By B.C. Manion
Last year before the Jewish High Holy Days, Rabbi Mendy Yarmush drew a diagram to show how he wanted the chairs arranged for the services to be held in a hotel.
This year, the services are being held at a new synagogue called Chabad Jewish Centre at Wiregrass at 2124 Ashley Oaks Circle.
The permanent worship space came along sooner than expected, said Yarmush, who moved to the area a couple of years ago, with his wife, Chanie.
The couple thought they would find a small community of Jews in the New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes that would grow gradually.
They were wrong.
“Our first event was Hannukah, in December 2008,” Yarmush said, noting the celebration was staged at the Shops at Wiregrass.
“We didn’t know anyone in the community. We expected maybe a hundred people if we were lucky. Over 300 people showed up.”
Yarmush and his wife began offering various activities and services in their home.
“About five months ago, someone from our community told me they wanted to write a Torah scroll,” he said.
That’s a significant undertaking, Yarmush said, and typically takes about a year to complete.
He decided the time was right to launch a capital campaign to fund a permanent home for the congregation.
Unlike traditional Jewish congregations, Chabad doesn’t have membership fees and does not require tickets to be purchased for any of its services.
“We don’t have a membership base, per se. Because of that, our funding is completely voluntary from the community,” Yarmush said.
While it doesn’t have a permanent membership, the community has about 50 active families, representing 100-120 people, he said.
“You have people who just show up for holiday programs or activities or events,” he said. “Throughout the high holidays, we’ll have probably 200-250 people. Hannukah, we’ve had upwards of 300.”
The synagogue has been received enthusiastically, he said.
“People are excited,” he said, noting before the synagogue opened, many of the active families were traveling to north or south Tampa to attend services.
The synagogue’s mission is “to create a warm and non-judgmental environment, where every Jew is welcome, regardless of background, affiliation or financial means – where everyone feels at home, from the inexperienced in ritual and practice, to the most learned,” according to a brochure it distributes.
The synagogue also strives to be a place where “where children play and learn and develop their Jewish identities, where our elders share their wisdom and where parents learn to transmit the joy and beauty of Judaism to the next generation.”
Chabad Jewish Centre at Wiregrass aims to meet people’s needs.
It also wants “to celebrate Judaism in a fun fashion. It should bring to life, Judaism,” Yarmush said.
The synagogue, in the Seven Oaks Professional Center, opened on Sept. 11.
“We picked the location because it’s central. We’re central to these new neighborhoods. The Wiregrass name, we think, will continue to develop. Everyone knows Wiregrass.”
The synagogue occupies about 1,800 square feet – half of a two-unit professional office building.
For now, that’s enough to accommodate the synagogue’s space needs. Renting the other side of the building will help generate revenue, and, when the congregation needs more space – it’ll be easy to expand, said Yarmush, who is excited about the congregation’s new home.
“It’s nice. It’s spacious. It’s perfect,” he said.
/Glance box
Chabad Jewish Centre at Wiregrass, 2124 Ashley Oaks Circle. It meets on the first Friday of each month at 7 p.m. It also offers various special events and has a Jewish women’s group. For more information call (813) 642-3244 or visit, chabadcountyline.com.
