. The bottom half will be made from wood; the top will be one-way glass, enabling the women to see out but preventing the men from seeing the women so they aren’t distracted during prayer. Also, the new BMC will have a special “Shabbat elevator” which will operate automatically, without the need for one to press buttons to start the elevator’s movement. Therefore, it will not violate Jewish Sabbath Law (Halachah), since the person will not initiate the movement of the elevator by his actions.

Another very special feature BMC will offer is separate ritual baths (mikvah) for men and women. Additionally, there will be multiple sinks in the lobby for washing before prayer. A new Torah arc that will encompass the entire front wall of the sanctuary is being built in Israel.

Many features of the construction satisfy both ecological purposes and Sabbath law. BMC’s light, heat and air conditioning system can be controlled remotely by computer access. The system allows the heat and AC, as well as the lighting, to be set for the exact temperature and time needed. This will provide the utmost efficiency for energy use and is especially useful for Shabbat and holidays, when Jewish law forbids electricity, heat and AC to be manually controlled. All of the settings can be programmed before Shabbat and holidays.

At BMC, heating and cooling is provided by a geothermal system that offers significant savings on heating and cooling. The ecological system provides temperatures that cool to as low as 60 degrees and heats to the upper 70s.

According to Alderman Mitchell Fischman, BMC representatives were very cooperative about designing the Chabad to fit in with the neighborhood, consulting with neighbors regarding decisions about color and materials.

A neighborhood council consists of an alderman from Ward 8, a designee from Countryside School and representatives from the Chabad. According to Fischman, the neighborhood council will continue to meet at least twice a year to discuss issues that jointly affect them.

“Building the first Chabad was a learning curve for the city. We’ve addressed issues this time that were not originally addressed,” Fischman said.

There is on-site parking for nine automobiles, which is fewer than normally required under Newton Zoning Ordinance, but because many members of the congregation live within walking distance and / or are Orthodox and won’t drive on Sabbath and religious holidays, a waiver of this requirement has been granted. On limited occasions when there is a large event that would attract automobile traffic, such as a bar or bat mitzvah or the High Holidays, an arrangement to license parking spaces has been made with Countryside School.