WINNIPEG — Despite short notice, about 100 people crowded into the Chabad centre in south Winnipeg on Sept. 13 to celebrate the announcement that the provincial and federal governments are each giving Chabad $320,000 toward construction of a new community and education centre in the southern part of the city.
“It was tremendous news,” Rabbi Yacov Simmonds said of the federal infrastructure grant, which was matched by the province. “We only learned about the grant just before Shabbat. It is a major boost in our efforts to build our new centre.”
The construction of a new 17,000-square-foot Chabad centre in south Winnipeg will be the first new Jewish institution to be built in Winnipeg since the opening of the Asper Jewish Community campus in 1997 – and the first new religious institution to be built in the community since the construction of the first Chabad centre in north Winnipeg more than 30 years ago.
About 10 years ago, with the majority of Winnipeg’s Jewish population already having shifted from north to south Winnipeg, Chabad opened a south Winnipeg branch in a small, rented storefront space.
Chabad bought the land for a larger centre in the largely Jewish and affluent River Heights area four years ago and kicked off a fundraising campaign in May 2007 with a dinner honouring members of the Rich family, who are strong supporters of Chabad in Winnipeg.
The overall project is expected to cost more than $3 million, said Rabbi Simmonds, who has led the fundraising campaign.
He expects construction to start on the first phase shortly and take about a year to complete. It will have 14,000 square feet of space. “We were originally going to build the smaller portion first, but the consensus was that we should build the larger portion instead and add 3,000 square feet more at a later date,” Rabbi Simmonds said.
The new building will house a multi-purpose social hall/lecture hall/synagogue, along with classrooms, a library and a small gym for Chabad’s preschool program and summer and winter camp.
“We have been using rented space and rabbis’ homes for our programs up to now,” Rabbi Simmonds said. “We will be able to consolidate all our programs in our new building and also run programs concurrently.”
The new building, he said, should be able to accommodate 350 to 400 people, compared to the 65 to 75 who can be comfortably squeezed into the present rented space.
“It took a group of forward-thinking visionaries to get us to where we are today,” Rabbi Simmonds says.
He saved his highest praise for Rabbi Avroham Altein, Chabad’s leader in Winnipeg, who arrived here in 1970 and built up the organization from scratch.
“Without Rabbi Altein’s commitment, guidance and leadership, none of this would have happened,” Rabbi Simmonds said.
