Chabad of Baka, Jerusalem

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM CHABAD OF BAKA BUILDING CAMPAIGN

Dear Friends,

When we moved to Jerusalem eleven years ago, it was a dream come true. We were inspired to be part of the holiness of this majestic city and to have the privilege to play a part in the rebuilding of our ancestral homeland, just like our forefathers before us. Now, after years of cultivating the Chabad of Baka community, we are blessed to be able to play an even more concrete role in the expansion of Jerusalem: building a permanent synagogue and center for Jewish life on a beautiful property we recently acquired in the heart of Jerusalem. We are passionate and excited about this unique opportunity.

But we can’t do it alone. We need your help.

The vision for our new synagogue reaches far beyond a physical structure. It will provide a spiritual residence for everyone who needs one. Designed to blend into the Jerusalem neighborhood, our new center will be a place where everyone feels at home. A place where new Olim (immigrants) living far away from their family and birthplace find their spiritual family. A place where Jews of all backgrounds increase their knowledge and closeness to G-d and grow together. A place where children, with their endless curiosity and capacity for learning, develop their Jewish identity and find joy in doing acts of kindness. A place where families with special needs, who are often left out of community life, encounter support and connection. A place everyone is proud to be a part of and one that belongs to all of us – Jerusalem residents, visitors and Jews around the world.

Our Guiding Light: Chabad of Baka’s joyful approach to Jewish education and community connection is driven by the teachings and example of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

We are humbled by the outpouring of support thus far. The phrase “Next Year in Jerusalem” will have a greater significance because of our efforts.

May this endeavor – both the building in Jerusalem and the generosity, love, and unity elicited by the process – serve as another brick in the edifice of the redeemed, beautiful world our people have been praying for and envisioning for centuries. We invite you to join us on this journey, and we look forward to celebrating life together in our new home.

With Blessings,

Rabbi Avraham and Nechama Dina Hendel

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Our STORY 957 BCE The First Temple is built.

1492 Jews are expelled from Spain. Many make their way to Israel.

957 BCE

1492 70

70 CE The Second Temple is destroyed.

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1948-1960 A huge wave of almost one million Jews immigrates to the nascent state.

1948 1882

1882-1914 First and second Aliyah: a wave of immigrants come from Eastern Europe, Russia, and Yemin.

1976-1978 The Rebbe sends over 40 emmissaries, including Rabbi Hendel’s parents, to revitalize Jewish life in Israel.

1976 1967

1967 Israel captures the Old City of Jerusalem and reunites the city.

1980

1980s-1990s Close to one million Jews arrive from the USSR, plus 22,000 from Ethiopia.

In 2007, Rabbi Avraham and Nechama Dina Hendel moved from Florida to Jerusalem to start Chabad of Baka - Beit Levi to honor the memory of Rabbi Hendel’s brother, Levi z”l ben Yisrael Yosef HaKohen. The year before, tragedy struck when Levi was killed in a car crash on his way to participate in a Chanukah program for IDF soldiers in Eilat. The loss of his dear brother propelled Rabbi Hendel and his family to spread Levi’s message of love and kindness in Jerusalem, and Chabad of Baka - Beit Levi was born. Since then, the Chabad of Baka community has grown to hundreds of families and individuals. They service residents and visitors of all affiliations with unconditional acceptance and love.

2009

The first international community Seder is hosted.

The Friendship Circle of South Jerusalem is established.

2007

2012-2013

2014-2019 Immigration Annual Chanukah increases menorah lightings at the First Station are initiated. from Western countries.

Unity Shabbat meals are hosted on a regular basis.

2009 2008

2008 Chabad of Baka is founded.

The Shabbat Minyan is launched in a classroom at Emunah College.

2012 2010

2010 Women’s Circle is inaugurated.

Daily classes are established.

2019

With building permits in place, the building campaign is launched, bringing us one step closer to fulfilling our dream of a home for every Jew in Jerusalem.

Interactive Kids Club is established.

2014

2011

2011 The first annual Lag B’Omer Parade gathers hundreds of Jerusalem children.

2019 2015

2015-2017

Shabbat Kids’ Program begins.

1st Annual Friendship Circle Sports Day with Tamir Goodman

2018

2018

Chabad of Baka acquires a prime, centrally located property on Beit Lechem Street.

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Our COMMUNITY=FAMILY Chabad of Baka is a uniquely diverse and international community.

You will find Jews of all ages and backgrounds from all over the world.

Our members speak Hebrew, English, Spanish, French, and Russian.

And we connect to Judaism in different ways.

We are: Olim/Immigrants from around the world and Israeli-born.

Singles, couples, families, and children.

Professionals, innovators, retirees, and lovers of Israel.

We may be individuals. We may be different. But we are all united on one point. We are a community that supports growth and cares for one another. We are a family.

Our bonds are built and strengthened through a diverse range of community programs such as weekly Torah classes for men and women, a Women’s Circle, daily minyan, Shabbat and holiday services, weekly community kiddush lunches, unity dinners and farbrengens. We often host holiday events for the wider Jerusalem community, such as Chanukah candle lighting and Purim parties with Megillah reading at the First Station cultural center. These popular outreach activities are the blueprint for the vision and force behind our new Chabad of Baka center in Jerusalem.

The Friendship Circle of South Jerusalem, one of Chabad of Baka’s unique initiatives, reaches out to children with special needs and their families to provide support and inclusion. Children with special needs are visited weekly by their teenage volunteers for hours of fun and bonding and are included in community events. Strong and empowering connections are formed between all who are involved.

Underlying all of our programs is the recognition that every Jew plays an important and unique role in his or her contribution to the Jewish people and desires to fulfill this role in the building of the Jewish nation.

“Chabad of Baka in Jerusalem is a Chabad for Jews from all over the world - when they come to Jerusalem, when they move to Jerusalem.

We take the sparks from every corner of the globe and unite them, here in the holy city.”

– ALEX TRAIMAN, PRESIDENT 7

Your Home in Jerusalem

CHABAD OF BAKA

HIGHLIGHTS • 500 m2 of community space

• Centrally located on Beit Lechem Street • Prominent and highly visible • Beautiful, iconic design evokes Jerusalem’s heritage, while being distinctly modern • Main Sanctuary

Seats 300 people for services and lectures

• Friendship Circle Hall and Event Space

Program space to service children with special needs; multipurpose facility Hosts 300+ people for community events and private functions

FIRST FLOOR Terrace

Sanctuary

Vestibule

Terrace

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A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY

A NEW JEWISH CENTER IN THE HEART OF JERUSALEM

SECOND FLOOR Terrace

Friendship Circle Hall and Event Space

Sanctuary (below)

Kitchen Terrace

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The NEED Jerusalem, a vibrant international city, has a population of 900,000 people, of which 536,000 (62%) are Jews. In addition, the city’s deep spiritual roots and rich cultural heritage draw thousands of Olim (new immigrants) from all over the world each year.

With many Olim settling in South Jerusalem, there is a need for a center for communal and spiritual life that can service people with different backgrounds and can create a warm environment to ease the transition to life in a new country. Chabad of Baka has been welcoming Olim for over eleven years, and has the experience, expertise and proven track record to accommodate the needs of this special group of people.

In addition, as the world becomes virtual and people become more transient in their daily lives, they search for concrete and physical connections with their community and heritage. They seek to put down new roots and be a part of something bigger and eternal.

The new Chabad of Baka center is the multifaceted facility that will serve all of these needs and a vehicle for fulfilling the dreams of our community and our people.

ISRAEL ALIYAH 2018 France 2,723 Western Europe 1,244 North America 3,399 Latin America 3,399 Other 1,809 FSU 19,305

SOUTH JERUSALEM POPULATION PROJECTION 2020-2030 50,000 45,000

TOTAL

42,000

ISRAELI BORN

25,200

OLIM

16,800

18,000

2020

2025

27,000

30,000 20,000

2030

Once of the hardest things about being an Olah is being away from your family. Chabad of Baka provides that family for you, even though our families are so far away. On the first day I met Nechama Dina, I felt like she was a friend, more than a Rebbetzin. Every single person who walks through the door feels welcome.

– AYALA GORDESKY 13

Our IMPACT Increased Participation, Greater Reach and Connectivity

The building of a permanent center will attract new participants as it allows for greater stability, quality, and diversity of programs.

Strengthening Jewish Life for Olim in Jerusalem

The warm and welcoming English-focused environment provides a familiar and comforting setting for Olim/immigrants and a community that empowers them to succeed in their new life.

Jewish Unity

Jews from around the world come together to create a Jewish center where everyone – visitors, new immigrants, and long time residents – feel at home.

“Chabad of Baka is absolutely flourishing. All of the components are there: the services, the outreach programs, the community, the warmth, and the hospitality. All that’s left is for the Hendels and Chabad of Baka to have a place they can call home.”

– TAMIR GOODMAN, PRO BASKETBALL PLAYER AND COACH

The Friendship Circle

With a permanent facility, the Friendship Circle will provide more families with special needs with the support they need to grow and feel connected.

It will also provide more teen volunteers with an opportunity to learn and mature by working with children with special needs and giving their time to an important cause in their community.

Enhanced Jewish Literacy

A fixed venue and new classrooms will allow us to expand our Jewish educational programs with a greater variety of classes and events.

Children & Youth Programs

A new and up to date physical structure offers a safe and dynamic space to increase our programming for children and youth.

Community Outreach

Our activities for the broader community will benefit from a more recognizable and iconic presence in the city. In addition to organizing large scale events at city venues, we can now create happenings in our inclusive center and invite people in.

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CURRENT VS PLANNED TOTAL SIZE

180 m2

500 m2

MAXIMUM CAPACITY

100

300

ACCESSIBILITY

When rented

24/7, 365 days

LOCATION

Industrial, not visible

On a main st., highly visible

CLASSROOMS

0

2

SIMULTANEOUS EVENTS

7

3

LIBRARY

7

3

KITCHEN

7

3

Dedication OPPORTUNITIES Building Dedication $1,800,000 Main Sanctuary

$500,000

Eternal Light (Ner Tamid)

$36,000

FC Hall & Event Space

$360,000

Children’s Playroom

$36,000

Aron Hakodesh

$180,000

Children’s Library

$26,000

Main Lobby

$100,000

Small Terrace (3)

each $26,000

Library $100,000

Outdoor Playground

$26,000

Bima $72,000

Garden

$26,000

Kitchen $54,000

Washing Station (4)

Terrace with Sukkah

$54,000

Main Mezuzah

Tree of Life

$54,000

Mezuzah (18)

each $18,000 $18,000 each $7,200

Tree of Life

A permanent artistic display outside the Main Sanctuary

Gold Leaf: $7,200

Donor Wall

An elegant fixture in the Main Lobby n

Gold Brick: $3,600 |

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Silver Brick: $2,600 |

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Bronze Brick: $1,800

To discuss these and other dedication opportunities to honor someone and create an eternal legacy in the eternal city of Jerusalem, contact Rabbi Avraham Hendel: rabbi@ChabadofBaka.com +972-54-830-5799

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Chabad of Baka is reflective of the greatest aspirations of the Jewish nation: People from all different backgrounds and from all four corners of the earth coming together in Jerusalem to explore and experience Jewish life together.

It’s a taste of the future, right now.

Thank you for your friendship and support.

CHABAD OF BAKA Rabbi Avraham & Nechama Dina Hendel, Directors rabbi@chabadofbaka.com +972-54-830-5799 ChabadofBaka.com/building