By COLlive reporter
The Elmont Jewish Center, founded in 1948 to serve an Orthodox Jewish community in Queens that has since withered, has recently been transformed for a renewed yet similar purpose.
With the membership diminishing, the synagogue was donated to the Ohel Chabad Lubavitch Center, the welcome center for visitors of the Rebbe‘s gravesite in the nearby Cambria Heights.
Located on Elmont Avenue, less than a mile from the Old Montefiore Cemetery, the location provides relief from the burden and congestion often felt in the vicinity of the Ohel on Francis Lewis Boulevard. On Shabbos, Rabbi Chaim Blachman conducts services in the sanctuary.
The Ohel is an international holy site for pilgrimage for Jewish and even some non-Jewish people seeking to pray and request a blessing from the Rebbe and his predecessor, the Frierdiker Rebbe, whose resting place is in the cemetery.
At this past yartzeit, when thousands spent Shabbos at the Ohel, cooking and food preparation was done off-site and not by a catering service. That was thanks to the renovated kitchen at the Elmont Jewish Center.
Donating the renovation was Crown Heights property owner and philanthropist Yossi Popack who dedicated the building in memory of his late father, R’ Shmuel Isaac Popack OBM.
“The guest house and tents at the Ohel were in danger of being shut down due to complication issues with permits,” Popack told COLlive.com. “So it was crucial that the Ohel to have a different location it can use for ongoing needs.”
The new state-of-the-art commercial kitchen can accommodate the preparation and cooking of meals for thousands of people. The kitchen is used daily for the cooking for the Yeshiva at the Ohel as well.
Popack also contributed to refurbishing the tents near the cemetery where visitors can pray, prepare for entering the Ohel and wash their hands and enjoy a warm drink following the visit.
Popack said he feels strongly about building and maintaining the location of the Ohel, and he says, “this is just the beginning. It’s only the first stage in developing the Ohel.”
Rabbi Abba Refson, Director of Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch, said he his appreciative for the assistance in the repurposing and keeping open one of the longest running active congregations on Long Island.
“We are extremely appreciative to Mr. Popack for providing this kitchen which will, with Hashem’s help, be providing meals for thousands of Chassidim throughout the year who visit the Rebbe’s Ohel,” Refson told COLlive.com.
If the rebbe is b’gashmius in the ohel and not in 770 – what is the significance of 770? It’s just a building that the rebbe USED to be in. Why do pictures of the shluchim have to be taken in front of 770 – why not in front of the ohel?
The Rebbe also wanted to be as close as possible with the Frediker Rebbe. Yet he did so by davening and learning in the same place that the Frediker Rebbe davened and learned. He repeated this dictum hundreds of times. The Rebbe would not go to the ohel to farbreng, sleep ,eat or have a shiur or join an Ufruf celebration. This hanhoga is an abandonment of the Rebbe’s approach in my humble opinion.
You have to explain to your daughter that the Rebbe did not set up a permanent structure at the Ohel since he was the gashmiyus replacement to the Frierdiker Rebbe. So in essence, there was no need for a Beis Chabad at the Ohel. However, today, this is not the case. Without a memaleh makom, for many people, the Ohel is the closest thing we have to a memaleh makom, so long as we are still in galus.
The Elmont Jewish Center is a makom kodesh, a former orthodox shul that lost it’s congregation. It is being repurposed for another holy use. Who knows what might happen to the Jewish Center otherwise?
It’s a fair question, and kudos to you for open communication with your daughter. The Ohel is certainly temporary (though it has already taken a lot longer than we imagined), but it has also evolved into a “Chabad House” serving people from all walks of life, from all over the world. It also serves Chassidim who want to spend special days close by to the Ohel. And just like every Chabad House around the world, this one must be welcoming, warm, and accessible. As the demand becomes greater, the need for larger facilities becomes greater. Now, Ohel Chabad – the… Read more »
to invest near the ohel makes sense cos it will stilll be holy even after moshiach comes.
now why don’t they invest in 770?
that is a whole other issue on its own.
Your comment is a bit more loaded than I would expect from a 36 year old balas teshuva in the name of her 11 year old daughter…
Please clarify to your daughter that all Chabad houses, shuls and places of Torah and tefillin will transported to yerushalayim with moshiach tzidkeinu may he reveal himself immediately.
In the meantime, the amazing zchus of feeding chassidim who come to their Rebbe will stand by all who are involved forever.
we totally agree with you
to make the Rebbe happy we should spend our time in 770
the Rebbe never gave anyone permission to spend shabbos or yomtov by the holy ohel and that is the way it should be now too.
people make up things and every one follows
to #6 you are absolutely right, it’s the העלם of golus, טאקע היתכן
Your question is a good one and maybe the wording which you wrote from mr. Popack could have been written different, your last paragraph is the true answer, as long as we are in this golus, we need to make a place where thousands of people can come to be close to the Rebbe, spend a shabbos by the Rebbe etc. To your question if people would have thought of building 21 years ago, are you talking about the time that people were sleeping between the graves? When they weren’t thinking about their next days parnoso or anything else? If… Read more »
The mishkan was also temporary. And yet, even when it was setup for just a day or two (as per Hashem’s command, see parshas behalosecho), it has to be set up in totality. This is the essence of the answer. It also is a good teaching opportunity to explain how everything we do must be complete and total.
Although, I too, found the reference to this is only the first stage somewhat out of place.
Thank you to popack and refson
“this is just the beginning. It’s only the first stage in developing the Ohel.”
Let’s hope this is the last step with the coming of Moshiach NOW
Right on! Your daughter is absolutely right. The ohel is a temporary place, that’s why it’s called an ohel, a tent, a temporary structure. This is true with regard to any tzaddik how much more so with regards to the Rebbe. There is no reason why they are building it up it should he left the way the rebbe left it. The rebbe didn’t build houses and tents and buildings near the frierdiker rebbes ohel and there is no reason why we should. We go there however it’s not something that we’re happy about and it’s not something we celebrate… Read more »
The above statements in no. 6 took the words out if my mouth. Exactly why are we planning on setting up so many guest with food and board This is NOT a permanent home G-d forbid. It’s sooo temporary for any moment we will hear that shofar blow Moshiach will arrive and the “Dead will rise from their burial spots” Maybe you’re thinking that at THAT point we will
need catering for the Seudas Livyason and lodgings but most likely we will be celebrating all this in Yerushayim Ir Hakodesh.
Your sentiments are correct. I guess this is upscale temporary.
There are many people who would like to visit the Rebbes resting place. When the stay for an extended period of time then they need to eat food. There aren’t other options such as stores or restaurants in the area and the Ohel is so kind as to make these accommodations. If you don’t have a kitchen that can handle the quantity of food you need to make then making a better kitchen is a good idea, especially if there are kind benefactors to help make it happen. Here’s what to tell you’re eleven year old. We currently live in… Read more »
the real thanks goes to abba refson who spends night and day and all those chasidim that do shmira twenty four hours a day through the whole night! six days a week!!
Thank you!!!
Is the Ohel not a temporary place?? I all way’s thought that there where tent’s because this was a temporary thing, up until we will see our Rebbe again with our physical eye’s.. I am bound for a bunch of negative response. Though I’m not challenging, just asking. “this is just the beginning. It’s only the first stage in developing the Ohel.” Have we come comfortable with the situation and decided to make the best of it? Why are we getting to comfortable with the Ohel? Why did I not know what to answer my daughter when she asked me?… Read more »
girls wanna spend shabbos by the ohel also.!
השייכות למשפחת פאפאק לאוהל הקדוש הי’ מימי בראשית שר’ שמואל אייזיק ז”ל הי’ זה שנדב מכונית עבור רבינו זי”ע לנסוע לאוהל.
ר’ יוסי , ישלם השם משכורתך אלף פעמים ככה בלי גוזמא בטוב הנראה והנגלה
You are a incredible inspiration how you give with a open hand with so much kindness, its truly inspiring
Kol HaKavod to Y.Y. Popack!
May Hashem bless him with arichas yamim, shanim tovim, gezund and much nachas from his family and from all his wonderful endeavours.
He is a dugma chaya for us all.
It is 2.1mile to the Ohel according to Google Maps