After 10 years, we are relocating. The building that has been our spiritual home, our shul, on the Upper East Side has been sold, and we’ve been asked to move out.
We have so many incredible memories from that space. We’ve prayed, laughed, danced, cried, and witnessed so many good deeds and budding relationships take off. People have found their spouses there, helped each other network, and made friends for life. But now it’s time to move on.
Ten years ago we were able to negotiate the best ever real estate deal in NYC.
We needed a space for our shul, and the owner did a tremendous mitzvah and gave us the space for the High Holidays. I came back again and asked him if we could use it for Chanukah, and then for Pesach, and then for Shavuot and for a Friday night dinner … you get the picture!
By the time we needed the space every weekend, we were already good friends, and the owner gladly offered it to us as needed, with one caveat: When he wants it back, we must evacuate immediately.
We understood and gratefully accepted. We didn’t sign a contract; just shook hands and the deal was made. Of all the real estate transactions made on a daily basis in this city, this has got to be one of the best! We got our 13,000sf shul, and the owner got the merit of thousands of mitzvot that we did there.
Our deal worked smoothly all these years, the only issue was that we had no security, never knowing if the following week would be our last in this space.
I once shared the details of our deal with a fellow rabbi and he said, “There’s no way I could live like that! I need the security. I need to know that I have a space and won’t have to leave. Only a Chabad rabbi can live with such faith and be confident that come Shabbos he will have a shul to daven in!”
But our faith in G-d A-mighty is unshakeable, and we felt confident each week that we would have a shul. And we did.
So, now what? What’s our next step?
Well, we are moving the shul into the same space that our preschool uses. It’s a little smaller, but it will be warm and intimate, and we know that the same G-d Who gave us a space for 10 years, will find us a bigger venue moving forward. In fact, we’ve already outgrown the preschool building, but who knows, maybe someone reading this article will dedicate the first million dollars to our capital campaign!
Smaller or larger, cozier or more spacious, we are here for the long haul. We love our community and we aren’t going anywhere!