Nestled amongst giant oak trees and beautiful Florida palms, Chabad’s tranquil six and a half acre campus in Cooper City is becoming a most popular destination for families and groups wishing to host their special weekend Hakhel gatherings and family simchas.
In fact, during each weekend in December, Chabad’s Agam Kosher Retreat welcomed families celebrating the marriage of their children, offering a comfortable lake-front setting with spacious guest-room accommodations. Although Shabbos bar mitzvahs, school shabbatons, health and wellness retreats, and aufrufs have become quite common, ‘Shabbos Sheva Brochos’ has become one of the most popular bookings.
Rivka Rochel Leiberow, a Shlucha in Boca Raton, Florida whose daughter Miriam Maryasha married Moishy Serebryanski of Toronto commented, “We had our daughter’s Shabbos Sheva Brochos at the Agam Retreat and it was fabulous! It was an incredible experience. It was like going to camp with the whole family. Highly recommended.”
In addition, this year being the long-awaited year of Hakhel, many families have decided to gather immediate and even extended family for a special reunion.
“We were a family group of about 50 that spent a long Shabbat Chatan weekend at the Chabad Agam Retreat. We had the greatest time. Rabbi Pinny, Administrator Koby Lerner, and the entire staff couldn’t do enough for us. We were comfy and cared for. The setting is beautiful, and there are great spaces for the kids to play and the adults to just hang out. We would go back there in a heartbeat,” proclaimed a delighted Debbie Greenblatt from the Five Towns.
Agam Kosher Retreat, located on Chabad SW Broward’s sprawling campus under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Pinny Andrusier, also offers daily minyanim and kosher catering to complement its beautiful accommodations, making it the perfect choice for families, groups and schools to host their special events.
A most exciting opportunity is still available for ‘Pesach 2023’. Last year a couple from California rented the entire campus for Pesach and gathered their extended family – children, grandchildren and siblings from across the globe for a very unique and intimate Pesach family experience.
While there have been some inquiries for this year’s Passover, the campus still remains available at the moment on a first come basis.
“When looking for a place to do our large family reunion for more than 100 guests coming from all over the world, we knew we needed a place that would have all kinds of amenities and be near to a Jewish infrastructure. We were so thrilled to discover Agam Retreat,” said Chani Stolik (nee Teichtel), Shlucha to Coral Gables, FL.
“Everything went so smoothly and beautifully and everything was done with a huge smile. In addition, Agam has an incredible advantage that it has everything on site from a shul to a big dining room, spacious guest rooms, a big social area, and to top it all off – a lake with kayaks for the guests to use and enjoy.”
“It was also such a pleasure not to have to schlep any torahs, siddurim, or chumashim. Everything was right there on campus. It was an incredible experience and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to do a similar family reunion or family Simcha. It’s a beautiful setting with all the ruchnius built in as well.”
Rabbi Zalman Teichtel, Director of Chabad at the University Kansas added, “The space is very expansive with lots of beautiful outdoor spaces, including the scenic lake and swimming pool. With Jewish music filling the air from its overhead speakers, the feeling was so peaceful, relaxing and uplifting.”
“We held our parents’ 60th wedding anniversary at the retreat and could not have been happier!” said Julia Steiner, longtime Cooper City resident. “The venue was perfect, clean and professional. Undoubtedly, the highlight for our parents was the incredible July 4th fireworks display on the lake, courtesy of pyrotechnics expert Rabbi Shmuely G. Had it not been for our wonderful Chabad of SW Broward family, we could never have pulled it off. I recommend it 100%!”
Individual bookings are also possible upon availability. Often, couples and families traveling to Florida choose to stay at the Agam Retreat for their stay or at least for Shabbos, due to the daily minyan and kosher catering being offered.
To find out more, please visit chabadswb.com/retreat Or call Koby Lerner at (858) 334-9969.
