By: Reuven Arazi
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On Sunday, March 19th, over 500 people participated at the 25th Annual Dinner of Chabad of South Broward. The dinner was held at the Westin Diplomat resort in Hollywood. The first of over 25 Chabad centers in Broward and Palm Beach counties, Chabad of South Broward are the local leaders in Jewish Education, social services and outreach, while Chabad has emerged as Broward county's largest Jewish organization.
A who's who of South Florida religious, civic and business leaders were in attendance, which was co-chaired by Dr. Barry Alter, past president of the Jewish Federation of Broward County/ United Jewish Communities and Bernie Friedman, a partner in one of Florida's largest law firms, Becker & Poliakoff, and a past president of the local Jewish Community Center.
Dr. Alter and Mr. Friedman opened the dinner with warm greetings, expressing amazement how Chabad, which opened in South Broward in 1980, now dots the landscape of 10 South Broward cities with eleven centers and over 25 agencies.
Rabbi Isser D. Silverman, director of the burgeoning and prestigious Harbor Islands Shul Club, read a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, sent to Chabad's fourth annual dinner in 1985.
Rabbi Yossy Lebovics, principal of Chabad's Teachers' College for Women, the Chaya Aydel Seminary, led the dinner guests in the recitation of Psalms.
Shira Gniwisch, a student of Florida's only Jewish Women's Teacher's College, recited a timely Dvar Torah that made a lasting impression on all the dinner participants.
Max Rubenstein, who together with his wife Eve, were recipients of the Community Pillar Award, was joined by his sons Jeff and David in reciting the HaMotzie.
Rabbi Ruvi New, director of Chabad of East Boca Raton, and professor of Chassidic Thought at the Teachers' Seminary, brought the dinner guests to their feet on the two separate dance floors, one for men, one for women, singing the opening medley that joyously set the pace for an evening of dancing and celebration.
During the dinner, a video of the Rebbe, encouraging everyone to give according to their ability, and not to look at what their friends do, was shown on two giant video screens, impacting the dinner guests to appreciate how what they were blessed with is for the sake of helping others. The Rebbe pointed out that if someone can give two million dollars and only gives one million, they have not accomplished their mission.
Cantor Rabbi Yossy Lebovics treated those in attendance to some old time favorites, leading up to the highlight of the dinner, the guest speaker and the award ceremony.
Phase 1 - $5,000,000 Campaign Launched At Dinner
During the course of the dinner, Rabbi Raphael Tennenhaus, Chabad's executive vice president, announced the launching of Phase 1, a two year $5,000,000 campaign, for the renovation of Chabad's Headquarters in Hallandale Beach and for the expansion of Chabad's educational programs throughout South Broward. The campaign was received with great enthusiasm, and keen interest was shown in a number of the dedications available for this focused and doable expansion program. Besides two million dollars in renovation for the pre-school, Hebrew school and summer and winter camps, and the building of a Mikvah at Chabad's Headquarters, plans were also unveiled for the next two years to open four new Chabad centers in South Broward, to buy and renovate three homes for the dormitory of the Chaya Aydel Seminary, and to establish a perpetual scholarship fund to assist those in need of local Jewish education.
Phase 2 – Long Term Goal To Build the Florida770
With the theme of the dinner "Celebrating the next 25 years", the dream of Phase 2, building Florida's replica of Lubavitch World Headquarters, 770, was also unveiled, to the buzz and excitement of all dinner guests. A $25 million dollar project, the building of the Florida 770, will begin after the initial two year expansion plan is completed. A mega Torah center, the dream includes a plan for a seven story, 105,000 square foot building.
Award Ceremony Brings Crowd To Their Feet
As has become a tradition, the Award Ceremony at the Dinner was joyous, uplifting and filled with applause and gratitude for the esteemed honorees.
The Community Leadership Award was presented to the Honorable Keith and Jessica Wasserstrom. Keith, a City of Hollywood Commissioner along with his wife, are involved with scores of community, civic, and Jewish projects. They were especially praised for creating a Shomer Shabbat baseball league for children, with the participation of the city of Hollywood. Playing on Sundays, the league has an enrollment of 275 youngsters, many of whom now observe the Shabbat because of the Sunday option that the Wasserstroms initiated. Wasserstrom also played a major role in having the Broward County library on Stirling Road open on Sunday, so that Sabbath observant individuals could benefit from the library without compromising the Sabbath.
Cantor Harold Klein sang a beautiful song composed by his wife Dorothy in honor of the Community Pillar Awardees, Max and Even Rubenstein. Jeff Rubenstein introduced his parents, and his message of Tzeddakah as a priority in the three generations of Rubensteins made a mark on one and all.
Annette Daiagi graciously received the Aishes Chayil Award, and Rabbi Mendy Tennenhaus concluded the Award Ceremony by introducing the Young Leadership Awardees, Marcel and Claudia Calef and Eddy and Susan Tawil. It was a fitting conclusion to the Award Ceremony, symbolically portraying the change of demographics in South east Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, which once was mainly filled with senior citizens, and is now booming with young people and providing a healthy and promising direction for the local Jewish future.
A Dinner To Remember
Dinner guests left inspired and proud to have participated in the milestone silver anniversary of Chabad of South Broward.
As a memento, each guest came home with a beautiful souvenir journal, that brought in $250,000 in ads, a first edition of the "770 Stamp", recently issued in Israel, a silver plated Kiddush cup and plate, chocolates, a Passover guide, a One Shabbat One World Shabbaton invitation, to be held this Friday, March 24 th, and a CD with Max's favorite Zemiros.
In addition to many community and civic leaders, including Hollywood's Mayor Mara Giulianti , and a number of city commissioners and key employees, there was also a table of executives from the Diplomat Hotel and a table of representatives from Bank Leumi.
Rabbis participating in the dinner included, the president of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council, Rabbi Phineas Weberman, Rabbi Edward Davis, of the Young Israel of Hollywood/ Ft. Lauderdale, Rabbi Avrom Skurowitz of the Brauser Maimonides Community School, and Rabbi Leibel Miller of Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapels.
Shluchim participating in the dinner included, Rabbi Yaakov Fellig, Rabbi Yossy Biston, Rabbi Yossy Marlow, Rabbi Yoel Caroline, Rabbi Chay Amar, Rabbi Levi Forta, Rabbi Ruvi New, Rabbi Leizer Barash, Rabbi Pinny Andrusier, Rabbi Yisroel Spalter, Rabbi Mendy Tennenhaus, Rabbi Adi Goodman, Rabbi Huda Andrusier, Rabbi Mendel Rosenfeld, Rabbi Moshe Schwartz, Rabbi Yossy Lebovics, Rabbi Isser Silverman, Rabbi Raphael Tennenhaus, Reb Aaron Kaufman, Rabbi Levi Tennenhaus, and Rabbi Mendy Dubrowski.
To inquire about making a dedication in honor of the two year expansion plan,
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