TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Chabad of Tallahassee and FSU reached a milestone in the first week of April just in time to celebrate the 8-day holiday of Passover. They opened their new quad trailers nearly a year after a fire destroyed their old building.
Rabbi Schneur Oirechman says the trailers make them feel like they have a home again.
"It's a place where they can come and celebrate and eat kosher food," Rabbi Oirechman said. "They can learn about their heritage, get counseling and help...basically it's a home away from home for them."
Jonas Benjo is a freshman at FSU and arrived after the old synagogue was gone. He got involved with Chabad within his first few weeks of school, and has become a frequent visitor with the organization. He says having the new building will help them build a sense of community again.
"There were a lot of weeks where things felt very bleak, especially when the numbers were really low when the building was non-existent so to speak," Benjo explained. " So I think it brings a lot of hope."
Rabbi Oirechman says they're in the process of building a new synagogue that will have classrooms, a dining hall, places for students to hang out, and more. He views the tragedy they've been through as an opportunity for something bigger and better.
"Well now we have this opportunity here which I think is better than the old synagogue. It was a very old building," Rabbi Oirechman said. "But we're looking for much bigger and better opportunities and going with God's way versus our way."
Benjo hopes to continue building a sense of community for Jewish students in the area, until they can move into their new space.
"By the time that building is up there's a good chance I'll either be here for my last year or will be graduating as that building is fully finished," Benjo said. "So it's really about building the community for when the building is here so they can take over where we left off."
The organization is depending on the kindness of others to help fund the building that's under construction, as some of the insurance claims were denied for items destroyed inside the building. If you would like to donate to the project you can go to the Chabad of Tallahassee and FSU website.
