Chabad of SW Florida Dedicates $3.5 Million Building

Rabbi Yitzchok and Nechamie Minkowicz, Shluchim to Southwest Florida, held a dedication dinner for their new 11,000 square foot Jewish Community Center, which will serve as a home for the Shul and the Maimonides Hebrew Day School. The center was built on Chabad’s 3.5 Acre property.

The event was a huge success, with a gourmet dinner, a ribbon cutting ceremony, affixing of Mezuzot, a tour of the building and the unveiling of the Virtual 3D dedication wall.

A special program in the New Shul began with a Choir from the children of Maimonides Hebrew Day School and their teachers, Rebetzin Rivky Labkowski and Rebetzin Sheina Jacobson. The children sang beautiful songs, and each child presented School Director and visionary Rebetzin Nechamie Minkowicz with a Flower.

Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz shared with the crowd how he met a Jew that morning in Costco who told him that when he first met the Rabbi and Rebetzin 20 years ago he thought they were Jews for Christianity, the man cried over how ignorant he was then; now he says the “The future of Judaism is Chabad.” Rabbi Minkowicz thanked the Donors and presented them with the honor of writing in the First Letters in a new Sefer Torah with the help of the Shliach and Sofer Rabbi Yossi Srugo.

Dr. Daniel Dosoretz introduced Tray Radel, who gave warm greetings and blessings to the Donors and the community.

Dr. James Rubenstein introduced Rabbi Yossi Denburg from Coral Springs, who spoke about Chabad starting from nothing, and how despite all the challenges Chabad continues to grow and is a positive force in the community.

The Building Donors as well as the community were invited to write letters in the Torah, along with special guests who flew in for the event. The Rabbi’s father, Rabbi Leima Minkowicz, (who had made the first flight out of New York after hurricane Sandy hit – a Friend drove him to the airport as no one had Gas for their vehicles); the Rabbi’s brother, Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz, Shliach in Alpheretta, Georgia; the Rabbi’s sister, Mrs. Gitty Rosenfeld, the Principal of the Online Shluchim School run by the Shluchim office; the nearby Shluchim Rabbi Mendy and Luba Greenberg of Bonita Springs; Rabbi Yossi and Rivky Labkowski of Cape Coral; and Rabbi Simon and Sheina Jacobson of Charlotte County were all given the Honor of writing letters in the new Torah.