The Shul of Bal Harbour
| The Shul of Bal Harbour | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Leadership | Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 9540 Collins Ave, Surfside, Florida, U.S. |
| Geographic coordinates | 25°53′09″N 80°07′22″W / 25.885843°N 80.122723°W |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1994 |
| Website | |
| www | |
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]
History[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
- ^ "America's 25 Most Vibrant Congregations". Newsweek. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "NAME: Rabbi Sholom Lipskar". The Miami Herald (pay-per-view). The McClatchy Company. 7 March 1985. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
- ^ a b Veciana-Suarez, Ana; Teproff, Carli (23 September 2014). "Rabbis follow in family traditions during High Holy Days". Miami Herald. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Berkowitz, Evan (8 July 2016). "Shul of Bal Harbour to double its size in $20 million building expansion". Miami Herald. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "FLORIDA CLUB DROPS BARRIERS IN FACE OF DISCRIMINATION SUIT". The New York Times. Associated Press. 12 December 1982. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Miami Beach Journal; Kosher Pizza: Sign of a Jewish Revival". The New York Times. 25 November 1994. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (25 June 2021). "How to help survivors of the Surfside condo collapse". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Jewish community prays for miracles after condo collapse". Miami Herald. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "'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.