Rutgers Chabad Burns Mortgage at Dinner After Raising $2M
More than just the lights burned brightly on the first night of Chanukah at Rutgers Chabad. The 45th annual National Founders Anniversary dinner on Dec. 7 raised approximately $2 million and allowed the $6 million mortgage on the more than $20 million New Brunswick facility to literally be burned before the 360 attendees • Full Story, Photos
By By Debra Rubin, Jewish Link
Photos by Shahar Azran
More than just the lights burned brightly on the first night of Chanukah at Rutgers Chabad. The 45th annual National Founders Anniversary dinner on Dec. 7 raised approximately $2 million and allowed the $6 million mortgage on the more than $20 million New Brunswick facility to literally be burned before the 360 attendees.
“Tonight is a double celebration,” said Chabad Executive Director Rabbi Yosef Carlebach, who noted it was the first time since he arrived in New Brunswick as a young rabbi more than four decades earlier to establish Rutgers Chabad that he did not have to worry about a mortgage because of moves and expansions.
“It’s an interesting life to wake up every morning and have to live for the sake of the bank,” said Rabbi Carlebach who noted those monthly payments were as high as $60,000. That money can now be earmarked to “move forward” with programming and services.
The current 90,000 square-foot building, the largest Chabad House in the world, opened in stages starting with its banquet hall in December 2012, added a boys’ dorm in 2013 to its already existing a girls’ dorm, and a Sephardi synagogue in 2014 to go along with its already existing Ashkenazi synagogue, among other improvements.
The dinner honored Jonathan Kushner, president of the Jersey City-based KRE Group; Dr. Elliot Rudnitzky, a cardiologist with practices in Millburn and Edison and an attending physician at JFK University Medical Center in Edison; and Yaakov Kurlantzick, a 2021 graduate of Rutgers and now an aerospace engineer at Lockheed Martin.
The evening was marked by many special moments, including a touching appearance by Orian Gablan, an Israeli student at Rutgers who came to the university just weeks before the outbreak of the war. She arrived at Chabad’s door crying uncontrollably and was greeted by Rebbetzin Sarah Goodman who comforted her although they had never before met after learning that Gablan had just found out her best friend had been killed.
“I’m sorry you haven’t met Ben,” she said. “He was a great guy.”
Gablan, who was presented with a bouquet of flowers, added she was grateful for the support and friends she found at Chabad House.
The war with Hamas also overshadowed the celebration in other ways. Entertainment was provided by well-known Israeli singer Tal Vaknin, an IDF commander in the reserves who has been serving in Gaza but received permission to fly in that morning to perform.
Rabbi Yosef Carlebach spoke of the many projects students at Chabad had undertaken to support Israel. The strong connection between Chabad and law enforcement was also evident. Rabbi Carlebach is a state police chaplain and Chabad Administrator Rabbi Mendy Carlebach is a chaplain for the Port Authority of New and New Jersey.
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