It was about eight years ago that I attended a groundbreaking ceremony for Beth Chabad Côte Saint-Luc’s new facility in District 2, at the corner of Kildare Road and Marc Chagall Avenue. At the time the community centre was based at the Cavendish Mall and prior to that at the Côte Saint-Luc Shopping Centre.
Under the leadership of Rabbi Mendel Raskin and his wife Sarah, Beth Chabad CSL spent almost two decades looking for a permanent home. They had to be patient until this facility became a reality. When the Mall began demolition of half of its façade to make way for housing two years ago, Beth Chabad moved into trailers and rented some space at Bialik High School. Pictured at the right is Rabbi Raskin (left) and his brother Yitzhak, who runs Chabad in Burlington, Vermont.
Last fall, their new home opened for business during the Rosh Hashanah period. While not yet fully completed, officials had met all necessary building standards.
Here is my interview with Rabbi Raskin and Mayor Housefather:
On May 23 I was thrilled to attend Beth Chabad CSL’s 26th anniversary gala, which was highlighted by the debut of a gorgeous new social hall. Officially known as Beth Chabad Hechal Menachem, the building is home to the Maurice and Nicole Benisti Youth Centre. At the gala, Max and Sigy Laredo (that is Max with me above) received the Tree of Life Award; Jacob and Therese Attias, the Builders Award; and Michel and Perline Amar, the Anshei Chesed Award.
The new social hall can accomodate close to 600 people. “This will fill a large void in the greater Montreal area where few halls can boast the capacity to hold events of this magnitude,” says Rabbi Raskin. “ It will be equipped with state-of-the-art audio equipment and screens to hold community wide Jewish educational conferences, community lectures, symposiums and seminars throughout the year.This will be a place to hold holiday celebrations, weddings, brit milot, bar/bat mitzvahs in addition to many other occasions which can all be held in one elaborate and sophisticated setting.”
Below, I share a word with Rabbi Raskin and Raphael Perez.
