The Shul of Bal Harbour

The Shul of Bal Harbour is a Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue in Surfside, Florida named by Newsweek as one of America's 25 most vibrant congregations.[1]

The Shul of Bal Harbour
Religion
LeadershipRabbi Sholom D. Lipskar
StatusActive
Location
Location9540 Collins Ave,
Surfside, Florida, U.S.
Geographic coordinates25.885843°N 80.122723°W / 25.885843; -80.122723
Architecture
Completed1994
Website
www.theshul.org

History

The Shul was founded by Rabbi Sholom Lipskar,[2] who was sent as an emissary of the Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneersohn, to Miami Beach in 1969.[3]

After finding no active Jewish community in the Surfside area, Lipskar initially met in hotel rooms before moving to a storefront.[3][4][5]

In the early 1980s, Surfside was not welcoming to Jews with real-estate agents refusing to deal with Jewish clients. In 1982 the local Bal Harbor Club dropped its policy banning Jewish and Black people after a discrimination lawsuit.[6][4]

The Shul moved to its current site in 1987.[4]

Building

The $9 million, 34,000 square foot building was completed and opened in 1994 in time for Rosh Hashanah.[7] The building is colonnaded and the design resembles ancient Jerusalem sandstone.[4]

Expansion

In 2016, The Shul announced a 40,000 square foot expansion at the cost of $20 million to be finished in two years. The expansion includes an all-glass wall 40 foot high social hall with glass ceilings accommodating crowds of up to 700 people.[4]

Membership and services

The congregation membership has 700 families representing 3,000 people. Programming includes adult education, programs for Latin American Jewry, early childhood, and five daily minyans.[4][8]

The Shul is also the headquarters for the Aleph Institute, an organization assisting Jewish prisoners and military personnel, also founded by Lipskar.

Surfside Condominium collapse

After the Surfside condominium collapse, The Shul raised over $500,000 for families of the victims and distributed aid to displaced community members.[9][10][11]

References
  1. "America's 25 Most Vibrant Congregations". Newsweek. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  2. "NAME: Rabbi Sholom Lipskar". The Miami Herald (pay-per-view). The McClatchy Company. 7 March 1985. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  3. Veciana-Suarez, Ana; Teproff, Carli (23 September 2014). "Rabbis follow in family traditions during High Holy Days". Miami Herald. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  4. Berkowitz, Evan (8 July 2016). "Shul of Bal Harbour to double its size in $20 million building expansion". Miami Herald. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  5. Schwartz, Karen (2 April 2017). "Bursting at the Seams, The Shul of Bal Harbour Gets a $20 Million Addition". Chabad.org. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  6. "FLORIDA CLUB DROPS BARRIERS IN FACE OF DISCRIMINATION SUIT". The New York Times. Associated Press. 12 December 1982. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  7. "Miami Beach Journal; Kosher Pizza: Sign of a Jewish Revival". The New York Times. 25 November 1994. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. Smilk, Carin M.; Robenstein, Mindy (23 February 2015). "Dramatic Chabad Growth in South Florida Latest Sign of 75-Year 'American Jewish Revolution'". Chabad.org. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  9. Taylor, Derrick Bryson (25 June 2021). "How to help survivors of the Surfside condo collapse". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  10. "Jewish community prays for miracles after condo collapse". Miami Herald. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  11. "'Now is not the time to ask why': Surfside's Jewish community ushers in somber Shabbat". Miami Herald. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
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