Community
Chabad spreading its wings in capital
Lewisham and the South Bank are among additions to the fold
September 13, 2017 16:53
Lewisham and the South Bank are among additions to the fold
September 13, 2017 16:53Chabad Lubavitch UK has significantly expanded its outreach in London, opening four new branches over the past year in different parts of the capital.
Rabbi Moshe and Gitty Adler have set up shop on the South Bank, within a stone’s throw of Battersea Power Station.
“People we meet tell us that their involvement in Judaism suffers as there is no local synagogue or services to attend,” they said.
“Very often we receive an email from somebody moving here, expressing their excitement to have discovered that a Jewish community is being created in Battersea.”
While Chabad has long operated in Wimbledon, it has recently added to its south London presence by opening in Downham in the borough of Lewisham with Rabbi Mendy and Ruth Brackman at the helm.
Further north, in fashionable Notting Hill, Rabbi Shneur and Shaina Wineberg look forward “to catering for all Jews in the coming years while working alongside existing synagogues.
“Despite the area’s relatively high number of Jewish couples, families and professionals, the vast majority of locals we came in contact with were unaffiliated to any Jewish community,” they reported.
Another area which has proved popular with young families is Crouch End, where Rabbi Boruch and Batsheva Altein have been running activities over the past few months.
“With so many Jews in the area, many of whom are as yet unaffiliated, the potential is huge. The Shofar in the Park this coming Rosh Hashanah will offer yet more opportunity for connection and growth,” they said.
Further east, a new Chabad House is in the pipeline for Epping.
